24 Heart-Healthy Recipes in 30 Minutes

November 23, 2020

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These nutritious recipes make it easy (and delicious) to follow a heart-healthy eating pattern. These recipes are low in saturated fat and sodium and full of vegetables and protein. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner recipes like Salmon Caesar Salad and Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon are flavorful and make healthy eating a breeze.

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Yogurt Sundaes in Granola Cups

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Kids will love this healthy breakfast riff on a classic sundae. We replace the ice cream with good-for-you Greek yogurt topped with fresh berries and a few chocolate chips; it's all served in an edible granola bowl for extra fun.

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Seared Scallops with White Bean Ragu & Charred Lemon

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This recipe for seared scallops with white beans and spinach turns out a healthy dinner that looks impressive (and tastes great) in just 25 minutes. Giving lemons a quick sizzle in the skillet amps up the flavor of this piccata-inspired dish. The heat helps release even more citrus juice and sweetens it too. When shopping for scallops, look for ones labeled "dry." Some scallops are soaked in a solution that prevents them from searing properly and can give them a soapy flavor.

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Homemade Chicken Tenders with Everything Bagel Seasoning over Salad

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Using everything bagel spice is a quick way to season and add extra crunch to breadcrumbs for chicken tenders. If you can't find any premixed, make your own by combining equal parts dried minced onion and garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt and ground pepper (see Associated Recipes). This healthy chicken recipe tops a simple salad for an easy dinner that's ready in 25 minutes.

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Black Bean-Queso Wraps

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These easy wraps are filled with black beans, corn, red pepper and creamy queso. They cook up quickly in a panini press.

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Cherry Smoothie

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The combination of oat milk, vanilla extract and sweet cherries makes this recipe taste like a cherry pie smoothie. Adding a bit of brown sugar boosts that nostalgia even more.

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Salmon Caesar Salad

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This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too.

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Breakfast Beans with Microwave-Poached Egg

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In Costa Rica, this popular breakfast bean dish is called gallo pinto, which means spotted rooster, referring to the dark beans amid the pale rice. We call for cooked barley here, but you can use whatever leftover cooked grain you may have on hand.

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Sweet & Peppery Flank Steak with Shishitos

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This flank steak recipe comes together easily on a baking sheet, but if you're itching to take it outside, fire up the grill instead. Just be sure to use a grill basket for the peppers so you don't end up chasing them around the grates, or worse, losing them to the fire.

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Thai-Style Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu

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Prep four days' worth of high-protein vegan lunches using just four easy ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, including a veggie-heavy salad mix as a base. Because this salad mix is hearty, you can dress these bowls up to 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors in this healthy chopped salad to marry. If you can't find a hearty mix, go with broccoli slaw or shredded Brussels sprouts.

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Easy Chicken Cutlets with Rhubarb Sauce

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Sweet white balsamic vinegar balances tart rhubarb in a simple pan sauce for this quick chicken cutlets recipe.

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Italian Egg Breakfast Sandwich

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This breakfast sandwich will satisfy your hunger for hours. It features Italian-seasoned scrambled eggs, shredded chicken breast and strips of roasted sweet peppers atop a pesto-smeared toasted whole-grain English muffin.

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Green Goddess Quinoa Bowls with Arugula & Shrimp

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We're taking advantage of all the healthy items you can find at your local specialty grocery store to create these healthy meal-prep lunches. To add extra protein (while minimizing prep time), we're using fully cooked quinoa and cooked shrimp, both of which you can find in the freezer section. With a few more simple items, including bottled salad dressing, you'll have all the ingredients you need to make these high-protein lunch bowls in under 20 minutes.

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Salmon with Chopped Tomatillo Salad

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We made this chopped salad with pico de gallo in mind. Tangy tomatillos add fresh crunch to the classic mixture of tomatoes, cilantro and onion to brighten up this broiled salmon recipe.

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Mango Raspberry Smoothie

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A squeeze of lemon juice adds bright flavor to this frozen fruit smoothie. Mango provides plenty of sweetness without having to add juice, but if it's too tart for you, a touch of agave will do the trick.

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Sheet-Pan Chili-Lime Salmon with Potatoes & Peppers

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Busy weeknights beg for something simple like this salmon sheet-pan dinner. Like the name suggests, it's all cooked on one pan. The potatoes get a head start, followed by sweet bell peppers and finally chili-coated salmon fillets. It's a complete meal with easy cleanup!

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Chopped Salad with Shrimp, Apples & Pecans

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Sweet and crunchy apples and celery combine with savory shrimp and nutty pecans in this easy, colorful dinner salad.

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Baked Halibut with Brussels Sprouts & Quinoa

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Fish plus two sides? It seems fancy but this healthy dinner comes together in just 30 minutes.

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Grilled Vegetable Salads with Goat Cheese

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Prepare a week's worth of lunches in about 10 minutes using a handful of ingredients from your local specialty grocery store. To save time, we're using a bag of frozen grilled and marinated vegetables, then adding big flavor with marinated goat cheese. If you want to bump up the protein, leftover chicken breast or salmon pair perfectly with this hearty salad.

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Pear-Spiced Oatmeal

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This healthy breakfast combines hearty oatmeal with fresh pears, ginger, and cinnamon. It's ready in just 15 minutes and will keep your hunger at bay through lunch.

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Southwest Black-Bean Pasta Salad Bowls

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Meal-prep a week's worth of delicious and satisfying high-fiber lunches with just 5 simple ingredients and 20 minutes. In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad--shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store--this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for.

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Tofu Tacos

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These quick vegan tacos, filled with a spicy tofu filling, make a perfect weeknight dinner. To keep them vegan, top them with shredded cabbage, fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. For vegetarians, add crumbled queso fresco.

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Meal-Prep Vegan Moroccan Lettuce Wraps

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For these meal-prep-friendly lettuce wraps, we swap the traditional warm filling for a cold plant-based bean salad filling loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the lettuce from getting soggy.

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Vanilla Yogurt with Apricots

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Dried apricots give plain vanilla yogurt a tart-sweet boost of flavor, plus potassium and fiber.

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Chipotle Turkey & Swiss Sandwich

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This better-for-you sandwich is made with whole wheat bread and reduced-fat mayonnaise and cheese, so you can feel great about your lunch choice.

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