10 Recipes That Will Keep You Healthy
It may not always seem easy to eat healthy, especially when mozzarella sticks can sound much more appetizing than a salad. Cooking can also seem tedious to people who do not enjoy it, but we’re here to make it fun! There are many recipes out in the world that can taste good and also be on the healthier end. Check out these ten recipes that you can make at home!
1. Stuffed Peppers
Since being in quarantine, I have tried to come up with different recipes to make with the basic ingredients I get at the grocery store. For example, ground beef, rice, bell peppers, cheese, vegetables and spices can go a long way when thinking of what to make for dinner. You could make a taco salad, burgers, or you could try to make stuffed peppers. I have made these twice over the past few weeks and each time they get more delicious. Take a few bell peppers, cut the stems off, slice them in half (I cut the pepper in halves first cause it makes it easier for having leftovers) and be sure to rinse them thoroughly. Drizzle some olive oil and salt and pepper on them and place them on a baking sheet. Place them in the oven at 350 degrees to get tender while you follow the next steps. Boil white rice, while you and grill and season your ground beef. When finished, mix the rice and beef together along with any other fillings. I like to add taco seasoning, white onion, green onion and tomatoes. Take the stuffed peppers out of the oven for a moment and fill the halves with your mixing, sprinkle some cheese on the top if you like. Since the fillings are already cooked and the peppers got a little soft when cooking the beef and rice, pop them back in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender. You can fill a stuffed pepper with any fillings you like, but the taco twist on them makes them a favorite in my household!
2. Sautéed Spinach With Garlic
Spinach can seem awfully plain if you are not fond of eating it raw in a salad or sandwich. Although, there are definitely many ways to incorporate spinach into a meal. One tasty way to eat spinach is by sautéed, and it’s an easy, quick stovetop recipe. There are different recipes for sautéed spinach so feel free to make it anyway you want to! For the kind of spinach I make, all you need is a pan, lemon, butter, salt, pepper, spinach and garlic. First, you can either use all ready minced garlic, or finely chop 1.5 tablespoons of fresh garlic (fresh garlic is better.) In a pan, heat a tablespoon of butter and garlic for a few seconds – we only want the garlic to get a little brown so make sure it doesn’t burn! Set aside a generous amount of spinach – if you’re cooking for more than one person, close to a pound of spinach is ideal since the spinach will begin to get wilted when you sauté it. Add small handfuls of spinach to the pan. You can cover the pan so it can cook, but I just use a wooden spatula and toss it in the pan until it becomes wilted. Since there will be a lot of spinach if you use a pound, you can begin to put the already wilted pieces into a mixing bowl that you can serve the spinach in. You should be done cooking all of the spinach within a few minutes since it doesn’t take long to be sauté! Once all the spinach is wilted and in the bowl, squeeze a lemon and add salt and pepper to the mix. Try this recipe on its own or with grilled chicken and rice on the side!
3. Lettuce Wraps
I know there’s a ton of ways to eat a lettuce wrap and they’re one of the simplest recipes that’s been out there – but sometimes I forget we can make a meal out of it! I like to eat lettuce wraps for lunch and fill them with chicken salad or cheese and turkey. I take larger leaves from iceberg lettuce because they are easier to roll up, especially if you are trying to eat a regular sandwich inside the greens. It is similar to eating a wrap but without the extra carbs. What ever your favorite cuisine is, you can take spices and fillings and put it in a lettuce wrap. All you need is a head of iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves to use as the wrap and what ever you’re feeling that day to eat!
4. Egg Cups
Egg cups put on a spin on your typical breakfast – they take slightly longer than scrambled eggs, but they’re worth it. You’ll need a muffin baking sheet in order to make egg cups. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and use cooking spray to grease the pan! You don’t want to miss that step otherwise your egg cups may stick to the baking sheet. Then, grab your main ingredient – eggs. Depending upon how many muffins you’re making will determine the number of eggs you’ll need to whisk to pour over the veggies. If you’re making for two people, 3 eggs should be good for a total of four egg cups. Once you whisk your eggs in a measuring cup, pour an even amount in each cup. I usually use spinach, feta and tomatoes in my egg cups but you use what ever vegetables you want to, or if you want to keep it plain, do that too! Bake the egg cups for 20 minutes and they’ll be all set to eat.
