How to Make Healthy Recipes with Chicken and Shrimp

For many people, making healthy recipes seems too difficult and time consuming. This is more so with making healthy recipes with chicken and shrimp.

But with some advance planning and some basic knowledge of nutrition, it is easy to create a week’s worth of healthy meals that you and your family will love. The key to creating delicious and healthy meals for the family is planning …and lots of it!

Planning ahead of time an entire week of healthy recipe meals is the best way to create dishes you can be proud of, while keeping cost and time commitment to a minimum.  Creating healthy recipes may also serve as a relaxing moment for you. So below are amazing tips you can use to make healthy recipes with chicken and shrimp all the time.

But first, let us look at the general tips on making healthy recipes

Healthy Recipe Tip 1

Using convenient appliances such as slow cookers and microwaves can be a huge time saver when planning and preparing meals.  There are many delicious and healthy recipes that can be started in the morning and left to cook all day in a crock pot or slow cooker. Recipes with chicken and shrimp are great choices for working families.

In addition, making the meals ahead of time on the weekend and heating them in the microwave is a great way to stretch both your food and your time.  There are many microwavable healthy meals you can make at home, and single serving microwave safe containers allow every member of the family to eat on their own schedule.

When planning the meals for the week, it is a good idea to create a chart listing each day’s menu and each days’ schedule. Here’s a smart tip…plan the quickest and easiest to prepare meals for the busiest days of the week.

Healthy Recipe Tip 2

Get your family involved in creating the week’s meal plan by asking for their input and noting everyone’s favorite foods. It is still very important to eat healthy meals, so that (of course) does not mean eating pizza every night or having ice cream for dinner. But involving your spouse and children in healthy recipe planning, you’ll help to increase their interest in healthy eating right away.

It is also a good idea to get your entire family involved in the preparation of the meals.  Even children too young to cook can help out by setting out the dishes, chopping vegetables, clearing the table and washing the dishes.

Healthy Recipe Tip 3

Cooking large quantities of healthy food recipes – and freezing the leftovers – is an easy way to save time.  Cooking large amounts of stews, soups, pasta,chili and casseroles can be a huge time saver. Making double and even triple batches of these staple foods, and freezing the leftovers for later use, is a great way to save both time and money.

When freezing leftovers, however, it is important to label the containers carefully, using freezer tape and a permanent marker.  Try to keep the oldest foods near the top to avoid having to throw away expired items.

Stocking up on meats when they are on sale is another great way to use that valuable freezer space. Stocking up on such easily frozen foods as chicken, turkey, ground beef, steaks, roasts and chops is a great way to make your food dollar stretch as far as possible while still allowing you and your family to enjoy delicious healthy meals every day.

Healthy Recipe Tip 4

Keeping a well-stocked pantry is as important as keeping a well-stocked freezer.  Stocking the pantry with a good supply of staple items like canned vegetables, canned fruits, soup stocks and the like will make healthy recipe preparation much faster and easier.

Stocking the pantry can save you money as well as time.  Grocery stores are always running sales, and these sales are a great time to stock up. Buying several cases of canned vegetables when they are on sale, for instance can save lots of money and provide the basic ingredients for many nutritious, easy to prepare meals.

Examples of great staples to stock up on include whole grain cereals, pastas, tomato sauce, baked beans, canned salmon, tuna, and whole grain breads. Also, healthy recipes with chicken and shrimp are examples of great meals.  It is easy to combine these staples into many great meals on a moment’s notice.

Now is time to check out healthy recipes with chicken

3 Easy to Cook Chicken Recipes for a Lovely Treat

We all love spicy chicken; except if you are allergic or you just can’t love spicy food. Being a chicken lover myself, I have collected 3 hot and spicy healthy recipes with chicken which you can try out today or anytime you would like to treat yourself for a delicious meal; they make good family specials as well! Although they have similar names, they are very different. Perhaps their origins differ.

