All Entries For healthy recipes
9 Healthy Pancake Recipes
Do you love pancakes, but want a healthier pancake recipe? We've rounded up a variety of healthy and delicious pancake recipes for you to try.
Oatmeal Pancakes
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13 Healthy Oatmeal Recipes
Are you looking for some new oatmeal recipes to help warm and fill you up on these cold winter mornings? We've rounded up a variety of healthy oatmeal recipes for you to try.
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7 Slow Cooker Pork Recipes
Due to the popularity of Slow Cooker Chicken, I'd like to follow up now with pork, which is another slow cooker favorite. Pork is a staple in our house, especially when we're having a large group of dinner guests. It's a budget-friendly choice that becomes tender and juicy when cooked slowly. Whether you're tired of everything tasting like chicken, or you just need a change of pace, add these slow cooker pork recipes to your meal plan today. Read More ›
4-Ingredient Chocolate Tarts (Only 63 Calories)
This no-cook treat is a quick way to satisfy a craving for chocolate and cheesecake. We think it's perfect for Valentine's Day! With just four ingredients and five minutes of prep time, you'll love this not-too-sweet treat.
We used Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies. You want a very thin cookie, but you could also try a chocolate graham cracker (1 sheet=4 tarts). You could swap in your favorite fruit (such as blueberries or even kiwi) for the raspberries. Read More ›
9 Ways to Use Chia Seeds
In honor of Heart Awareness Month, I've gathered up recipes that have the ultimate superfood: chia seeds. Chia seeds are a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and proteins. If you have not heard of chia seeds, read "What Can You Do with Chia Seeds? Plenty!" for more information. Don't let giggles and jokes about the kitschy Chia Pet commercials dissuade you. I add chia to almost all recipes these days. I love that it's gluten and alergy-free. Try these chia recipes today. Read More ›
12 Mashed Potato Makeovers
As you start to plan your Thanksgiving menu, think about this historical tidbit: Sarah Josepha Hale, an influential 19th-century editor who also wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb," is to thank for your traditional Thanksgiving meal. Not only did she pitch the idea of making Thanksgiving a national holiday to President Lincoln but she also suggested that home cooks make food that was popular at the time rather than what the Pilgrims and American Indians ate at their first feast.
While Hale's holiday stuck, her push for us to cook modern food faded. The roast poultry, stuffing/dressing, and yes mashed potatoes stuck around. Why? My guess is that it’s because we know what we like and most people, my dad especially do not like change. I have news for my family (actually I may not tell them!) that I am taking a stand. I'm going to start with a mashed potato makeover. I plan to swap out some of the traditional white potatoes with other tubers or vegetables that might boost fiber and add nutrients or flavor.
Here's how you can make over your mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day or any other night they're on the menu. Read More ›
Treat Yourself to Healthy Quick Breads and Muffins
Quick breads are a staple in my house, but not the kind loaded with fat, sugar and all purpose bleached flour, which makes it more like cake than bread. My approach is to use healthy substitutes that are rich in whole grains, protein, and fiber, like nuts, chia seeds, Greek Yogurt, etc. Best of all, I can sneak in extra servings of fruits and vegetables and no one seems to mind. These recipes are easy to prepare. Instead of waiting for hours for yeast breads to rise, quick breads use a minimal amount of ingredients and time to prepare. They don’t require fancy cooking tools and the step-by-step instructions make them easy to prepare. Prepare one of the recipes below for a healthy dessert, after school snack, breakfast or give the gift of baking and bring one of these tasty treats to a friend or neighbor. Read More ›
8 Tips to Help You Eat Locally
Eating local foods is healthy for you, for the environment and for your community. By choosing locally-sourced goods, you’ll not only support farmers, bakers and artisans in your community, but you’ll also be adding the freshest-tasting foods available to your diet. Another (often unrealized) benefit to going local is the relationships you’ll form within your community — with other local shoppers at the farmer’s markets, with those who grow and produce your food and with local foods advocates like yourself.
Local food is getting a lot of buzz lately. It can be overwhelming to weed through all the press to find the good stuff you need to know, so we’ve come up with a list of tips to help you get started. And getting started might not be too difficult — you probably already know of a few of these or have adopted some into your lifestyle. Read More ›
SparkPeople's Mix and Match Meal Planner: Meal Planning Made Easy!
Are there times that you feel like you're stuck in a rut with your current meal plan or that you just don't know what to make for certain meals? If so, then the Mix and Match Meal Planner may be just what you are looking for!
The Mix and Match Meal Planner is a tool that is very easy to use and can help you plan out healthy meals that meet your nutrition goals. Planning out your meals ahead of time can help you stay on track a lot easier than if you wait last minute to decide what you might eat. If you are anything like me and you don't like to cook and/or would like to find some quick and simple meals, then the Mix and Match Meal Planner may be just the thing to help you get on track (and stay on track) with eating healthier meals overall. This interactive feature allows you to choose the food items that you like, but it will also make sure you pick the right items to make it a complete meal that is healthy and tasty.
