If you need a detox from all the food you’ve eaten during the holidays, then switching to a plant-based diet might be an option for you. Health professionals have stated that taking a break from foods that are high in saturated fat, such as red meat and cheese, can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Some vegan meals can be lower in calories and be a good way to enter the year with some self-discipline and a change from the chocolate and pigs in blankets. There is always a big craze for “new year, new me,” which puts a lot of pressure on people to start the gym and lose that Christmas weight.
Starting new healthy habits, they say, is hard to do in the winter, so if you want to get healthy but don’t necessarily want to start by buying all expensive gym sets, try incorporating your diet and easing your way into it, and where better to start with some delicious healthy meals that are not just boring salads while it’s still freezing outside?
Here are some of the best healthy meals you should incorporate into Veganuary.
Pasta Bake
Savour this filling, nutritious vegan pasta bake in the middle of the week, and then reheat the leftovers the next day. It has a creative cashew topping, basil, lentils, and courgettes.
Falafel Burgers
A tasty and substantial healthy burger. These are perfect for anyone looking for a filling, low-calorie snack.
Get creative, add whatever you like, and stack in those veggies and whatever sauce you fancy.
Mushroom Potato Curry
In less than 30 minutes, you will have made a flavorful, spicy vegetarian dish with curry and mushrooms.
After adding your potatoes and onions to a saucepan, heat until your potatoes are starting to soften. Add your mushrooms, aubergine and anything else you fancy and cook for a few more minutes on low heat. After all that’s done, add your curry paste, sock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes or until you’re happy and then serve with some rice and enjoy.
Sweet Potatoes and Peanut Curry
Make this delicious and inexpensive vegan curry for a simple family meal. It has less than 400 calories and contains sweet potatoes and spinach, two of your recommended five a day.
Vegan Lasagne
Serve this tasty plant-based lasagna with salad to your family. Additionally, you can make vegan moussaka and spaghetti bolognese with a meatless filling of your choice. You can opt for plant-based quorn or keep it strictly veggie with aubergine peppers, onions, mushrooms and anything else you think would work well in your vegan lasagne.
Singapore Noodles
Serve our Singapore noodles to the entire family. They are vegan and healthy, and they go well with Chinese food or just by themselves. Instead of getting a cheeky takeaway on a Friday, you can opt for a quick chow mein that takes up to 25 minutes.
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
A comforting plant-based dinner featuring crispy potatoes, butternut squash, leeks, and porcini mushrooms. It’s low in fat and calories, making it ideal for chilly evenings.
Add some gravy and the best part is that you can make enough to fully satisfy the whole family with some leftovers the next day.
Vegan Sausage Casserole
This hearty bowl of vegan sausage casserole is the ideal way to warm up on chilly evenings. It’s easy to feed a large group with this simple family dinner. You pair this with some vegan garlic bread and enjoy a flavorful dinner that doesn’t feel like it’s vegan.
Stuffed Peppers
This recipe for poblano peppers, which is simple to prepare during the chilly days of January, has become my new favourite! Imagine all the deliciousness of stuffed bell peppers, with their juicy roasted peppers, flavorful filling, and fun garnishes, but with an added layer of heat from the poblanos. This dish is not only flavorful and fresh, but it’s also quite thrilling to eat!
These peppers add a spicy and entertaining element to your dinner table. They also offer an excellent chance to experiment with different flavours and combinations while adding some delectable vegetables.
Conclusion
Rotating these meals is perfect for a healthy start to the year while also keeping things warm and cosy for the cold days of January. It is a great way to keep things healthy without burning yourself out and is the right step forward in a healthy direction. Pairing these tasty meals with some low-intensity workouts would be even better, so maybe get the seamless leggings out of the cupboard and ease yourself into it.