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Keeping your veges always interesting

By Evans M Sifa.

Eating can be viewed as an art of food combinations that speak to the tastes,body and mind ~Unknown

Did you know that taste is the biggest determining factor in what kind of food people are most likely to buy?

Wether it’s that creamy white cake or that mayo dripping salad to the cheese,onion topped pizza or your daily home-cooked ugali with tasty greens and fried meat, all this happens deep in your unconscious mind when selecting foods to buy.

In our daily life where busy is mostly all there is, healthy eating and taste isn’t in any of our thought agenda no matter the drive to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Then why not re-invent the taste of your ‘standard’ recipe by following these easy few healthy cooking & eating tips I personally vouch for that give taste an edge no matter the occasion or budget?

A healthy eating style is most often defined  by the moderation,combination, cooking technique and flavor of healthy foods.

Staple food doesn’t need to always taste the same – especially during dinner.

Health foods get a bad reputation for being bland and sometimes downright unpalatable. From sweet potatoes, pumpkin to ‘githeri’. But there are nutrition boosting ways to satisfy your sweet, spicy, and savory cravings. Seriously, you don’t have to choke down boiled greens and unevenly cooked ugali or that blunt tasting bean stew while justifying the health benefits of tasteless food.

i. The next time you cook that ugali, add a little butter (half a tea spoon) and a pinch of table salt to bring out the earthy taste of ugali to your liking.

ii. Loathe the white looking Cabbages or the plain taste of your usual skuma wiki (kales?) or traditional vegetables? Greens go well with almost any natural spice, ginger, garlic …etc. Just play around with different spices that you use for big day occasions in the kitchen for that ordinary or low budget dinner.

And who said greens need to be chopped into pasta like streams in order to eat? We have been doing things we found people doing; which includes cutting greens. It could be a trip for your taste buds to cut the greens in uneven order like salad, once in a while. Get to preserve the soft texture of the leaves like any other preparation technique in use while saving time and introduce a new way for texture of greens to your tongue. Think soft or hard, mushy or crunchy, or smooth or lumpy. Vegetables don’t have to feel the same.

Pssst! – It’ll get everyone even you hooked, looking forward to dinner time at the end of the day.

#NOTE: Greens need a mild stir to moderate cooking. Overcooking dulls the taste and the nutrients in them.

Weekly stocking the fridge for one

Colorful paprika on white background

Capsicum or paprika

Ever come home to an empty fridge? You have money, you are hungry but there’s nothing to eat. This is a very familiar narrative for single career people.

This does not have to be the case for you. It just needs proper time planning. After all, the same body that is busy working, needs proper food to fuel it. You need to find time to go to the market and purchase fresh produce to last you a week. You can set aside Saturdays or Sundays for this.

At the market, you find vegetables at a cheaper price saving you money. Another good thing with shopping at the market is you get a variety to choose from. You get a wide array of fresh vegetables at the market and this encourages you to eat healthy throughout the week.

With the variety in stock, you kill the monotony of boring bachelor/bachelorette food which is more often tea and bread or if you don’t mind using an extra coin, eating out.

Simple market list

For an easier shopping task, you should make a list of the supplies you need before going to the market. A simple shopping list like the one below would help.

  1. Tomatoes- Be careful of the quantity you buy to avoid ending up with rotten tomatoes in your house. Where you have a fridge, you can buy more because they will be preserved for a longer time.
  2. Green leafy vegetables- You find variety at the market therefore knock yourself out
  3. Onions- These can be bought to last you a month. Just select the ones that are nicely dry to avoid them rotting.
  4. Leeks- If you like some variety in the flavor of your food, then you will love adding leeks in your shopping list. They go well with soups, green vegetables and mashed potatoes.
  5. Capsicums- These can form part of your vegetable salad or can be added to food as one of the spices.
  6. Peas- These are seasonal, so take advantage when they are in season. You have the choice of
  7. Carrots- These are ideal as a snack or an accompaniment to a meal.
  8. Cauliflower & Broccoli- These are more expensive vegetables that you will not ordinarily find in the grocery shops. Good news is that they are easily stocked in supermarkets. Better yet, you can find them for a bargain at the market.
  9. Melon- Be sure to choose the ones that are nicely red. You can do this by asking the vendor to cut it so that you see the insides.
  10. Seasonal Fruits- Buy fruits that are in season because you are sure to get them fresh. Fruits can be used as snacks and also as smoothies. This is the mango season for example, you can capitalize on that fact and buy mangoes and pineapples.
  11. Potatoes- After buying all these supplies, you need a starch to go with them. Potatoes provide a substitute to other dry starches that we normally stock like rice and pasta.

This is a generalized list of supply. You may make one that suits you best. Contrary to the myth, people who live alone do not have to eat unhealthy meals. People who live alone also entertain guests. No need to scratch your head thinking of what to serve your guests. Have a healthy week.

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