One-Pot Wonders: Healthy and Delicious Meals Made Simple with Your Dutch Oven

Are you thinking of what you might want to do differently in 2023? Are there any new skills you want to develop or new things you want to learn? In America, about 54 percent of people each year choose healthy eating as a new years resolution. If mindful eating or home cooked nutritious meals is on your list of goals, then keep reading.

What are the health benefits of cooking healthy meals?

Besides avoiding unhealthy oils, processed ingredients and the chemical preservatives that offer nothing but health issues, you have also more control over your meal preparation when doing it yourself. You can avoid canned goods and buy fresh & organic ingredients, choose a non-toxic Dutch oven and cook meals rich in nutrients and healthy fats, avoiding saturated fat. Interested in some healthy cooking tips to cook healthy at home? Discover more below.

Cooking tips to make healthy food at home

1. Use fresh ingredients: Always buy fresh organic vegetables and fresh herbs from your local market and avoid frozen vegetables, food & spices in cans such as processed meats, fish, beans, tomato paste, ginger paste, bottled marinades, sauces, seasonings and other processed foods. Instead, opt for fresh vegetables, herbs and things like lemon juice or orange juice to enhance both flavor and nutritional value. When buying staple ingredients like rice, grains, etc., choose time tested varieties over so called enriched, polished or pre-seasoned ones as the latter are treated with chemicals. Avoid packaged foods.
2. Eat a variety of whole foods: Whole foods have more fiber and other essential vitamins & minerals like beans, lentils, brown rice and other whole grains. Avoid refined grains as they have zero nutritional value. Eating variety ensures your body is nourished with a balance of all essential nutrients. Combining different beans or legumes is another good way to make a wholesome meal. You can also plan your meals based on days of the week so you are not deprived of certain foods.
3. Avoid excessive salt, sugar and oil: Although these are essential part of almost any recipe, an excess of any of these can cause health problems in the long run. Make sure you reduce salt & sugar intake in general. Also, use salt and sugar derived from natural sources like sugar from concentrated cane juice or jaggery, and choose rock salt over processed salt. Always use pure & cold-pressed oils such as olive oil or coconut oil. If your cookware allows it (like the one explained below), only add oil towards the end of the preparation process because heating oil first in a pot can break it into unhealthy trans-fat that causes heart disease. Avoid deep fried foods.
4. Adopt healthy cooking methods: The first step would be to choose a Dutch oven made from an inert material. Although some assume that the good old cast iron makes a great Dutch oven but the problem is it leaches in the cooking process. All metals are reactive and therefore leach toxins while the heat acts as a catalyst. They contaminate food and destroy most nutrients with high heat.

Miriams Earthen Cookware (MEC) – a US-based cookware brand re-introduced the only time-honored method of cooking to the kitchens around the world – cooking in pure clay. This company handmakes pots and pans from lab tested primary clay that is naturally free from any and all contaminants, without additives. Your healthy meal cooks in a 100% non-toxic vessel with the gentle far infrared heat radiating from pure clay that retains even the most delicate nutrients. All recipes cook on low heat and in less cooking time in this energy efficient cookware so you save money on every meal preparation. After 5-6 uses, the pot becomes fully seasoned and nonstick so you can enjoy eating oil-free. You can then also use it for stir frying or searing meats. You can read more about the many features and benefits of MEC cooking here.

If you want to lower risk of chronic health problems by choosing to make easy nutritious meals in your healthy kitchen, then MEC is your best friend. Get a pure clay Dutch oven from their online store and make a shopping list of ingredients for these great recipes from MEC kitchen:

• Broccoli, Bell Pepper and Lentil Soup
• Chicken in Peanut Butter Sauce with Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots & Beans
• Rejuvenating Brussel Sprouts with Red Pepper
• Nutritionally Dense Chickpea Soup with Pasta & Vegetables
• Cook Leafy Greens More Deliciously & Nutritiously