Quick and Easy Healthy Recipes and Weight Loss Tips for Busy People
June 19

Leek Soup Recipe with Homemade Beef Broth

Leek Soup Recipe with Homemade Beef Broth To make this amazing and healthy leek soup recipe there are two essential components: 1. fresh leeks, and 2. a homemade beef broth. So go grab some fresh leeks from your local farmers market like I did and whip up a batch of the homemade beef broth recipe from Nourished Kitchen and you’ll be ready to make this simple, quick and healthy soup recipe.

I like to make a big batch of broth and freeze it for later use. So feel free to double or triple the broth recipe if you’d like. When you have some broth ready-to-go in your fridge or freezer, this recipe will only take about 20 minutes from start to finish and the end-product is chef-worthy and nutritious … just 117 calories, 8.5 grams of fat, and 9 grams of carbs!

Here’s the recipe. I’d love to hear your feedback below (just leave a comment or post it to Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus).

Prep Time Cook Time Serves
10 min 10 min 4

Ingredients: Leek Soup Recipe with Homemade Beef Broth

  • 2 leeks
  • 2 T coconut oil

Homemade Beef Broth:

  • 2 beef soup bones
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Vegetable scraps (I used some onions, carrots, and celery)
  • 3 T cider vinegar
  • 2 bay leafs
  • 6 cups filtered water
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • Sea salt (to taste)

Instructions

1. Make the beef broth according to the instructions on Nourished Kitchen’s website. (I suggest an organic, low-sodium boxed version if you don’t want to cook your own).

2. Chop and rinse the leek. Here’s how if you don’t know.

3. Bring a large saute pan to medium heat and add coconut oil and chopped leek. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently with a spatula.

4. Add leek to a blender with 6 cups of beef broth. Blend on medium for 30-45 seconds.

5. Transfer soup to a pot. Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Divide into four bowls and serve.

Nutrition Facts

117 calories, 8.5 g fat, 9 g carbs, 3 g protein, 476 mg sodium

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June 4

Grilled Chicken Salad with Watermelon, Feta Cheese, and Sage Vinaigrette Dressing

grilled chicken salad recipeIf you’re looking for a healthy grilled chicken salad recipe you can eat for lunch or dinner any day of the week, this is it. I had a whole bunch of fresh, seasonal veggies from my CSA box and my garden, which made this recipe taste pretty awesome.

There are a lot of different flavors and textures vying for your palate’s attention with this one: lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, chicken, feta cheese, watermelon, and homemade whole wheat croutons. The dressing is fresh, light vinaigrette that has extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and fresh sage.

The recipe below will give you two servings and the serving sizes are big (I have quite the voracious appetite and one serving was plenty to fill me up at dinnertime). It has a great balance of healthy fats, carbs, and protein: 464 calories, 22.5 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbs, 31 grams of protein. Like I said the portions are big … even a half portion would make a pretty good-sized lunch and would only set you back 232 calories.

This dinner recipe only took me about 20 minutes to make too … so it’s perfect for you busy folks out there.

Prep Time Cook Time Serves
20 min 10 min 2

Ingredients: Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe with Sage Vinaigrette Dressing

Salad:

  • 6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 cups Bibb or romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 3 small radishes
  • 1 cup watermelon
  • 2 slices fresh baked whole wheat bread
  • 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder (or 1/2 tsp. fresh garlic)
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese

Dressing:

  • 3 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 T red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage
  • Black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Grill the chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes/side over medium heat and set aside.

2. Rinse and chop the lettuce and split evenly into two bowls.

3. Peel the radish and mince it. Add equal amounts to each salad.

4. Thinly slice the cucumber and add equal amounts to each salad.

5. Cut the watermelon into 1-inch cubes and divide the watermelon and feta cheese evenly between each salad bowl.

6. Toast the bread so it’s just slightly crispy on the outside but still a little chewy on the inside. Top each slice with 1/2 tsp. olive oil and garlic powder, then slice into 1-inch cubes and place into salad.

