What are some helpful tricks or unique food combinations for healthy eating?

Apple parts with cinnamon sprinkled on it, ten seconds in the microwave.

Apple or pear slices, or celery, with pure almond butter.

Cold shredded carrot with lemon juice dressing. Sliced cucumber (not so thin) eaten with shrimp paste (spicy version, preferably) on top, guaranteed to be addicting.

My husband’s new kick is spinach salad with sweetened pecans (Trader Joe’s is best, only a little bit of sweet) and dried cranberries. When I eat I don’t even need dressing. You could do an apple dressing on it, or a sweet balsamic. Anyway, sometimes I just eat a handful of the sweetened pecans and cranberries, it’s like candy.

The best thing about the salad is I buy prewashed spinach and there is literally no chopping or clean up. Just put everything in a bowl and that’s it. Since it’s whole leaf it doesn’t have a weird tasting chemical on it to keep it from browning. I don’t know what they use on some of the bagged salads, but it’s gross.

I usually throw a little turmeric into my prepared foods, from eggs to steak and stew. Its anti-inflammatory properties help keep my gout from recurring and by spreading it out a little bit at a time with everything, I don’t effect the taste enough for others to notice.

Another little trick I have learned is that if you add tequila to ice it makes the ice taste better and the day go by faster.

Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Don’t eat anything that is white.

A handful of roasted nuts works as well as a donut for my morning snack.

Sorry I’m late to this thread : )

Hummus is your friend. There are so many different recipes for hummus and you can use hummus as a dip for raw veggies or whole grain crackers, and you can use it as a spread on a wrap with the addition of shredded lettuce, or shredded cabbage, or any type of pickled veggies, and sliced tomatoes, and greens such as Swiss Chard, spinach, or parsley, or kale. You can mix and match whatever veggies you like, and even add cheese or grilled chicken.

A Veggie Wrap Like This

This is the recipe for Classic Hummus

Black Bean Hummus

White Bean Hummus

Smoky Pumpkin Chipotle Hummus

You can also buy prepared hummus. My favorite store bought hummus is Trader Joe’s Edamame Hummus

Another good base for healthy, delicious dips is Strained Thickened Yogurt which is what Greek Yogurt is. You can buy Greek yogurt, or you can use regular plain yogurt and strain it yourself. Just make sure to get a good plain yogurt that is just milk and live cultures Like This

You can make your own thick yogurt with whole fat, low fat, or non fat plain yogurt, just make sure the ingredients are only milk and live cultures, nothing else.

Once you have some thick yogurt, you can add all sorts of things to it, and get very different favor profiles. Your best bet is to add the herbs and flavors, mix well, and let your yogurt sit in a covered glass or ceramic bowl overnight, to let the flavors develop.

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek yogurt dip. Although this recipe calls for full fat yogurt, I always make mine with non fat, because the flavors really do all the work, but you can use full, low, or non fat yogurt. Just make sure to use thick yogurt that you’ve drained yourself, or store bought Greek yogurt with only milk and live cultures.

This yogurt based dip has Avocado and Basil

This yogurt based dip is Spicy with Jalapenos and Red and Green Bell Peppers

Cauliflower is one of my newest favorite things to cook with. Whether it’s roasting a whole head of cauliflower, or substituting cauliflower florets for noodles in pasta dishes, or sauteing cauliflower and other veggies to stuff into enchiladas.

Here are a few whole roasted cauliflower recipes.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric-Tahini Sauce

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Dijon and Parmesan

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Greek Yogurt and Indian Spices

Here are some other things you can make with cauliflower.

Cauliflower ‘Meat’ Balls

Smoky Cheesy Cauliflower and Pasta Bake with Sage and Garlic (Note: I make “mac and cheese” using only cauliflower and completely omit the pasta, but you can use both pasta and cauliflower, or just cauliflower. Just make sure you adjust the amount of cauliflower you use if you choose to omit the pasta. You can use cauliflower for pretty much any baked “mac and cheese” recipe that you like.

And one of my favorite dishes of all time Indian Cauliflower and Potatoes: Aloo Gobi

Sandwiches are always good. Here are some recipes for sandwiches that are off the beaten path.

Thai Veggie Sandwiches with Peanut Sauce (Note: you can add cold rotisserie chicken or steak to these sandwiches if you like).

Vegan BLT with Caramelized Leeks Roasted Tomatoes & Coconut Bacon. (I heard about making “fake” bacon out of coconut about two years ago. I have had several different versions of coconut bacon, and it’s surprisingly good). There are also lots of different store bought “fake bacon” products that are good too. I like Lightlife Veggie Bacon

Spicy Vegan Sloppy Joes

Portobello Mushroom French Dip Sandwiches

And now for a few dessert snacks.

Peanut Butter and Honey Rice Crispy Treats (Note: you can also use Cheerios instead of crisped rice if you like. I just made these for a family Xmas party and they were a big hit).

Brownies made with Avocado(Note: don’t worry, these taste like brownies and not avocado. You can use regular flour if you prefer, if you don’t want to buy almond flour, although they would probably taste really good with almond flour)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

Now go fix yourself something to eat!