The end of the year is characterized by family, friends, and an abundance of decadent foods. Indulging with your friends and family can be good for the soul, but eventually, it’s time to put away the cheeseboards and cookies and get back to a healthier way of eating.
The new year is always a welcome fresh start, and an opportunity to reset your diet and focus on building some healthy habits.
To help you start your new year off right, we’ve gathered some of our favorite healthy eating habits to kickstart the year.
Plan It
As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail.
Busy weeknights don’t always leave time to prepare healthy meals.
Taking some time on your weekend to make meals or prep ingredients can save you time and money during the week.
An added bonus, planning meals helps you eliminate the need for quick meals out.
Don’t enjoy eating the same meal consistently throughout the week? Instead of preparing one large dish, prepare a number of your favorite vegetables and proteins to make a variety of dishes.
Try roasting a pan of veggies every week to toss into salads, bowls or as sides to your favorite proteins.
We like to prepare our roasted balsamic potato and Brussels sprouts or rosemary roasted potatoes to pair with salad, protein, or healthy grains.
(Slow) Cook It
There is nothing better than coming home to a warm, prepared meal. That’s why we love our slow cooker (especially more in the cold winter months).
Using a slow cooker means you don’t have to sacrifice flavour or nutrition for convenience.
Slow cookers aren’t reserved just for soups; they are an excellent tool for cooking hearty stews, meats, and a variety of plant-based dishes.
It comes as no surprise that some of our favourite slow cooker recipes feature our nutrient-packed Little Potatoes, so we’ve rounded up some of our favorite recipes for you.
Shop the Perimeter
Healthy food habits start at the grocery store. When grocery shopping, try to shop outside the aisles. The aisles are filled with boxed and processed foods that, although convenient, are not the healthiest for you. Focus instead on purchasing food from the fresh food sections that are situated on the perimeter of the store. This area is home to a variety of single-ingredient, nutrient-dense whole foods. Purchasing whole foods will make preparing healthy meals easier and limit your temptation for less-than-healthy foods throughout the week.
Focus on Plants
If there is one healthy eating habit to include into your routine this upcoming year, it’s focusing more on plant-based meals. Whether you partake in Meatless Mondays or are looking for ways to incorporate more plant-based foods into your lifestyle, everyone can benefit from the nutrition behind plants. Our Little Potatoes are a powerful plant-based source of iron, Vitamin C and have 3 grams of fibre per serving. Since they are also naturally gluten-free, they can fit into any lifestyle.
