30-Day Anti-Inflammatory, Diabetes-Friendly Dinner Plan

sheet pan of salmon and vegetables on blue background

If you're living with diabetes, this 30-day dinner plan can help you meet your nutritional needs. With complex carbs like whole grains, low grams of saturated fats and being sodium-conscious, these dishes fit perfectly into a diabetes-appropriate eating pattern. Plus, these meals call for ingredients like dark leafy greens, legumes, herbs and fish, which can help reduce inflammation and its pesky symptoms, such as joint stiffness, mental fog and high blood pressure. Recipes like our Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables and Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes are tasty and nutritious choices for dinner tonight.

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Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables

sheet pan of salmon and vegetables on blue background

The tahini sauce does double duty in this healthy salmon recipe, serving as a glaze for the fish and also as a drizzle for the entire dish at the end of cooking. The green beans are cooked just slightly in this recipe, to still be crisp. If you like your green beans tenderer, look for thinner beans or haricot verts in the grocery store; they'll cook more quickly. This sheet-pan dinner recipe is not only delicious--it also comes together with just 25 minutes of active prep time, and there's only one pan to clean up afterwards!

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Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)

Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo

This one-pot chicken dinner, inspired by the traditional dish of Spain and Latin America, comes together easily in the crock pot. The instant brown rice is added near the end, to keep it from overcooking.

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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

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These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.

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Herby Fish with Wilted Greens & Mushrooms

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This healthy fish recipe makes a tasty and easy weeknight meal. Serve with wild rice or roasted potatoes.

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Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes

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Tons of spice, corn and bell pepper give this healthy one-pot chicken chili recipe Southwestern flair. Serve with your favorite hot sauce, tortilla chips and a cold beer.

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Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Jamie Vespa

A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe—the flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the shallots and the actual tomatoes help to add delicious flavor to the creamy sauce. Served with perfectly cooked salmon, you really can't go wrong with this easy 20-minute weeknight meal. This recipe is a variation on our insanely popular Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce recipe by Carolyn Malcoun.

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Slow-Cooked Ranch Chicken and Vegetables

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This creamy, veggie-packed chicken dinner comes together easily in your slow-cooker-and makes enough for another night's casserole (see associated recipe)!

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Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame

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Bursting with nutrient-rich produce, this California-inspired salad is a delicious and satisfying way to get your vitamins. We love the unique combination of blueberries, edamame, and goat cheese.

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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

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This scrumptious and healthy salad combines elements of Caesar salad, pasta salad and chicken salad for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes (and most of the prep can be done ahead). Use your blender to whip together the tangy buttermilk-based dressing, which would also be great on a salmon or chickpea salad.

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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

You'll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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10-Minute Tuna Melt

10-Minute Tuna Melt
Joy Howard

This variation of a classic sandwich uses mayonnaise, but not where you think! Mayo is brushed on the outside of the sandwich in place of butter to make the sandwich golden and crispy as it heats in a skillet. Plain Greek yogurt takes mayo's place in the salad—along with crunchy celery, roasted red bell peppers and scallions—for a satisfying lunch with less saturated fat.

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Skillet Lemon Chicken & Potatoes with Kale

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This easy one-pan skillet-roasted lemon chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken thighs are cooked in the same pan as baby potatoes and kale for a satisfying meal with the added bonus of minimal cleanup.

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Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls

Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls

These shrimp, pesto and quinoa bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.

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Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

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In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.

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Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing

For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

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Salmon-Stuffed Avocados

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Canned salmon is a valuable pantry staple and a practical way to include heart-healthy, omega-3-rich fish in your diet. Here, we combine it with avocados in an easy no-cook meal.

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Loaded Black Bean Nacho Soup

Loaded Black Bean Nacho Soup

Jazz up a can of black bean soup with your favorite nacho toppings, such as cheese, avocado and fresh tomatoes. A bit of smoked paprika adds a bold flavor kick, but you can swap in any warm spices you prefer, such as cumin or chili powder. Look for a soup that contains no more than 450 mg sodium per serving.

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Baked Fish Tacos with Avocado

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Instead of deep-frying, the fish fillets in this quick-and-easy 5-ingredient recipe are coated with a flavorful seasoning blend and baked. Several varieties of flaky white fish can be used for these tacos. When you go to the market to purchase fish, the best strategy is to be flexible and choose the variety that looks freshest that day.

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Chicken & White Bean Soup

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Once again, rotisserie chickens can really relieve the dinner-rush pressure-especially in this Italian-inspired soup that cries out for a piece of crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

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One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.

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Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli

Sheet-Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli
photography / Caitlin bensel, Food Styling / Emily Nabors Hall

The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime—inspired by Mexican street corn—makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor.

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Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts

Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts

This easy sheet-pan recipe brings together many fall favorites into a hearty dinner.

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Lemon-Garlic Pasta with Salmon

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Wondering what to do with leftover salmon? This is a delicious and easy way to turn it into another weeknight-friendly, quick dinner. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water—its starch thickens the lemon-garlic pasta sauce and makes it silky-smooth.

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No-Cook Black Bean Salad

No-Cook Black Bean Salad

A classic black bean salad is a must for picnics and potlucks. This vegan version gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick.

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Chhole (Chickpea Curry)

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This healthy Indian recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. If you want to add a vegetable, stir in some roasted cauliflower. Serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls

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Skip the tortillas in favor of this warm fajita salad, which features a nutritious medley of chicken with roasted kale, bell peppers and black beans. The chicken, beans and vegetables are all cooked on the same pan, so this healthy dinner is easy to make and the cleanup is easy too.

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Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

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Salmon and walnuts are both great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Pair this easy salmon recipe with a simple salad and a side of roasted potatoes or quinoa.

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Grilled Blackened Shrimp Tacos

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Give juicy shrimp tacos a Cajun flavor spin with spices and a quick sear on a hot grill. An easy avocado mash adds creaminess to cool off the spicy kick.

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Chicken-Spaghetti Squash Bake

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In this version of a chicken-and-broccoli casserole, spaghetti squash takes on a creamy texture when baked with cream of mushroom soup.

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Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls

Vegan Superfood Buddha Bowls

This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.

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