When people think of fiber, they think of a dry, tasteless and odorless powder that is supposed to be healthy for us but tastes absolutely horrible. After all, fiber is essential to a healthy diet. It has been known to regulate blood sugar, helps to maintain a healthy weight, and lowers cholesterol. As the title states, fiber is not the only option for fighting cholesterol.
One of the best ways to control cholesterol is through a healthy diet. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are excellent for fighting cholesterol. This could include salmon, walnuts, and avocados, just to name a few. The food items listed here are excellent items for putting together a healthy, delicious, and nutritious meal. Eating out at decadent and elegant restaurants can be exciting and fun, but do you know what ingredients are used to prepare the foods you eat? Some dishes we consume at these nice restaurants are high in saturated fats and sugars. The price tags that come with these decadent and elegant meals can also be quite disturbing. Bottom line? Eating out can be very expensive.
Why Eat out When We Can Eat In?
As mentioned before, eating out can be fun and exciting. Creating a delicious meal at home, however, can be just as fun and less expensive. More importantly, you can control the ingredients you use to prepare your dishes. You can also create delightfully tasteful beverages, such as cocktails, to accommodate your meals at home. Use some trendy ingredients like pineberry syrup to make your cocktails. You can also make mocktails for those who do not want alcohol.
Let’s take, for example, a nice healthy salmon dish. Salmon can be prepared in a number of ways. You can grill it, bake it or pan sear it. Regardless of how you prepare this deliciously healthy fish, you can rest assured in knowing that you are going to get a hearty and healthy meal.
But How Would You Actually Prepare It?
Preparing a nice delicious salmon dish is not as intimidating as one may think. As a matter of fact, salmon is the easiest fish to prepare. One way to prepare a great salmon dish is to pan sear it. It is a simple process that consists of lightly seasoning the salmon on both sides with sea salt and pepper to add flavor. You prepare your pan by adding a teaspoon of olive oil. After you’ve allowed the olive oil to heat up to a medium-high heat, place the salmon fillet in the center of the pan. Allow it to simmer for 2 minutes. Place the salmon filet in an oven that has been preheated at 425° for 2 minutes. Pull it out of the oven flip it to the other side and repeat. After you finish these steps, you have successfully prepared a nice flavorful healthy salmon dish in under 10 minutes.
If you choose, you can deglaze the pan with a nice dry white wine such as a Pinot Grigio. Adding a pinch of salt and pepper, freshly chopped garlic and herbs, and a scoop of butter will give you a nice sauce to drizzle over the salmon fillet. Pairing this delicious creation with brown rice and a salad would be the bomb. Oh, and by the way, you can create a homemade salad dressing by simply mixing apple cider vinegar, olive oil, a smidge of honey, crushed strawberries and sea salt and pepper to taste. Whisk it up and eat it. Oh, baby!
What About Drinks?
We mentioned cocktails above, but let’s be clear; no meal is complete without a good old drink. Creating your own cocktails at home can be just as fun and exciting as preparing a delicious meal. After all, you’re at home so have fun with it. The beautiful thing about preparing your own cocktails is you can control the amount of each ingredient. If you are more of a fruity person, you can control the amount of fruity syrup. If you’re more of a vodka person, guess what, you can control that ingredient to. A quick and easy drink that you can create at home could include:
- Some good old vodka
- Club soda
- Some fruity syrup
- Slices strawberries and pineapples
- A few ice cubes
- Mint for garnish
Combine these ingredients per your liking, shake it up, then drink it up. The beautiful part is if you’re not heavy on the vodka, you won’t need a designated driver.
These are a couple of ideas you can use to put together a delicious and fun meal at home. It doesn’t have to be over the top and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive. Have fun, create memories and enjoy.
Photo by elizabeth lies on Unsplash