7. Top each salad with 3 oz. sliced chicken breast.

8. Mince the sage and combine with the remaining ingredients for the dressing. Top each salad with dressing and serve.

Nutrition Facts

464 calories, 22.5 g fat, 34 g carbs, 31 g protein, 399 mg sodium

Want More Delicious Salad Recipes?

1. Check out my complete list of healthy salad recipes here.

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May 28

Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese Salad with Healthy Homemade Ranch Dressing

mixed greens with homemade ranch dressing recipeRanch dressing has a reputation for being a pretty awesome sauce/dip that you can use with almost everything. I know from experience, because back in my college days all of our pizza orders would include a request for “a ridiculous amount of ranch,” which the pizza places found quite amusing. The problem with my older, wiser self is that I realized long ago that ranch dressing is pretty darn bad for you.

My issue with most bottled ranches is not so much the nutrition stats. Yes, most contain a little too much fat and salt. But my bigger issue is where this fat and salt is coming from … which is a long list of highly processed, chemical ingredients. I’ll use Hidden Valley as an example since I went through many-a-bottle of the stuff back in the day. Hidden Valley’s website promises “wholesome ingredients fresh from Hidden Valley to you.” You tell me if this is your idea of fresh and wholesome:

hidden valley ranch ingredients

Uh, yeah. Soybean oil from genetically modified crops, MSG, artificial flavors, and preservatives are not what I would consider fresh and wholesome.

So here’s an idea: make your own healthy homemade ranch dressing instead … and I have the perfect recipe for you. Truth be told, this recipe contains a few more ingredients than I normally use. But I’ve tried several variations of ranch dressings, and this one tops my list so far.

Be sure to use fresh herbs. They will make a huge difference. Use regular sour cream too. The real stuff is better, and that’s because the low fat version has artificial flavors and fillers, and the full fat version doesn’t. The recipe is super healthy with plain old sour cream. How healthy, exactly? A standard 2 T serving has just 41 calories and 2.5 grams of fat.

As for the rest of the recipe, I tossed some mixed greens together with an heirloom tomato and some pepitas (pumpkin seeds). But as my college education taught me, you can pretty use this ranch dressing recipe on anything. So give it a whirl …

Prep Time Cook Time Serves
10 min 0 min 2

Ingredients: Mixed Greens Salad with Healthy Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

Salad:

  • 4 cups mixed greens
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 1 oz. goat cheese

Dressing (makes about 8 servings):

  • 1/2 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 shallot
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 T red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 T fresh dill
  • 1 T fresh marjoram
  • 1 T fresh chives
  • 1 T fresh oregano
  • Black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Mince all herbs, shallot and garlic and combine together in a mixing bowl.

2. Add remaining ingredients (except milk). Whisk together while slowly adding milk. When the dressing reaches your desired level of thickness, that’s when you should stop pouring the milk. You may need a little more or a little less than a quarter cup.

3. Divide mixed greens into two bowls and top each with a half a tomato, half the pumpkin seeds, and 2 T homemade ranch. Serve immediately and transfer the rest to a bottle for future use. Dressing will stay good for up to a week.

Nutrition Facts (salad with 2 T ranch dressing)

194 calories, 12.5 g fat, 12.5 g carbs, 9.5 g protein, 340 mg sodium

Nutrition Facts (2T of just the dressing)

41 calories, 2.5 g fat, 2.5 g carbs, 2 g protein, 180 mg sodium

Want More Recipes?

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May 21

Healthy Baked Arctic Char Recipe with Fresh Herbs

Healthy Baked Arctic Char Recipe Arctic char is a cold water fish that’s similar to salmon. I think it has a meatier, less “fishy” flavor than salmon, which makes it perfect if you’re cooking for people who don’t love fish. This arctic char recipe may just convert those non-fish-lovers too.

It’s extremely simple to make. I’m talking just 7 all-natural ingredients and it only takes about 15 minutes total. You can try any herb combination you want, but I combined a little rosemary, chives, and fresh garlic and it was delicious. Go with fresh herbs if possible and you’ll get a better flavor.

