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21 Simple, Quick, & Easy Meals
All tagged Heart-Healthy
This Chopped Kale Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese, Apple, and Pumpkin Seeds is both beautiful and so quick and easy to make. If you don’t eat a lot of salad, a solution is to chop the salad greens into very small pieces- the greens become more tender and you get to savor the salad toppings (sweet apple, pear, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and creamy goat cheese) with every bite!
Acai bowls can be expensive, unless you make them at home! This recipe is inspired by one of my favorites in Charlottesville, VA but costs significantly less. The vanilla bean granola is special- slightly chewy, but rich in flavor from the vanilla bean and cashews. This recipe makes a lot of granola, which stores beautifully in an airtight container for a week. What are your favorite acai bowl toppings?
Serves: 1 acai bowl, 10 servings granola
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
What (your ingredients):
Vanilla Bean Granola:
3 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup cashews
pinch of pink Himalaya sea salt
½ vanilla bean
Acai Bowl:
Handful of spinach
1 frozen banana
2 handfuls frozen mango
½ cup plant-based milk
2 tablespoons hemp protein powder
1 scoop greens powder with probiotics
How (your directions):
Preheat oven to 350°F.
For the vanilla bean granola, add all ingredients to a large bowl and stir until evenly distributed.
Pour mixture onto lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove granola from oven and allow to cool.
For the acai bowl, place all ingredients in a highspeed blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into bowl and top with favorite toppings (frozen blueberries, coconut flakes, chia seeds) and the vanilla bean granola!
Why (the science): Acai is a trending “superfood,” but for good reason. Rich in antioxidants to reduce inflammation, acai also contains heart-healthy fats.
This warm compote has all the comforting flavors of sweet spices-cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Not to mention that your kitchen will smell wonderful as this compote simmers. The chia seeds act to thicken the compote, so you can spoon it over fresh and steaming whole wheat waffles. Added bonus, there is no added sugar! The sweeter your pears, the sweeter your compote. This leaves room for a drizzle of agave, if you love a sweet drizzle like I do 😊
Serves: 4
Prep time: 2-5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
What (your ingredients):
3-4 ripe pears, diced
1/3 cup water
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 tablespoon chia seeds
How (your directions):
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring diced pears and water to a simmer. Add spices and continue to simmer over medium-low for 10 minutes.
Stir in chia seeds and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Allow compote to cool slightly for about 3 minutes, which allows the compote to continue to thicken.
Serve hot over whole wheat waffles!
Leftover compote is delicious stirred into yogurt or spooned over warm oatmeal 😊
Why (the science): Chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the heart healthy fats, as well as fiber. 1 tablespoon of chia seeds contains almost 6 grams of fiber, providing 20% of your fiber for the day!
Bright and fresh, this pasta salad can be enjoyed hot, cold, or room temperature! This recipe makes enough to serve 8, but I love to packservings in mason jars to take with me to work throughout the week. Dinner plus meal prep for the week? Check and check 😊
Why (the science): Herbs are often used only as a garnish, but they have so much nutritional power! Parsley plays the lead with artichoke hearts and asparagus to provide an abundance of vitamin C and folic acid, which play critical roles in our immune system and heart health.
Visiting Cape Cod at a young age made me fall in love with clam chowder, but as a child, it seems you never have to worry about calories and fat! For the health-conscious, I have created a creamy clam chowder WITHOUT the cream and butter, and you won’t feel like you are compromising on flavor or texture Serves 3-4
Flaky, seasoned whitefish, sweet and juicy mangoes, cool and refreshing cucumbers and a crunchy slaw elevate tacos to something fresh and light! Not to mention, they’re ready in 15 minutes Serves 2 generously
