HOUSTON – Raise your hand if you’re finding yourself making more visits to the fridge than usual.
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We’re all in the same boat here!
Especially when you’re stuck at home bored, tired, hungry and maybe even a little delusional.
From my own experience of boredom, I find myself snacking and having LOTS of cravings.
I personally, just don’t want to leave the house, (practicing some serious social distancing over here), but I’m missing some of my favorite foods.
I could really go for a delicious pizza, a juicy burger or even some tasty tacos!
Of course, I can still jump in my car and make a quick trip to fast food places, or I can make a healthier choice and simply make the recipes from the comfort of my home where I know exactly what’s going into that dish.
Let’s go with the second option!
Enjoy these 3 healthy recipes without the loaded calories.
1. HOMEMADE THIN CRUST LOADED VEGGIE PIZZA
Making pizzas at home allows you to control what you put on your pizza and is also a great way to get your spouse and the kids involved in the kitchen.
Registered dietitian Mary Ellen Phipps with Milk and Honey Nutrition shares what pizza night is like in her home and how to take advantage of the healthiest of toppings.
Get Mary Ellen’s Tomato Kale Beet Pizza recipe here
Here’s the easiest way to customize the dinner menu for the entire family!
You can make your own pizza crust from scratch, use a boxed mix, buy an already made frozen pizza crust, or even use a large tortilla to make pizza night one to remember.
Keep in mind, customizing each pizza for every family member is the simplest task.
Ask your spouse and kids ahead of time what they’re favorite toppings are, have them prepped ahead of time, and let each person build their own pizza. It’s a great way to make decisions on the kind of sauce, the quantity of cheese and how many veggies each person would like.
***CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL SEGMENT***
2. HOMEMADE BUNLESS BURGER
Registered dietitian Mary Ellen Phipps with Milk and Honey Nutrition shares how to recreate Whataburger’s bunless burger from your own kitchen, and without any excuses.
MARY ELLEN’S INGREDIENT RECOMMENDATIONS
- Include a leafy green with large wide leaves like collard green or spinach, or go for a refreshing crunch from romaine or butter lettuce
- Choose a 100% beef patty. Make it easy enough by grabbing it from the frozen food section of your grocery store
- Add in higher quality condiments if you can. Take the recipe up a notch by adding in sautéed onions and mushrooms for a little extra flavor
- Now it’s time to eat! Keep in mind these easy 5 steps when you’re building your own homemade bunless burger.
5 STEPS TO BUILDING THE BUNLESS BURGER
- Wash & dry 2 leaves. Cut out the stems and fold each leaf long ways
- Place your beef patty on the middle of your leafy green
- Add your healthy toppings and condiments on top
- Fold the sides of the leaves over the toppings to have them overlap. To secure, wrap once more by using the second leaf and repeat the folds
- Stick a toothpick in the middle to serve, and enjoy
***CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL SEGMENT***
3. THE HOMEMADE CABANA BOWL
Just because you’re trying to eat healthy doesn’t mean you have to skip Taco Tuesday!
Taco Cabana’s Cabana Bowl is a crowd favorite, so you don’t have to miss out on it. Instead, recreate the recipe from the comfort of your home, but with a healthier twist.
Registered dietitian Mary Ellen Phipps with Milk & Honey Nutrition shares the step-by-step process.
Find recipe directions here including Mary Ellen’s custom taco seasoning.
Mary Ellen recommends using low sodium black beans, whole grain rice, brown rice or wild rice, grilled chicken and fresh pico.
AMP UP THE NUTRITION VALUE
Having the luxury of preparing food from home means you can add in a variety of healthier foods. Mary Ellen recommends tossing in broccoli, shredded cheese, guacamole for that plant-based fat and extra veggies for additional fiber.
HOW TO TAKE THE RECIPE UP A NOTCH
“If you can, swap out that chicken for some seafood.”
We just came out of February which is National Heart Health Month. The American Heart Association recommends eating seafood twice a week. This is an easy type of meal to add seafood to and seafood you can cook quicker than chicken.
HOUSTON COMPANY: FISHFIXE
“I also love a local company called ‘FishFixe’ that’s women owned, and doing great things in the area, that ship seafood straight to your door, already portioned, it’s fresh, you can stick it right in your freezer.”
FishFixe make eating seafood super easy! They send you enough food for 2 adults for a month to meet the recommendation of eating seafood twice a week. You can pick which kind of seafood you want and they are truly are a wonderful resource.
***CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL SEGMENT***
Until next time, enjoy!