Happy Workout Wednesday, ladies! For today’s post, I thought I would share something not directly workout related, but definitely health related. I’m sharing my absolute favorite healthy recipes. I would have to say 2015 was probably my best, and healthiest year. And these recipes were my go-tos during that time. I had tons of energy, was working out regularly, and my diet was filled with healthy foods. But I didn’t have a lot of time, so I made things that were super easy and super simple, while also being super delicious. What makes these healthy recipes so simple is that they are so forgiving. If you don’t like a certain ingredient, replace it with one of similar qualities (calories, nutritional value, etc.) that you like better. I make these dishes all the time and have never used a recipe or even written down how I make it before. So adjust them to your own tastes and preferences!

3 EASY AND HEALTHY RECIPES

SPINACH & STRAWBERRY SALAD

This recipe I probably make the least, but it’s one of my all time favorites. I’m not a huge spinach fan, so I really have to be in the mood for it to make this. But when I am… Oh my gosh. This is probably one of the only ways I will eat spinach, and it’s definitely my favorite way. This salad makes a delicious lunch that will abate your hunger, but not make you so full that you can’t function the rest of the afternoon.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Spinach
• Fresh strawberries
• Feta cheese (optional!!)
• 1/3 Red onion
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• ~2 tablespoons vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar for this)
• ~1 tablespoon olive oil
• ~1 tablespoon honey
• 3 crushed strawberries
• Pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE IT:

To make the vinaigrette, mix the crushed strawberries, honey, olive oil, vinegar, pepper, and poppy seeds together really well. A whisk is great for this. Or, you can use my preferred fun method, and put it all in a securely sealed jar and shake like crazy. Taste, then adjust to suit how you like it. I like mine to pull with a stronger vinegar flavor, so I add more vinegar. After you’ve got it tasting how you like it, put it in the fridge to chill while you prep the salad.

Wash and prepare your spinach how you like it. I hate salads that require huge bites, so I cut the bigger spinach leaves in half. The chop up the strawberries into fourths, and the onions into bite sized pieces. The best way I’ve found for making easy salads is to build them in layers. I start with a thin layer of lettuce, then add a handful of chopped strawberries and onion, then another layer of salad, and so on. I don’t always include feta, but I love how it tastes with strawberries, so if I have it, I add a little feta between the layers as well. And by layering it, I don’t end up eating all the best parts before I make it to the bottom of the salad.

Serve with a drizzle of the vinaigrette and you’re good to go!

BAKED SALMON AND VEGGIES

I made this almost every day in college. It’s my favorite meal after a workout, and I always varied it a little to give it some flavor. But this basic recipe was perfect, and was the core recipe that I worked from. The worst thing in this is really the oil, and potentially the salt, so monitor those, use less, or a substitute if they’re a problem for you. Like I said, this was a post workout meal for me – always an intense cardio workout – so I could afford a few extra calories from olive oil and salt to replace electrolytes. I paired this with a low (~350) calorie breakfast, and 2 small lunches (~350 kcal each), so this was my most caloric meal of the day – a whopping 550-ish calories. I ended up eating about 1600 calories per day, and then drinking another 400 in juices and shakes.

During the week, I ate on a weight loss trajectory, but I never tracked weekends, and usually didn’t stop myself if I wanted a treat. So in the end, I stayed at my same weight over time. This is the sort of schedule and diet I hope to get back to this year, since 2016 got away from me with the intense school schedule, trips, and life in general. For me personally, this routine was what made me feel healthy (and test healthy, medically), happy, and filled with energy.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Fillet of salmon (frozen is totally cool, but I always look for wild!)
• ~2 tablespoon of oil, your preference, I use olive oil
• Half an onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Mixed veggies (I loved the frozen mixes in college because easy, if not frozen chose 2-3 of your favorites)
• Steak seasoning
• Oregano
• Basil
• Other spices, if you like them, expirament!
• Your broth of choice

HOW TO MAKE IT:

Start with thawing your salmon during the day if you’re using frozen. Then, cover your baking pan with foil to save clean up time.

Lay another piece of foil on your pan, and make sure it’s big enough to wrap all around your salmon. Put the salmon in the center, then drizzle a little oil on it. Just eyeball how much you think you need or like, but 1 tablespoon seems to be enough for me.

Add the chopped garlic and onion on top. Sprinkle a little bit of steak seasoning (careful – it’s quite salty), and your other spices on top. Then bake it at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Check it at 15. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 145 degrees, whatever it takes to get it there and you’re good. Ovens and elevation can cause cook times to vary.

While that’s baking, add your mixed veggies to a pan with a little bit of broth. I always add a little more garlic because I love the flavor, and onion. Add your second tablespoon of oil here. And more of your favorite spices. Sautée for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are as soft as you like them.

And that’s it! Every now and then I kicked it up by drizzling a little Italian dressing over the veggies and salmon. Or even a little hot sauce. Just be careful which sauces you chose if you do need a little something more, check the sodium and calories and make sure it will fit within your routine, since sauces are notorious for getting excessive in those categories. I also subbed the veggies for the salad above a few times, mostly when the spinach NEEDED to get eaten.

CABBAGE SOUP (WHAT YOU SEE!)

Like all recipes I love, the ingredients and their amounts can totally be fudged to your taste. This is what works for us, though, and it lasts us about a week. That’s 2 people, for dinner, every night, several cups. It’s a ton of soup, but it’s so low calorie, you can eat your heart out. We love it to complement other dinner items that we maybe don’t want to give up completely, but don’t want to fill up on (mashed potatoes, pasta, etc.). We can have a small portion of whatever it may be, then fill up on soup.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Head of cabbage
• 1 onion
• Green onion (as much as you like!)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 5 celery sticks
• Onion soup mix
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• ~1 liter tomato juice
• ~1 liter water
• Your favorite broth
• Spices to taste (we like salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

To make, just chop up all your veggies and throw them in the pot, then add your liquid ingredients, and simmer on low to medium until the cabbage and onions have softened. SO easy!

What are your favorite healthy recipes? If you try any of these, make sure to leave a comment below!

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