9 Healthy Brunch Recipes to Brighten Your Morning

Despite the temptations of eggs Benedict and bottomless Bloody Marys, brunch is a meal best taken with restraint (the last thing you want is to feel sick for the rest of Sunday). Here are 9 healthy brunch recipes that aren’t austerity food, but full of protein, fiber, moderate carbs, and tons and tons of flavor. Make some coffee or tea and dig in without guilt.

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1. Quinoa Porridge with Figs

Chowhound

Quinoa simmers with dried figs, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Milk and a sprinkling of chopped, toasted pecans and halved figs complete this nourishing brunch charmer. Get our Quinoa Porridge with Figs recipe.

2. Garden Breakfast Tacos

Chowhound

A healthy twist on the morning taco, with sautéed shallots and wilted arugula. Finish with a fried egg, transfer to warm corn tortillas, and add your favorite red salsa. Get our Garden Breakfast Tacos recipe.

3. Whole Wheat–Almond Blueberry Muffins

Chowhound

Whole wheat flour and ground almonds give these muffins fiber and texture without making them heavy. They’re topped off with more almonds in a crunchy and not-too-sweet streusel. Get our Whole Wheat–Almond Blueberry Muffins recipe.

4. Tangy Greens and Apple Juice

Chowhound

A complex collection of fresh greens, including romaine lettuce, parsley, and cucumber, get a bright, tangy lift from Granny Smith apple and lemon. Get our Tangy Greens and Apple Juice recipe.

5. Breakfast Pita-Pizza

Chowhound

Spinach, eggs, and Parmesan meet on top of pita bread in this easy, fast, unfussy, and low-fat recipe. It’s a 15-minute complete meal. Get our Breakfast Pita-Pizza recipe.

6. Summer Stone Fruit Salad

Chowhound

A simple vanilla-flavored syrup and summer’s best fruit (plums, nectarines, apricots, and cherries) add up to a deliciously high fiber brunch dish. (If it’s not the season for stone fruit, this Zesty Lime and Ginger Winter Fruit Salad fits the bill.) Get our Summer Stone Fruit Salad recipe.

7. Vegetarian Black Bean Breakfast Burritos

Chowhound

A typical morning burrito is a landmine of pork fat and cheese. Here, high-fiber black beans mingle with roasted poblano chiles, scrambled egg, and a restrained amount of queso fresco. Get our Vegetarian Black Bean Breakfast Burritos recipe.

8. Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Salad

Chowhound

To make this classic Vietnamese salad, you marinate shrimp with lemongrass, Sriracha, fish sauce, garlic, and brown sugar, then cook in a grill pan. Serve them on a bed of rice vermicelli, with lettuce leaves, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber, aromatic herbs, and sprinkling of chopped peanuts. Get our Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Salad recipe.

9. Gluten-Free Cranberry-Pecan Muffins

Chowhound

These satisfying gluten-free muffins are made with a mix of almond flour, rice flour, and tapioca starch, plus butter, dark brown sugar, and yogurt. Get our Gluten-Free Cranberry-Pecan Muffins recipe.

For more tips, tricks, and healthy recipes, check out our healthy living page.

Related Video: Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

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These Are the Best Slow Cookers for Every Personality and Situation

Healthy Eating is Just One Food Box Away

Losing weight and getting healthy are two of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, but while they sound doable when you’re full of bubbly, when real life hits again, it may not always be that feasible. Commitments, activities for little ones, homework, and deadlines may make it hard to get a healthy meal on the table that meets the lifestyle goals you’ve set for yourself.

Here to make it a bit easier are meal kits, which are delivered right to your door with all the ingredients you’ll need to make a healthy meal for you and your family in almost no time at all. The best part? Some go above and beyond to ensure you stick to your specific lifestyle choice, from keto to vegan. Here are some of the meal kits that offer the healthiest options.

