Skip to Recipe: Butter Chicken
One of the best ways to ensure success, no matter what you are trying to achieve, is to anticipate unexpected changes that might come up. This is especially true when you are trying to get rid of a bad habit, like reaching for sugary snacks or convenience foods, and replacing it with a new healthy one.
We all know how difficult it can be to break habits. Changing the way we eat is certainly one of these. Especially since our eating habits have been with us for a long time and have become almost second nature to us.
Not only that but the way we eat is much more than satisfying hunger. There are many other factors that might be influencing our food choices. Some foods remind us of happy times when we were young, being with family and feeling loved. Or we may eat to boost our mood, escape boredom, placate anger or relieve anxiety.
Luckily, for as many reasons as there are for poor eating habits, there are strategies for breaking them. And one way is to plan for success. Studies show that anticipating and eliminating roadblocks or temptations, before they show up, increase the likelihood of success!
So how do you plan for healthy eating success?
One way is to stock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy foods and ingredients. Simple, right? Studies show that many of our impulse snacking occurs because we see a food that triggers us. If you are not buying sugary treats, you won’t be tempted to reach for them.
But just having these foods and ingredients in the house isn’t the whole story.
Meal planning is your secret weapon here. We don’t tend to make good food choices when our stomach is empty; hence the adage, “Never go food shopping when you are hungry.”
Let’s take a look at some ways you can ensure meal-planning success, and have healthy foods available to you the next time hunger strikes!
1. Plan when you have time
It is hard to make good decisions when you are rushed. Think about your weekly schedule. When do you have time to sit down and look through recipes? If you are working full-time, this may mean carving out some time during the weekend or maybe choose one day during the week that isn’t heavily scheduled. Mark this planning time on your calendar every week and treat it like you would any other appointment. Try to anticipate your busy days during the week and have foods prepared ahead of time, or have a recipe that you know will be quick and easy to prepare for that night. Having these recipes selected ahead of time saves you from impulse eating and takes the stress out of meal preparation.
While you are still getting used to your new meal planning routine, you may want to begin by planning only one or two dinners for the week. Once you feel comfortable with this, you can begin to add in other dinner or lunch items.
2. Make a shopping list
Once you know the recipes you would like to use, look at the ingredients you will need and make a shopping list. And most importantly, STICK TO IT! If you organize your ingredients by food type, it will make your shopping trip more efficient. For example, group all your produce together. Make a similar list of meats, dairy, groceries, etc. You will avoid wasting time crisscrossing the store for items you may have forgotten, and when it comes time to making your recipes, you will have all the ingredients you need at hand, ensuring you don’t waste time making last minute trips to the grocery store.
3. Plan the correct amount of food
Before you head out with your shopping list, take one more moment to check your pantry and refrigerator. This will ensure you aren’t buying something you already have. You might also want to check your produce drawer ahead of time. Is there some broccoli or green beans in there that are in danger of spoiling? Best include them in a meal before they go to waste.
Also, check the serving sizes on your recipes to make sure you aren’t making too much or too little, which leads us to our next tip.
4. Cook once, eat twice
You don’t want to spend more time in the kitchen than you need to. One way to save time is to double or even triple a recipe you enjoy. This will be more than you’ll need for the week but allows you to save some for future meals. Plan on getting some good storage containers so you can put leftovers in the freezer, and you will have instant frozen dinners for the following week. Just make sure you have room in your freezer to store them!
5. Add variety
You may enjoy eating the same foods every week, but sometimes it is nice to try something new. (It is also healthier to have a variety of foods because of the different nutrients they provide.) Or maybe you have family members that need a bit more variety. You might want to try experimenting with a new main entrée or vegetable every week or two. Variety is the spice of life, and it will add enjoyment to the task. Veggies are high in nutrition and low in calories, making them some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. If you are looking to improve your health or lose weight, this is a simple way to develop a new habit!
6. Keep it simple
Sometimes it’s easy to get overly ambitious when looking through all the wonderful recipes there are. Whether you are an experienced cook or a beginner, it is good to keep things simple. To start with, look for recipes with fewer ingredients, preferably without bottled sauces (they are processed foods). Look for simple preparations of foods, such as sautéing or roasting, and cooking methods that use one or two pots. If you are looking for recipes on the Internet, you might want to try searching for recipes starting with “slow cooker” or “instant pot.” These preparations are great time savers. They tend to have little prep time, a quick clean up, and you can start the meal in the morning and it will be ready for you when you return home in the evening.
