Boost the Health Benefits Every Time You Turn on the Oven

Baking is a wonderful way to enjoy sweet and savory goodies, but there are plenty of ways your oven can help boost your health that go beyond cakes and pies. From breakfast, to lunch and dinner, it’s possible to get healthier every time you turn on your oven.

Use Your Oven to Prepare Healthy Breakfast Foods

Kick-start your morning by baking a healthy breakfast. It’s easy to throw together a hearty baked oatmeal or egg dish to boost your energy. Try any or all of these options-

Oven bake “hard boiled eggs”- Place whole eggs into a muffin tin. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. This saves the mess of boiling water on the stove and there is no sulfur odor.   

Enjoy an egg bake- Egg bakes are an easy way to toss together healthy ingredients for a one-pan breakfast. Simply add together meats, veggies, and eggs and top with cheese for added protein and calcium. You can play around with combinations to keep things interesting or to use up odds and ends in the fridge.

Baked oats are great- Use whole rolled oats, your favorite milk, and toss in fruits, spices or extracts to create an amazing baked oatmeal. This stick-to-your-ribs breakfast will be worth the effort.

You’ll be Lovin’ Lunch from the Oven!

Midday is a great time to boost your health with a crispy, baked meal. Here are some fun ways to bake your lunch and rev up your energy for the afternoon-

Open-faced roasted sandwich- Choose whole grain breads and top with veggies, meats, and cheese. Bake or broil in the oven until toasty.

Simple one-pan lunch- It’s easy to throw a variety of veggies into the oven for an easy-to-clean-up meal. Use whatever veggies you have on hand and serve over rice, noodles, or lettuce for a healthy midday meal.

Elevate your take out- If you tend to reheat leftovers, don’t dismiss your oven for the microwave. Your oven will reheat left overs to a crispier texture that is superior to food heated in the microwave.

Do Dinner Right Every Night

Using your oven for dinner can help free you up to multi task while you wait. While your dinner cooks you can complete a few tasks and be ready to eat and unwind by the time the timer goes off. Try these oven-ready and healthy meal ideas-

Use a Dutch oven for exceptional meats- Meat packs a ton of protein, but high-fat meats can be unhealthy. Using a Dutch oven helps leaner cuts of meat cook to tender perfection. Use a Dutch oven for roasting beef, pork, or chicken. You can easily add veggies for a one-pot meal.

Casseroles don’t have to be boring- Casseroles are a great way to save time in the kitchen, but they can be perceived as bland or worse, laden with fat, salt, and unhealthy starches. Change the game by preparing a healthy casserole with a variety of fresh veggies, lean meats, grains and spices.

Make the most of your oven’s space- Are you using your oven to its fullest potential? It’s possible to cook multiple items in your oven at one time. Arrange racks in your oven to accommodate more than one dish and you can cut down meal prep time by half.

Did you know? Did you know you can use your oven to dehydrate fruit, make fruit leather, or jerky? Using your oven’s lowest settings, it’s easy to make healthy snacks for yourself and your family.

Your oven isn’t just for heating frozen pizza and school fundraiser cookie dough. Your oven can be an excellent resource for healthy meals all throughout the day.