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The thought of cooking may seem a bit daunting compared to swinging through the drive-thru line after a busy day. But you don't have to be a top chef to master easy, healthy meals—and it's possible to do it without spending hours hovering over your stove.
Healthy meals look different from table to table depending on people's preferences, allergies, and needs for special diets such as gluten-free or vegetarian.
What matters most is filling your plate with wholesome foods and eating multiple food groups at once to maximize the nutrition in each tasty dish you make.
Read on to learn more about making 10 balanced, easy, and healthy meals that you can have on your table in under an hour.
How to Build Easy Healthy Meals
The simplest way to ensure you're eating healthy, balanced meals is to visually divide your plate into three sections with a few easy steps.
1. Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, U.S. adults aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables. We often give vegetables little room on our dinner plates, so starting with vegetables first helps prioritize them as more of the star of the show. This method will naturally make your meals more plant-based.
Including vegetables at meals offers you fiber for healthy digestion. The other perks are vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to ward off disease and strengthen your immune health. Whether the vegetables are fresh, steamed, sauteed, roasted, or boiled, choose non-starchy vegetables like beets, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and peppers.
2. Add lean protein to a quarter of your plate
Chicken, salmon, and tofu are a few examples of healthy sources of protein that help you reach your daily protein goals and ensure you're satisfied after your meal. Use beneficial cooking methods for your lean proteins, such as grilling, broiling, baking, air-frying, stir-frying, boiling, slow-cooking, or instant pot cooking.
3. Make the remaining quarter of your plate starchy vegetables or whole grains
Load up on good-for-you nutrients with foods like sweet potatoes, brown rice, black beans, wheat bread, and corn tortillas. Half of your daily intake of grains should come from whole grains because they're associated with better health outcomes such as heart health, weight management, and healthy cholesterol.
Easy Healthy Meal Ideas
1. Grilled Salmon, Roasted Cauliflower, and Tricolor Quinoa
This trifecta doesn't disappoint and can be ready for dinner in under 30 minutes. While salmon is an excellent source of protein, it's also brimming with omega-3 fatty acids—heart-healthy fats that may help lower inflammation.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable with lots of fiber for gut health and vitamin C to help with skin healing and immunity. One of the best ways to eat cauliflower is by roasting it on a sheet pan. You can toss the florets in extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with your favorite herbs and spices like turmeric and garlic.
Quinoa comes in multiple colors, however, the tricolored variety is a fan favorite. Quinoa boasts essential amino acids, protein, and fiber. Quinoa contains natural chemicals called saponins that taste bitter, so pre-rinsing them before boiling will enhance their taste.
2. Air-Fried Chicken Breasts, Arugula Salad, and Golden Potatoes
Air fryers are one of the most remarkable pieces of kitchen equipment ever made and can have your dinner entree ready in no time. And it's no secret that chicken breasts are full of protein without contributing too many calories and fat.
Pair your air-fryer chicken breast with a fresh arugula salad and roasted potatoes. Arugula is another cruciferous vegetable with a distinct taste. It's naturally low in calories, carbohydrates, and fat while high in nutrient must-haves, including calcium, vitamin C, and folate. Potatoes tend to get a bad rap in the diet community, but they offer many nutrients, including calcium, potassium, and folate. Cut your potatoes into wedges, toss in garlic, olive oil, salt, and dried rosemary, and roast in the oven. Don't forget to leave the skin on the potato to get more of its dietary fiber. The fiber may help with fullness and appetite suppression, supporting weight loss.
3. Pan-Seared Scallops, Green Beans, and Whole-Wheat Pasta
The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week. Pan searing scallops is a popular prep method that doesn't take much time. Add a plant oil that can take heat well, like canola or avocado cooking oil, to your skillet. You'll want the scallops to be slightly brown on both sides, but be careful not to overcook. Scallops have anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, protein, phosphorus for bones, and potassium to help with blood pressure.
Scallops pair well with green beans, especially if you sautee them in minced garlic in a skillet. Green beans contain folate, vitamin C, and vitamin A, all vital for immune health, healthy eyesight, and reproduction.
Whole-wheat pasta adds healthy whole grains to this dish, plus fiber, B vitamins, and complex carbohydrates for added fuel. Compared to white pasta, whole-wheat pasta has greater nutritional value and may take some getting used to if you haven't eaten it before.
