5 Pocket-Friendly Recipes for a Healthy Heart
Jan 1, 2022Living a healthy lifestyle is choosing meals and snacks high in fiber and low in saturated fats, trans fat and sodium. Eating healthy can help keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels normal and lower your risk for heart disease and its complications. But you don't have to burn a hole in your pocket to stay true to a heart-healthy eating pattern. Cutting back on processed foods can help you spend more of your budget on groceries for make-ahead meals you and your family can gobble up on for busy weeks.
1. Overnight No-Cook Banana Oatmeal
Prepare your go-to morning oats while you sleep with this no-cook method of making oatmeal.
2. Open-Face Tuna Melt with Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Craving a tuna melt and potato chips for lunch? Here's a healthy and affordable alternative that's good for your heart, too!
3. Spinach Bean Soup
This meatless soup is an easy weeknight side dish or a warm addition to a salad or sandwich lunch.
4. Quick Chicken Fajitas, Beans and Spanish Rice
Following a low-carb diet doesn't mean eliminating some of the dishes you enjoy. We bring you this healthy version of your Tex-Mex favorite fajitas served with black beans and Spanish rice.
5. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Indulge in caramelized pineapple rings without the excess sugar. This cake has the familiar rich and fruity taste of the traditional American favorite that isn't just impressive on the eyes but is also good for the heart.
Preventing heart disease starts with making smart choices every day. A healthy diet includes eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, fish, nuts, legumes and seeds. If you can, try to incorporate a no-meat diet at least once a week. However, if having a meatless diet on some days is not possible, select the leanest cuts available.
Recipes and photos courtesy of American Heart Association.
Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Heart Association