It's January and it's not unreasonable to want to eat healthier at the start of a new year and a new decade. But eating healthy doesn't mean restrictive dieting and strange combinations like cayenne and lemon in water. Healthy meals and snacks are vegetable and/or protein forward, they satisfy your tastebuds, and fill your stomach. And because we're all busy being our best selves at the beginning of the year, these are all pretty easy recipes that don't take a ton of effort to get from just a bunch of ingredients to on the table.
I've broken these healthy favorites into soups, salads, dinner, and snacks, for your ease. Mix them up and you should be able to find some new favorites and fill out your meal plan for at least the next two weeks. Many if not all of these recipes also make fantastic leftovers for lunches to reheat at work as well. Just like you, I have to pack my resuable plastic containers to take to work and eat at my desk while looking out the window, wondering what is beyond those brick walls.
Soups
Salads
It takes a good salad to make me want multiple helpings, but these salads are healthy choices that'll make you want to make these again and again.
Seven Layer Salad in a Mason Jar
Healthy Dinner Ideas
You may notice that a lot of my dinner recipes are simple affairs, where the whole meal is just one thing, rather than three or four side dishes and a main dish comprising the whole meal. Part of that is keeping life simple, and part of it is just not having the time or energy to cook multiple things every night for just myself (or sometimes myself and Patrick). These kind of meals give me most of not all of the parts of the food pyramid, with only having to dirty up one or two pots and pans. Gotta love efficiency on the weeknights!
Harissa Falafel and a Yogurt Tahini Sauce
Okra and Tomatoes with Riced Cauliflower
Rice and Vegetables with Green Curry Simmer Sauce
Healthy Snack Ideas
Snacking when you're trying to eat healthier is one of the biggest challenges there can be, but the biggest factor in making sure you reach for nutritious options rather than a bag of chips is prepping. Make the snacks you'd rather eat more accessible by chopping and portioning them out ahead of time. When the craving to crunch on something strikes, the better choice is already made for you.