Hot and Spicy Chicken Recipe 1. Spicy Chicken Wings

– 1 lg. can Parmesan cheese

– 2 tbsp. oregano

– 4 tbsp. parsley

– 1-tsp. salt

– 1 tsp. pepper

– 1-stick margarine

– 4-5 lbs. chicken wings

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Melt margarine in small pan.  Cut up chicken wings.  Discard tips.  Mix all dry ingredients in bowl.  Dunk chicken wings in margarine and roll in cheese mixture.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour.  Serve warm.

Recipe 2. Hot Chicken Wings

Chicken wings

1/2 stick margarine

1 bottle Durkee hot sauce

2 tbsp. honey

10 shakes Tabasco

2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Deep fry wings for 20 minutes.  Drain and dip and let set in sauce.  Take out to dry and then serve.

Recipe 3. Hot-N-Spicy Chicken Wings

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)

12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce

1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel.  Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot.  Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly.

For healthy recipes with shrimp, we will look at 3 Great Coconut Shrimp Recipes

If you love coconut shrimp, here are three different, but very good coconut shrimp recipes to try.

1. Coconut Beer Batter Fried Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup beer

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

coconut oil

3 cups grated coconut

Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2-1/4 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

And 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Thoroughly combine the ingredients for the seasoning mix in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix 1-1/4 cups of the flour, 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix, baking powder, eggs, and beer together in a bowl, breaking up all lumps until it is smooth.

Combine the remaining flour with 1-1/2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and set aside. Place the coconut in a separate bowl.

Sprinkle both sides of the shrimps with the remaining seasoning mix. Then hold each shrimp by the tail, dredge in the flour mixture,shake off excess, dip in batter and allow excess to drip off. Coat each shrimp with the coconut and place on a baking sheet.

Heat deep fryer to 350°F. Drop each shrimp into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, approximately 1/2 to 1 minute on each side. Do not crowd the fryer. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Lay shrimp on large lettuce leaves and serve with Pineapple Salsa dip. Garnish with lemon, orange, or lime wedges.

Pineapple Salsa

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple

1/3 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup pineapple preserves (or apricot-pineapple preserves)

1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded fresh jalapeno chili

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine ingredients and gently toss.

2. Coconut Shrimp Kabobs with Island Coconut Salsa

1 lb. shell-on shrimp, uncooked

1/3 cup coconut milk, canned and sweetened

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon red chili peppers, seeded and minced

And 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

12 to 18 fresh pineapple chunks

Island Coconut Salsa

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped cilantro

And 1 cup chopped green onion

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup olive oil or macadamia nut oil

Peel and devein shrimp retaining tails; set aside. Combine coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, red peppers, cumin, coriander and pepper; pour over shrimp. Marinate no more than 1 hour. Thread shrimp and pineapple chunks on skewers. Broil or grill, 3 minutes per side, or until shrimps are done. Arrange coconut shrimp on large lettuce leaves. Serve with Island Coconut Salsa on the side.

3. Caribbean Shrimp Run Down

1 lb shell-on shrimp, uncooked

3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

3 cups coconut milk

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

Finely chopped hot pepper to taste

1 lb. tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp. vinegar

And 1 t. fresh chopped thyme

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and devein shrimp retaining tails. Pour the lime juice over the shrimp and set aside. Cook the coconut milk in a heavy frying pan until it is oily. Add the onion, garlic and cook until the onion is tender. Add the hot pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper, thyme and vinegar. Stir and cook very gently for 10 minutes.

Drain the shrimp, add the other ingredients and cook until the shrimp is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot over rice. Preparation time: 30 minutes.
                                                                  Dianne Ronnow © 2006 Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved

Conclusion

Healthy recipes with chicken and shrimps are great staples. You and your family will surely love preparing and eating the delicacies. So, feel free and create these recipes at any time and enjoy yourself doing so. Remember that enjoying optimal health boils down to what we choose to do, eat or drink.

I hope you found these tips easy as pie!

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