At-Home Master Class
Justin Coit's Healthy Cooking at HomeIf you, like us, are at home and practice social distancing to keep our communities safe, that means you have a lot of extra time on your hands—make the most of it. In a first of a series, we talk with Justin Coit—a photographer and commercial director by day, a cook and food blogger by night—to get his pro tips on how to eat healthy at home, recipes included. And for more on his good eats, head on over to site Cooking with Coit.
Justin Coit and son, via @cookingwithcoit
Q&A
Top tips to healthy cooking at home…
1. These are stressful times, for sure; however, I also see a big silver lining here: We all have the opportunity to cook more than we ever have before, which means that we also have the ability to eat cleaner and healthier than we have before—with no distractions.
2. Don’t just think about the meal you are eating right now. Make recipes that work as leftovers for a few days ahead. Cooking takes effort and sometimes you will need a break. Having leftovers around will take some stress off having to worry about cooking every single meal.
3. Make sure you are eating balanced meals—this is incredibly important because as most of us are locked indoors, we aren’t getting the exercise we would normally get or vitamin D from the sun. To make sure I am eating balanced, I like to envision my plate as a pie chart. I aim to have 1/3 of my plate be lean protein, 1/3 healthy carbs and 2/3 vegetables.
4. One thing we can agree on is that we are all stressed out; therefore, just do your best in the kitchen. Not every meal is going to turn out to be award-winning, and that’s OK! We need to allow ourselves some room to learn as we go; we are in new territory here.
1. These are stressful times, for sure; however, I also see a big silver lining here: We all have the opportunity to cook more than we ever have before, which means that we also have the ability to eat cleaner and healthier than we have before—with no distractions.
2. Don’t just think about the meal you are eating right now. Make recipes that work as leftovers for a few days ahead. Cooking takes effort and sometimes you will need a break. Having leftovers around will take some stress off having to worry about cooking every single meal.
3. Make sure you are eating balanced meals—this is incredibly important because as most of us are locked indoors, we aren’t getting the exercise we would normally get or vitamin D from the sun. To make sure I am eating balanced, I like to envision my plate as a pie chart. I aim to have 1/3 of my plate be lean protein, 1/3 healthy carbs and 2/3 vegetables.
4. One thing we can agree on is that we are all stressed out; therefore, just do your best in the kitchen. Not every meal is going to turn out to be award-winning, and that’s OK! We need to allow ourselves some room to learn as we go; we are in new territory here.
Ingredients every healthy kitchen should be stocked with right now…
My go-to shopping list right now are cooking basics that can be used in many different ways: onion, garlic, celery, carrots, lemons, broccoli, zucchini, pasta, spinach, lean ground beef, ground turkey, a whole chicken cut into pieces, butter, and olive oil.
In terms of spices: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, rosemary, chili powder, and salt and pepper.
My go-to shopping list right now are cooking basics that can be used in many different ways: onion, garlic, celery, carrots, lemons, broccoli, zucchini, pasta, spinach, lean ground beef, ground turkey, a whole chicken cut into pieces, butter, and olive oil.
In terms of spices: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, rosemary, chili powder, and salt and pepper.
Food-storage tip...
One important tip I have for storing proteins for weeks at a time: I bought some extra chicken and ground meat that I divided into 1/2-lb portions and put into bags to freeze in the freezer. Having the protein divided into smaller portions allows you to defrost only what you need to eat that day, and helps to cut down on food waste.
One important tip I have for storing proteins for weeks at a time: I bought some extra chicken and ground meat that I divided into 1/2-lb portions and put into bags to freeze in the freezer. Having the protein divided into smaller portions allows you to defrost only what you need to eat that day, and helps to cut down on food waste.
Recipes
Here are a few super easy recipes from my Instagram @cookingwithcoit that taste great. Many can be made with ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen right now.
Skillet Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce
