What do you think is The Most Important Question of All Time? To be or not to be? How to achieve world peace? If an elephant and a hippo start a fight, who will win? Nope, nope, and nope. One question that has been dominating the minds of humans ever since we became a tiny bit self-aware is “What can I eat that will help me lose weight, will be healthy, and won’t taste like cardboard at the same time?” And we are not just talking about healthy snacks, but all kinds of meals.
First things first, get the word “dieting” out of your vocabulary. What you need, what we all need, are healthy eating habits, not starving ourselves. This means eating healthy food regularly, not only when you want to shed a couple of pounds. Healthy eating for weight loss is as important as exercising, and there is no going around that.
We tend to classify foods into “yummy but bad” and “healthy but tasteless” categories, but it absolutely doesn’t have to be that way. Cookbooks and online recipes offer a vast number of dishes that are rich in both flavor and healthy ingredients, providing for the best nutrition you can treat your body to. But it is also worth mentioning that not all healthy recipes you will find online are going to be really healthy, so you will definitely have to do your homework and learn some basics before you embark on this journey of cooking healthy meals that are also a delight for your taste buds.
In this article, you will find some mouthwatering recipes that are also perfect for cultivating healthy eating habits. Try them all and let us know which ones become regulars on your menu. And if you already have some experience cooking healthy but delicious food, share your trusted recipes in the comments.
This post may include affiliate links.
Fresh Picked Berries, Especially When They're Still Warm From The Sun
A Mango At Perfect Ripeness Can Measure Up To Any Dessert Out There
Roasted Chickpeas. With Some Curry. I Eat Them Like Popcorn
Watermelon
"It's mostly water, low in calories and carbs, and is the single most delicious, sweet, 'I can eat tons of it without feeling too bad healthy food out there.'"
Mediterranean Food
jesswesthemp wrote: "As a Turkish person, yes! My mom makes a really good easy salad of cucumber, tomatoes, chopped red onion, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice. I love using olive oil and basically any veggie."
With the addition of bell peppers, I know and love this as Greek salad.
Blueberries. Small, Juicy, Flavorful, And They Are Good For Your Brain In Processing Thoughts And Memories
ShappireSpark wrote: "Especially when you freeze them. They taste even better like that."
One Of My Favorite Snacks Ever Is Watermelon And Feta Cheese With Some Chopped Mint. The Flavors Work So Well Together And It’s Very Simple To Put Together
The picture reminds me of my other favourite: baby spinach leaves + mozzarella + tomato (olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing). Funny how the photo would be identical, right?
Home Baked Bread
"Home-baked bread is healthier and tastier than store-bought bread, because of the salt and sugars added among other things, but the difference in taste and texture is unreal"
Fresh Peaches, When They Are Just Ripe Is Their Peak Of Flavor
Lentil Soup
frostygrin wrote: "Lentil and potato cream soup can be amazingly creamy with zero cream."
Grilled Salmon
Cold Grapes. Best Snack Ever When You Want Something Sweet
Soup Can Be Healthy If You Put The Right Stuff In It
Pretty Much Any Veggie If You Roast Or Stirfry Instead Of Just Boiling Away The Flavour
drunkinabookstore wrote: "I forever maintain that the only people who don't like vegetables are the people who don't know how to cook them."
Caprese Salad!
Yes yes yes... but not from the above picture. That's not it.
Hummus
It's great for toast, because I get some delicious protein in, and an excuse to eat lots of toast.
Sorbets With No Added Sugar And Stuff. Only Iced Crushed Fruits
If you mix in 1-2 bananas to create a creamy base, you actually get a pretty normal ice-cream. Just healthier.
Ramen! It's Really Easy To Make Your Own Healthy Version Without Using The Nasty Flavor Packets
I just had some delicious homemade lobster ramen tonight. My dad is great at ramen <3
Roasted Cauliflower And Garlic. Or Make A Pizza Crust Out Of Cauliflower, If Done Right, It'll Blow Your Mind
Homemade Guacamole
I found using a fork to make guacamole annoying - the tines scraping against the bowl. So I switched to using a pastry blender. Faster, better texture, and no screech of metal against glass. 😁
Cut Up Apples With Cinnamon
Oatmeal With Banana, Berries And Spices Like Cinnamon, Ginger, Salt, Maybe Some Cocoa Powder
dudius7 wrote: "I'm simple: just cut oats with bananas and 'old fashioned' peanut butter."
