Healthy Lunch Recipes That Are Perfect for Meal-Prep

Ambitious Kitchen

Healthy Lunch Recipes That Are Perfect for Meal-Prep

Happy *Super Bowl* Sunday, everyone! I hope you’ve had a restful weekend so far, especially if you’re gearing up for some football festivities today. It’s no Super Bowl without some delicious appetizers, so you bet I’ll be cooking up some goodness today. But before that I rounded up 21 healthy lunch recipes for you that [...]

The post Healthy Lunch Recipes That Are Perfect for Meal-Prep appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.

Minimalist Baker

Feel Good Hot Chocolate

Who’s ready for ultra-cozy vibes? (Hand raised!)

This easy hot chocolate recipe requires just 7 ingredients and 15 minutes to make.

While I have a more basic Vegan Hot Cocoa, I wanted to elevate it to include maca powder (where the feel-good vibes come in) and ensure it was naturally sweetened.

It starts with making our own chocolate base with cocoa butter, cacao powder, and a little carob powder, which intensifies the chocolate flavor and adds a little natural sweetness.

Feel Good Hot Chocolate from Minimalist Baker →

A Sweet Pea Chef

Sweet Potato Skins

For a healthy appetizer idea, try these baked sweet potato skins that have been stuffed with seasoned chicken, cooked spinach, and greek yogurt.  Easy to make and healthy for you!

Back when Dustin and I used to eat ALL the things and didn’t know what terms like “clean eating” or “processed food” even meant, we ate a LOT of potato skins.

Back then, our potato skins were covered in cheese and butter, topped with crispy bacon, and then happily dipped into a likely very processed ranch dressing.

This was also the time I used to struggle with my weight <– you can read more on that here, if you’re interested.

Are Sweet Potato Skins Good For You?

Now, every now and again, we still enjoy a good stuffed potato appetizer on a cheat meal, but the occurrences are far less frequent and the guilt is much, much higher.

It always comes at a cost, doesn’t it?

Because we now know terms like “calories” and “macros” and “saturated fat.”

There’s just something about having potato skins, though, that feels like such a treat — like the ultimate appetizer.  I mean…potato skins are hearty, creamy, savory, filling, and so satisfying, it’s really no wonder why they’re such a hit.

So I decided to figure out a healthy alternative to our beloved potato skins — one we could enjoy no matter if it was a cheat meal or just any regular ol’ day.  One that was hearty and creamy and savory and filling, and so satisfying AND healthy.

Because healthy is important.

And because there’s no better way to enjoy healthy food than to have it taste as though it’s not healthy.  We are weird like that.

These baked sweet potato skins fulfill everything you want in a potato skin recipe and still leave you feeling like you’re sticking to your healthy eating goals.  In my book: that’s a big time win.

Heck, you could even dip them into this clean ranch dressing, if you’d like.

Come to think of it, how come I haven’t done that yet??  BRB.

How To Bake Sweet Potatoes

Baking sweet potatoes is super duper easy to do and a great way to enjoy sweet potatoes.  Here are the easy steps for how to bake sweet potatoes:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pierce the sweet potatoes using a fork all over and then lay on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Drizzle with olive oil to coat evenly and then wrap tightly with the aluminum foil.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes.

Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until tender.

You can gently squeeze the sweet potatoes to test if they’re tender.

How To Microwave Sweet Potatoes

If you’d rather speed up this process, you can also cook sweet potatoes in the microwave.  To do this, just wash the sweet potatoes well and place on a microwave-safe plate.  Poke several holes into the sweet potatoes all over with a fork.

Then, microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.  You can gently squeeze the sweet potatoes to test if they’re tender and, if not, cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Health Benefits of Sweet Potato Skins

If you’re wondering if you should or shouldn’t eat sweet potato skins, here are some amazing benefits to eating sweet potato skins.  Sweet potatoes are…

an excellent source of beta-carotene, which promotes healthy skin, helps our immune system, and improves eye health and vision high in Vitamin B6, which is good for heart heath high in Vitamin C, which helps with bone and tooth formation, digestion, blood cell formation, accelerates healing, and produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s elasticity a good source of Vitamin D which promotes healthy bones contain iron which promotes a healthy immune system great for blood sugar regulation, as they provide a balanced and regular source of energy, despite tasting sweet a good source of potassium, which helps to regulate heartbeat and nerve signals

So, yeah…they’re pretty darn healthy for you, in addition to being super tasty.  In fact, once you try these sweet potato skins, you should head over to this post for 15 more yummy and healthy sweet potato recipes.

So if you’re looking for a great appetizer to share for watching the game this weekend or just want a new, lighter way to enjoy an old favorite, I sure hope you try out these healthy baked sweet potato skins.

They’re the perfect solution for those reformed potato skin lovers out there. 🙂

Healthy Baked Sweet Potato Skins

 

Sweet Potato Skins

These Healthy Baked Sweet Potato Skins are super filling, savory, creamy, and a great way to change up an old favorite and make it healthy!

4 small sweet potatoes, (skin-on) 2 tbsp olive oil, (divided) 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts 1 yellow onion, (diced) 2 cloves garlic, (minced) 10 oz fresh baby spinach 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 1/4 cup jack cheese, (shredded) 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp garlic powder 2 green onions (, sliced (for topping))

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pierce the sweet potatoes using a fork all over and then lay on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil to coat evenly and then wrap tightly with the aluminum foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until tender. You can gently squeeze the sweet potatoes to test if they’re tender. Carefully unwrap the sweet potatoes from the foil and slice in half with a sharp knife and then let them cool for about 5-10 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet and add the onion. Cook until tender, then add the baby spinach and garlic and toss for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach has cooked down. Set aside. To cook the chicken, season both sides of the chicken breast with sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, and place into olive oil heating over medium-high heat in the same skillet. Cook, flipping occasionally, until both sides are golden and the chicken is cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and dice into bite-size cubes, then set aside. Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, carefully scrape the sweet potato out of the skin, leaving a thin layer inside with the skin so that it can still stand up on its own. Add the sweet potato to a large mixing bowl, along with the greek yogurt, chicken, and the spinach mixture. Stir to combine and season with any additional sea salt or black pepper, as needed. Coat the potato skins with a drizzle of oil and place back into the oven for 10-15 minutes to get a nice crispy skin. Remove from the oven and fill each skin with the sweet potato mixture, topping with shredded jack cheese. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the filling has heated through.

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