2021 is looking delicious.
January is a fresh start and the perfect time to focus on cooking wholesome, nutritious meals that not only make you feel great but also taste delicious. Here are 31 healthyish yet satisfying recipes to make all month.
The Cookie Rookie / Via thecookierookie.com
This Peruvian-inspired recipe is the end of boring roast chicken. A whole bird is marinated in jalapeño, garlic, paprika, soy sauce, lime, and lots of good spices, then it's roasted until the skin is crispy and the meat is juicy.
Recipe: Whole Roasted Peruvian Chicken
The Real Food Rds / Via therealfoodrds.com
Hats off to whoever invented spaghetti squash. Roasted in the oven, the meat of the vegetable shreds just like tiny angel hair pasta. This recipe adds spicy Buffalo chicken to the mix for an indulgent-tasting yet wholesome meal.
4. Mediterranean Chicken Hummus Bowl
No Spoon Necessary / Via nospoonnecessary.com
This super-simple, feel-good meal features a big dollop of hummus on the bottom and a healthy serving of your favorite Mediterranean toppings on top. Load this bowl with cucumber, tomato, olives, pickled onions, peppers, and feta.
Skinny Taste / Via skinnytaste.com
This protein-packed, hearty chili is delightful on cold nights. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla chips for dipping.
6. Air Fryer Fish and Chips
Feel Good Foodie / Via feelgoodfoodie.net
Your air fryer gets breaded fish seriously crispy without any deep-frying required.
Use a white flaky fish like cod or hake for this dish.
Recipe: Air Fryer Fish and Chips
Green Healthy Cooking / Via greenhealthycooking.com
Meatless Monday just got a whole lot more interesting with this buttery, melt-in-your-mouth whole roasted cauliflower, roasted with savory wild mushrooms.
Cafe Delites / Via cafedelites.com
This creamy curry sauce is made with coconut milk, crushed tomatoes, and lots of spices. It tastes like a cross between Thai red curry and shrimp tikka masala, which is a win in my book.
Recipe: Coconut Shrimp Curry
The Wanderlust Kitchen / Via thewanderlustkitchen.com
If you're looking for a vegetarian meal that still tastes incredibly satisfying, this Korean-inspired rice bowl is for you. Of course, you could always add your favorite meat, like marinated skirt steak or chicken.
Recipe: Vegetarian Bibimbap Bowl
The Flavor Bender / Via theflavorbender.com
If you get easily intimidated by cooking fish at home, this salmon is a must-try. It slow-roasts at a low temperature, so it's basically impossible to overcook, and the result is delightfully tender and flaky.
The Healthy Foodie / Via thehealthyfoodie.com
Beef Bourguignon gets a vegetarian-friendly twist in this recipe, which is made with lots of mushrooms cooked with onion and carrots in red wine, veggie broth, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, and tamari. It's hearty and savory and perfect over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Recipe: Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon
Whole Food Bellies / Via wholefoodbellies.com
This French recipe is just so cozy. Russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and squash are sliced, arranged in a baking dish, and topped with marinara sauce and Parmesan and roasted until tender.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Ratatouille
13. Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Mac 'n' Cheese
Rainbow Plant Life / Via rainbowplantlife.com
This dish features all the creaminess of mac 'n' cheese without any dairy. The decadent sauce is made with pumpkin (or butternut squash), white miso, soaked raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and spices. Make a big batch because you'll want to put it on everything.
14. Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Our Salty Kitchen / Via oursaltykitchen.com
If you're trying to cut back on carbs, these Buffalo chicken stuffed lettuce wraps are a delicious way to start. If you use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, you don't even have to turn on the oven.
Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Damn Delicious / Via damndelicious.net
Start with ground beef (or pork or chicken, for that matter), and cook it in a mixture of brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and sriracha. Add it to a base of your favorite grains, like rice, faro, or quinoa with lots of veggies.
Recipe: Korean Beef Power Bowl
16. Chicken Souvlaki
Gimme Some Oven / Via gimmesomeoven.com
These chicken skewers are marinated in a simple mixture of olive oil, lemon, and fresh herbs. Serve them over rice, in pita bread, or on a salad with some crunchy vegetables and hummus or tzatziki.
