Would you like to enjoy all the incredible flavors of Italian cuisine without impacting your energy levels or weight loss goals? 🤩
With this month’s recipes, you’ll see that Italian dishes don’t have to weigh you down with mountains of pasta and heavy sauces.
We’ll show you how to keep things lighter and just as delicious, with our:
Healthy and Simple Italian Dishes! 🎉
These recipes are bursting with whole fresh produce and tender proteins that will make your tastebuds sing and your body thrive.
Read on below for a few Italian ingredients and flavors that taste amazing AND support your health goals!
✅(1) Legumes: Beans aren’t always the first thing that pops into mind when thinking Italian, but these little gems are a powerhouse of nourishment and a staple of the Italian cuisine. Tuscan white beans or Borlotti cranberry beans are the most traditional varieties, and they are renowned for their creamy texture and load of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Many Italian soups and salads use this ingredient as a way to boost satisfaction and they are a great tool when looking to achieve healthy weight loss.
✅(2) Tomatoes: Of course tomatoes are probably the first thing that does come to mind when planning an Italian meal, and this versatile fruit is an incredible way to add sweetness as well as acidity to almost any dish! San Marzanos are the best known variety, and iconic for their incredible depth of flavor. However, any variety you find will provide wonderful antioxidants that will help improve heart health, digestion, and vision.
✅(3) Seafood: Surrounded by the Mediterranean waters, fresh seafood is abundant throughout the coastal regions of Italy. From shellfish to swordfish, this lean and versatile protein is used in simple preparations as well as pastas and tomato based stews. Italian dishes are all about allowing the essence of the whole ingredients to shine, so when working with seafood be sure to find as fresh a source as possible, and keep the preparations minimal.
Here are some of this month’s recipe highlights:
This southern Italian dish is filled with rich, comforting flavors that will satisfy on every level. Choosing a leaner cut of meat will limit the load on heart health, and tomatoes and red wine will boost the antioxidant levels, reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Roasted peppers, grated pecorino, spinach and pine nuts round out our filling, bringing in an even wider array of antioxidants to help lower blood pressure and continue supporting heart health, immunity, and reduced inflammation throughout the body.
This luxurious tomato based broth is flavored with the delicate sweetness of fennel and leeks to begin, both of which are rich providers of flavenoids, antioxidant compounds that contain anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.
The fish you incorporate is up to you. As it cooks gently the flavors and juices form the seafood will melt into our stew, deepening the flavor or our broth. The couscous alongside will add much needed fiber, increasing satisfaction and ensuring energy stays balanced.
This luxurious tomato based broth is flavored with the delicate sweetness of fennel and leeks to begin, both of which are rich providers of flavenoids, antioxidant compounds that contain anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.
The fish you incorporate is up to you. As it cooks gently the flavors and juices form the seafood will melt into our stew, deepening the flavor or our broth. The couscous alongside will add much needed fiber, increasing satisfaction and ensuring energy stays balanced.
Borlotti Beans, aka Cranberry beans, packed with nourishment and known for their creamy texture. These legumes will bring in lean protein, both types of fiber, and B vitamins like folate; helping support a healthy digestive system and boosting brain function.
Pairing legumes with grains will provide your body with all essential amino acids, decreasing appetite. The extra fiber from our squash, celery, and onions will also help with this and ensure you stay satisfied for hours after this hearty (and heart-healthy) stew!
Here’s the link to the rest of this month’s recipes:
Every recipe in one document for easy printing.
As always, you can download or print these recipes to use at anytime.
I look forward to hearing all about your adventures in Italian cooking, so be sure to post your results, pictures and comments in the group!
And when posting in our Homemade Facebook Group, go ahead and tag them with #successplus so they’ll pop up for me to see! 😊
