Want to Eat Healthy? Season Your Food

Lately, I have had people marvel at Grace eating her veggies in my IG stories. Some even think she ONLY eats fruits, and veggies. Not True! Grace eats everything, even things I don't eat myself like beef, lamb etc. She also enjoys her grandmas cooking of REAL Haitian food, not just the new-age version her mommy makes:-) 

Let me just state for the record, a video clip or a picture is not life, that Grace is a regular toddler who often throws my food on the floor ( basically throws my money on the floor) and like most toddlers getting her to eat is often an art. But in all honesty, I have been lucky where so far (fingers crossed) Grace loves fruits and most vegetables, as long as I cook it down soft enough for her 8 little teeth to manage. I want to continue introducing new foods to her on a regular basis, even if it ends up on the floor, because what I am doing is training her palate for long term. I also believe kids will eat what their parents eat. If it's not on your plate, their mindset is why should I eat it? For the most part, we eat together, and you can see her enthusiasm in trying certain foods once she sees mommy eating it. 

What I however want to highlight, is that I believe Grace also eats most of the foods I give her because they taste good. I know I am being captain obvious but it is something that warrants stating and reminding! I realize from general observation that people equate Healthy to Bland. A beautiful bowl of salad greenery on instagram with not a drop of dressing on it will get a 1000 likes, mainly because it's BEAUTIFUL, and people will comment below  "Yummy" or "Tasty" but let's see who dives for the salad at events??... YEAH ok. That is not life!  Food is meant to be enjoyed, and our palates want to do a little dance at the first bite.

So I make a very deliberate and conscious decision to season my food and you should to. Besides the obvious that I season my chicken or fish, I also season my vegetables. I make my own dressings for my salads. I use herb and spices, MSG-free bouillon bases, soy sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and a host of other spices based on what I am going for. You should see how Grace tears up diced tofu, mixed vegetables, millet, quinoa, bulgar wheat, and various other dishes that often sound like punishment rather than an inviting meal. So I implore you friend, as you introduce new things to your diet, to also tinker with seasoning because healthy does not mean bland, sad, nor uninteresting. 

Here's a clip of me simmering tofu with a blend of herbs, and spices and bouillon basd. It not only looks yummy but that tofu tasted like chicken.

You can season, keep it healthy, AND  also keep the salt content down. A Win Win. By seasoning, you will find yourself looking forward to your next meal, and your guests will not even know they are eating "healthy". As always, in order to make it seamless in our busy schedules to actually season, make a jar of your favorite herb mix to keep in the fridge. Nadege Fleurimond has a great Youtube video recipe.

Here's a quick sauteed brocolli recipe that I do on a regular basis since my Gracie loves it.  This version is cooked down enough for a toddler to chew on comfortably, if doing this for an adult, simple reduce the cooking time. 

Ingredients: 3 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Haitian Epis (mix of herbs and spices), 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon base, a dash of Soy Sauce, 4 Cups of Broccolli Florets

1. Heat the olive oil in a 10" skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add the Haitian Epis and Sautee for 1 minute.
3. Add 1/2 Cup of Water and the Bouillon Base
4. Add the broccoli, Cover for 5 minutes- 
5. Remove from the skillet and serve.

 I hope you have lots of fun experimenting. 

Link to my Shop

In Love, Health and Presence of Mind

Ronnie_Deco