5 healthy meal ideas for the evening
You spend the whole day rushing around, and when night falls, you feel like eating something different or raiding the fridge? It's a great time!
Due to convenience, daily stress or lack of time, we often end up falling into the temptation of eating ready-made foods, such as processed meats, snacks or frozen foods.
These foods, in addition to not being good for your health, can contribute to weight gain and even disrupt your sleep.
To prevent nighttime eating from becoming a nightmare, the best alternative is to adopt healthier routines and opt for lighter foods.
And that's where the question arises: what's healthy to eat at night? There are many options, and if you're creative, you can be sure your dish won't be lacking in flavor.
But, before we talk about the delicious options recommended for the evening, how about we understand a little more about why eating a balanced diet is essential for a happier and healthier night and life?
The importance of healthy eating at night
You've probably heard that our bodies work like clockwork, right? Well, that's absolutely true.
Our biological clock perfectly understands when to sleep and wake up, and look how incredible it is: when the sun starts to set, our body knows that it's time to rest.
Consequently, our blood pressure begins to drop, our rhythm slows down and our functions move towards a state of rest.
Nighttime is a time for repair and recharging. When we eat properly, we ensure a peaceful night. However, if we don't cooperate, instead of being a peaceful time, we can experience sleepless moments.
The truth is that when we eat heavy foods at night, such as red meat, pizza, pasta, and fried foods, we force our body, which is already slower, to work harder to digest.
This means we spend much of the night processing food. This leaves our bodies with insufficient time to rest. As a result, we may wake up the next day feeling tired, bloated, and more prone to stress.
Therefore, at night, the ideal is to opt for a lighter, more balanced menu, which allows you to sleep better and feel fuller for longer.
Check out the super tasty tips we've put together for you to try at home.
Healthy meal recipes to eat at night
For a good dinner, a plate of food with fewer carbohydrates and more good fats and proteins goes down very well.
Choose what to prepare:
1. Creamy vegetable soup
Nutritious and easy to make, soups, besides bringing that feeling of comfort at the end of the day, can have an infinite number of flavors.
Cream soups, for example, are delicious and perfect for colder days. Check out this recipe we've selected for you to make at home.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- ½ chopped onion
- 3 peeled and seeded tomatoes, chopped
- 2 chopped carrots
- 6 broccoli florets
- 6 cauliflower florets
- 4 kale leaves
- 1 medium chayote, chopped
- 1 liter of water
- Salt to taste
- Chopped parsley to taste
Preparation method
- Add the tomato, onion, and garlic to a skillet with hot oil.
- Add the vegetables, greens, water and salt.
- Let the ingredients cook until soft.
- Blend the contents in a blender after it has cooled.
- Finally, serve the soup and sprinkle parsley on top.
2. Roasted vegetables
A wonderful option for those who don't want to waste time in the kitchen is roasting vegetables.
Preparation time: up to 1 hour
Yield: up to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 zucchini cut into half-moons
- 3 medium potatoes cut diagonally
- ½ cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation method
- Select, wash and cut the vegetables.
- Place them on a baking sheet.
- Season them with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Bake for about 45 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
3. Crepioca
Gluten-free, lactose-free, and low in carbohydrates, crepioca is the perfect choice for those looking for an easy-to-make meal.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 small crepes
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation method
- To prepare the dough, add one egg, two tablespoons of tapioca starch and a pinch of salt to a bowl and mix well.
- Then, place the mixture in a previously heated non-stick frying pan.
- When it's cooked, add the filling as desired and fold it in half.
4. Zucchini Spaghetti
How about swapping traditional pasta for zucchini spaghetti? Besides avoiding a large amount of carbs at night, the alternative is mouthwatering!
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1/2 onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the sauce
- 1 can of peeled tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of butter
How to prepare zucchini
- Making it is very simple, you just need to wash the zucchini well and grate it into strips.
- Then, place them in a frying pan with olive oil, butter and onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add salt and set aside.
How to prepare the sauce
- Blend the peeled tomatoes in a blender.
- Heat the garlic, chopped onion, and olive oil in a pan.
- Season the pan with salt, sugar, pureed tomatoes, and pepper to taste.
- Once the sauce is ready, simply add it over the zucchini and serve.
5. Cauliflower rice
For those seeking flavor and convenience, another popular dish on many menus is cauliflower rice. Besides being nutritious, this ingredient pairs well with a variety of side dishes, such as salad and grilled chicken.
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 700 grams of florets of clean cauliflower
- ½ tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon chopped onion
- ¾ boiling water
Preparation method
- To begin, wash the cauliflower well, remove the green leaves and place them raw in a food processor.
- Then, in a pan, sauté the oil, garlic and onion for approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, boiling water and salt to taste.
- Let it cook for about 10 minutes or until dry.