Blue Apron

Blue Apron

Kick off the New Year by joining Weight Watchers–Blue Apron style, that is. The company has teamed up with WW to provide its users with meals that are compliant of WW Freestyle. The menu includes pre-portioned meals like Cajun-spiced pork chops and are as low as 4 Smartpoints each. Choose up to three of these meals per week to make your weight loss and health goals easier to reach.See It  

Sun Basket

Sun Basket

Sun Basket has made it their business to help people eat healthier. The company has made the most concessions for people who are serious about healthy eating and has the most choices for different types of diets, offering Paleo, Lean & Clean, Vegan, and Gluten-Free options. (The Lean & Clean program is actually certified by the American Heart Association for low-calorie, heart healthy meals.) The company also uses 99 percent organic produce and sustainably-sourced seafood. The best part? There are 18 weekly options to choose from and ingredients are pre-measured, allowing for a delicious meal on the table in about half an hour.See It

Green Chef

Green Chef

If keto, paleo, or plant-based, Green Chef is a must-try box. This box comes with all-organic and pre-measured ingredients, which are also made with no GMOs, toxic pesticides, irradiation, sewage sludge, antibiotics, growth hormones, or steroids, the company says. A bit pricier than other boxes and with fewer options (there is no ability to cross over into other categories once you select how you want to eat), Green Chef is a win for anyone trying to stick to paleo or keto on a hectic schedule.See It

BistroMD

Bistro MD

With three different types of programs–a full week, work week, or custom program–BistroMD makes reaching your health and weight loss goals easier. The programs are split between men and women, with heart-healthy, gluten-free, and diabetic programs for both, but also a menopause box for women. Each week, choose from more than 150 delicious chef-prepared meals that are ready to eat in five minutes or less. The box also claims that its meals are nutritionally-valued and are examined by registered dietitians as well.See It

Veestro

Veestro

While some may love cooking, it’s not always feasible on a weeknight. So, instead of choosing from a take-out menu and ruining your quest to be a healthier you, check out Veestro. This meal kit comes to the door with pre-prepared, plant-based meals that you can just heat and eat. And the best part? Meals come with exact calorie, fat, carb, and protein counts in case you’re watching your macros. You can order up gluten-free, kosher, or high-protein meals, or opt for a starter kit, wedding prep, a 3-, 5-, or 7-day weight-loss plan, or even a juice cleanse.See It

Euphebe

Euphebe

If weight loss is the goal, Euphebe is a must-try. This plant-based meal delivery service is like a health makeover in a box, with zero sugar, refined grains, or pesticides. The chef-prepped meals are also creative and delicious. Additionally, there is the option to have a health coach along for the ride with you. Euphebe also has a 28-day reboot program that costs $24 per day for all meals, as well as a 7-day mini-reboot, a weekly reboot, and the ability to purchase only lunches for those who feel that lunchtime eating hinders diet and weight loss plans.

Those on keto and paleo diets can find themselves eating a lot of meat, in which case it’s worth checking out ButcherBox too. They deliver a custom-curated selection of protein like heritage pork, organic free-range chicken, and grass-fed beef every month. Sign up as a new customer now through January 31, 2019, and get 2 pounds of wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon for free.

Related Video: Is the Keto Diet the Secret to Better Brain Health

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Quick and Easy Artichoke Dip

Quick and EASY hot artichoke dip! It only takes 15 minutes to make, and it's such a crowd-pleaser. Make it with artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, and mayo!

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Can You Eat Keto at Fast Food Restaurants?

Are you in ketosis right now? If you’re not, you probably should be. The latest and greatest of the low-carbohydrate, high-protein (and fat) diets continues to sweep the nation, as would-be beach bod-havers swap burger buns and fries out for extra bacon and avocado. 

If you don’t know, the keto diet is an eradication of carbohydrates and sugar in nearly all forms, and a carefully calculated blitz of fats and protein meant to send your metabolism into a state of ketosis. This means that ketones are created from fat (since there are no carbs or sugar present), and used for fuel at a much higher rate, resulting in weight loss and reported spikes in energy.

