Cooking healthy food for you and your family doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, once you’ve learned some basic techniques and have a steady flow of fresh ingredients in the kitchen, you’ll find healthy cooking to be quick, painless, and 100% worth the effort.
JOW is here to help with optimized grocery lists based on the number of people in your household, making shopping a breeze. But once you’ve assembled your ingredients, where do you start on your journey to healthy home cooking?
Why not start with dinner? After all, that’s when the whole family is present, hungry, and ready to eat whatever you bring to the table.
To spark your inspiration, we’ve assembled a list of healthy dinner ideas, from starters and apps to entrees and sides – plus a few desserts for good measure. Let’s begin.
Starters and Salads
We all need something to nibble on before dinner, so put together a few easy starter dishes or salads to stimulate everyone’s appetites. While traditional salads might feature peppers, tomatoes, and carrots, we’re taking it a little further out of the box here. Starters and salads are also a wonderful way to sneak some veggies into your family’s meal time and keep them happy, full, and healthy.
Avocado and Caper Salad
This is a no-frills starter that bursts with flavor and healthy fats, waking the palate at the beginning of the meal. A few slices of avocado per person is all you really need, and the cannellini beans, paprika, and lemon will do the rest for taste.
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Summer is here, the watermelons are ripe on the vine, and you have beautiful fresh feta cheese waiting to be enjoyed in the refrigerator. This miraculous recipe brings all of these wonderful ingredients together with a dash of red wine vinegar and pine nuts for some crunch and tangy flavor.
Use arugula from the garden for extra freshness in this simple starter dish that never misses the mark.
Zucchini and Chickpea Salad
Some Americans may find it odd to see zucchini slices featured in their starter salad, but we encourage everyone to indulge in this delicious first course.
You can make this simple salad in just six minutes, and it’s such an easy recipe that you can grab some kitchen helpers—AKA your kids and spouse—to help toss the ingredients and squeeze the fresh lemon juice. It’s a fun, tasty activity that the whole family can enjoy.
The result is a crunchy salad that will spark a serious appetite.
Spring Potato and Anchovy Salad
Your little ones might be skeptical of anchovies on their dinner plate at first, but this easy recipe offers an appetizing introduction to these small and salty fish.
This delicate yet hearty starter has plenty to love. From fine-chopped shallots and fresh green beans to mustard-tinged potatoes and perfectly boiled eggs, the spring potato and anchovy salad will have the whole family talking the moment it’s served.