10 Easy healthy recipes for weight loss

One of the biggest challenges to embracing weight loss is, thankfully, one of the easiest to overcome: deciding what to prepare and eat. The right recipes do so much more than assist and support your body on a metabolic level; they also offer more mental time and energy to enjoy your new-found health. 

Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy healthy meal to pack up for lunch at work, or something simple and delicious to whip up at the end of a long day, being prepared means digging into satisfying, tasty fare that much sooner.

At Found, we believe that the key to healthy eating is not only through good nutrition, but understanding what’s going on at a cellular level. Based on decades of research, our methodology to weight loss combines a range of biological, psychological and environmental factors to help you on your weight loss journey. 

Using a holistic approach and biology-based weight loss support, our medical providers will customize a plan that’s individual to your specific health needs.

When you’re mindful about your menu and have the information you need to make great choices, the food you enjoy becomes a tool for better health, too. Using fresh, whole foods, healthy fats, lean proteins, and fiber-rich ingredients also means introducing amazing variety and taste to every meal – and even the snacks you love in-between.

When you start meal prepping, you’ll also feel less rushed, and you won’t need to spend your lunch hour waiting on delivery or in a long line at a restaurant. As part of a comprehensive weight loss program, choosing smart weight loss meal prep recipes and snacks (like the easy but delicious recipes featured below) will help you align with a healthy mindset. Read on for our top 10 healthy recipes for weight loss and get inspired!

Nutritious breakfast options for losing weight

According to an article from Dr. Katherine Zeratsky via the Mayo Clinic, eating a healthy breakfast regularly can, along with other smart habits, help support weight loss goals. Here’s a few tasty (and nutritious) breakfast recipes to start your day off on the right foot:

1.) Breakfast Burritos with Salsa Verde

Breakfast doesn’t need to be overly rich or sweet to be satisfying. Quick and protein-packed, this flavorful healthy recipe is sure to wake up your tastebuds and curb your hunger for whatever the day brings! 

Add in some avocado and enhance healthy fat intake, and opt for low-carb tortillas or wraps to minimize carbohydrate intake. Best of all, a lot of these components can be prepped ahead of time, and the salsa can be enjoyed as a snack with fresh veggies throughout the week. 

2.) Mango-Ginger Overnight Oats

Shake up your early-morning flavor profile with the addition of warm and spicy ginger. When mixed with the sweet freshness of mango and enjoyed with fiber-rich “overnight oats,” you have a healthy breakfast alternative that’s right in line with your weight loss goals. 

This breakfast idea is ideal for morning commuters that don’t have a lot of time to spend at the stove. It can be quickly and easily made the night before and grabbed out of the fridge on your way out the door – all you’ll need to add is a spoon!

Smart (and slimming!) snack ideas

A recent article by the Harvard School of Public Health emphasized the importance of nutritional content in snacks when it came to weight loss goals. While snacking is a common practice, avoiding processed foods and choosing high-protein, nutritionally dense options like these will help make nibbling something to look forward to. Below, a few of our favorite healthy snack recipes for weight loss to give you food for thought:

3.) Creamy Hummus & Crudités

The mid-to-late morning “snack attack” at work can really tempt your appetite from straying from your weight loss goals. Even with a great breakfast in the books, you may still find yourself feeling peckish well before lunchtime. Consider staving off the munchies with some homemade hummus. 

Full of both fiber and good fats, it’s easy to enjoy with veggies like celery, broccoli and bell pepper sticks, which are low calorie, filling and loaded with vitamins. Prep tip: Make a big batch of hummus at the beginning of the week, and portion into smaller containers for easy snacking portability. 

4.) Spicy Edamame Snacks

Sometimes you just want something to nibble while you work on spreadsheets, cleaning the house, or heading out to whittle down your daily to-do list. Fresh, whole foods are always an excellent choice, and with a versatile weight loss snack like steamed edamame, the possibilities are nearly endless. 

This version brings the flavor with only a small handful of ingredients like red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and chili powder. It’s a spicy enough edamame weight loss recipe to be both delicious and fun. It can be customized to your desired heat level, too. 

5.) Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Looking for a little more crunch in your healthy-snack arsenal? Roasted pumpkin seeds are great for habitual nibblers that want something packed with flavor along with fiber and healthy nutrition. An easy-to-make snack that takes well to all sorts of seasonings, this healthy recipe features a variety of savory and spicy combos so you can tweak it to your preference. 

A pinch of southwestern seasonings will offer up savory taco flavor, while a quick toss in a little olive oil and Italian herbs delivers a savory pop. Whether you’re whipping up a batch post pumpkin-picking or want something healthier to nosh on during the holidays than a bag of chips, roasted pumpkin seeds are a great alternative when it comes to easy & healthy snack recipes.

