10 Simple & Healthy Dinner Recipes

Eating well is crucial to your health because what we eat can impact all processes in the body—including inflammation, digestion, sleep, and much more. It can reduce our risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and even some cancers, while other benefits of eating healthy include weight loss, stronger bones and teeth, better mood and energy levels, improved memory and brain health, and so much more.

To help you get started on the path to healthy eating and feeling better, we put together a list of some super simple and healthy dinner ideas for you to try.

Baked Garlic-Butter Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 1 large salmon fillet (about 3 lb.)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray. To the center of the foil, lay lemon slices in an even layer.
2. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper and place on top of lemon slices.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, honey, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Pour over salmon then fold up foil around the salmon. Bake until the salmon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Switch the oven to broil, and broil for 2 minutes, or until the butter mixture has thickened.
4. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Bruschetta Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or dried oregano
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
• 3 slicing tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. freshly chopped basil
• 4 slices mozzarella
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine oil, half the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Italian seasoning (or oregano) and whisk to combine. Transfer to a large resealable bag along with chicken; seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat grill over medium-high then add chicken, discarding excess marinade. Grill until charred and cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, and remaining lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. While chicken is still on grill, top each breast with 1 slice mozzarella and cover until cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Top chicken with tomato mixture.
4. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Shrimp & Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. canola oil
• 3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, divided
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1 (15 oz.) can unsalted black beans
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 8 (6 in.) corn tortillas
• 1 cup hot cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup fresh pico de gallo
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add shrimp, 1 teaspoon cumin, and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Remove shrimp from the pan. Drain beans in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid. Add beans, reserved liquid, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and chili powder to pan; cook 3 minutes, mashing beans with a fork.
2. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high directly on the eye of a burner 15 seconds on each side. Divide bean mixture, rice, shrimp, pico, onions, and avocado evenly among tortillas. Garnish with cilantro leaves; serve immediately.

Zucchini Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 grated zucchini
• 1 garlic clove
• Cumin
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Add ground turkey to a medium-size bowl and add grated zucchini. Then add one chopped garlic clove, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well. Shape into patties.
2. Brown patties on both sides in a hot pan (about 8 to 10 minutes).
3. If grilling, freeze burgers for 10 minutes prior to hold their shape. Make sure the temperature of your barbecue reaches 285 degrees before placing your patties on the grill, so they won’t stick. Grill about 8 minutes for well done.

Lemon Feta Linguine with Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients

• 4 oz. uncooked linguine pasta
• 1 lemon, juice and zest* (see first Note below)
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• Cracked black pepper
• 6 oz. (12 spears) asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1½ inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Boil the linguine pasta in salted water according to package directions until one minute prior to al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
2. For the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil together until well combined. Then add in the feta and black pepper, whisking well until the sauce combines to become creamy and mostly uniform in texture.** Set aside.
3. For the asparagus. Using a large skillet at medium-high heat, add the olive oil and garlic, swirling the pan for 5 seconds (slightly toasting the garlic). Add in the asparagus, salt, and pepper, stirring frequently until the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and place the asparagus in another bowl.
4. Using the same skillet, reduce the heat to low, then add the pasta and sauce. Using tongs, toss to evenly coat the pasta with the sauce, letting the feta cheese completely melt. Spoon in a tablespoon of pasta water at a time to get to your desired saucy consistency.
5. Add in the asparagus and give the pasta a final toss. Top with additional feta cheese if you would like. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. salt
• 4 large green bell peppers – tops, seeds, and membranes removed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can chili-style diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 (8 oz.) package shredded Mexican cheese blend (such as Sargento® Authentic Mexican)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil; cook green bell peppers in the boiling water until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion in the hot oil until softened and transparent, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Mix rice, black beans, tomatoes, and cooked onion in a large bowl. Add chili powder, garlic salt, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir until evenly mixed. Fold 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend into rice mixture. Spoon rice mixture into each bell pepper; arrange peppers in a 9×9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle peppers with remaining Mexican cheese blend.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. skirt steak, cut into 4-inch-long pieces, then cut against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 serrano chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (1 to 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 6 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 lb. snow peas or green beans
• 1 12 oz. can baby corn, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Season the steak with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, chile pepper, sugar and lime juice until the sugar is dissolved. Add the beef, toss to coat and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove the beef from the skillet and set aside. Allow the liquid in the pan to reduce until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and scallions and cook 1 minute more. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the snow peas, baby corn and bell pepper and continue cooking until all the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Return the beef to the skillet and toss to combine.

Pork Tenderloin with Rub

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• Salt
• 1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In separate bowl mix dry ingredients such as garlic powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme and salt. Stir mixture with a fork until all the ingredients are well combined and they form a seasoning. This will be used as a rub to ensure the pork is well seasoned throughout. Sprinkle the rub over the tenderloin with a dry hand, then rub the pork with the seasoning over both sides of the meat, pressing gently so the seasoning adheres well to the tenderloin.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat. Add the minced garlic and saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Put tenderloin in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, searing each side using tongs to turn the meat. Transfer meat to a roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Classic Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 lb.) chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 yellow onion, cut into large pieces
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
• 1/2 lb. baby potatoes, quartered
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 lemon
• 1 bunch fresh thyme

Directions

1. Pat chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Tie legs together and tuck wing tips under the body of the chicken. (If you have time, let rest in the fridge for 1 hour, or up to overnight.)
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill a 9″-x-13″ baking dish with onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic and toss together with oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Place chicken on top. Brush chicken all over with melted butter and stuff cavity with lemon and most of the thyme, reserving a couple sprigs for garnish.
3. Roast until juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the thigh reads 165 degrees, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Tent chicken with foil and let rest 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and carve.
4. Serve chicken with roasted vegetables.

Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season tilapia with salt and pepper and place on a small baking sheet.
2. Mix together butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and zest then pour over tilapia. Place lemon rounds on top and around tilapia.
3. Bake tilapia for 10 to 12 minutes or until fish is fork-tender.

Finding Ways to Stay Well and Healthy

A healthy diet is just one component of achieving wellness. A holistic approach to wellness incorporates a healthy diet, wellness habits including exercise and stress management rituals. If you’re looking for more ways to achieve wellness across all areas of your life, check out MyLifeWell, a new hub for everything wellness. Whether you’re looking for online or live fitness and wellness classes, a well-deserved wellness trip, or additional motivation and help from wellness experts, they have a variety of options to help you on your journey to wellness!