Let’s face it, by the time Spring arrives, our home isn’t the only thing in need of a good cleaning. It’s also a great time to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul with fresh and colorful foods that are packed with flavor and nutrients. This Spring, don’t just clear out the clutter in your home, give yourself and your taste buds a good cleaning with these surprisingly healthy and quick Spring recipes.
Welcome Your Taste Buds to the New Season
One of the best ways to make amazing and wholesome Spring meals is by using in-season vegetables and fruits like spinach, peas, carrots, lemons, strawberries, and blueberries. Not only are they colorful and tasty, but there are endless ways to incorporate these healthy ingredients into yummy main courses, side dishes, and desserts.
Healthy Chicken Cobb Salad
This chicken cobb salad recipe by ‘jar of lemons’ is a healthier version of the traditional salad and doesn’t skimp on flavor. Swap the fried chicken for grilled and trade up your greens to kale, arugula, or spinach. These leafy greens are rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, and contain high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. They’re also an excellent source of folate which helps relieve stress.
Veggie and Steak Stir Fry
Here’s a nutritious vegetable and beef stir fry recipe by ‘our salty kitchen’ that tastes better than takeout. Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and bok choy are not only great ingredients for a stir fry but are sources of vitamins C, K, and B. Plus they contain chromium, which can enhance brain chemicals that promote positive feelings, energy, and alertness.
Spring Vegetable Soup with Orzo
This is a simple soup recipe from "Weight Watchers" that’s packed with vegetables, fresh herbs, and tender orzo. Asparagus contains vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that helps strengthen your immune system while helping prevent heart and liver disease. It also contains folate – a vitamin B mood booster that helps lift your spirits and ward off irritability.
Spring-themed Deserts You Can Enjoy with Less Guilt
Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
This strawberry treat by "skinnytaste" is a great afternoon snack or dessert that can be served with fruit or graham crackers. The antioxidants in strawberries can reduce your body’s inflammation, lower cholesterol, and improve your skin’s resilience. Strawberries also help your body produce serotonin and melanin which gives your state of mind support to counteract bad moods.
Lemon Pound Cake
Not only is this a healthier version of pound cake, but it’s also made with simple ingredients. Enjoy this pound cake recipe from ‘Healthful Blondie’ as a brunch side or with your favorite cup of coffee or tea. Lemons have been found to lower blood pressure and anxiety and are filled with vitamin C which leads to lower levels of stress. They say an apple a day will keep the doctor away but how about a lemon a day to melt the stress away?
Easy and Healthy Carrot Cake
A carrot cake recipe from ‘Healthy Foody Girl’ turns carrots into a sweet and nutritious treat. Bonus – it’s incredibly easy to make. Carrots are known to promote eye health, but did you know they also help your skin stay healthy? They contain carotenoids which prevent the breakdown of collagen, elastin, and fibrillin in your skin, helping to preserve your youth.
Spring Foods Help Improve Your Body, Mind and Soul
Our best lifestyle cues come from living in harmony with the season. In Spring, we’re introduced to more sun, activity, and an abundance of fresh foods. It’s the perfect time to switch from winter-warming foods to meals that promote detoxification in our minds and bodies. Fostering a healthier body, mind, and soul is exactly what we need after a winter spent indoors.
