Healthy Dinner Recipes

Below you'll find some nutritious and tasty healthy dinner recipes. Always try and get a healthy balance of protein, carbs, and vegetables with your evening meal.

Scroll down the page to see some healthy guidelines and cooking tips to help you prepare healthier meals at dinnertime.

Balsamic Salmon

Balsamic Roasted Chicken

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Beef Fajitas

Beef Stroganoff

Breaded Chicken w/ Marinara Sauce

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Chicken Chili

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

Chicken Picatta

Grilled Orange Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken

Healthy Lettuce Wraps

Healthy Pulled Pork

Pan Seared Chimichurri Flank Steak

Sesame Ginger Salmon

Healthy Dinner Recipe Nutrient Guidelines

Protein: Your dinner should contain around 3-4 ounces of lean protein such as chicken or fish. Certain cuts of lean beef are okay in moderation (max twice per week). These include sirloin, flank, top round, and tenderloin. Or if you're a vegetarian, substitute the meat with high protein foods like beans, nuts, and whole grains.

Carbs: Include a small side of healthy carbs with your dinner. These include whole grains like quinoa, cous cous, brown rice, or whole wheat pasta.

Limit the amount of carbs you eat at dinnertime to a 1/2 cup. Don't eat a lot of carbs at dinner time or late at night, because carbs get converted to fat when you don't burn them off.

Vegetables: According to the latest USDA Dietary Guidelines, make sure your plate is at least half full of vegetables. Eat a variety of colors and types of veggies each week. A salad with leafy greens, sliced tomatoes, steamed broccoli, and baked sweet potato fries are some easy and tasty vegetables to make for dinner.

Healthy Fats: The easiest way to incorporate more healthy fats into your dinner recipes is to substitute a small amount (1-2 T) of olive oil or canola oil with dinner instead of heavy, calorie-filled fats like butter and cream. Make sure the first ingredient in your salad dressings is olive, canola, or grapeseed oil.

Healthy Dinner Recipe Cooking Tips

• Prepare your dinner menu for the week ahead of time. This helps you stay on track with healthy meal preparation
• Measure out ingredients like salt, butter, oil, and cream. This helps you better understand exactly how many additional calories you're eating (and saving)
• Always fill half your plate with vegetables
• Keep it simple. The best chefs don't overcomplicate things; let the flavors of the fresh ingredients shine by using only a handful of ingredients
• Join a CSA. A CSA (which stands for community supported agriculture) means you get a big bag of fresh produce from a local farm every week. There's no easier way to add more vegetables to your dinners for a great price
• Stick with healthier cooking methods like baking, broiling, steaming, and sauteing
• If you struggle for ideas when it comes to healthy dinner recipes, try using the ingredients search tool at Allrecipes.com!

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