4 Heart Healthy Dinner Recipes

We all are aware of the importance of cardiovascular health. In fact, cardiovascular health is perhaps one of the most worried about areas of health. It is absolutely crucial that we take care of this important organ system and nourish and protect our hearts. There are some basic principles for a healthy heart including:

 

• Exercising consistently (particularly aerobic exercises that make the heart work during exercise)
• Avoiding excessive use of drugs and stimulants
• Avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol
• And healthy dietary choices

 

In this blog, we are going to a dive into heart healthy dietary choices and outline four simple at home dinner recipes that support a healthy heart. These cardiovascular supporting recipes are simple to make (we keep them that way intentionally) so you can make these delicious meals without having to scour the market for unique ingredients. The recipes are also easy to make and can be enjoyed weekly or even more frequently depending on your preference .

 

Recipe 1- Salmon Mango Bowls

 

 

This recipe is a household favorite in our home. It is particularly easy to make since only one ingredient requires cook time and we find this recipe particularly enjoyable during summertime as the recipe is refreshing.

 

Here is the ingredient list (for two people):

 

• 1 Cup Organic Brown Rice
• 1 Bundle Organic or Wild Arugula
• 1 Pound Wild Caught Salmon or Sustainably Farmed Salmon
• 1 Organic Mango
• 1 Organic Avocado
• 1 Organic Cucumber
• 1 Small Box of Organic Cherry Tomatoes
• Sesame Seeds for Topping
• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Coconut Aminos for Topping (optional)

 

Instructions:

 

Step 1 – Make the brown rice by adding 2 cups of water and 1 cup of brown rice to a pot. Bring to a boil, then once at a boil, reduce temperature to simmer, and cover. Approximate cook time for brown rice is 30 minutes, but make sure to not overcook the rice.

 

Step 2 – Put Salmon on a Baking Sheet (parchment paper makes clean up easier), marinate with lemon juice, high quality salt and pepper, paprika, and dill. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Step 3 – Prepare other ingredients for the meal by doing the following:

• 1 Organic Mango – Cut up the fruit into bite size pieces. Mangos can be a little challenging to cut perfectly, take your time so that the mango does not get mashed.
• 1 Organic Avocado – Cut up the avocado into bite size pieces
• 1 Organic Cucumber – Peel the skin off with a peeler, then cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Small Box of Organic Cherry Tomatoes – Cut into halves

 

Step 4 – Add cooked brown rice to a bowl, then add arugula, then other toppings listed in step 3, then the cooked salmon, then top with sesame seeds, organic extra Virgen olive oil, and coconut aminos (optional).

 

Step 5 – Enjoy these delicious mango salmon bowls. Make sure to put down your phone and be in the moment with your loved ones while eating this delicious heart healthy recipe. This recipe is rich in healthy fats including omega 3s and polyunsaturated fats.

 

 

 

Recipe 2 – Kimchi Fried Rice

 

 

Here is the ingredient list (for two people):

 

• 5 Cups Organic White Rice
• Organic Kimchi (there are some great premade kimchi recipes available at organic markets now days)
• 4 Organic zucchini
• 2 Organic bell peppers
• 1/2 Organic sweet onion
• Organic coconut oil
• 2 Organic eggs
• Soy Sauce or coconut aminos

 

Instructions

 

Step 1- Make the white rice by adding 3 cups of water and 1.5 cups of white rice to a pot. Bring to a boil, then once at a boil, reduce temperature to simmer, and cover. Approximate cook time for white rice is 12 minutes, but make sure to not overcook the rice.

 

Step 2 – Dice the ½ organic sweet onion, 4 organic zucchinis, 2 organic bell peppers.

 

Step 3 – grab a large skillet, and add organic coconut oil (approximately 1 tablespoon), melt the oil then add the ½ diced yellow onion. Once the onions are slightly browned, add the other vegetables, and cook at medium heat. If vegetables start to burn at any point, add more coconut oil and continue to stir. You want the vegetables to be slightly browned for this recipe but not burnt.

 

Step 4- Add the cooked rice to the vegetables and stir the vegetables so they are evenly distributed through the rice. Reduce heat to low.

 

Step 5 – Break two organic eggs into a bowl, and stir them, then pour into the rice and vegetables, and stir the eggs so they evenly distribute through the recipe.

 

Step 6- Add some soy sauce or coconut aminos depending on your preference for soy, go slow with this step and make sure to not add too much.

 

Step 7 – Add in Kimchi to the recipe and mix through the recipe.

 

Step 8 – Sit back and enjoy! This recipe is simple to make and can also be topped with a protein if that is preferred. Any protein would work in this recipe including salmon, grass fed beef, organic chicken, or another protein of choice.

 

 

Recipe 3 – Spinach and Beet Salad topped with Chicken

 

 

Here is the ingredient list (for two people):

 

• 1 bunch of Organic Spinach
• 1 Bunch Organic Red Beets
• 1 Cup Organic Walnuts
• 1 Organic Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1 Organic Avocado
• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Freshly Grated Parmesan (Optional)

 

Instructions

 

Step 1 – Chop all of the ingredients in this recipe and grate some parmesean

 

Step 2 – Boil purified water in a pot and add a small pinch of salt, trim the leaves and roots off the beets then put in the boiling water. Cover and let cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove from water, chop the beets.

 

Step 3 – Add the spinach to a bowl, top with all of the ingredients and add the beets.

 

Step 4 – Top with the extra virgin olive oil as a healthy dressing

 

Step 5 – Add the grated parmesan to top the salad.

 

Step 6 – Enjoy this delicious recipe!

 

 

 

 

Recipe 4 – Cherry Tomato Reduction on Dover Sol

 

Here is the ingredient list (for two people):

 

• 1 Pound of Dover Sol (purchase from a high quality market, preferably wild caught)
• 2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes
• 4 Cloves of Organic Garlic
• 1 Bunch Organic Parsley
• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Lemon

 

Instructions

 

Step 1 – Lets make the cherry tomato reduction sauce. This is an easy combination of ingredients. Grab a large skillet, add ½ cup organic extra virgin olive oil and turn up heat to medium / low.

 

Step 2 – Chop and add your garlic. Let this brown for 2-3 minutes.

 

Step 3 -  Add your 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (make sure they are rinsed) and cover for 3-4 minutes at medium heat.

 

Step 4 – Take off the lid, and crush the cherry tomatoes to make the juices turn into a sauce. Turn off heat.

 

Step 5- Chop organic parsley and add a small amount to the sauce for extra flavor. Also squeeze the lemon juice into the sauce.

 

Step 6 – Time to make the fish. Add some lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to marinate the fish. Dover sol is a thin fish, so it will cook quick. Add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet. Add some garlic, cook on low-medium heat until garlic is slightly browned.

 

Step 7 – Add the fish to the skillet. It is important that all of the fish is actually touching the pan, so if the thin cuts of fish have too much surface area to touch the skillets, either use two skillets or cook in two batches. Cook the fish at medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.

 

Step 8 – Add the cherry tomato reduction on top. Serve with a side salad.

 

These are some of our family favorite recipes. We hope you enjoy these heart healthy lunch / dinner recipes as much as we do. Make sure you are shopping from the best quality markets and locally if possible. Farmers markets are always a great way to get local produce!