The new year brings resolutions … many of which will involve healthy eating.
For some suggestions on how to stick to that resolution long term, I asked Steph Hoppe, Chief Marketing Officer for Lyfe Kitchen Restaurants, to explain Lyfe Kitchen’s philosophy on healthy eating.
Mindful eating. “Take the time to focus on your meal and truly enjoy your food. Eating should be a single tasking event.”
Bake; Don’t fry. “Enjoy fresh high quality ingredients prepared simply. Skip the fried and enjoyed the baked … such as our Art’s Un-fried Chicken or our Baked Garlic-Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries.”
Healthier substitutions. “It’s possible to enjoy decadent delicious food without the extra calories. For instance, we use cashew cream in our corn chowder. It has only 164 calories but it tastes like we use real cream. There is flavor beyond cream and butter.”
Eat pretty food. “Enjoy a colorful plate. Plenty of fruits and vegetables. Our Ancient Grain Stir-fry is a great example that has fresh vegetables.”
Don’t deny. “Indulge in your favorite foods. With small tweaks they can be healthy and delicious.” How do you do this? “So with our Mahi Fish Tacos … many fish tacos are fried … ours is grilled and we use flavorful sauces that don’t have any heavy mayonnaise.”
Fresh is best. “Using fresh can really cut the calories.”
Healthy eating should be a long-term life style change that is do-able. Not many of us can stick to a restrictive diet or fad diet for too long. I think with these simple … yet insightful… tips I might just be able to stick with that resolution to eat a bit healthier. Don’t you too?
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Eat well!
Spicy Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or canola oil
- 1 cup Gardein Beefless Tips, diced
- 1 cup Wheat Berries, cooked and cooled
- ¾ cup scallions, diced (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)
- ¼ cup San J International Szechuan Sauce OR ¼ cup San J International Thai Peanut Sauce-Your Choice
- Romaine Leaf or Head Lettuce, individual full leaves
Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the Gardein. (If using cooked chicken or cooked beef tips, sauté in oil to brown and warm through.) Add the cooked wheat berries and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of the scallions and cook for 30 seconds.
Last, add your choice of sauce and stir until heated through. For additional heat, increase the amount of sauce.
Top with remaining green onion prior to service. Fill each leaf with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture.
Makes 6 to 8 Lettuce Wraps.
Cooking Tips:
The more caramelized heating on the Gardein Beefless Tips, the better the flavor and texture.
We recommend pre-cooking wheat berries, as they can take up to 90 minutes to cook.
