8 Recipes For Your Healthiest Year Yet

“Get healthy” and “lose weight” are two of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions in America. That said, thousands of people struggle to keep these resolutions every year. One of the reasons for this is that many people equate “healthy food” with “tastes bad.” After all, who would choose a stick of celery or a can of lima beans over a fresh-baked cookie or a really good milkshake?

Not all “health foods” are the unpleasant, overcooked, mushy vegetables that your grandmother used to insist you eat. Plenty of healthy foods taste wonderful when they are cooked correctly, and many of them require limited and easy preparation. One of the most delicious and healthy things to eat on a hot day is a piece of fresh fruit. What could be easier to prepare? You simply rinse it off and eat it. Some fruits, such as bananas or clementines, do not even require that tiny bit of preparation. You just peel it and eat it.

It can be difficult to get into the habit of eating healthy if you do not have any recipes for tasty, healthy meals. To help you reach your health goals, here are eight recipes for your healthiest year yet!

Butternut Squash Soup

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This healthy soup is a classic winter recipe. You can buy pre-sliced butternut squash at the local grocery store if you do not want to try and crack open the hard shell of a whole butternut squash. The only other required ingredients are chicken broth and a touch of black pepper.

To prepare the soup, sauté the squash until it is tender. To keep the soup healthy, resist the urge to use large amounts of butter or oil when cooking the squash. A tablespoon of oil goes a long way when you are cooking.

Once the squash is tender, puree it in a blender or food processor with some black pepper. Pour the puree into a soup pot with some chicken or vegetable stock, and simmer the soup until it reaches the desired consistency. Use low-sodium or unsalted broths or stocks to keep this soup extra healthy.

You can spice up this recipe in many different ways. Cook the squash with an onion, shallot or some garlic. Add nutmeg, cloves, oregano or basil to the soup to give it a different flavor. You can also add sweet potatoes or carrots to give this vitamin packed soup even more nutrition.

Healthy Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes

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Eating healthy does not mean you have to give up all of your favorite foods, or spend the cold winter subsisting on kale chips and celery. Classic cold weather meals like roast beef still have a place in a healthy diet. You just have to cook them a little differently.

One easy trick to make any meat-based meal healthier is to use lean meat and trim any fat. Not just “excess” fat. Get rid of it all. To make up for the missing “juice” and keep your roast from getting dry, make sure to keep the pan partially filled with low-sodium or unsalted beef broth. This will let you fill the house with that delicious smell of a cooking roast without ending up with a tough hunk of meat at the end.

The mashed potatoes and gravy need small adjustments as well. For the “gravy,” just use the drippings and juice that collects in the bottom of the roasting pan. Resist the urge to add any “thickeners.” There is a lot of flavor packed into that liquid that sits at the bottom of the pan. For the mashed potatoes, use skim milk or fat-free evaporated milk instead of heavy cream or buttermilk. You can even use low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock or broth for dairy-free mashed potatoes. Mash the potatoes a little longer, and you likely will not even notice the difference.

Baked Fruit Dessert

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This may sound like a silly idea. After all, how could some fruit replace classic desserts like cupcakes, cookies or brownies? Baked or roasted fruit, however, is not only sweeter than its fresh counterparts, but it is also much sweeter than most people believe.

This dish is perfect for spring when fruits are just starting to come back into season but before it is too hot to use the oven on a consistent basis. To make this healthy dessert, put sliced almonds, crushed walnuts or low-sugar granola in the bottom of an oven-safe pan. Chop up your favorite fresh fruits and layer them on top of the nuts. Sprinkle a tiny amount of sugar over the fruits, a very tiny amount. No cheating! Then, bake the fruit for about 10 minutes or until the fruit has gotten soft and released its juices all over the nuts. Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla Greek yogurt. You can also make this a bit more traditional dessert fare, and eat the fruit with a small side of vanilla ice cream.