This filling recipe has just 330 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 36 grams of protein, and 328 milligrams of sodium. It may appear to be high in fat with 21 grams per serving, but it’s virtually all the healthy monounsaturated type.

Here’s the recipe … leave a comment below if you like it or made any adjustments that turned out well.

Prep Time Cook Time Serves
5 min 10 min 4

Ingredients: Baked Arctic Char Recipe with Fresh Herbs

  • 1.5 lb. arctic char
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 T olive oil
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Instructions

1. Mince all herbs and garlic and combine together.

2. Rub fish with olive oil, salt, garlic, pepper, and fresh herbs.

3. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

330 calories, 21 g fat, 1 g carbs, 36 g protein, 328 mg sodium

Want More Recipes?

1. Check out more of my healthy fish recipes here.

2. Check out The Well Fed Homestead for more real food recipes.

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May 20

Baked Chicken with Butter Herb Sauce

Baked Chicken with Butter Herb SauceIf you’re looking for a simple, delicious, and healthy chicken recipe that only takes 20 minutes to make, look no further, my friend.

Don’t let the name of this recipe fool you. “Butter Herb Sauce” may usually imply a heavy, unhealthy dish … not here though.

The keys to making this recipe a healthy one are simple:

That’s it, guys. This recipe is really that easy. Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes and it’s done.

And here’s the cool part: it only has 186 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, 27 grams of protein, and 338 milligrams of sodium per serving. Check it out …

Prep Time Cook Time Serves
5 min 20 min 2

Ingredients: Baked Chicken with Butter Herb Sauce

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 T whipped butter
  • 1 T olive oil
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (I used chives and dill)

Instructions

1. Rub chicken with butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.

2. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

3. Drizzle chicken with the juices from the pan. You can also simmer the sauce down to thicken it a bit if you want.

Nutrition Facts

186 calories, 7.5 g fat, 1 g carbs, 27 g protein, 338 mg sodium

 

Check out more of my healthy chicken recipes here.

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May 16

Healthy No Cream Roasted Asparagus Soup Recipe

healthy asparagus soup recipeCream of asparagus soup is awfully tasty but it comes with a price: it’s not very good for you. The main reason for that is it’s usually made with heavy cream, which is high in calories and fat. The healthy “no cream” asparagus soup recipe you’re about to see solves that dilemma for you.

There are a few simple tips you can use to turn an unhealthy, cream-based asparagus soup into a healthy version that still tastes amazing:

  • Substitute two percent milk for cream.
  • Use reduced sodium broth (I used chicken but you can opt for vegetable broth too if it suits your fancy).
  • Add a shallot for flavor.

And that’s it. This recipe only takes about 20 minutes total to prepare and is filled with all-natural goodness. And it’ll only set you back 156 calories.

Try it out … or make it your own by adding or subtracting ingredients (I’d love to hear what you did in the comments section below).

Prep Time Cook Time Serves
5 min 20 min 2

Ingredients: Healthy Asparagus Soup Recipe Without Cream

  • 1 bunch fresh asparagus
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup 2 percent milk
  • 1 T olive oil
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 T parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Chop the woody ends off the asparagus and rinse.

2. Mince the shallot.

3. Combine the asparagus and shallot with olive oil and roast for 10 minutes.

4. Add all ingredients except parsley in a blender or food processor. Blend for 30 seconds then transfer to a pot.

5. Simmer soup for 10 minutes before serving and garnish with parsley.

Nutrition Facts

156 calories, 8 g fat, 13 g carbs (3.5 g fiber), 13 g protein, 581 mg sodium

 

Check out more of my healthy soup recipes here.

And sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive recipes not found on my site … and a FREE copy of my eBook “The Ultimate Healthy Eating Roadmap”.

 

Finally, please help me spread the word about eating healthier by sharing this page. Click on one of the “Share the Wealth” buttons below …

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