Keep your schedule in mind as well. Is this going to be a busy week? Maybe you have some frozen meals or leftovers that you can use rather than cooking. (Tip: Schedule in time to thaw the meal on your calendar the day before!)
It’s always great to have staples on hand too. Many meals, for example, use onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and lettuce. Look for recipes that use these items and common spices like oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon, and chili powder.
7. Never go food shopping when you are hungry
We don’t tend to make good food choices when we are hungry! You might have the best shopping list, but if you are shopping on an empty stomach, all those tempting food product displays and aromas will be irresistible. It’s amazing the power sight and smell has in guiding our food purchases. Food manufacturers and store owners are counting on it! If you are hungry, you are more likely to pick up these items you don’t need because they looked good in the moment, making it a lot harder to stick to your well planned out shopping list and healthy eating goals. Instead, have a piece of fruit or a few nuts before you leave the house to take the edge off your hunger.
8. Develop a system to save the recipes you like
Once you have found recipes you like, it is great to have a place where you can find them right away! I like to keep a ring binder filled with the recipes I have made. I will make comments on them to remember if the family liked it, whether improvement could be made on an ingredient or amount, whether it is “company-worthy,” etc. A wonderful timesaver is keeping favorite recipes on your computer. I have a file for “Recipes.” Or you may like to make subfolders for “Family Favorites,” “Company Fare,” or “Weekly Go-Tos.” When you are looking for a specific recipe you can search by the name or by the ingredients it contains. I have found this even more convenient than my ring binder now. The important thing is to develop a system that works for you.
I hope these tips have inspired you to try pre-planning your meals. Before long you will be a master at meal planning, and developing a new healthy habit that will ensure you and your family will lead a healthier, less stress-filled life!
Here’s an Instant Pot timesaving recipe for you to try!
Yours in Health,
Evey
Better Butter Chicken Curry
with Steamed Red Chard and Spiced Cashews
This recipe uses an Instant Pot preparation, but it can be made conventionally on the stovetop. I have provided both methods below.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20-35 minutes (depending on cooking method)
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee
2 diced onions
3 minced garlic cloves
1 Tbsp minced ginger (or 1 tsp powdered)
1 tsp fenugreek powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 Tbsp chili powder (or less to taste), plus 1 tsp for spiced cashews
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
½ (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 tsp salt
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or bone-in chicken parts, cut into small pieces
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
3 Tbsp organic butter or ghee
¼ cup cashews pieces
Instructions
- Set sauté function on the Instant Pot on high, add ghee or coconut oil and heat about 1 minute.
- Add the diced onion and ginger, and sauté until the onion is translucent (about 1 minute.)
- Add the minced garlic, fenugreek powder, turmeric, and chili powder. Stir well until the mixture forms a paste.
- Add the tomato paste to the onions and spices. Mix well.
- Add the chicken, coconut milk, and salt and mix in well.
- Secure Instant Pot lid, switch to pressure cook mode and set for 8 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, prepare Swiss chard by removing stems, roughly chopping, and steaming in separate steamer pot (about 3-5 minutes.)
- Prepare cashews, as noted below.
- When pressure cooker program is done, let the pressure release naturally from the Instant Pot for 10 minutes then quick-release until pressure is down.
- Remove lid. Add additional butter and stir in.
- Serve over steamed Swiss chard, and top with spiced cashews if desired (see recipe below.)
Spiced Cashews
Toast ½ cup cashew pieces in a small, dry iron skillet until fragrant and just turning brown. Add 1 tsp chili powder and toss to coat. Remove from skillet immediately and set aside.
Conventional Stovetop Method
- Follow above directions through Step #6 using a Dutch oven or deep skillet on medium high heat. You may wish to brown the chicken pieces first and remove to a plate while you brown the onions and spices, adding more oil if necessary. Return chicken in step 6.
- Cover pot and turn down the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, steam the chopped chard in a separate steamer pot and prepare spiced cashews.
- Add the butter (or ghee) to the chicken and mix until melted.
- Serve over the steamed Swiss chard, and top with spiced cashews if desired.
