Continuing on my year of heart healthy ideas, one thing I have to confess...I've fallen off the wagon. In foods that are heart healthy, that is. It's hard to break old habits. It's harder when you have some really picky eaters. For example, Jacob will not eat okra, squash, cooked mushrooms, and most any 'unnormal' veggie, like asparagus and cauliflower. James will not eat fish or seafood of any kind, and most veggies. When he and I first began to date, the most in veggies he would eat was corn, green beans and peas and carrots, not pea and then carrots, but they had to be mixed. I've gotten him to eat broccoli, cauliflower and he still refuses to eat turnip or mustard greens. He introduced me to black beans and I must admit, I was a bit nervous at first, but I LOVE them now. They have become a staple in our pantry.
We buy groceries once a month. Confession: I hate buying groceries. We tried doing the making a menu and buying one time a week, but I found we were spending more money doing that because there were nights we just didn't want baked chicken and preferred pizza instead. And, did I mention, I hate buying groceries? I don't do menu's and as it may work for some, for us, it just wasn't feasible. It did help with the "what's for dinner" question, but when I said what was for dinner, I got some really bad looks. I've also stopped asking, "What do you want for dinner tonight" because I have yet to find a recipe for "I don't know" and "I don't care".
So, tomorrow morning, I will get up bright and early, have a pot of coffee, and go buy some food. Wanting to get back on track, I have been researching heart healthy foods. This is the tricky part. Picky eaters. Most fruits, James and Jacob will eat. It's (again) the veggies. Personally, there aren't too many veggies I won't eat. I don't care for blueberries, eggplant or artichokes (to name a few). I won't refuse to eat those foods if I'm at some one's home for dinner, but I just don't care for them. As for meats, I get tired of chicken, pork and beef and would love some fish. I save those moments for when James and I go out for dinner. I eat all the fish I can hold (and then some).
Here are some heart healthy foods that we all need to eat.
1. Salmon
2. Flax seed
3. Oatmeal
4. Black or Kidney Beans
5. Almonds
6. Walnuts
7. Red Wine
8. Tuna
9. Popcorn
10. Brown rice
11. Soy milk
12. Blueberries
13. Carrots
14. Spinach
15. Broccoli
16. Sweet potato
17. Red bell peppers
18. Asparagus
19. Oranges
20. Tomatoes
21. Bananas
22. Cantaloupe
23. Papaya
24. Dark chocolate
25. Tea
26. Yogurt (Live active cultures are best)
27. Lentils
28. Raisins
29. 100% whole wheat bread, tortillas, cereals, pastas, etc
30. Apples
(Source: www.webmd.com, healthfinder.gov, eatingwell.com)
We all need to eat healthier. And most of these will go on my grocery list for tomorrow. Some ideas, bake, broil, grill your meats...whether it is chicken, fish, pork or beef. If you have a slow cooker, USE IT! I love mine and I use it year round. Steam your veggies. Leave the skins on potatoes, apples and most any other veggies or fruits you can eat the skins. That is where all the vitamins are and they are healthy. Just wash them good and enjoy. :) Do not fry your foods and if you do, use olive or canola oils and very little of them. We all needs oils/fats in our diets. That is what keeps our skin from drying out and becoming flaky and yucky. Go easy on the sugar. Sugar raises your triglycerides, which increases your cholesterol. Not a good thing. Also, go easy on the salt. Most canned foods have more than enough salt to cover what our bodies need. Learn to use herbs and spices to replace the salt. Garlic, onion powder (not salt), rosemary, thyme, basil, ginger, paprika, to name a few can add a wonderful flavor to foods and you won't miss the salt. Lemon, lime, orange juice and zest can add a whole new element to foods.
Whether you have heart disease or not, we can all learn to eat a little healthier. Make it fun. Food can be fun and healthy. Try it, you might find you enjoy it. And, don't be afraid to try new foods. You may find you actually like it.
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