Recipe: Chicken Souvlaki
17. Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
Life Made Sweeter / Via lifemadesweeter.com
It doesn't get much easier than these fajitas, which come together on a single sheet pan to eliminate just about any mess. If steak isn't your favorite, just swap in your favorite protein.
Recipe: Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
From a Chef's Kitchen / Via fromachefskitchen.com
The key to this low-carb jambalaya, made with with chicken, shrimp, and sausage, is the crunchy cauliflower rice. Instead of being sautéed until soggy, the cauliflower is spread out on a baking sheet, seasoned, and roasted to maintain a delicious crispy texture.
19. Pad Thai With Zucchini Noodles
Our Balanced Bowl / Via ourbalancedbowl.com
Spiralized zucchini takes the place of rice noodles in this better-for-you version of a Thai classic. With it also tossed in the gingery, garlicky, peanut butter sauce, you won't miss the carbs.
Recipe: Pad Thai With Zucchini Noodles
20. Banh Mi Bowl
The Almond Eater / Via thealmondeater.com
This Vietnamese-inspired bowl is packed with all the delicious flavors of a banh mi sandwich. This recipe calls for cauliflower rice and ground pork, but you can swap in any grain or protein.
Recipe: Banh Mi Bowl
21. Chicken Yakitori
Simply Scratch / Via simplyscratch.com
For the best flavor, start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are sliced into small pieces and arranged on skewers. They're then marinated in a soy, sake, and brown sugar marinade that caramelizes as the chicken is grilled.
Recipe: Chicken Yakitori
Pinch of Yum / Via pinchofyum.com
You'll want every day to be Taco Tuesday after trying this zesty and fresh shrimp version.
23. Roasted Garlic Vegetable Stew With Red Lentils and Tomatoes
Crumbs and Caramel / Via crumbsandcaramel.com
This rich stew gets its flavor from roasted cauliflower, sweet potato, and bell peppers, which are roasted and then simmered in a tomato-based broth with lots of spices.
Recipe: Roasted Garlic Vegetable Stew With Red Lentils and Tomatoes
Hungry Hobby / Via hungryhobby.net
The best thing about this recipe is its versatility. Grab your favorite store-bought gnocchi, some veggies, and a protein and roast everything simultaneously in the oven. Toss with your favorite pasta sauce, and you've got the ultimate weeknight meal.
Recipe: Sheet Pan Cauliflower Gnocchi With Chicken Sausage and Broccoli
All The Healthy Things / Via allthehealthythings.com
For maximum flavor, use a mixture of ground beef and pork to make these herb-packed meatballs. Serve them in Greek-inspired bowls with all of your favorite toppings, like chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, feta, and bell pepper.
Life Made Sweeter / Via lifemadesweeter.com
For this true dump dinner, just toss all the ingredients into your slow cooker and wait for this cozy soup to cook itself.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Ambitious Kitchen / Via ambitiouskitchen.com
A light and fresh avocado peach salsa is the ultimate complement to this slightly spicy salmon, which is marinated in soy, honey, balsamic, crushed red pepper, and ginger.
Cooking For Keeps / Via cookingforkeeps.com
Six ingredients and one baking sheet are all you need to make these better-for-you eggplant Parm stacks, which are baked from start to finish and never fried.
Recipe: Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Minimalist Baker / Via minimalistbaker.com
While this recipe is vegan, you can customize it according to your dietary preferences. Personally, I love adding fried egg or, if I'm craving more protein, some shrimp or tofu.
Recipe: 30-Minute Quinoa "Fried Rice"
30. Shakshuka
The Noshery / Via thenoshery.com
There's no wrong time of day for baked eggs in spiced tomato sauce. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it's perfectly appropriate and always satisfying.
Recipe: Shakshuka
31. Soba Noodle Salad With Sesame Soy Dressing
Aberdeen's Kitchen / Via aberdeenskitchen.com
IMO, salad tastes better when noodles take the place of lettuce. Once you try this bowl packed with veggies and buckwheat noodles in tangy sesame soy sauce, I think you'll agree.