With all the different options available in the Mix and Match Meal Planner, there are numerous meals that you can create to give your meals quite the variety. You can not only save time with your meal planning, but you can also say goodbye to boring meals!
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What's for Dinner? Printable Monthly Menu for May
You asked for it, we answered! In April, we shared a month's worth of healthy meal ideas and our favorite recipes from Chef Meg, the SparkPeople Team and members in meal planner form.
We decided to make that a monthly feature. Per your requests, our recipe ideas come in a handy, downloadable calendar packed full of meal ideas that are healthy and delicious. (It's printable, too!) Whether you use this calendar every day or just use it for ideas is up to you. We hope we've inspired you to get into the kitchen and get cooking!
We even threw in a few probable scenarios that could prevent you from eating right. See these as a chance to apply what you've learned on SparkPeople and get creative while sticking with your healthy eating plan. Read More ›
Celebrate Chef Meg's Favorite Hometown Holiday: Derby Day
Those who are close to me know that I'm not one to brag. But today, as I look out my kitchen window and prepare for my favorite holiday feast of the year, I am reminded of my days riding the greatest Thoroughbred in history, Man O'War. OK, so I brag sometimes.
For those of you that know horseracing history, I am sure the numbers are working in your heads now. That can't be right. (Or, "she looks great for her age!") Man O'War won 20 of 21 races just after World War I, how could she of possibly ridden that horse?
Well, this is what happens to the truth when we brag, it gets shaded. I rode the statue. I grew up surrounded by horse and grain farms in central Kentucky. Man O'War was born and died near my family's farm. On beautiful spring days after picking wild strawberries and asparagus, we would make our way to the tall statue and saddle up. Man O'War's remains have since moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Sadly, you can no longer saddle up and ride Man O'War, but you can take a short drive to Louisville to enjoy the fastest two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby.
Some folks throw Super Bowl parties. We throw a Derby party. Read More ›
Better than Storebought: Light, Easy Vinaigrettes and Creamy Salad Dressings
I love to accessorize, don't you? A hat, scarf or belt can make or break an outfit, just as a sauce, dressing, or marinade can make or break a dish.
Like everything else in my life, it all circles back to food--even accessories. For me, the perfect accessory for salads, cold meats, fruit plates, and even savory dishes is the dressing. It can be spicy, herbal, creamy, served hot or cold. I love them all. The trouble is that traditional recipes call for loads of fat in the form of oils or cream.
When you're cutting the fat in dressings, the trick that I have found is that the flavor has to come in with a loud punch to offset the smaller amount of oils and cream.
"Dressing" is a vague term that can be used to describe vinaigrettes, dipping sauces, marinades, and even flavored oils. Whatever you call them, they basically can be divided into two categories: vinaigrettes and creamy dressings. Read More ›
Fish Recipes for Heart Health
You're off the hook for dinner tonight, thanks to these delicious (and heart-healthy) fish recipes.
Crispy Fish Sticks & Chili Dipping Sauce
Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes at 450 degrees F.
Broccoli-Carrot Slaw
In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add 1 bag (12 ounces) broccoli slaw, 1 cup petite baby carrots and 2 sliced scallions; toss and coat with dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Can't-Believe-They're-Sugar-Free-Desserts
It's a piece of cake to bake sugar-free desserts. These delicious treats are sweetened with maple syrup, honey, and fruit juice concentrate!
Sugar-Free Blueberry Tarts
Makes: 4 tarts (8 servings)
Prep:20 minutes
Chill:2 hours or overnight
Bake:at 375 degrees F. for 35 minutes
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12 Fresh Cranberry Recipes
Have you noticed bags of beautiful red berries in the produce department of your local grocery store? Did you know that those are fresh cranberries, a great food to add to your diet? According to The George Mateljan Foundation for The World's Healthiest Foods, cranberries are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients that provide anit-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits. One cup of fresh cranberries has 5 grams of fiber, 90 mg of potassium and 25% of the Daily Value for vitamin C according to the SparkPeople Nutritional Tracker.
Incorporating cranberries into your cooking is easier than you might think. Use a food processor to chop them into small pieces and pop them in the freezer. There is no need to defrost them before you cook. Cranberries add a nice tartness to your favorite salad, side dish, or sweeten a main course with cranberry relish. If you can’t find fresh cranberries, dried cranberries are a great substitute and are available year around. Dried cranberries can be used in place or raisins or nuts in any recipe. Make sure you use dried cranberries in moderation as a single serving has 123 calories and 26g of sugar.
I’ve gathered some of my favorite cranberry recipes from SparkRecipes for your health and enjoyment. Ditch the canned processed cranberry sauce and cut the calories and sugar by using fresh cranberries in your cooking this holiday season. Read More ›
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