Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: Because it was free range.
Hearing about people’s diets is one of my favorite parts of being a dietitian. I sure do hear about a lot of baked chicken! Of course, people tend to highlight what they consider to be the healthy parts of their diet when talking to me because they may think, “what would a dietitian want to hear?”
Perhaps, everyone is eating pounds and pounds of baked chicken every week?! If that’s you, and you are ready to eat something else, I have great news. There are a plethora of other healthy proteins besides the boneless skinless baked chicken breast. If you want to stick with chicken, that is your choice. After all, I really enjoy sardines.
Anyhow, for those of you looking for fun, delicious, simple, and well-balanced protein options that don’t include baked chicken, keep reading.
At Well Balanced Nutrition, we strongly encourage incorporating protein with every meal. Ideally, we recommend a happy and healthy protein source such as organically fed and free-range poultry and grass-fed locally raised beef or other meat. You might be thinking “oh my gosh, that stuff is so expensive!” It’s true. The good news is the protein should only be 1/4 of your plate. Ultimately, the price will even out because the rest of your plate will be covered with those yummy fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates .
Here are 8 ideas to get you started:
- Pork tenderloin: Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin from addapinch.com
- Shrimp: Easy Shrimp & Broccoli Stir-fry by skinnyfitalicious.com
- Grass fed beef: How to grill grass-fed burgers by heygrillhey.com (the Pro Tip: low and slow to preserve moisture!)
- 93/7 Ground Turkey: Fast and Friendly Meatballs from allrecipes.com
- Eggs: Spring Vegetable Frittata by realsimple.com
- Lentils: Vegan Lentil Curry by simpleveganblog.com
- Tofu: Tofu with Peanut-Ginger Sauce from eatingwell.com
- Cod: Pan-Seared Cod with Preserved-Lemon Aioli out of Foodandwine.com
