Published on October 12th, 2020 | by Luke Fitzpatrick

Here Are Some Healthy Eating Tips For When You’re Working From Home

As a result of the pandemic, most of us have had to spend a significant amount of time at home. Instead of dining out, whipping up meals in the kitchen has become commonplace. While there’s more work involved, home-cooked meals are also healthier than takeout as they contain fewer calories and fewer unhealthy additives. As a bonus, you’ll also be saving money as groceries are cheaper than dining out at a restaurant.

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Since you’ve been making meals for a while, however, you may be tired of your usual recipes. To help inspire you, here are some ideas that will help get the creative juices flowing and help you get over your quarantine cooking fatigue.

Create your own grazing platter

If you’ve been cooking for a while, there’s a high probability that your fridge and pantry consist of a plethora of delicious but random items. Rather than trying to incorporate these items in your dishes, why not create your very own themed grazing platter?

Use the cheeses you’ve got in your fridge, sprinkle on some crackers, nuts, olives, an array of vegetables and you’re good to go. Not only will you have a great mix of protein, healthy fats, and vegetables, you can also rotate the flavors each week depending on what you’ve got in your fridge.

Try having breakfast for dinner

Who says you can’t have breakfast for dinner? If you’re bored with your usual dinner repertoire, why not have some scrambled eggs or a frittata for dinner? You can also make an easy baked quiche and sprinkle in some vegetables for added fiber. Not only are eggs inexpensive, but they’re also low in calories and packed with plenty of protein, vitamins, and healthy fats.

Experiment with a meal kit

If you’ve been cooking for a while, it can be exhausting. Give yourself a break by trying out a meal prep kit that’ll be delivered right to your home.. Not only will you get to experiment with new recipes, but all the ingredients are also perfectly portioned. Some meal kits will also pre-chop and pre-measure the ingredients for you – saving extra time.

Create your own salad bar

Place a variety of leftovers such as hard-boiled eggs, salad mix, brown rice, grilled meats, and other vegetables for your very own salad bar. Not only does it allow your family to personalize their meals, but it’s also easy to put together.

You can also get creative with your salad bar by making your own dressings, adding seasonal fruits, and even healthy nuts for some crunch. Either than a salad bar, you can also switch things up and have a DIY sushi bar, or even a taco bar.

Have a frozen meal

While this isn’t something you should do all the time, it’s okay to have a frozen meal once in a while. Always read labels, however, as most frozen meals come with a high amount of sodium. You should aim to choose frozen meals that contain less than 600mg of sodium, and are ideally under 500 calories.

Create some quick snacks

If you’re working at home, it’s highly likely that you’ll get peckish in the afternoon. If so, it’s best if you’ve got some snacks nearby. Some easy snacks for you to prepare beforehand include a fresh fruit salad, baked whole grain banana muffins, or even some chopped up vegetables with a healthy dip.

Try to avoid consuming nut kinds of butter, dairy, and other spreads as they’re high in calories. It’s okay if you’re just adding a teaspoon of peanut or almond butter, but don’t pile it on as a couple of tablespoons can clock in at several hundred calories.

Cooking doesn’t have to be boring

Just because you’re eating at home, doesn’t mean that your food has to be boring. There are lots to experiment, and plenty of ways to change things up.

If you’re a fan of dessert, for example, but are looking for something healthy to satisfy that sweet tooth, grab some frozen bananas and make yourself a delicious creamy banana ice cream. You can also make yourself an ‘apple pie’ by baking some apples that are sprinkled with a little cinnamon. Have fun with it, and you’ll be creating plenty of healthy recipes in no time.

Tags: eating tips, healthy, working from home

About the Author

Luke Fitzpatrick Luke Fitzpatrick has been published in Forbes, Yahoo News, and Influencive. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney, lecturing in Cross-Cultural Management and the Pre-MBA Program. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.