Healthy lunch and dinner choices for weight reduction

A study by the UK-based NIH (National Institutes of Health) found an increase in certain positive health metrics when their study participants prepared meals at home. Not only were the measured biology-based test results more promising, the participants were more likely to use healthy ingredients and preparation methods. Delicious and healthy lunch or dinner recipes like these make cooking at home something you’ll actually look forward to!

6.) Rustic Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Salad

When lunchtime rolls around and you’re barely resisting the siren-song of the vending machine, it’s time to break out the big guns, nutritionally-speaking. By combining lean protein such as chicken with the crunch and distinctive flavor of fresh Brussels sprouts and pair it with healthy juice recipes for weight loss, you’ll be full and focused the rest of the afternoon.  

Plus, you can easily swap out chicken for fish like salmon or tuna if you’re looking to switch things up a bit. Featuring tangy balsamic vinegar, tart dried cranberries, savory toasted pistachios and creamy goat cheese, this salad beautifully melds a symphony of textures and tastes for a satisfying healthy meal you can enjoy for lunch or dinner. Do you want to try more salad recipes? Check our favorite healthy salad recipes for weight loss. 

7.) Vegan Chana Dal (Split Chickpea Curry)

Plant-based proteins and whole foods are one of the best ways to incorporate healthy habits into your daily menu without feeling restricted. This unique Chana Dal recipe takes the fan-favorite split chickpea Indian dish and shows step-by-step instructions how to make this healthy meal prep recipe which is low-carb, diabetic-friendly, vegan and gluten-free. 

A vegetarian dish that’s wonderful year-round (but especially cozy in the colder months), it makes a great fiber-rich accompaniment when served over steamed whole grain brown rice. Round out the meal with a green vegetable, or serve with roasted cauliflower curry for a fabulous vegan feast you’ll want to share with guests! 

8.) One-Pan Coconut Lime Chicken

Chicken is a tender, filling protein option that pairs up perfectly with bold flavors like lime and coconut when you’re in the mood for an exotic dinner. This simple but flavorful recipe brings in fragrant herbs and seasonings and combines them with coconut milk for a fresh, island-inspired flavor that’s as refreshing as it is satisfying. 

Weighing in at just 317 calories per serving, you can help to keep this delish dish even more health-conscious and serve over cauliflower rice to reduce carbs. We love it for take-to-work leftovers the next day, too! Bonus: this recipe is dairy-free, paleo and gluten-free.

9.) Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Zoodles

Just because you’re eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice pasta altogether. This delectable recipe features succulent shrimp, a great source of protein, and pairs it with the wonderful texture of zucchini ‘zoodles’, making this a smart pasta swap for spaghetti-lovers. This mouthwatering Italian-inspired meal is perfect for a treat-yourself dinner at home, but it’s also an impressive dish to serve up for a special someone, too!

10.) Instant Pot Turkey Stuffed Peppers

If you’d love to incorporate more whole foods into your dinner plans but struggle to slip in veggies, these savory stuffed peppers are here to save the day! Made quickly and easily in an Instant Pot or Dutch oven, they’re packed with perfectly-spiced lean ground turkey, but can also be made with ground chicken if preferred. 

With spices like ground chili delivering a hearty Tex-Mex flavor, this recipe is a great reboot of a classic fave. This recipe also boasts cumin, which features many health benefits, including anticancer properties and antioxidants; it’s even been shown to aid in weight loss. To reduce calories, omit the cottage cheese or opt for low-fat versions; a sprinkle of grated parmesan is also a great swap.

Once you’ve found a handful of recipes that you love, tweak and modify them to your personal tastes, and find storage containers that work well for your lifestyle. Having the right food storage containers ready to go will encourage great habits like taking leftovers to work, avoiding the temptation of fast food and “quick-fix” processed foods and snacks.

While food is only one pillar in a balanced approach to health, it’s an important one. Once you’ve found a biology-based, scientifically-backed weight loss support system to begin your weight loss journey, follow up with these and other similar healthy meal ideas to stay on track with your goals. You deserve to enjoy your meals and look forward to the food you eat – and what it does for your energy, focus, and well-being, too! 

Sources cited:

1)      Zeratsky, Katherine, R.D., L.D. “Does eating a healthy breakfast help control weight?” Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org), August 26, 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/food-and-nutrition/faq-20058449. Accessed October 27, 2021.

2)      “The Science of Snacking.” Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health (hsph.harvard.edu), (no published date), https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/snacking/. Accessed October 27, 2021.

3)      Mills, Susanna, Brown, Heather, Wrieden, Wendy, White, Martin and Adams, Jean. “Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study.” PubMed Central (PMC) | National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) | US National Library of Medicine | National Institutes of Health (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), August 17, 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5561571/. Accessed October 27, 2021.