About a year ago me and my husband decided to eat cleaner. We slowly started to boot things out of our diet for the sole purpose of wanting to look and feel our best. We ate a lot of chicken and rice at the start of our journey, and if I’m being honest, it got boring after a while. I thought to myself; why should I bore my taste buds everyday just so I can feel better about the food I eat? Then I realized I didn’t have to. I put my thinking cap on and started doing research determined to find healthy dinner recipes that checked all the boxes. After some trial and error I created my new go-to simple healthy recipes for my weekly rotation. (All of which are husband approved)

I know what you’re thinking; “I’m just too busy to cook meals like this”. Or, “I just don’t have the time.” That is where you are wrong. The secret behind creating these dishes is the simplicity in addition to meal prep the morning of/ night before. Put the chicken in the fridge the night before and chop the veggies you need the morning of. Whatever flows best with your schedule. Eating healthy dinner recipes is not as daunting as it seems. I work a full time job Monday- Friday in addition to taking night classes to further my education. There is about a forty minute block of time I have between work and school that I am able to cook, eat, and clean up these meals. If I can fit these whole food recipes into the madness of my life, you can as well. Now let’s dig in.

1.  Steak with rice and veggies

A medium rare steak is one of my weaknesses. There is a common misconception surrounding steak being healthy. The trick is finding a leaner cut, like sirloin. Sirloin steak has mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are considered “healthy fats”. (Not to mention that sirloin doesn’t break the budget.). I normally pair steak with rice, veggies, or a salad depending on what I have in my fridge. Now, I wouldn’t eat steak every day but I think consuming it once a week is okay.

2.  Chicken Alfredo

Chicken alfredo is another dish that I absolutely love. The thought of parting with it to eat cleaner broke my heart to pieces. Again, the realization set. I don’t have to compromise my favorite comfort food, I just have to turn it into a whole food recipe. I know what you are thinking; “how is chicken alfredo a healthy dinner?” The secret is making simple swaps. Instead of normal noodles opt for protein or veggie noodles, (I always buy the Barilla Protein+ brand). I make my own “alfredo sauce” with fat free cottage cheese and some additional seasonings. By swapping out ingredients you can make this low-fat high protein pasta dish that not only makes your taste buds happy, but your gut happy too. 

3.  Chicken Caesar Salad

I will never ever get bored of a classic chicken caesar salad. This is my number one go-to because of how simple and quick it is to make. I usually just buy the premade salad kits from my local grocery store and add whatever type of cooked chicken I want. (it’s normally grilled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper). If you do not like caesar salads there are a multitude of other premade kits that you can find that will satisfy your taste buds. 

4.  Air-fried salmon with rice and veggies 

I am currently obsessed with cooking salmon in the air-fryer. The edges always come out so crispy and delicious. I normally season using “the salmon rub” from Trader Joes. It is brown sugar and paprika based so it has a subtly sweet-smokey flavour. I like to pair salmon with brown rice and veggies, (depending on what I have). This to me is the ultimate healthy dinner. The salmon has the important Omega-3’s and protein and the brown rice and veggies add necessary carbohydrates and fiber.

5.  Burger Bowls

I love love love burgers! There’s just something about them that calls my name. Which is why I wanted to create a healthier version. Introducing; burger bowl. Now, I can normally gauge how much my husband likes what I make for dinner by how fast he eats it. When I presented this to him to try for the very first time I swear it was gone within seconds. This burger bowl is so simple yet delicious it is truly one of my favourite healthy dinners to make. By combining air fried sweet potatoes, seasoned ground turkey, and your favorite burger fixins you can make this whole food recipe too.

6.  BBQ Chicken Bowl

When I was eighteen I worked at this health based restaurant called CoreLife Eatery. They had this bowl called “BBQ ranch chicken” and I would get it every shift. My bowl gains its inspiration from it. Another perfect example of not having to compromise flavour for diet. Adding black beans with the cut up chicken breast and a dollop of greek yogurt ranch makes this a high protein dinner recipe that will make your taste buds sing. 

Final Thoughts

We are what we eat, literally. When you start thinking about what food is intended for you start to wonder: “how did we evolve into thinking Mcdonalds could pass as a meal?” I did at least. 

Food is meant to provide us with energy so we can go about our day as intended. It is meant to nourish and provide nutrients that our body needs. According to  The World Health Organization; “A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.”

I noticed such a big difference in my overall health when I started focusing and being intentional about what I feed my body. I felt happier. If food is fuel why would you settle for unleaded when you can have premium grade? 

I hope this gave you some ideas of where to start and provided you the motivation to start cooking healthy meals today!