Every day, I am looking for exciting new healthy recipes to cook and prepare for my family. I have surfed through dozens of websites looking for easy-to-prepare healthy meals.
Some of my favorite recipe websites include:
• Supercook.com http://www.supercook.com/ This site is fantastic. You type in the ingredients you have on hand and it delivers a plethora of recipes you can cook at home.
• Allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/ This is the TripAdvisor of cooking websites. It delivers photos, ratings, reviews and recommendations for recipes.
Read the reviews for recommendations on how to cut the fat content of the recipe. You can also sign up for a daily and weekly email which delivers “the week’s hottest recipes.”
• Eating Well.com http://www.eatingwell.com/ also offers a plethora of healthy recipes. It offers low calorie recipes for your crock pot, diet/health/nutrition tips, and features.
For example, this week it features ʺthe best and worst girl scout cookies.ʺ
http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/the_best_worst_girl_scout_cookies
• Cooking Light.com http://www.cookinglight.com/ is another spectacular healthy recipe website. This beauty is well-organized and has something for everyone.
A perfect example is one of this week’s features called ʺGuy Foods Lightened.ʺ http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/guy-foods-lightened-00412000067595/ The site tweaks ʺguy foodsʺ with easy recommendations on how to prepare the meals in a healthier manner.
However, the downside to many of these recipe websites are the calories and fat content of each recipe. Another downside to finding recipes online are the “special“ ingredients a recipe may require.
For example, Oprah’s Favorite Turkey Burger recipe (link: http://www.food.com/recipe/oprahs-favorite-turkey-burger-from-donald-trumps-mar-a-lago-401510) requires Major Grey's chutney. This chutney has to be ordered online since my grocery store doesn’t carry it.
One key recommendation is to read the comment sections of the recipe. People are really helpful in volunteering information on how to prepare a reduced calories and fat content in recipes. Also, some comments offer ingredients which you can substitute.
• Another incredible website is Healthy Eating by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/healthyeating/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
This website delivers a plethora of heart healthy recipes. It also features pictures of the completed recipes with dietary and nutritional information. This sight is organized and easy to follow. Also look in the left-hand column for healthy family meals and dinners.
• Another gem is the Recipe Finder by the USDA. http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/index.php
This no-fuss website allows you to search for a recipe in English as well as Spanish. For example, if you type in pancakes, a number of recipes pop up in the search. It also gives you helpful hints, costs for the recipe, printing options, and shopping list options.
Remember, yoga, meditation, exercise and watching what we eat could all reduce our risk of heart disease. Symptoms of a woman suffering a heart attack can be different than a man's and may include fatigue, indigestion and pain in her jaw.
Listen to your bodies, ladies.
Most importantly, feed it the proper fuel to live a healthy and prosperous life.
References:
NHLBI Deliciously Healthy Eating Recipes. NHLBI Healthy People 2010 Gateway. Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/healthyeating/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
SNAP-Ed Connection: Recipe Finder. SNAP-Ed Connection: Recipe Finder. Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/index.php
Reviewed February, 3, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith