20 Healthy Recipes You Need To Get Your Glow Back ~ are you ready to hit the restart button? I know I am…here are my top 20 healthy recipes for 2017 ~ my favorite ways to nourish and revitalize for the New Year. These dishes feed my body, my senses, and my spirit, and I know they can do the same for you. It was definitely a vibrant and tasty 2016 at tvfgi ~ here’s to an even more delicious ’17!
Albacore Buddha Bowls
There’s been a quiet revolution in the world of lunches and dinners lately, and it’s all about the bowl. I’m in love with the concept of Buddha Bowls…you might know them as glory — bliss — glow — nourish — macro — or power bowls, but whatever you call them, they’re a healthy and yummy way to eat.
Bowls are trending for 2017, so expect to see more from tvfgi in the coming months!
Chimichurri Shrimp
This beautiful shrimp dish can be a low carb and paleo friendly appetizer, or a quick 30-minute meal when you pair it with pasta, couscous, or warm toasty bread. This unique Argentinian sauce is garlicky, spicy, and a brilliant emerald green thanks to lots of fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, and oregano.
Find a way to grow fresh herbs for yourself in 2017, whether it’s in your backyard, or just on your kitchen counter ~ fresh herbs make ALL the difference.
Fattoush Salad
Fattoush is a chunky Mediterranean salad full of healthy veggies and crunchy toasted pita bread — a tangy lemon-sumac dressing makes the dish sing. If done right, the pita is light and crisp and adds a wonderful crunch to the dish.
The pita and the feta cheese make fattoush a good candidate for a light meatless meal.
Chickpea Veggie Burger
I swear, a simple, satisfying meatless burger has the power to change the world, and these fabulous Chickpea Veggie Burgers are contenders, for sure — they’re just as tasty as beef, but so much better for you. Off my soapbox now, but try these, they’re so good!
Every well stocked freezer should have a stack of these patties at the ready.
Fish Baked with Blood Oranges and Thyme
There isn’t a healthy epithet you can hurl at this Fish with Blood Orange and Thyme that doesn’t fit — low calorie, low carb, gluten free, Paleo, low fat, Whole30… and while you’re at it you can throw in beautiful and delicious. It’s great to have in your arsenal of recipes for when you feel the urge to cleanse.
When it comes to staying healthy in 2017, I have just one word for you…fish!
Instagram Worthy Breakfast Bowls
Breakfast bowls aren’t just pretty, they’re a really smart way to start the day — and in fact, the prettier you make them, the healthier they get. Change them up with the seasons, winter bowls with mixed citrus are one of my favorites.
Go ahead, snap a pic and post it so your friends can see how well you eat.
Rainbow Fruit Popsicles
I love colorful food, the bolder and brighter the better. Natural color in food signifies flavor, nutrients, freshness and vitality so I say bring it on. These fruity Rainbow Popsicles are a frosty celebration of all that. Each bright stripe is a puree of ripe summer fruit that I layer up in random order just for fun. You can limit yourself to one or two, or go all out like I did.
Popsicles are a uniquely healthy way to treat yourself, so buy a mold before the season hits.
Vegan Ancient Grain Salad
You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to appreciate the the satisfying chew of the grains and the crunch of the celery and nuts in this salad. Dried cranberries and juicy pomegranate seeds guarantee that every bite finishes with an explosion of sweet.
New ancient grains are appearing in supermarkets all the time, make 2017 the year you start experimenting with them.
Clementine Jam
This low sugar Clementine Jam is a pure, gorgeous fruit spread that perks up toast, biscuits, muffins, and scones — you can even mix it into yogurt, or bake with it. My favorite way to enjoy it is heaped on a thick slab of homemade oat bread hot out of the toaster.
Homemade jams, jellies, and preserves don’t necessarily have to be loaded with sugar!
Spicy Fruit Salsa
I consider salsa to be one of the basic food groups, you can’t beat it for explosive flavor and visual appeal… I crave new and exciting versions every season, and this Spicy Fruit Salsa is my latest. You can freshen up so many different kinds of simple meals with this stuff, from baked salmon like I made above, to chicken, steak, tacos, etc.