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The average keto dieter wants to keep their carb intake to between 15 – 20 grams per day (or less), depending on body type. To put things in perspective, a single apple or banana has over 25 grams of carbs alone, so navigating a keto diet on any restaurant menu is tricky, but you’ll have to do even more homework and question-asking at fast food and fast casual chains, where carb-free menu items can be scarce. Though most national chains have been slow to catch up to the fad, Chipotle recently announced a few keto bowls and it may not be long till others follow suit. Until then, we did some digging into the menus of some of the nation’s most popular fast food and fast casual chains to help you stay in full ketosis. All day…every day.

Wendy’s Strawberry Fields Salad

Wendy’s/McDonald’s/Burger King

Burger joints can be fairly keto-friendly as long as you’re willing to give up the buns and french fries.

What to eat:

Wendy’s Double Baconator has loads of fat and 53 grams of protein with only 2 grams of carbs, when you lose the bun. Go whole hog with a bunless Quarter Pounder with Cheese or Big Mac (or two) at McDonald’s but add extra bacon or cheese, and hold the special sauce, which is sadly high in sugar. Go Double Whopper at BK and ask for loads of extra toppings and big pieces of lettuce to wrap it up in.

A bunless grilled chicken sandwich, which they all have a version of, is another viable option, and though you can’t have the fries or Wendy’s baked potato on the side, most offer side salads. Just be careful to choose a low-carb dressing and don’t even think about opening that packet of croutons, mister!  

What to watch out for:

Be careful of sauces and salad dressings that often contain loads of sugar. Ketchup is one of the sneakiest culprits and should be eaten in moderation or not at all, but go nuts with mustard, mayo, pickles and other tasty toppings.

Full milk fat dressings like buttermilk ranch and Caesar are your best options for salads, and while Wendy’s beef chili might seem like a good high fat choice, those carb-y beans will throw your keto diet off track in a hurry.

Panera Bread’s Green Goddess Salad

Panera Bread

Panera has gotten healthier over the past few years, eliminating harmful chemicals and additives and offering more transparency with its menu. Obviously, sandwiches are mostly off limits, but there are some workarounds!

What to eat:

Sandwiches (with no bread). The damned delicious bread at PB is obviously off-limits for sure, but sandwiches like The Cuban and Bacon Turkey Bravo have a lot of high protein/fat ingredients like pulled pork, ham, cheese, turkey, and bacon so ask for them on a bed of greens. Unlike burger joints, Panera keeps fresh avocado on hand (a perfect keto food), so load up on avocado, bacon, (some) nuts, and cheese.

Salads can be okay, but be conscious that many contain high carb-count dressings and toppings like tortilla strips, corn, or ancient grains that will surely sabotage your hard-earned ketosis. The Green Goddess Salad, with egg, avocado, bacon, and tomato is one of your best bets!

What to watch out for:

Unfortunately, the soups and sides are mostly a no-go at Panera. Soups, made with regular or lower fat milks, are jacked up with sugar to make up for taste. A lot of the soups also contain flour for thickening and the turkey chili contains beans, another keto no-no. Panera offers a bounty of keto-busting sides too, like a piece of bread (no way), bag of chips (sorry, sister), and fruit or fruit cup (still no).

Taco Bell’s Cantina Power Bowl

Taco Bell

The key to surviving “the Bell” (besides having Pepto handy) is to avoid beans, corn, and tortillas at all costs, which can make things tricky—but fear not…we have ideas.

What to eat:

Try a Cantina Power Bowl and skip the rice and beans, opting for romaine lettuce, extra protein, and guacamole. Don’t be afraid of full-fat sour cream and extra cheese, both keto-friendly and oh so good.

What to watch out for:

Corn in all its forms is super high in glucose and carbohydrates, so even a few kernels might push you over the edge. Make sure to ask, as sometimes corn sneaks into salsas and other menu items, and no chips, tortillas or taco shells!

Keto Bowl from Chipotle

Chipotle

As we mentioned, Chipotle has separated itself from the pack early with a line of keto-friendly bowls (one is paleo-friendly too).

What to eat:

The Keto Bowls, of course. These low-carb options eliminate rice and beans and sub in lettuce with amped-up portions of guacamole, veggies, and meats, of which you have many to choose from: carnitas, free-range chicken, steak, chorizo. You know the drill!

