SparkPeople Healthy Cooking Expert and Culinary Instructor
At SparkPeople.com, Chef Meg Galvin develops healthy recipes, tests member-submitted dishes, and teaches the fundamentals of cooking through informative and entertaining videos and articles. A World Master Chef since 2005, Chef Meg was the host of the regional television show The Dish, which aired on a local CBS affiliate and online. Meg now hosts cooking videos on the local FOX affiliate.
Galvin earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern Kentucky University and a certificate of culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu in London. She is certified as an executive chef by the American Culinary Federation and is working toward her court of master sommeliers wine certification.
Galvin is a faculty member at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, home of the Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI), an American Culinary Federation-certified college. In addition, she oversees one of a handful of programs in the country that allows culinary students to transfer to earn a four-year degree in the culinary arts.
Raised on a large family farm in central Kentucky, Galvin now lives in northern Kentucky with her husband and three teenage sons—including twins. On any given day, she can be found hitting the pavement on long runs or cheering on her sons at their numerous sporting events. She balances her busy schedule by incorporating her home life and career, bringing her kids into the kitchen and testing recipes on—and with—her family.
More from Meg:
The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight
SparkPeople's Ultimate Grilling Guide: 75 Hearty, Healthy Recipes You Can Really Sink Your Teeth Into
The Spark Solution: A Complete Two-Week Diet Program to Fast-Track Weight Loss and Total Body Health Read More of 's Blogs:
No-Cook, No-Fat Summer Flavor Boosters
I don't teach at the Midwest Culinary Institute in summertime, but that doesn't mean my schedule is any less busy. I'm still creating recipes for SparkPeople, driving the boys to and from their activities, and working on the family farm--and of course, running and swimming at the pool!
I let the seasons guide my menus, and when the temperature rises, my palate craves what's fresh and simple. Grilled vegetables and meats, fresh fish, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Two of the easiest ways to dress up fresh and simple meals without adding fat, sodium, and calories are to make salsas and relishes. They're a key to 5-minute meals!
"Salsa" means "sauce" in Spanish, which means you're only limited by your imagination and the ingredients on hand when creating a new salsa.
And though we think of sweet pickles on hot dogs when we think of relish, you can create one using plenty of fruits and vegetables. You just need to "pickle" them using an acid (such as vinegar) and cook them. (You could even do this on a grill if you're trying to keep the kitchen cool.)
I created two new recipes that are perfect for hot summer nights. I made a big batch of each and use them several nights a week.
Posted 8/10/2010 4:51:49 PM By: : 29 comments 30,309 views
What Are Your 5-Minute Meals?
We all have those nights when even the simplest of recipes are too complicated, when cooking seems impossible. Instead of dialing the pizza shop or driving thru for burgers, what do you do?
Do you thaw out a frozen pizza, top it with veggies and serve it with fruit? Serve whole-wheat pasta with sauce from a jar and lean ground turkey, plus a salad? Top a bag of prewashed greens with leftover chicken, hard-boiled eggs, or canned tuna, plus whatever vegetables you can scrounge up?
Posted 8/2/2010 5:15:57 AM By: : 189 comments 43,814 views
Habits of Healthy Eaters: Organize the Fridge and Freezer
You've started cooking at home, and you stick to the perimeter of the store when grocery shopping. You even measure portions. So why are so many of us wasting healthy food and reaching for takeout menus?
Open your fridge and freezer, and the answer might be simpler than you think. If you're spending good money on healthy food, but your fridge and freezer are messy and disorganized, it's going to make healthy cooking more of a chore.
Posted 6/8/2010 10:00:00 AM By: : 103 comments 40,168 views
Banish Bland Food and Learn to Store Your Herbs and Spices
Some people buy dresses. I buy spices. They're my vice.
To me, food isn't worth eating if it's bland and flavorless. Novice cooks might reach for the unhealthy trinity of fat, salt or sugar for flavor, and they'll turn out some tasty food--but it won't be healthy. A good cook knows that flavor starts with your ingredients. Start with wholesome food that's as close to the source as possible (as unprocessed as can be), and use herbs and spices to impart flavor.
Spices are pricey, but a little goes a long way. Learn how to maximize flavor and get the most out of your investment by watching the video below. I'll share my tips for storing spices and using them to add flavor to your favorite foods.
