We all know that preparing meals at home is the way to go. It’s the only way to know what ingredients are being used. When dining in a restaurant, there is no way to really know how much oil is being used to cook the meal or what kind of oil they are using. What kind of ingredients do they use? How much salt are they adding? Basically, what you eat is in the hands of someone in the kitchen. Kind of a scary thought if you want to eat healthy.
So, yes… meals at home is the way to go, but if you aren’t cooking from scratch or using wholesome whole ingredients, you may be defeating the whole purpose of a “home cooked meal”. We all know that microwaved TV dinners aren’t healthy, but many people don’t realize that things like Hamburger Helper or other meal preparation aids are probably worse than eating out. They assume it’s just a few spices and don’t bother to read the label. Did you know that Hamburger Helper contains trans fats, food colorings, MSG and some other preservatives that I can’t pronounce? The list is really long and pretty surprising.
If you are cooking a meat dish and want to add some flavor, use spices like dried oregano, garlic powder, parsley flakes and dried basil. Adding a homemade tomato sauce is also a great way to give meat more flavor as well. Don’t rely on the quick meal helpers like Hamburger Helper. Be creative and experiment. Search online for recipes and always take time at the grocery store to read the food label.
Happy Cooking!
