Alternative options for a healthy and productive way to stay safe at home

During these unprecedented times it is understandable that one might turn to the comfort that food and just sitting around can offer. Even while working from home one can easily end up munching on random food around the house, just trying to ease the fact that they cannot go out, meet friends and family, and mainly interact with other people like we are so used to doing every day.

There is a very easy solution to eating food that you like while still managing to be healthy and maybe even feel better about yourself. Because that's what food does to you, in the end you are only happy for a little while, until the moment comes when you realise you shouldn't have eaten that.

You can take the recipes and snacks that you love so much and find solutions to make them healthy in a way that it is still very tasty to you. This way you will be excited to eat something that you like and you feel that sense of happiness and pride that comes to you when you know you are being healthy throughout the day.

You can also add small things to your routine, something fun that you enjoy doing, so that you can increase your daily exercise, since now we are always at home. Anything can be made into a form of exercise, in reality if it is boring to you it is more likely that you will stop exercising in the long run and doing something fun will mean you will stay more productive for a longer period of time, and at the end of the day you will feel much more fulfilled.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce is one of those sauces that are used in many occasions, whether you want to put it on chicken, add some ingredients and put it in rice, or as it is usually used, with pasta.

This Alfredo Sauce recipe pasta recipe is easy and can be customized however you like it while still being healthy and tasty.

• You will need 12 Cauliflower florets ( Cauliflower creates a creamy puree when boiled and blended).
• ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese ( it is better to find proper parmesan cheese as it can be shredded easily, if you want your recipe to be dairy free, you can find many options at a health shop of any other shredded cheese that can be easily melted)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Garlic cloves (this depends on how much you like garlic, but 2 is usually fine, you can also buy garlic salt if you do not usually use actual garlic)
• ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (again, you can still choose a vegan version of this that is dairy free)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of salt (Himalayan salt if you want the enhancing taste of salt without the negative effects of sodium)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 - 1 ½ cups reserved from the cooking water of the pasta

Cooking the sauce:

• Put the salt into a pot of water and bring it to a boil and put it in the cut cauliflower florets and cook until the cauliflower is fork tender, which should happen after 8 to 10 minutes.
• Then drain the pot and put the cauliflower in a blender and make sure to puree it all until all the big chunks are gone. 
• Add the Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, mustard, butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. As always the salt and pepper can be added to your preference.
• Add the one cup of pasta water that you reserved into the mix in the blender and blend again until the sauce is creamy.
• As you finally cook the alfredo sauce with the pasta you can add ½ cup of pasta cooking water if the sauce needs loosening.

Pizza

Pizza is another type of food that many like to turn to during times where they seek the comfort that food can bring. Here you will find a healthier version of a pizza so that you can enjoy it without the guilty feeling. This recipe is homemade, delicious and is also easy to make and does not need many ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 10oz frozen cauliflower
• Garlic salt
• Pepper
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Any ingredients you wish to put on your pizza
• You will also need a baking sheet and some oil or butter to grease it

Cooking the pizza:

• You need to preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Cook 10oz of frozen cauliflower in a skillet over the stove
• Stir in 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, garlic salt and pepper, and then you cook until it is all melted.
• Remove from heat and then add one egg and stir it all together
• Put a greased baking sheet on a pizza dish and then flatten the mixture until it looks like a crust
• Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees
• Remove from the oven and add the desired toppings ( for this particular recipe pizza sauce was used, mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, spinach and basil)
• After this, bake for 10 more minutes

Burger

Here is a recipe for a healthy veggie burger that tastes great and is a perfect option for vegans, you can also choose to have gluten free bread if you want to take it a step further.

You will need:

• 1 flax egg
• 1 can of white beans
• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• ¼ cup oat flour
• ½ cup finely chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• Juice for half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons balsamic 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• A pinch of salt and pepper to taste
• The buns and any other desired topping, in this case avocado and arugula was used

Instructions:

• Make your flax egg with tablespoon ground flax and 2.5 tablespoons of water and refrigerate for 10 minutes or more
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Combine all ingredients except for the flax egg
• Mash the beans with a fork and mix in with the flax egg
• Make your burgers by forming patties using ½ a cup or a small handful of the mixture. It is ideal to make them all the same size so that you can be sure that they cook evenly.
• Bake for 30 minutes on a lined baking tray.
• Toast the bun and insert the burger along with your preferred toppings

Healthy Snacks

Binging on TV shows and an endless amount of movies and books is something that most people are doing since they cannot do much else. Even though you have just ate, or it is not really time for dinner yet you might be craving something to munch on. Here you will find one savoury type of snack that you can enjoy and a sweet one as well, as different people's preferences obviously vary.

Parmesan Crisps

These do not even need instructions as you only need Parmesan cheese and any garlic and herbs you would like to add and while putting them in the shape of a circle you just cook them on a dish covered with some greased baking paper until golden. These can be used with different types of dips as well. As you can see Parmesan is a great type of cheese for all those looking to eat healthy, it also happens to be delicious, which is a plus. This recipe is also ideal for all those on a Keto diet.

 

Pumpkin Donuts

This recipe is excellent to learn especially since Halloween is soon approaching. For this recipe you will need:

• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Egg
• ¼  cup maple syrup
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup raw  soaked cashew
• ¼ cup coconut cream
• ¼ cup maple syrup

Preparation:

• Combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and almond butter in a bowl and then set aside.
• In another bowl mix almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients
• Pour the batter into a donut pan (for this recipe a non-stick silicone donut pan was used) and bake at 350 F for 16-18 minutes. 
• You can check if they are done by sticking a toothpick into them and making sure that it comes out clean
• The donuts need to be cool before the icing is added.

For the glaze:

• Soak the cashews with a pinch of salt in hot water for an hour
• Drain and rinse them and then add to a blender
• Take the refrigerated can of coconut milk, scoop the thick part at the top and add that as well to the blender. ( You can use coconut cream if you want)
• Add maple syrup, blend till smooth

Smoothies, fruit, celery and peanut butter, yogurt with an added assortment of nuts and fruit is also a good quick idea for a tasty snack if you do not have time to cook. It is healthy and will help you feel full for a long time, until it is time for your healthy dinner. 

 

It is important to know that our body is 80 percent what we eat and the rest is movement. If you want to make sure that you enhance your productivity during the day and ensure you get your daily dose of fun exercise without feeling bored and obligated to do something you hate you can check out the exercises by Chloe Ting. The exercises are short and are given to the day, so it's as if she is right there with you. She is called the queen of core workout, and even if you do not finish all the exercises on the first few times, you will soon see the difference.

 

So make sure you enjoy your meals every time while still being healthy. Click here for our great choice of supermarkets where you will find everything you need to cook the most delicious healthy meals.

You can also click here for exercise equipment that you can use, even if, perhaps, you do not have much space.