7 Simple Heart Healthy Recipes That Actually Taste Good

Following a heart healthy diet has never been easier. From breakfast to dinner, these recipes make eating healthy for your heart easy and fun. Each mouth-watering dish is put together with health and taste in mind. Even better, the recipes can be made with simple household ingredients that are probably already in your pantry!

1. Italian Stuffed Peppers

The Italian flavors combined with bell peppers are a highly-addictive way to stay healthy. The bell peppers are a low-calorie vegetable stuffed with vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. They also contain a healthy dose of fiber, folate, and iron. Even better: they’re packed with fat burning capsaicin in them to reduce over 50 bloating.

Ingredients

• 4-6 bell peppers (red, green, yellow, and orange all work)

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage or ground beef

• 1 cup cooked quinoa, wild rice, or whole grain of your choice (an easy way to use leftovers!)

• 1 (15-ounce) jar or can tomato sauce

• 1 cup frozen spinach

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• ½ cup shredded low-fat mozzarella

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease an 8-inch glass baking dish or casserole.

2. Cut the tops from peppers, scoop out seeds, and rinse.

3. In a medium skillet, cook beef or sausage about 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove from heat and drain the meat, then return to pan.

4. Stir grains, 1 cup of the tomato sauce, spinach, and seasonings into the cooked meat.

5. Nestle peppers, standing up, into the baking dish. Stuff them with the meat, grain, and spinach mixture until full.

6. Pour remaining sauce over the peppers and top with shredded mozzarella. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.

7. Bake 20 minutes covered. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake about 10 minutes longer, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Recipe adapted from APlaceforMom

2. Three Ingredient Chili

The name of this dish speaks for itself. This chili is easy to make, delicious, and only requires three typical household ingredients. It’s low-carb, packed with protein and leaves room for each person to spice it up their own way!

Ingredients

• Chili beans. Make sure to use undrained beans.

• Diced tomatoes with green chiles

• Ground beef

Instructions

1. In a large pot, mix together the cooked beef, beans and tomatoes.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then enjoy with your favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tortilla chips and green onions.

Recipe adapted from IHeartNaptime

3. Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Image by Willow Arlen

While most people eat sweet potatoes for the flavor, they actually bring along a myriad of health benefits. Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fiber as well as containing an array of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, and they’re a good source of most of our B vitamins and vitamin C. They also get bonus points for staying as pantry stapes for nearly a month!

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, washed and dried

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 (12 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained*

• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomato pepper mix, drained

• 1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper jack

• for a soft food substitute, use refried black beans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil.

2. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then brush with olive oil and salt all over.

3. Bake potatoes, cut side down, for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, and mash up potato flesh with a fork.

5. Sprinkle potatoes with beans, tomato pepper mix, and cheese so the toppings are evenly divided.

6. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Recipe adapted from APlaceforMom

4. Goat Cheese and Ham Omelet

Starting the day off with this protein powerhouse omelet means enough protein to keep you feeling full for longer and prevents overeating. Eggs also contain vitamin B, C, D, E, K and selenium which prevents certain types of cancer. The eggs also contain a compound called choline which is good for your nerves and brain health.

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites

• 2 teaspoons water

• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

• 1 slice deli ham, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

• 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

• Minced fresh parsley, optional

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites, water and pepper until blended; stir in ham, green pepper and onion.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.

3. Pour in egg white mixture. Mixture should set immediately at edges.

4. As egg whites set, push cooked portions toward the center, letting uncooked egg flow underneath.

5. When no liquid egg remains, sprinkle goat cheese on 1 side.

6. Fold omelet in half; slide onto a plate. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

Recipe adapted from ATasteofHome

5. Lemon Salmon with Basil

Salmon is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. It contains small bioactive protein molecules (called bioactive peptides) that may provide special support for joint cartilage, insulin effectiveness, and control of inflammation in the digestive tract for those over 50. When eaten regularly, salmon can also prevent against heart disease due to salmon’s ability to boost omega-3s in the blood.

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

• 2 medium lemons, thinly sliced

• Additional fresh basil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place salmon in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with lemon zest, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons basil; top with lemon slices.

3. Bake 15-20 minutes or until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork. If desired, top with additional basil.

Recipe adapted from ATasteofHome

6. Hearty Bean Burrito Bowl

This deconstructed burrito leaves out the carb-heavy tortilla and subs in brown rice for the usual white; it’s a healthier version of the classic Mexican dish. In fact, black beans are packed with heart-healthy nutrients. Folate, antioxidants, and magnesium can help lower blood pressure. Their fiber helps control both cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

• salt and pepper

• 2 c. cooked brown rice

• 1 can black beans

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce

• 1 c. roughly chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 pt. grape tomatoes

• 1 avocado

• 1/2 small red onion

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

2. Divide the rice and beans among serving bowls. Top with the lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, and avocado.

3. Sprinkle with the red onion, then drizzle with the dressing. Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, lime wedges, and hot sauce, if desired.

Recipe adapted from Delish

7. Veggie and Quinoa Collard Wraps

Image by Simply Quinoa

This collard and quinoa mix is loaded with health benefits. Quinoa, often described as a “superfood”, is packed with protein, fiber and various vitamins and minerals. Further, the intake of collard greens has long been known to have the capacity to lower blood cholesterol levels, including blood levels of LDL cholesterol. The recipe is also a tasty way to get protein for vegetarians and those who are gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 2 collard leaves, blanched

• ¼ cup hummus, divided

• ¼ cup cooked quinoa, divided

• Veggies for topping (cucumber, carrot, tomato, etc.)

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry your collard leaves, chop off the large stem at the bottom and shave off the thicker part that goes up into the leaf so it’s easier to wrap.

2. Blanche in boiling water for 10 seconds or sautee in a bit of olive oil for 10 seconds to soften the collard for easier wrapping.

3. Lay collard down stem side up. Spread 2 tablespoons of hummus in the center of each leaf (following the stem), top with 2 tablespoons of quinoa and desired veggies.

4. To wrap, turn the collard so the stem and hummus-veggie pile is perpendicular to your body. Fold in the sides, fold the side closest to you over the veggies, then continue rolling until everything is nice and snug inside.

5. Slice in half on the diagonal, and secure with toothpicks if needed.

Conclusion

And that’s it! 7 easy recipes you can make to keep your heart healthy! But, it’s a lot easier in theory than it is in practice. Some of us need extra guidance to meet our long-awaited fitness goals.

Luckily, the Mighty Health app offers personalized fitness and nutrition coaching for you to hit your heart health goal. Your personal coach will provide you with everything from a tailored grocery list to daily workouts to support on your journey.

We love these recipes for being delicious and keeping us healthy at the same time. We’d love to hear your favorites! Let us know if you have more meal prep ideas as well! Stay Mighty!