Beans
Edamame. I Used To Crave Potato Chips, Now All I Want Is Edamame
Homemade Popcorn
Get some kernels from the supermarket, pop them in a pot or something, and chuck some salt on. Heck, lump some butter on too, then it may not quite qualify as healthy, but it's still a heck of a lot better than packaged microwave popcorn.
Highly recommend silicone popping bowls, oil free, environmentally friendly, and works perfectly every time.
Poke Bowls!
Omg, I tried this dish first time this year. It was absolutely amazing.
Sliced Apples With Peanut Butter. Simple And Freaking Delicious
Sushi
Whole Wheat Pasta With Roasted Veggies And Olive Oil, Lemon Juice/Zest, And Herbs As The “Sauce”
"You still get pasta, but for under 500 calories, and with plenty of fiber."
Now there are lots of other great pasta options. Like pasta made with lentils for increased protein, or spinach pasta to increase your veggie intake. This way it's not just all refined carbs.
Fruit Salad As Long As You Don't Add Any Ice Cream, Syrup, Or Soda
Dehydrated Banana Chips
CantBake4Sht wrote: "Gotta be careful when buying these from the store though. A lot of brands add sugar."
Are you insane? How the hell am I supposed to measure anything with dehydrated pieces of a banana?
Grilled Chicken. Probably The Best Way To Just Get A Ton Of Protein With Little Fat And It Tastes Great If You Cook It Right
Dates. They’re Sweet As Candy But Still Pretty Healthy
Wrap them in bacon and fry them. The saltiness of the bacon goes well with the sweetness of the dates.
Smoothies
tinyhorsesinmytea wrote: "I eat a smoothie with yogurt, peanut butter, almond milk, oats, chia seeds, banana, strawberry, and pineapple pretty much every day before work and still haven't gotten sick of it after over two years. I don't get breaks at work and this thing keeps me going my whole 8-9 hour shift."
Dried Mango
Sweet Potatoes! They Used To Make Sugar Out Of Them
I love sweet potato just baked with nothing else, they are so good they don't need anything added. However, if you want to be less healthy, boil and mash them, throw in some butter, a splash of milk a little ground clove, nutmeg and cinnamon, and brown sugar to your desired sweetness level.
Fried Tofu Is Amazing And I Need Everyone To Know It
To make crispy tofu, start with a block of firm tofu. Drain the liquid, and then press the excess. You can do this by putting something over the tofu, and adding some weights on top. This can be done overnight in the fridge. Then marinade the tofu - I use soy sauce, dried cumin, dried turmeric, garlic powered, and some curry powder. Then cut the tofu into cubes, and toss in flour. In batches, shallow fry the tofu. When it is crispy set it to one side. Fry the rest. I then stir fry some veggies, adding the tofu back in right at the last moment.
Quinoa With Garlic And Parmesan Cheese. I Could Eat That All Day Long
Bucha11 wrote: "Quinoa is so good! It can replace rice in any dish. I like to put it in muffins along with chia seeds. Sautee some sausage peppers and onions and serve it over quinoa... Perfection!"
Vegetable Chips!
Unless they're air fried and unseasoned chips from carrots or beetroots aren't significantly healthier than your average potato chips.
Peanut Butter, Just Make Sure There Isn’t A Ton Of Additional Sugar Added
Other "butters" from nuts taste great and are healthy too. For example cashew and almond.
See food preparation as a way to peel, slice, dice, and/or saute away your frustrations. As a *treat* to yourself. Right now, I'm roasting a squash, doodling around on BP, and petting my cat. Down time and cooking simultaneously! :-)
Sooo, fruit tastes good and if you have time to spend on food you can make healthy tasty food. What a revelation.
It might just inspire someone to take the time and spend it on food. Or change their habits. Instead of sitting waiting for domino's pizza, someone might just go and cook some veg instead. Not everyone's time is 100% accounted for.
Load More Replies... See food preparation as a way to peel, slice, dice, and/or saute away your frustrations. As a *treat* to yourself. Right now, I'm roasting a squash, doodling around on BP, and petting my cat. Down time and cooking simultaneously! :-)
Sooo, fruit tastes good and if you have time to spend on food you can make healthy tasty food. What a revelation.
It might just inspire someone to take the time and spend it on food. Or change their habits. Instead of sitting waiting for domino's pizza, someone might just go and cook some veg instead. Not everyone's time is 100% accounted for.
Load More Replies...
