small apartment, or a vacation home, chances are you’re cooking in a kitchen.
We know it can be limiting, but this makes it all the more admirable that you’re still trying healthy meal planning. No matter the size of your counter or the resources you have available, we’ll help you get the most out of your kitchen.
We put together our favorite recipes, tips, and tricks to suit your level and access to cookware.
As
with any goal, preparation is a key factor. If you can prepare a little before preparing your meal, all you will have to do is gather the food when it is time to cook. It’s like being your own sous chef.
When it comes to cooking in the kitchen,
such as cooking in the kitchen of a hotel room, for example, stocking up on the following healthy staples will make it easy to mix and match a meal
:
Protein
:
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Smoked or canned salmon and tuna
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Ready-to-eat turkey and chicken strips
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Tofu and edamame
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Dairy Beans
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and canned legumes
Carbohydrates:
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100% whole grain products such as bread or tortilla
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Canned beans and legumes
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Precooked rice
and
grains Fats:
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nuts and simple seeds
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Simple nut butter
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Hummus
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Guacamole
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Olives
Be flexible
Using the 8fit Pro meal plan allows you to swap most vegetables with other vegetables (just watch out for starchy ones). You can also swap most fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds for others respectively, as long as they have the same weight.
When a recipe calls for boiling rice or pasta, you can replace it with the same weight of couscous, as you only need boiled water to prepare couscous. Also, when a recipe involves cooking legumes or vegetables, you can get the canned or frozen version instead. This will allow you to prepare many more recipes without having a fully equipped kitchen.
If your 8fit recipes call for a blender and you don’t have one, simply serve the ingredients separately. For example, take yogurt with oatmeal, fruit, and nut toppings, instead of mixing them all. If you don’t have an oven, fry the ingredients in a pan or use a toaster. Do you only have a microwave? We have a section on microwave meals below.
One
of the easiest ways to make your kitchen work well is to keep it clean, also while cooking. Keeping your space clutter-free will help you be efficient and safe. Place your ingredients in an organized manner and replace them as soon as they are used.
In terms of space, think about hanging as much as you can to ceilings and walls. Hanging wire baskets are really useful! If you have floor space, get a kitchen table with storage space and a folding counter.
If you
don’t have a lot of space in the fridge, get creative with how you use it! We suggest choosing a few recipes you enjoy and repeating them throughout the week. In this way, you can buy non-perishable ingredients in bulk, then prepare meals and divide meals for the week. For example, you can buy oatmeal, then choose breakfast meals containing oatmeal for each breakfast of that week.
If you choose recipes with non-perishable ingredients like canned beans, frozen vegetables, and grains like rice, you’ll be able to store them outside your refrigerator. Aim for fresh seasonal produce whenever possible, but don’t be afraid to stock up on frozen foods and keep canned food on hand. In order of health and nutritional value, it goes fresh, frozen, canned.
The 8fit app has so many microwave meals available that you can get by with just your microwave! You can find instructions, cooking times and facts about the microwave in our article: Are microwaveable foods bad for your health?
Breakfast: Banana and cinnamon pudding
Lunch: Microwave potato with vegetables and salmon
Dinner: Tuna, artichokes and potatoes stuffed with basil
Snack: Sweet potato for microwave with Greek yogurt
In addition to these quick and easy recipes, here are some tips to make your ingredients cook faster:
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Rice : Microwave rice in a large microwave container and stir with water, tomato broth or sauce, and seasonings. Microwave over medium-high heat until liquid bubbles and rice is cooked.
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Potato: Clean the potato and dry. Pierce with a fork several times, place a microwave-safe dish, and then microwave high for five minutes. Flip over with a fork or tongs, then cook for an additional three minutes.
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Polenta: Mix water with polenta cornmeal. Put in an uncovered microwave container over high heat for five minutes. Stir halfway.
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Eggs: Break eggs into a cup or microwave bowl and use a fork to beat a splash of milk or water. Microwave in 30-second increments and stir between each until you have scrambled eggs.
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Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus): Cut into small, uniform pieces. Put in a microwave bowl and add a few tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over high heat for three to four minutes.
Uncooked recipes for travel
If you don’t have access to a kitchen, favor meals that aren’t perishable, easy to prepare and pack, as well as quick. Here are some examples in the app (go to your 8fit recipe book and look them up)
:
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Breakfast: Cottage cheese with berries and nuts; Yogurt with oatmeal, apple and almonds
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Lunch: Tuna hummus wrap; Quick chickpea salad dinner
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: Hummus and eggs on bread; Mixed black bean salad
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Snack: Hard-boiled eggs and apple, almond butter and blackberry crackers; Dark chocolate with almonds
Keep an eye out for supermarket foods
If circumstances lead you to eat on the go, it’s helpful to have a guide on what to look for. The “healthy” snacks you find in a supermarket are often far from what they claim to be. Granola or energy bars are full of sugar and can hinder weight loss. They may not necessarily contain pure sugar, but having honey or lots of dried fruit as a sweetener isn’t much better, because, in the end, sugar is sugar. Beware of smart marketing!
Whenever possible, take the time to check nutrition labels on foods. Look at the list of ingredients first. If there are a lot of ingredients that don’t sound familiar, it doesn’t really matter what the calorie, fat, and sugar content is. Look for a short list of ingredients and things you recognize. For example, on a can of tomato puree, you should see: “Ingredients: tomatoes.”
Try to get carbohydrates from unprocessed foods such as 100% whole grain products or legumes. Combine these with at least some protein for your meals and snacks. Adding some healthy fat is also an option. Do your best, but forgive yourself, because anything is better than skipping meals. Irregular meals confuse metabolism and often lead to unhealthy cravings.
Some
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travel tips Prepare and pack some meals/snacks in advance
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Take instant natural oatmeal. All you have to do is add hot water, nuts and your choice of fruit.
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Pack some nuts and dried fruits in a ziplock bag.
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If you have a sandwich, choose whole-grain bread or wrap it with roast chicken, turkey, cheese, or tofu, and add avocado or hummus instead of mayonnaise.
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Buy a mixture of nuts, fruits, or yogurt and cottage cheese if you have access to a refrigerator.
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Chop some celery, pepper and carrot sticks to go. Add a hummus sauce for extra protein.
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Boil some eggs, as they are easy to pack and high in protein.
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Here’s the deal…
Cooking in a kitchen may seem almost impossible, but you can meet all your healthy cooking needs with a little organization and preparation. All this requires a little time and flexibility. Download the 8fit Pro app to get your kitchen-friendly meal plan.
