Keeping up with the trend in 2016 is a little easier than you might imagine with constant feed updates and healthy markets like Whole Foods at your fingertips. Lately there have been delicious ingredients and recipes that are resurfacing among articles, blogs, and foodies. If you are following any of the popular feeds that we have been, I am almost positive you have encountered several vegetable noodle recipes, nutritional bowls for every time of day, pulses, and healthy fats. Let’s take a look at these trends and we might just be convinced to join the craze!
Veggie Noodles
Last time we checked, noodles were something to steer away from due to many intolerance’s and lack of nutritional value. You throw vegetables in the mix and there is a whole new value to those delicious noodle recipes that were difficult for us to get rid of in the first place. “Zoodles” or zucchini noodles are some of the most popular forms of vegetable noodles out there today. These all-natural, nutrient-filled noodles are simply made with a spiral slicer that shaves the vegetables into the proper shape and depending on which veggie you use, can be substituted in all types of courses. Zucchini noodles pair well with a pesto and tomato flavor, whereas spaghetti squash may provide a better noodle for a marinara sauce or even a Pad Thai type of dish. The perk to hopping on with the popular veggie talk is that they are becoming simpler and simpler to access. Many markets are having such noodles prepared ahead of time and are stocked on the shelves of the fresh produce section in your favorite markets such as Whole Foods. Go ahead and check it out!
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Bowls
So maybe next time you go out to Pier 1 for your nice new dinnerware, buying more bowls rather than plates might be in your best interest. The tropical acai bowl that looks fantastic in pictures as well as your usual fiber-filled bowl of oatmeal for breakfast have sparked an interest among chefs and foodies all over the world to make this bowl trend applicable to a meal at every point in the day. One benefit to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a bowl is portion control. Portion control is a key role in health and nutrition whether you are trying to lose weight, keep off weight, or just maintain a healthy lifestyle in general. Power bowls for lunch and dinner are delicious and usually made with nourishing ingredients such as quinoa, broccoli, veggies, pulses, and topped with healthy fats like avocado. This addition of pulses and healthy fats leads us to trends three and four on the list.
Pulses
These “pulses” that have been deemed the International food of the year for 2016 belong to the legume family and are being featured in several of our go-to dishes. Taking chickpeas or black beans as some of the most popular pulses, they are featured in all sorts of recipes from black bean burgers to grab-and-go dried chickpeas snacks. Delicious Mediterranean hummus dip has been a great snack and appetizer for ages but now we have found tasty ways to incorporate these peas and beans into our meals. I mean being named food of the year is quite an honor, so why not try it!
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are not necessarily anything new or unheard of, but they do still continue to stand their ground when it comes to nutrition. The delicious avocado toast that has been filling up Instagram feeds is a great example. The vibrant green super food is filled with healthy fats, vitamins and nutrients, and not to mention it photographs well which keeps it trendy, that’s for sure. Other healthy fats to keep in mind are nuts and seeds such as almonds and virgin olive oil. Drizzling a little olive oil over anything from artichokes to your favorite salad will add some nutritional value to your meal. Do not let the term “fat” fool you so go ahead and enjoy!