Tailor your salsa to the season, there are always great fresh fruits available.
Slimming Detox Soup
I’m a common sense type of eater, and so I’m usually not interested in faddish diets, but, like everybody else, the pounds sometimes creep up on me. My secret is simple — soup! I make a big pot of this healthy, low fat, low carb Slimming Detox Soup at the beginning of the week and by the end of the week I feel like I’m back on track. At least I’m headed in the right direction 😉
When the pounds creep up on you, don’t despair ~ make soup!
Healing Conifer Tea
Edible evergreens – who knew? This vitamin C and anti-oxidant rich Healing Conifer Tea will sooth a cough and cold, and energize you. It smells like a walk in the forest, and tastes lovely, too.
Take a walk around your block and snip some evergreens to try this for yourself.
Spicy Rainbow Slaw
Have you ever heard that it takes more calories to eat and digest cabbage than it contains in the first place? Sadly, that’s not true, there are no ‘negative calorie’ foods ~ but there’s a nugget of truth to the rumor ~ cabbage (and the peppers, turnips, & radishes in this salad) are extremely low in calories considering their satisfying crunchy texture. I made the dressing with low fat buttermilk and yogurt, too, so munch away!
Play with color in 2017 ~ look for vivid alternatives to your staple veggies.
Lemon Chicken Biryani
Healthy food comes in all forms, and this warm and inviting chicken dish is a great example ~ this is comfort food that also happens to be great for you. The fragrant basmati rice is flavored with a blend of spices along with the juices from the chicken that cooks with it…cashews, currants and sliced almonds round out this lush one pot meal.
Middle Eastern, Indian, and Asian cuisines are great sources for healthy meat and poultry based recipes.
Basil and Heirloom Tomato Salad
This salad was one of the most intoxicating I’ve ever eaten…and, granted, while it’s not an all year round recipe, when summer finally comes you’ll be glad you’ve got it tucked away. As soon as basil is going gangbusters and heirloom tomatoes are in their glory days, this simple, healthy salad will delight you with bold flavor and gorgeous color.
Salads are so good for us but we need to keep them new and exciting or we won’t eat them…boredom is the enemy of healthy eating.
Skinny Microwave Potato Chips
Oh boy, this is a game changer if there ever was one. Want a handful of potato chips any time you get the craving? Want them healthy? Want them super quick? This is instant chip gratification.
If you’re a chip-a-holic like I am, this recipe will rock your world.
Ottolenghi’s Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce
Are you paying attention to how many times fish and seafood are coming up in this list? This was one of my personal favorites from the past year, these fish cakes are so tender and so full of flavor…serve them with a side of bulgur, farro, or quinoa, and some steamed spinach
…proof that healthy can be sooooo gratifying.
Spicy Basil Pesto
Spicy Basil Pesto ~ Serrano pepper takes the world’s freshest sauce from simple to sassy in one fell swoop ~ stir it into freshly boiled pasta, spread it over grilled fish, spoon it on a baked potato, or soak it up with a torn piece of bread, it makes all other sauces obsolete.
When it comes to healthy eating, pesto is a hero, period. Make as many different varieties as you can, and put it on everything.
High Protein Breakfast Bowls
These protein rich Vegan Breakfast Bowls are the answer to the breakfast blahs…if you’re been there and done that with green smoothies and can’t face another piece of toast, one of these powerhouse bowls will jump start your engine, guaranteed!
Non-dairy protein beverages are the base for these unusual smoothie bowls and the flavor payoff is huge.
Concord Grape Frozen Yogurt
Let’s finish up with a palate cleansing Concord Grape Frozen Yogurt. It’s made with just grapes and yogurt (a touch of honey is optional.) This is a concept I return to again and again ~ I freeze whatever fresh fruit is in season, and then blend it with yogurt to make an instant healthy treat. “
A good food processor or high power blender is a great investment in your health.
pin this for later ~ and follow my Healthy Recipes Pinterest board for lots of inspiration all year long!