Posted 5/4/2010 10:25:13 AM By: : 83 comments 18,194 views
8 Tips to Help Kids Feel at Home in the Kitchen
With all the talk of how we should help kids stay healthy, my mind keeps returning to the same idea: Teach them to cook! In my home, the kitchen is an extension of the family room, and my three preteen boys have helped me cook since they were small. Teaching your kids to cook doesn’t mean that you have to turn them loose on their own. It just means letting them play an active role in meal planning, preparation--and cleanup. Training petite chefs is easy. Here are eight tips to get you started:
Posted 2/16/2010 6:58:49 AM By: : 71 comments 23,065 views
Prep Once, Eat Twice: Double-Duty Ingredients
The key to getting a nutritious and delicious dinner on the table in under 30 minutes is not a culinary degree or a team of sous chefs. It's one short French phrase: mise en place.
In the kitchen, mise en place means everything in its place. The vegetables are chopped, the herbs are washed, and the pots are clean and ready to go. When you're short on time, using prechopped vegetables (either chopped ahead of time or purchased that way) is a huge time saver.
In these two videos, I used one set of ingredients--chopped vegetables and precooked chicken breasts--to create two very different meals: Veggie Chicken Stir Fry and Spring Rolls. Watch now!
Posted 2/8/2010 2:58:05 PM By: : 62 comments 41,569 views
Guilt-Free Game Day Snacks: 7-Layer Fiesta Dip and Chips
Football and snacks go hand in hand, but so can game-day noshing and healthy eating.
Nachos, pizza, even wings can be a part of your healthy Super Bowl party menu.
I've revamped a few of your favorites and rounded up some members' makeovers, too.
I started with one of my favorites: layered Mexican dip. I always make a beeline for this dish at game-day parties. With layers of beans, cheese, black olives, sour cream, guacamole, and onions, the dip is made with healthy, whole ingredients.
Then I checked out the nutrition on the dish.
Even with baked chips, a cup of this dip has a whopping 562 calories, 42 g fat and 824 mg of sodium!
Do you know how much I probably have consumed of this dish at parties? So much that I decided to make it over before this year's big game.
My Skinny Fiesta Dip with Baked Lime Chips has all the flavor of the original, but it's much easier on the waistline.
Original dip (1 cup):
562 calories
42 g fat
19 g saturated fat
824 mg sodium
New dip(1 cup):
211 calories (fewer than half!)
9 g fat (about 1/5 the fat)
4 g saturated fat
405 mg sodium (less than half!)
Posted 2/2/2010 2:10:36 PM By: : 104 comments 50,716 views
Make Your Meals Do the Work: Cook Once, Eat for Days
Just how many meals can you get from one recipe? No, this is not a Food Network challenge but a real life, “how am I going to make it through the week and provide my family with some healthy, fast, and flavorful meals?” scenario. I am a working mother to three and wife who fits daily exercise into her life. I strive to, at some point over the weekend, make a one dish meal and turn it into two or three meals for the early part of the week or for “fall back freezer meals.”
Today let's take a look at one recipe, my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, then see how this versatile, healthy and filling dish can be stretched for a few meals. The soup itself makes 12 servings, plus an extra quart of broth, so there are plenty of possibilities!
Posted 1/26/2010 10:24:12 AM By: : 113 comments 89,108 views
Beef: It's What's for Dinner Tonight
There is room for red meat in a healthy lifestyle. The key is choosing lean cuts, sensible portions and healthful cooking methods.
Serve this flank steak with steamed green beans and some whole-grain bread warmed on the grill. The heat of the meat warms the accompanying fragrant and herb-infused sauce. Use the bread to sop up every last drop of juice.
Flank steak is a lean, affordable and flavorful cut of beef, but it's often tough. We marinated our flank steak and cut it against the grain to keep it as tender as it is tasty!
With a slice of whole-grain bread, a cup of green beans and a cup of skim milk, this meal has 420 calories and 15 g fat. Add 98 calories if you're using Chef Meg's Garlic-Citrus Parsley Sauce. (I like to serve a teaspoon or so of the sauce over steamed vegetables.)
Posted 1/21/2010 2:20:59 PM By: : 122 comments 42,176 views
How to Poach an Egg
Poaching an egg is an easy technique once you learn how to properly do it. Many people are fearful of breaking the egg or ending up with soggy, runny eggs, but I have a few tips to help you become a pro at poached eggs.
This healthy cooking technique requires no added fat, and it is fast enough for even a busy morning. (Worried about the cholesterol in this "perfect protein" food? Check out this article to see why eggs are excellent any time of day.)
I put together a short video demonstrating the process, along with a list of helpful hints.
Posted 1/12/2010 6:00:00 AM By: : 215 comments 97,844 views
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