6 Recipes that Help you to Stay Fit and Healthy this Holiday Season

Go organic! Yes, that’s what all the nutritionists and doctors are advising you to do, these days! Organic is the only way to go if you want to live a long and healthy life. If you have reservations about making the shift from regular to organic produce, follow the Nordic lifestyle and see how they are slowly but surely inching towards an organic way of life!

Why should you go organic?

That’s the first question that comes to our mind! Why in the wide world should we take to the organic way of life! Is it that whatever we have been eating till now can be regarded not as healthy? But we have still been incorporating healthy fruits and vegetables in our diet plans still what is going wrong? If we are skeptical about adopting a new lifestyle completely different from the previous one, then we must educate ourselves more about this healthy lifestyle!

• Avoiding chemicals are the first baby step towards a holistic way of life- Chemicals in the form of pesticides on our food crops, the cosmetics that we use daily, whatever packaged foods we are consuming is laden with too much of chemicals.

The National Academy of sciences has declared that most of the chemicals used on food products have not been tested thoroughly and the long-term effects of these chemicals on humans are still unknown. So whether it is safe or not fit for consumption nobody actually knows! And that’s downright scary.

• Are inorganic foods stripped of nutrition?- If we compare the inorganic food produce with the organic ones you will be surprised to know that there is a marked difference in the nutrient content of these two types of food products.

Organic food products contain 21.1% more iron, a whopping 27% more vitamin C, 13.6% more of phosphorus and a 29% more magnesium than inorganic produce. Isn’t it reason enough for you to quickly embrace the organic way of life?

• Less meat and milk consumption as they are injected with loads of hormones and antibiotics- Most of the chemicals we manage to ingest into our systems are thanks to the tons of chemicals we inject in our cows and animals to ensure higher production in terms of milk meat and eggs.

Antibiotics, growth hormones, and drugs pass into the animals and when we consume meat, fish, and milk, those chemicals and hormones impact our body in the worst way possible. The result is the early onset of puberty, greater risk of tumors and cancers.

• Preserve our ecosystems with the help of organic farming- Yes, organic way of farming preserves our ecosystems and the more we take care of soils and crops, by using a sustainable method of farming and reduce the use of pesticides, the better will be the condition of our ecosystems. Instead of interfering with the working of our eco-system we must let it be and let it function in its own unhurried pace.

How does the Nordic Diet fit into the Organic way of life?

Ethics, sustainability, and simplicity are the three most defining features of the Nordic diet plan Focus on the local food rather than import food from miles away. Their focus is on doing their bit for the planet and hence doing a bit towards ourselves as well. So what are the chief lessons we should learn from the Nordic lifestyle. By following the following ways the Nordics do their bit for climate change and the environment.

• Reducing the quantity of meat.
• Buying food that is in the season.
• Choosing locally grown fruits and vegetables that haven’t traveled far.
• Buying fish that is local and not imported from a faraway land.
• Not using personal vehicles like cars focus on walking your way around your city, thereby reducing pollution to a considerable extent.

Follow the Ground Rules and move towards a healthier way of life

Ask yourself the pertinent question do you want to live a long and healthy life? Well, then the Nordic Diet Plan is exactly the route to follow to reach your goals. Incorporate the main points and follow them not only to change the way you look but the way you feel as well. Take baby steps towards your goal then it won’t seem like a mammoth compromise!

Yes, and if you are slowly reducing the intake of meat or fast foods don’t crib about what you are losing out on rather focus on what you are gaining! Remember a positive bent of mind is your greatest armor! And you can achieve the greatest of feats with the help of lifestyle Change.

Try these Recipes to Make that Shift Towards the Organic Way of Life

The Nordics focus more on the flavor of the foods and the freshness of the food products than anything else. It is about relishing each bite with equal enthusiasm. If you enjoy more the propensity to overeat dies a silent death. Eat adequately but do not add a morsel more when you know you are satiated. Overeating, in fact, is a strict no-no.

1. Fried Cod Risotto

In the Nordic region, the cod is a very popular fish. The freshly caught cod, adds the much-needed flavor to the dish. It’s rich in omega-6 fatty acids and thus, a great blend of taste and nutrition.

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 200 g Risotto rice
• 2 dl white wine
• 100 g Fresh peas (or frozen)
• 200 g Champignon mushroom
• 7 dl (3 cups) water
• 2 chicken stock powder
• About 450 g (1 lb.) Cod Fillet
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp. Butter
• 50 g Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

1. Make some chicken, broth by pouring some chicken stock powder in 3 cups of boiling water.
2. Shell the peas.
3. Clean the champignon mushrooms and slice them nicely. Fry them in hot oil in a frying pan. Keep frying until they turn a light brown color.
4. Finely chop the onions and fry them in hot oil. Add the risotto rice to the pan and fry over medium heat until they are done. They must be nice and pliant. Turn up the flame and add the white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate while stirring.
5. When the wine is absorbed by the rice turn down the heat and add 1/4 of the chicken water (broth). Stir in the chicken, water is absorbed by the rice. Then you add another 1/4 of the water and stir till it is absorbed. Continue adding water until there is no more breath left.
6. Add the peas and the sliced champignon mushrooms and let it all heat up for a couple of minutes. Do season with salt and pepper.
7. Turn off the heat and remove the pan. Add the grated Parmesan and mix well. Leave the Risotto while you fry the cod. Season the cod with some salt and fry it for a couple of minutes on each side. Serve the cod on top of risotto.

