Have you ever heard that cheaters never prosper?
That’s not completely true. We need to tell our bodies every now and then that there is plenty of food available. And we can do this by eating what we want–AKA having a cheat meal!
Cheat meals take our bodies out of starvation mode and strengthen our metabolism. But don’t make your cheat meal a cheat day! If you want to have a few cheat meals during the week, here are some ideas of what a healthy cheat meal is:
French fries (with sweet potatoes)
You can make this healthy cheat meal in a heartbeat! Swapping normal potatoes for sweet potatoes is a healthier option of treating yourself. They are high in carbs but with more nutrients than normal potatoes.
You can make them even healthier if you cook them in the oven with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and spices instead of using a frying pan with lots of oil.
Spaghetti bolognese (rice noodles)
This is a great cheat meal to have once a week. I always avoid having gluten due to my gluten intolerance, so if you are like me, you can substitute normal pasta or spaghetti for rice noodles or any gluten free pasta available in the market.
I always like buying good quality minced beef, organic or grass fed, and I mix it with fried onion. There are also gluten free tomato sauces available on the market that use only natural ingredients.
Mexican fajitas (rice pancake)
Viva Mexico! This is one of my favourite healthy cheat meals. I usually cook organic minced beef with onion and peppers and then add fajita seasoning and cook all together. I dice tomatoes with onion and some basil or coriander. I cut some lettuce and make some guacamole.
For the tortillas, I always use gluten free tortillas or even rice paper wraps. You just need to add all the ingredients into the wraps and enjoy.
Popcorn
Take a seat and cheat, it’s film night! Although, I never need an excuse to eat popcorn as I’m addicted to it. This is a healthy cheat meal snack that is gluten free and really easy to make. It is better if you opt for a salty version, as the butter ones may contain higher saturated oils.
Dark chocolate
Trick or treat? Make your cheat meal sweet! This is not only a healthy cheat meal, it is something you can eat a little bit every day to get a good source of magnesium. It should be at least 70% chocolate to make it dark and healthier. You can mix it with nuts for higher sources of fiber and calories.
Thanks for checking out my blog. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment below 🙂
If you want more inspiration to cook more healthy cheat meals you can also cook some of the recipes from my book, “The Little Mediterranean Cookbook: How to Cook Simple Mediterranean Dishes from Spain”
…or Click here to check out The Little Mediterranean Cookbook on Amazon.
Or go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ THE LITTLE-MEDITERRANEAN-COOKBOOK
If you’re stuck wondering what to cook this weekend or for a special occasion, you’ll find something delicious here. Start enjoying what you eat.
