Make over your meals: Meat dishes

To Make Every Meal Healthier! this month’s small change to make (and to get into the habit of doing) is to make over your meals.

In the August 2012 issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine, every recipe is a healthy makeover of a regular dish. The tweaks to ingredients and methods are small, and once you get the hang of it, the healthy habit of ‘making over’ your own recipes will become second nature. Here are some tips to get you started.

Meat dishes

• In dishes like meat loaf and sausage rolls, replace sausage meat with oats and breadcrumbs and use lean beef mince. This will drastically cut the fat.
• Add vegetables (the same volume as the amount of meat) to stews and casseroles. This bulks out the dish and adds essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, pumpkin, kumara and tomatoes add taste, colour, texture and goodness.
• Add beans, lentils or chickpeas to bolognese sauce, stews and casseroles. These extend meat, add taste and texture and provide protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. For 500g meat, use about 3/4 cup lentils or beans.

See also

Make over your meals: Vegetable dishes and salads
Make over your meals: Cheesy sauces and bakes
Make over your meals: Pudding and dessert treats