10 Spring Lunch Recipes to Support Healthy Blood Pressure Levels
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Lunch on one of these delicious, heart-healthy meals this spring. They’re packed with nutritious foods like avocados, carrots and cabbage, so you can take advantage of seasonal items when they’re at their freshest. This collection also features heart-healthy ingredients like bananas, potatoes and leafy greens that are packed with potassium that can help with lowering blood pressure. Each dish is made low in saturated fat and sodium and with at least 940 milligrams of potassium per serving to support healthy blood pressure levels.
Recipes like our Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup are flavorful make-ahead options for taking to work or school. And you’ll want to make others like our Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl over and over again.
Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl
This flavorful burrito bowl features grilled chicken coated in a spicy chipotle glaze. Loading it with vegetables and using quinoa in place of rice adds nutrition for a healthier dinner.
Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.
Chickpea & Quinoa Grain Bowl
Robby Lozano
It seems grain bowls have as many variations as there are stars in the sky, and there is no wrong way to build one! But we prefer to keep things classic and simple with hummus, quinoa, avocado and loads of veggies!
Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This vibrant and wholesome soup recipe helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers. Simply add the broth and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water.
Chicken & Cucumber Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
We love the crunch from sliced cucumber and jicama in these savory chicken lettuce wraps. Serve with the simple peanut sauce for an easy dinner recipe that will impress kids and adults alike.
No-Cook Black Bean Salad
The dressing for this vegan black bean salad gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick.
Quinoa Avocado Salad
Protein-packed quinoa pairs with creamy avocado in this refreshing grain salad. It's the perfect make-ahead side dish to bring on a picnic or take to a potluck. Or pack it for lunch or enjoy it as a light dinner.
Rainbow Grain Bowl with Cashew Sauce
This vibrant bowl is packed with nutrients to keep you full for hours. Look for precooked lentils in the refrigerated section of the produce department.
High-Fiber Matcha Green Smoothie Bowl
EatingWell
Matcha powder and spinach give this healthy smoothie bowl a beautiful green hue. If you don't have spinach on hand, try swapping in another dark leafy green like kale.
Bacon and Avocado Topped Baked Potato
A baked russet potato is topped with crumbled bacon, diced avocado, salsa, and shredded Colby Jack cheese--a meal in itself!
Read the original article on Eating Well.
