How Does Clean Eating Work
Although the basic tenets of clean eating focus on eating whole and natural foods and removing processed foods, sometimes it is helpful to have specific examples and lists of what is generally allowed on a clean eating diet.
Since clean eating is more of a healthy eating philosophy than specific diet plan, there are no calorie limits or specific things you must eat when following a clean eating diet. Instead you should focus on eating foods that are clean and allowed on the diet and avoiding those foods that are not allowed as often as possible.
Easy Clean Eating Recipes For Beginners
Clean eating doesnt have to be overly expensive, hard to follow, or complicated. By choosing real, whole foods that dont come in a package, youll be on the right path. Find tons of clean eating tips and recipes in this article.
If youre new to clean eating or looking for more recipes, then youve come to the right place! Ive rounded up the best clean eating recipes for beginners that are both easy and delicious.
What Not To Eat
Anything that has a lot of calories, but no nutrients or is just evil . No soda, no refined grains, unfortunately no pizza, no fruit juices, nothing with sugar, nothing processed. Between a turkey and turkey bacon, you take the turkey.
Sometimes processed foods dont have more calories than unprocessed foods, but have added ingredients that are super harmful and you wouldnt even want to touch with gloves. Got it? Go as unprocessed and unpackaged as possible.
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Bulk Cook Brown Rice On Sunday To Save Time
At the start of the week you want to bulk cook certain ingredients like your rice at the start of the week.
This will ensue you have some cooked rice handy throughout the week to serve alongside curries, stir fries or meats. You dont want to come home after a long day and spend 30 minutes cooking rice.
If you dont have a rice cooker, be sure to check out how to make perfect fluffy rice on the stove here.
Hot Tip: Make 2 servings of food for dinner and pack one serving for lunch the next day.
To make things easier for you and to minimize your cooking time, I have included two servings in the dinner recipe.
This way you can cook two servings the night before and save one for lunch the next day. I usually just pack mine in a plastic container and microwave it the next day at lunch time.
Plus who actually has time in the morning to cook their breakfast and lunch??!
Pork Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Onions
Use a stainless steel pan instead of a nonstick here, if possible. A stainless surface will better collect fond from the pork, which is then deglazed to lend rich flavor to the mushrooms and onions as they cook. Cook pork tenderloin on the stovetop instead of oven-roasting it this gives it a delicious brown crust. Medium heat is key: It browns the pork without burning or toughening the surface before the middle reaches the right temp.
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Avoid Foods Prepared In Unhealthy Ways
- Although healthy oils and fats are allowed on clean eating plans, people who follow these diets usually try to avoid foods prepared in unhealthy ways, even if everything is used is technically a whole food. For example, someone on a clean eating plan would avoid almond crusted deep fried avocado even though the almonds, avocado, and oil are all clean eating friendly.
Crispy Tofu Steaks With Broccoli Rabe And Romesco
Tofu comes in all different styles and textures, but our favorite way to eat it is crispy. And if youve never tried it yourself, this recipe for crispy tofu steaks with broccoli rabe and romesco is a good place to start. The crispy tofu was enough to reel us in, but what really impressed us was the ingenious shortcut for the sauce.
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Clean Eating Dinner Recipes
12. Tamarind-Chipotle Steak Nachos
I made these nachos one night out of both hunger and necessity. I grabbed everything I had available and this beautiful creation come about. Add a side of vegetables and some cheese if you so desire to have a super fun dinner.
13. Sriracha Honey Sesame Chicken Dinner
This combination of honey and sriracha, along with a hint of sesame offers a balance of Asian-inspired flavors, served along with puffy brown rice and some roasted broccoli. A simple recipe for any night of the week, made to satisfy any spice-heads.
This 30-minute recipe is a guilty pleasure of mine. The basics of this dish is to build flavor in various steps – the sauce is built on a base of aromatics, followed by a slew of sauces that add further flavor.
Add any favorite carbohydrate and extra vegetables if necessary!
