Healthy Recipes

The end of finals brought me more time to try to get back into healthy eating habits, and I'm doing well so far (one week later). I thought I'd share some of the recipes I've tried out lately in case you're looking for some healthy, flavorful inspiration.

Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Iowa Girl Eats [picture from her site]

I will definitely be making this salad again. I'm always looking for yummy ways to eat quinoa, and this fits the bill. The lemon vinaigrette adds a nice zip, and blends so well with all the other flavors. I did leave out pomegranate arils (couldn't find them easily, or a pomegranate), and added some edamame. I also added shrimp to the salad, which is pictured but also listed as optional. I'm glad I did, as I do love shrimp! I would definitely recommend this recipe. 

Mango-licious Tilapia from Allrecipes [My photo]

I still have leftovers of this one, and I'm glad! This recipe also includes avocado (YUM), and the salsa just bursts with flavor. This recipe is also really easy, because all you need to do is chop up the ingredients, mix the salsa, and bake the fish in the oven. Another winner. 

Pina Colada Smoothie by Paula Deen* [My photo, with Today Show in the background]

This was pretty good too! I especially enjoyed being able to use a fresh pineapple from the grocery store. I did also increase the ratio of banana, using 1 full banana for 1 serving. I threw in some flaxseed as well, which I like to do with all smoothies.

Update: I made this smoothie again today (Sunday), and it tastes even better when I use a frozen banana and no ice. It was a lot thicker and the flavors were more concentrated. 

Whole Grain Pancakes on Allrecipes [Photo from the site]

I made these just this morning and I have leftovers for the week. I love this recipe because it includes whole wheat flour, oatmeal, flaxseed, and cornmeal (realized I didn't have any and subbed cornbread mix...). No white flour! The pancakes turned out really light and yummy. For me there's nothing better than a guilt-free pancake. I ate mine with honey drizzled on top this morning but I look forward to experimenting with other toppings in the future. I also added some applesauce and a little bit of salt. I let the batter sit for a while after mixing to thicken, as recommended by many of the reviews. 

There's a little sampling of what's been happening in my kitchen during my week off. I love being mindful about food again. Please share any of your favorite healthy recipes that you want to share!


*I just feel the need to share that lately especially, I am far from PD's biggest fan. I wish she would use her diagnosis as a platform to promote healthy eating and exercise as a way to mitigate diabetes symptoms, but I suppose there's more money in promoting a drug. Okay, stepping off my soapbox now. :-)