Quinoa Salad With Green Beans, Almonds and Avocados

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To many people, any dish with quinoa in it makes them think of stereotypical health nuts who drink kale smoothies, practice yoga, spend hours at the gym, meditate daily and sit around in athletic pants writing books with titles like “Free Your Inner Health Spirit.” Quinoa is not something that most people can picture being eaten by a normal person with a nine to five job and a pile of dishes waiting to be cleaned.

Despite its “health nut” stereotype, this protein rich whole grain can easily be incorporated into the average person’s diet. Instead of buying white rice, bring home a bag of quinoa. They will likely be right next to each other in the grocery store.

When you get home, cook the quinoa exactly like you would rice: one cup quinoa to two cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the water has all been absorbed. To complete this dish, let the quinoa cool, and add sliced green beans, almonds and a few avocados. The rich, nutty taste of the quinoa will compliment the smooth avocado.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

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So long as the meat was healthy to begin with, you cannot go wrong with grilling your food. No extra oils, fats or butters are required to put a piece of food on the grill. As long as you resist the urge to slather sour cream, cheese, butter or anything else unhealthy on top of your grilled meal, you should do fine eating healthy during the summer.

Kabobs make for wonderful summer meals because they are so versatile. Any kabob can be healthy, but chicken is the best choice for making a healthy meal. Chicken is a naturally lean meat, as long as you get breasts or thighs without skin, and so helps keep fat consumption down. Cut the chicken into cubes, and spear it with your favorite fresh vegetables. Add green peppers and onions for a sharper, spicier taste, or make your kabobs with pineapple for a sweeter taste. The varieties are almost endless.

Smoothies

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Who does not love a cold smoothie in the summer? These delicious snacks fall somewhere between drink and meal but are often packed full of extra sugar or fat. Make your own healthy smoothies at home by using fresh fruit and low-fat Greek yogurt instead of ice cream. Try different flavor combinations, from classics like strawberry and banana to unusual ones like cucumber and acai berry. Experiment with different ingredients, and see what you come to prefer. Do you like sweet and fruity blends, or do you prefer the kick of a jalapeno and lime smoothie?

To keep smoothies healthy but make them a little more filling, try adding nut butters. Nuts are high in protein and contain healthy fats that are good for your heart. Add a small scoop of almond butter to your next berry blast to make a drinkable meal that will keep you feeling full all day.

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

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When the weather turns cold in the fall, you will find yourself starting to look longingly at unhealthy meals drenched in rich, creamy sauces. Resist the temptation to throw a year’s worth of hard work out the window, and instead, make a healthy version of those heavy, fatty meals.

Spaghetti and meat sauce is a classic cold-weather meal in many households, especially those with children. To make a healthy version of this Italian meal, change the meat you put in the sauce. Ground beef is often high in fat even if you buy lean ground beef. Replace this unhealthy ingredient with ground turkey. If you prefer Italian sausage in your sauce, make the same switch. Use lean turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork. Make sure to drain the grease from the pan after cooking the meat, and use a minimal amount of cheese in order to keep your fat intake down. Use tomato sauces that are high in vitamins and low in sodium or make your own. If you really want to go all-out with a healthy version of this dish, you can use whole wheat pasta as well.

Baked Chicken and Roasted Veggies

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Autum nights can be cold and dreary, but many vegetables are still fresh and easy to acquire. Take advantage of those last harvests by making roasted veggies. They are easy to prepare and quite versatile. Simply wash your favorite fall vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or squash, and cut into rough cubes. Place the cubes on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan, then lightly drizzle some oil on the veggies. Add some spices, and bake the veggies in the oven until they are crispy. To make a full meal, bake some lean, skinless chicken or your favorite fish in the same pan as the vegetables. Rub some spices on the meat or sprinkle some panko bread crumbs on top to give it a little crunch.

Oils with strong flavors work best in this dish as they will give the vegetables a rich taste. Aim for oils that you can clearly smell such as olive oil, toasted sesame oil, walnut oil or, if you really want to be fancy, truffle oil. When it comes to mixing oils and spices, pick flavors that complement each other. Olive oil and Italian seasonings pair well together, as does toasted sesame oil with cardamom and ginger.