As the weather heats up, cooking in a hot kitchen seems less and less desirable. The good news for those that are trying to eat healthy this summer is that fresh foods are some of the healthiest options out there. With a little creativity, healthy eaters can enjoy some cool and refreshing meals — no stove required! Koibito Poke shares some fresh ways to eat healthy this season.
Prep and Prepare
When setting a goal to eat healthy (or any other achievement), it helps to have a plan of action and to prepare one’s self for success. When it comes to fresh eating, that starts with stocking up on the healthy foods one can reach for when a craving attacks. For example, wash and cut veggies and fruit to enjoy with a little piece of cheese or nuts for a quick snack. Or enjoy Greek yogurt with berries and granola. These are easy to put together in just a matter of minutes once the prep work has been done.
Consider a Picnic-Style Meal
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the charcuterie board for taking deconstructed ingredients and turning them into the trendiest appetizer of the moment. Charcuterie boards and crudité platters are great choices when eating healthy — mostly because ingredients and toppings are totally customizable. When preparing a charcuterie board, include a variety of veggies, hummus, jams or other dips, whole nuts, dried fruits, cheese cubes, lean meats, olives and more. Load up on the “good stuff” and go leaner on heavier charcuterie staples such as salami or salumi.
Have a Simple Supper
Learning to redefine old habits is an important part of eating healthy. For example, those that are used to eating “three square meals” may find that six mini meals throughout the day keeps them better fueled and energized. Once used to being satisfied by a smaller amount of food versus a standard dinner plate, “snack-style” mini meals will become easier to quickly throw together.
For example, home cooks can toss together some chopped vegetables (think cucumbers and carrots), herbs (such as basil, mint and or lemongrass) and chilled shrimp then roll the mixture into butter lettuce leaves for dipping into a favorite Thai-style peanut sauce. Sandwich pinwheels made with turkey, lettuce, tomatoes and a creative aioli sauce wrapped into a tortilla make for an easy meal. And there are endless ways to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken (some deli counters even sell containers of the pre-shredded white meat) for topping green salads or making chicken salad with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream in place of heavy mayonnaise.
Go Heavy on the Greens
“Going green” is an easy way to get more fresh veggies into a meal. Most dine-in restaurants will allow guests to choose a salad as a side to their meal versus traditional French fries, chips or onion rings that will put the kibosh on an otherwise healthy meal. This rings true at Koibito Poke where diners can select fresh spring mix salad as a base instead of white or brown rice. And even some fast-food restaurants offer lettuce cups instead of a bun for burgers and/or chicken sandwiches, making getting in more greens on the go super convenient.
It’s important to have a back-up plan. For those days when out and about all day, consider packing a healthy trail mix or granola along for the ride. If an on-the-go meal doesn’t work, Koibito Poke is proud to offer a variety of fresh customizable bowls to make healthy (and delicious!) eating a snap – for in-restaurant dining or take and go.
