11 Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year
11 Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year
After a month-long binge filled with too much beer, ham, and Grandma’s Christmas cookies, we could all use a few “healthy” weeks to kick off 2015. And if we want to keep our healthy resolution to start the year, our choices need to be filling or it will only be a matter of time until we’re back to eating like it’s Christmas season. Here are 11 recipes that are satisfying on all counts.
There might not be a better or easier way to start your morning than with a freshly made smoothie. Our version makes sure you get a full serving of fruits to start the day. Feel free to add any unflavored protein powder of your choice and a handful of spinach for a complete meal.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
Find yourself with some extra winter vegetables this holiday season? Don’t know what to do with fennel, parsnips, artichokes, or turnips? This hearty and easy-to-make soup by Chef April Bloomfield of New York’s Spotted Pig is a great way to get your vegetables in.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
3. Butternut Squash, Kale, and Farro Soup
A hearty bowl of soup might be one of the most underrated meals for lunch. Our butternut squash soup gets its extra heft from a healthy portion of farro, a nutty wheat grain you might have seen in your local Whole Foods.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
4. Green Soup
While chicken soup might be for the soul, Anna Thomas' green soup is for the body. Made by puréeing winter greens with potatoes and onions, this soup will give your immune system a serious boost.
Photo and recipe from Food52
Quinoa is the star of this spicy, simple Thai-inspired dinner. While our recipe uses carrots, broccoli, and tofu, the sauce will take to any vegetables you have on hand. Make enough and you'll have leftovers for the week.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
6. Sesame Noodle Salad with Tofu
Udon noodles, made with buckwheat, are a great base to build upon for your weekday lunch. Our recipe mixes in seared tofu, cucumbers, and red bell peppers. Feel free to add whatever extra vegetables or protein you have lying around.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
7. Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Salad
Filled with fresh vegetables and healthy rice noodles, our Vietnamese shrimp salad would be great for lunch or dinner. Aside from cutting vegetables, prep work for this dish is a breeze.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
8. Vegan Quinoa-Stuffed Grilled Zucchini
Want a trick to eating healthier? One night a week, make a vegetable the main entrée of the day. Enter our grilled zucchini, stuffed with a mix of quinoa, cashews, and spices.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
Another healthy trick for 2015: Replace pasta in any dish with spaghetti squash. The taste won’t be a one-to-one match, but squash is great at absorbing flavors from any accompanying sauce; in this case, the Parmesan makes this dish a healthier, knockoff version of carb-heavy cacio e pepe.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
Salmon is one of the healthiest fishes you can have, high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Despite a minor amount of brown sugar, this recipe is still a healthy crowd-pleaser.
Photo and recipe from CHOW
11. Chocolate Pudding
Our new, healthy diet for 2015 would be pretty short-lived without anything sweet. This chocolate pudding proves that you can still have dessert while watching your waistline.
Photo and recipe from Food.com; header image of spaghetti squash from CHOW
Dan McKay is a Canadian actor, film director, screenwriter, and musician—oh wait, that's Ryan Gosling. Dan is a Philly-based freelance writer, photographer, and digital marketer. He has written for Eater and Thrillist, in addition to other publications. Outside of work, you might run across him in the Asian market or in one of Philly’s local drinking establishments.