5. Energy Balls
A homemade snack that requires no baking? Count me in. No bake energy balls are on the rise – they’re protein packed, sweet, and make you feel like you’re baking even though you’re not. The ingredients and portions I use are 1 cup oats, 2/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 peanut butter, 1/2 cup flax seed, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/3 cup honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix all ingredients into a bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Once the mix is chilled, roll the mix into energy balls, place back in the fridge, and you’re all set to eat!
6. Baked Buffalo Cauliflower
Cauliflower can be made into meals I never thought of. If you go to a Trader Joe’s, you can find cauliflower crust pizza and cauliflower gnocchi, two of many dishes you can incorporate cauliflower into. One of my favorite sauces to add onto food is Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce – but it can be tricky finding alternative recipes to eating buffalo chicken. Baked buffalo cauliflower is a healthier attempt at creating crispy bites that still have the buffalo kick to them. To try baked buffalo cauliflower bites, you can follow any recipe you find online and I’m sure it’ll turn out crispy and delicious. What I’ve found works well from the recipes I’ve read is using these ingredients- head of cauliflower, garlic powder, olive oil and salt. You can use any mix of ingredients and spices to mix in a bowl as long as you coat the pieces of cauliflower before baking them! Once your oven is preheated at 425 degrees, place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes or until crispy. When the cauliflower is done you can put the pieces back in a bowl and toss with buffalo sauce. This is a healthier, and vegetarian approach to eating close to buffalo wings!
7. Kale And Bean Soup
Kale is a total superfood, but not everyone enjoys the taste of it. Eating kale raw in a salad can entirely vary from what lettuce tastes like, but using it in a soup can soften the vegetable and be just as nutritious. One of the best recipes I’ve found online and tried is kale and white bean soup. Broth based soups are a lot less heavy than creamier soups, but they’re just as good and easy to make. The ingredients you will need to make this soup are olive oil, water, vegetable broth, white onion, celery, canned white beans, raw baby kale, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, carrots, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. When you determine how many servings you’ll be making, then you can use the proper portion sizes of broth and water as well as all vegetables besides the kale. Like spinach, kale wilts fast, especially in hot water so you definitely want that to be the last ingredient you add. Once your base of broth and water is brought to a boil, you can slowly add in each ingredient and let it cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add your kale as the last step of the soup, use a spoon to mix it in with the already cooked veggies and broth, and you’ll be good to go.
8. Cucumber And Tomato Salad
We could all use a refreshing food sometimes. A healthy snack to enjoy any time of the day is a cucumber and tomato salad. Dice up cucumbers and red onion and cut cherry tomatoes in half. Mix the 3 ingredients into a bowl with a little salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon squeeze. The red onion adds much flavor to the cucumbers and tomatoes and makes for a simple and fresh salad to pair with lunch, dinner, or eat on its own.
9. Sheet Pan Fajitas
Fajitas are flavorful, filling and can be just as good without the tortilla. They also can be made without being grilled. Baking veggies and chicken is a healthy alternative to frying anything in a pan. To make sheet pan fajitas you’ll need peppers, red onions, seasoning and chicken breasts. While your oven is preheating to 400 degrees – spray your baking sheet, cut up chicken into thin pieces and slice up your onions and peppers. Spread out the ingredients onto the baking sheet, season to your liking (taco seasoning is perfect for fajitas) and cook for 25 minutes. You can eat this as a topping over a salad or by itself with the same taste as a regular fajita.
10. Granola & Yogurt Bowls
As someone who loves greasy food, I would usually choose something fried for breakfast when I go out to eat. Recently, I have been loving making my own granola and yogurt bowls. I go for using any fat free vanilla yogurt, a handful of granola (I’m a big fan KIND’s dark chocolate whole grain cluster), raspberries and blackberries. Drizzle some raw honey on what ever you choose for your fillings of fruit and yogurt. This makes for a protein packed breakfast bowl and one of the most effortless healthy recipes!
