Turkey Is A Healthy And Nutritious Choice For Everyday Meals

With the holidays behind us, we know how hard it is to get your family back into a regular routine and deal with everyday cooking and eating challenges. A new year means getting back to basics, and the way we eat and the foods we choose are a critical part of making healthy choices. Choosing healthy ingredients and creating nutritious meals for your family doesn't have to be a compromise. Canadian Turkey is here to provide you with helpful tips to get you on track and unique ways to create easy-to-make recipes and that use super-charged ingredients.

We know that all Canadian moms want the best for their families. It's challenging to find new ways to keep your family eating well, to incorporate healthy choices into everyday meals, and to change up everyday meal choices to keep things tasty and exciting. Turkey is the perfect go-to ingredient, and it can be used as a substitute for any other meat protein in nearly every recipe. Make sure to include turkey when planning your breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals so that your family feels energized all day, with tasty recipes that are budget and time friendly.

Turkey is such a versatile protein, that you can be sure to showcase a wide variety of tastes and flavour profiles. Both dark and white meat cuts lend themselves to different spice blends so you can customize preparations to your own family's preferences and habits without compromise. Finding meal solutions that will help you easily feed your family is a great way to get a head start on a busy week. Canadian turkey is the perfect ingredient for many of your everyday meals, and you can also count on leftovers to make some healthy and quick dishes during those busy days when you have your hands full. There's nothing better than making some delectable dishes for the remainder of the week, or stashing some pre-made meals in the freezer for another busy weeknight.

If eating well is on your list of healthy resolutions for 2018, keep your resolutions simple so you can stick with those healthy habits all year long. When it comes to healthy eating, one of the most positive steps you can take is to try to get back to basics and cook from scratch more often. When you cook your meals from scratch, you can control what goes into your food like salt and fats. Cooking with whole food ingredients ensures that you are feeding your family essential vitamins and nutrients. And you can start with lean ingredients like turkey as the building blocks for your recipes to create healthy meals that still taste delicious and satisfying. These are all great reasons to try to get back to basics in the kitchen.

Before you can start preparing those freshly made meals, you need to stock your kitchen with wholesome, real food ingredients that make cooking healthier meals at home a breeze! Start by buying pantry staples that you can use in everyday dishes - items like beans, tomatoes, lentils, olives, mustards and brown rice. Fill your fridge with fruits and vegetables that have 'lasting power', like carrots, cabbage, onions, peppers, sweet potatoes, squash, oranges, and apples. Buy spices and herbs to have on hand that you can mix together to create different flavours and marinades. Invest in good quality oils and vinegars that work double time by being good for you and that also make great dressings. And keep your freezer stocked with pre-cooked turkey that is ready whenever you need a protein boost for your favourite dishes like salads, soups, casseroles, and pasta.

One-Pot Saucy Turkey Meatballs

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4-6

1 ½ lbs ground Canadian turkey

1 large Canadian turkey sausage (1/3 lbs), removed from casing

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped or grated onion

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup ricotta cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. Pour milk into breadcrumbs and let soak until fully absorbed, 2-3 minutes.

3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent and cooked through but not browned, 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. Combine all ingredients in a large-size mixing bowl. Do not overwork to keep the meatballs light and fluffy.

5. Use a standard size ice cream scoop to evenly portion out meatball mixture into a large size oven-proof skillet or frying pan. Use the palms of your hands to roll into balls.

6. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven.

7. Add tomato sauce to meatballs and gently simmer over low heat for 20 – 30 minutes.

8. Serve.

Tip: These meatballs can be portioned out and frozen for a quick weeknight meal or lunch. Serve over rice, pasta, zucchini noodles or on their own with a hearty salad.

5 Reasons to Reach for Turkey

Turkey is a whole, nutrient-rich food (meaning it has a lot of nutrients per calorie) that fits into an overall high quality diet that's good for you without compromising on flavour or taste! Swap turkey for any protein in all of your favourite recipes and instantly make a leaner, healthier choice! Here's why you can feel great adding turkey to all your meals and snacks:

1. Canadian turkey is a lean source of high quality, protein. Eating enough protein at each meal can help you maintain a healthy weight, and provide you with a good source of energy.

2. White meat is a low fat, extra-lean choice with just 3 grams of fat per 100-gram serving.

3. Dark meat is lean too, with just 8 grams of fat per 100-gram serving. Plus, dark meat gives you an even bigger boost of selenium, an important heart-healthy antioxidant mineral.

4. Most of the fat in turkey is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. In fact, almost half the fat in turkey is monounsaturated – that's the same type of fat found in heart-healthy olive oil!

5. All fresh cuts of turkey are naturally low in sodium. And because turkey is super tasty, you don't need salty marinades to make it taste good. 

Looking for additional tips, recipes, videos and HOW TOs? Visit canadianturkey.ca for all your healthy cooking inspiration. The recipe section is packed with a wide variety of amazing recipes for full meals, appetizers and snacks. You can also find a gold mine of ideas for your leftovers and make-ahead meals.  There's nothing better than making some delectable dishes for the remainder of the week, or stashing some pre-made meals in the freezer for another busy weeknight.

Giveaway:

If you are in Canada and would like to win a $75 Visa prepaid gift card to help you prepare a nutritious Canadian Turkey meal then enter the giveaway before February 20.
Update: The winner is Krista

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