2 Easy Recipes to Get You Excited About Healthy Eating

In my first article, I offered some ideas to help you start on the path to healthy (fresh) eating. That article addressed the numerous reasons we already know such as the likely health (including anti-cancer) benefits among others.

Here, I’m going to offer an overview of two healthy recipes. They are both very easy. The first is a dark sweet cherry chocolate smoothie. The second is a delicious and easy sauce for stir fry. It can go with vegetables, proteins, or just over rice.

Why smoothies are a great start

Smoothies are the perfect summer meal or snack. Easy to make, they are nutritious and can keep you cool in the heat.

The goal is to make a healthy smoothie so that means one no added sugar. The sweetness should come from the fruit included. One of my favorites is a sweet dark cherry chocolate smoothie.

It’s just fruit and a liquid base

I find frozen fruit the best because it adds the cold and frozen consistency. (Otherwise, if you use fresh fruit, you need to add ice). So, for our sweet dark cherry chocolate smoothie, you need to buy frozen sweet dark cherries. They are readily available in most supermarkets. (Make sure the ingredients are just cherries with no additional sugar added.)

You will also need either a banana or several pitted fresh dates. Either of these adds a nice complement to the cherries.

Options for the liquid base

And then you need a liquid base to make it mix easily in the blender (I usually add the liquid first). I like to use plain, unsweetened kefir, which is basically liquified plain yogurt. But you could use dairy or other milk or fruit juice or water (again, if you use juice, go for the best quality and with no added sugars).

I add the liquid first, then about a quarter of a small bag of cherries, then a banana broken into three or four pieces. Finally, I sprinkle in a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Blend it and then adjust for consistency and flavor by adding more of any of the ingredients. It is sweet and chocolatey and cold. This is one of my favorite breakfasts. It’s also great as a dessert.

A delicious sauce for stir fFry

If you have some fresh vegetables like bell peppers, onions, and zucchini but don’t know what to do with them, here’s an easy stir fry sauce.

Just 4 ingredients

It’s just four ingredients: garlic, ginger, maple syrup, and soy sauce. You want to get fresh ginger (not pickled!) and garlic. Either buy it directly in the produce department or sometimes you can find it frozen in small quantities. I like it fresh but frozen is easier to keep on hand for whenever you need it.

You can grate some slices of ginger with a grater or I find a potato peeler even easier. I take several grated slices and then mince them fine. Same with the garlic...you can buy it pre-peeled and mince it or use a garlic press (don’t get the jarred garlic; it’s not as fresh and doesn’t taste as good.)

Sweet and savory

Get some real maple syrup and some lower-sodium soy sauce (which to me tastes exactly the same as the regular).

On a medium heat with a bit of water, toss in the garlic and ginger and saute for a few minutes. Add some maple syrup and some soy sauce. Then toss in your vegetables and mix it all together. It’s good to have some additional increments of the sauce ingredients nearby so you can add a bit more as needed to taste or to match the volume of your vegetables.

I love this sauce because it is both sweet and savory. And the ginger and garlic are both flavorful and nutritious.

I hope you enjoy both these recipes and that maybe they inspire you to explore more healthy ideas.