Ingredients for Dressing:

• 125 g fresh spinach leaves
• 1 large avocado
• 400 g strawberries
• 500 g green asparagus
• 50 almonds, chopped

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp. Honey.
• 3 tbsp. Olive oil.
• 3 tsp. Lemon juice.
• Pinch of salt.

Method:

1. Rinse the spinach leaves and place it on a salad plate.
2. Rinse the strawberries, remove the calyx and cut them in slices.
3. Rinse the green asparagus and break off the bottom hard part of them. This is easily done by holding each end of the asparagus and then it helps to bend them – it’ll then break at the right place.
4. Mix all the prepared vegetables with the spinach. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dressing and pour it generously over the salad.
5. Chop the almonds and sprinkle them over the salad. Decorate the salad with some extra slices of strawberries.

2. Red Cabbage Coleslaw

Cabbage is an eternal favorite with the Nordics. This salad includes the goodness of cabbage and carrots. Skip the mayonnaise if you are following some strict guidelines regarding your diet.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 red cabbage
• 1 apple
• 3 carrots
• 1 1/2 dl (2/3 cup) sour cream
• 1 tbsp. Mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• 1-1.5 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper

Method:

1. Blend the mayonnaise, sugar, sour cream, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
2. Finely shred the red cabbage.
3. Peel and coarsely grate the carrots.
4. Remove the core of the apple and cut it into very thin slices. Mix all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve the coleslaw right away or leave it in the fridge.

3. Smoked Salmon with Avocado

This is a super easy dish to make and the dual power of salmon and avocado makes it a super-nutritious dish. The good fats in avocado are essential for our body. So include this in your diet.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 10 thin smoked salmon fillet
• 1 avocado
• 1 red onion, lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Peel the avocado and mash it in a bowl with the help of a fork.
2. Peel and finely chop the red onion.
3. Mix the chopped red onion with the mashed avocado. Add some lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Using a tablespoon; place some of the avocado cream on a thin smoked salmon fillet.
5. Roll the salmon around the avocado cream and fix it with the help of a toothpick.

4. Sugar-free and Flourless Cake

This is a healthy cake, in the true sense of the word. To maintain a healthy Lifestyle you need to check the intake of sugar. But this cake uses dates and dark chocolate to lend it the requisite sweetness. The additional use of nut flour instead of the refined flour makes it very healthy.

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 100 g dark chocolate (preferred sugar-free chocolate)
• 150 g dates
• 200 g nuts (almonds/hazelnuts or similar nuts)
• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. Salt

Method:

1. Chop the chocolate and 50 g of the nuts.
2. Use a blender to grind the last 150 g of the nuts into nut flour in a large bowl, mix the ground nuts with the chopped chocolate and nuts.
3. Add baking powder and salt to the bowl and blend it all.
4. Use a food processor or blender to blend dates, bananas, and eggs into a smooth batter.
5. Pour the banana batter into the bowl with the nut flour and mix it all well together.
   Pour the batter into a 20×25 cm oven pan lined with baking paper.
6. Bake the cake at 180 C (360 F) for about 25 minutes.

5. Coal Fish with Rye Bread

A perfect way to take care of your hunger pangs. The protein in the dish with the cards in the form of whole grains makes it a must-include in your organic diet.

Ingredients:

• 2 catfish fillet (300-400 g or 10-14 oz.)
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 5-6 tbsp. Breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper, lemon juice, oil or butter for frying

Method:

1. Beat an egg in a deep plate.
2. Pour some all-purpose flour in a second deep plate.
3. Mix some bread crumbs with salt and pepper in a third deep plate.
4. Make sure the coalfish is nice and clean. Remove all fishbone that hasn’t been removed.
5. Bread the fish by covering it in flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
6. Heat up a frying pan and add some oil or butter.
7. Fry the fish on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until the fish is nice and golden.

6. Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal is whole-grain and is super healthy, but how can you include it in your meals except by having it as porridge? The following recipe can help you nail the healthy combination of banana oats. Miss at your own risk!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana.
• 1 dl oatmeal or (oats).
• 20-25 g dark chocolate, chopped.

Method:

1. Peel the banana and mix it together with the oats.
2. Add the chopped dark chocolate and mix again. You can also use chocolate chips if you want.
3. Use a tablespoon; shape small cookies and place them on an oven plate lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake the cookies at 175 C (350 F) for about 12-15 minutes.

Following a diet is easy, but changing your lifestyle is difficult. But then, if you have not been able to change your body or your health by doing what you have always been doing Isn’t it time you thought of bringing about a change in your lifestyle and habits? The Nordic lifestyle is hard to adapt but if you get used to it, it would be hard for you to stray from its strict but very healthy guidelines. So embrace the Organic and The Nordic Way of life and feel refreshed enough to combat with life and its umpteen challenges.

6 Healthy and Tasty Recipes to Stay Healthy in the Holidays – PDF