4. Stir-Fried Tofu, Sesame Ginger Vegetables, and Brown Rice
This meatless meal can quickly come together, which makes it perfect for the busiest weeknights. Tofu, a soy-based food, comes in multiple varieties, but the extra-firm is the best type for stir-frying. Always press and drain the water from your extra-firm tofu for the best results. Tofu is a vegetarian option that's chock-full of protein, calcium, manganese, and selenium, and it even contains a good amount of iron.
Stir-fry your tofu with a fresh or frozen bag of vegetable medley and flavor it up with sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, and dried ginger. Stir-fry veggies might be broccoli, baby corn, peppers, carrots, and many others, giving you a wide variety of vitamins and minerals like vitamins C and A.
This dish pairs well served over brown rice, which takes some time to make from scratch. Take a cooking shortcut by using instant brown rice, which is just as nutritious as the regular kind but takes much less time to prepare. Brown rice rounds out this meal's nutrients with magnesium, manganese, protein, and fiber.
5. Pork Tenderloin, Sauteed Bell Peppers and Onions, and Sweet Potato
Pork tenderloin is packed with protein without containing much fat, making it a healthy lean option for many easy and healthy meals. An iron-rich food like pork tenderloin can help lower the chances of iron deficiency. Combining pork tenderloin with a vitamin C-containing food like bell peppers helps the body absorb more iron for healthy blood flow and oxygen transport.
Sweet potato provides antioxidants like carotenoids that fight disease and protect your vision. In addition, they contain fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Microwave sweet potatoes to cook them quickly, but remember that larger sweet potatoes will take longer to cook. Prick the skin around the sweet potato with a fork to help it cook more quickly.
6. Oven-Baked Shrimp, Bok Choy, and Crunchy Green Peas
Shrimp doesn't take much time to bake on a sheet pan, plus their abundance of protein, healthy fats, and low calories makes them worth the wait. Whether fresh, steamed, or sauteed, chopped bok choy complements this dish with added vitamin C and vitamin K, crucial nutrients for good health. Make room for crunchy roasted green peas for your starch component, and you'll score additional protein, fiber, vitamin K, vitamin A, and thiamin (vitamin B1).
7. Scrambled Eggs on Toast, Mixed Greens, and Sliced Pears
You can whip up eggs for a meal at any time of the day. Eggs contain an impressive amount of protein from the white, while the yolk offers many other nutrients, including iron, choline, and healthy fats. Scrambled eggs with your favorite chopped herbs and lay over a piece of wheat toast. Pair with a mixed greens salad for vitamin K and folate. Slice up a pear to infuse your meal with fiber, so you're full and satisfied.
8. Tacos with Ground Beef, Cucumber Avocado Salad, and Corn Tortillas
Everyone knows tacos are one of the easiest, most crowd-pleasing meals you can serve at home. Use 90% ground beef for heaps of lean protein. Plus, you'll get iron, vitamin B12, and zinc. Wrap the entree inside six-inch corn tortillas for heart-healthy whole-grain nutrition. Pair with a cucumber avocado salad for bonus nutrients—omega 3 fats, vitamin E, and B vitamins.
9. Italian Chicken Sausage, Tomatoes, and Spaghetti Squash
Toss a few Italian sausage links into your air-fryer for some quick lean protein that can be ready in under 10 minutes. Chop up tomatoes, toss in balsamic vinegar and seasonings, and roast in the oven to pair with spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is low in carbohydrates and calories and makes a healthy substitute for white pasta, especially if you want to lose weight. Purchasing pre-cooked frozen spaghetti squash will save you loads of time so you can be on your way to eating a quick, healthy meal in a matter of minutes.
10. Curried Red Lentils, Steamed Spinach, Wheat Pita
This vegan and vegetarian-friendly dish delivers plant protein, fiber, and iron via lentils. Lentils are easy-to-cook legumes with loads of copper and manganese for maintaining healthy blood vessels and regulating blood sugars. They're versatile, nutritious, and help you plan healthy meals on a budget since they're low in cost.
Curried red lentils go nicely with steamed spinach. After cooking, the iron contents in spinach increase and become easier for your body to absorb. Eat your curried red lentils and steamed spinach with a side of toasted whole-wheat pita for B vitamins to boost hair, skin, and nail health.
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