What to watch out for:

Rice, beans, and tortilla shells may be obvious items to avoid, but watch out for the corn salsa too. Stay away from any sugary drinks and don’t let those cold Coronas in the fridge tempt you either!

Subway Toppings

Subway

Subway seems like it might be a bust, but consider they have salads now, and all of the options you have for sandwich toppings that you can add to your meal. Meats, cheeses, veggies, pickles, jalapenos, and lots more!

What to eat:

Go with one of their signature salads like the Italian Chopped Salad or Subway Club Salad OR start with greens and then have a field day with cold cuts, grilled chicken, or whatever else. Tuna and chicken salad are also good options.

What to watch out for:

The Subway sauces are a minefield of unwanted carbs (the sweet onion teriyaki has 18 alone). Try to stick with the ranch or Caesar. Meatballs are also a no-go, containing dastardly breadcrumbs.

Related Video: What is the Keto Diet?

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How to Make Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Fast Food

9 Healthy Juicing Recipes That Taste Amazing

Whatever your New Year’s resolutions, at least one of them probably included the word “healthier.” Fortunately, juicing is a simple way to pack more nutrients into the day. These 11 healthy juice recipes can ensure it’s also tasty.

While we can’t claim they’ll cure all that ails you, there’s never anything wrong with adding more fruits and veggies—or more delicious things that also happen to be healthy—to your diet.

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Tangy Greens and Apple Juice

Chowhound

Our tart, healthy tonic combines four kinds of leafy greens for an immediate vitamin boost. Get our Tangy Greens and Apple Juice recipe.

Carrot Cake Juice

Bakers Royale

All the flavor benefits of dessert, without the sugar or regret. The secret ingredient that makes this Bakers Royale recipe stand apart from other juices: crunchy granola. Get the Carrot Cake Juice recipe.

Watermelon Juice with Fleur de Sel

Chowhound

Our two-ingredient refresher is the perfect thing on a hot summer day (or when you just wish it was). The tiny addition of sea salt brings the fruit front-of-palate. Get our Watermelon Juice with Fleur de Sel recipe.

Root Vegetable Juice

Chowhound

Our bodies tend to crave what happens to be in season. In winter, this vibrant juice packed with parsnips, carrots, and beets fits the bill. Get our Root Vegetable Juice recipe.

Orange Mint Coconut Water

Healthy Nibbles and Bits

The addition of club soda makes this recipe from Healthy Nibbles & Bits feel more like a rewarding cocktail than a drab nutrient boost. The plus? This one will hydrate you as it strengthens your immune system. Get the Orange Mint Coconut Water recipe.

Rejuvenating Root Juice with Turmeric and Blood Orange

Gourmande in the Kitchen

Carrots give this Gourmande in the Kitchen recipe a sweet personality, while a pinch of cayenne really wakes up the senses. Get the Rejuvenating Root Juice with Turmeric and Blood Orange recipe.

Blueberry Cabbage Power Juice

Turnip the Oven

The powerhouse ingredient in this Turnip the Oven recipe is red cabbage, which helps detoxify the body with large amounts of vitamins C and A. Get the Blueberry Cabbage Power Juice recipe.

Apple-Lemon-Ginger Juice

Chowhound

The perfect all-purpose sipper for when you’re feeling slightly under the weather. Apples and ginger boost the immune system while fighting off sore throats and runny noses. Get our Apple-Lemon-Ginger Juice recipe.

Healthy Non-Alcoholic Sangría

Natural Sweet Recipes

You probably won’t even realize you’re boosting your immune system with this virgin sangría by Natural Sweet Recipes, made with freshly squeezed orange juice. Get the Healthy Non-Alcoholic Sangría recipe. (And see more non-alcoholic cocktail recipes if you’re intrigued.)

For more tips, tricks, and healthy recipes, check out our healthy living page.

Related Video: How to Juice with Your Food Processor

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Shelly Westerhausen is the founder of Vegetarian ‘Ventures, a food blog that focuses on planet-based recipes and healthy eating habits. In her free time, you can find her rocking a wolf T-shirt, sipping on hibiscus tea, and working on her magazine, Driftless.

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