This vegan dinner option is a fun and complete meal that is highly enjoyable after a full day of activities. The secret here? The sauce!
Chicken With Spinach & Tomato Orzo Salad
Baked chicken breasts cook in the oven while you mix together a Mediterranean-inspired salad–packed with veggies, whole-wheat orzo and an easy homemade vinaigrette–for a weekend-worthy dinner on the table in under an hour. The leftovers from this healthy 400-calorie meal make a delicious packable lunch for the next day.
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Salmon And Asparagus Foil Packs With Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce
Whip up something quick and delicious tonight! Salmon and asparagus are baked together with a rich buttery sauce in individual foil packs. The bright lemon flavor pair perfectly with butter, and garlic adds a pungent touch to this wonderful care-free dinner. This easy oven baked salmon in foil recipe is a winner! Get the recipe
Stock Up Your Fridge And Pantry With Natural Unprocessed Foods
Let me ask you a question.
If your kitchen was stocked full of chocolate, instant noodles, biscuits and Twinkies, what are you more likely to eat?
Its a no brainer
At the end of the day, healthy eating is simple. If youre kitchen is cluttered with all this unhealthy processed stuff, you will most likely end up eating that.
Its ok to have a box of ice cream in the freezer or a packet of chocolate chip cookies in the pantry. But just make sure your kitchen largely stocked up on the good stuff.
And having your pantry and fridge well stocked up, comes down to doing your grocery shopping effectively before the busy week starts.
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Juicy Ground Turkey Dinners
It is true that ground turkey can be dry. But rest assured, I have included only the juiciest turkey dinner recipes.
For more uses for that pack of ground turkey that is better for you than beef, browse our collection of 45 ground turkey recipes.
Healthy Thai Meatballs with turkey, coconut milk, red curry paste and zucchini instead of breadcrumbs. Rave reviews from EVERYONE!
How To Create A Healthy Clean Eating Menu
‘Clean eating’, or a clean eating diet, is a phrase/concept you have probably seen increasingly being used over the last few years. This has been coined as an expression that refers to a wholesome way of eating focused on organic foods meaning, a lifestyle based on eating natural foods like whole-grains, fruits and veggies, lean proteins, and heart healthy fats like avocados, nuts and seeds, and plant based oils.
Clean eating refers to the consumption of minimally processed foods, ethically raised, and rich in nutrients.
Since ‘clean’ is an arbitrary term, it does not mean foods that do not meet the criteria described above are ‘dirty’ or harmful to eat. Limiting certain foods that may not provide sound nutrition, and substituting these with nutrient dense foods for the bulk of your eating habits is what this lifestyle promotes.
It is possible to be too restrictive when it comes to your food choices and theres no strong research showing that the occasional processed food is going to make or break your health.
With this in mind, when planning a clean menu, think of the following:
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Clean Eating Recipes: Mains And Quick Meals
Keto Halibut Ceviche
For the ultimate minimally-processed clean eating recipe, ceviche fits the bill. This quick meal cooks raw chunks of sushi-grade halibut in fresh lime juice, then tops it with nourishing fats from avocado and Brain Octane Oil. Just 10 minutes from start to finish!
Image via Downshiftology
Thanks to quick-cooking shrimp, this clean eating salad takes a total of 20 minutes. This salad also gets flavor and texture from sliced avocado, green onions, and chunks of cooked asparagus. To stay more Bulletproof, swap the raw spinach with greens like watercress or arugula, get wild-caught shrimp, and skip the garlic in the vinaigrette.
Image via My Life Cookbook
With a few clean eating ingredients and a high-powered blender, this refreshing soup gets to your bowl in 10 minutes flat. Blitz ingredients like avocado, cucumber, jalapeño, and spices together for a cool and refreshing meal packed with fat and fiber.
Quick Pickled Vegetables
For a tart and tangy condiment you can make at home, give this clean eating recipe a try. Add your favorite firm veggies to a jar, then add a quick solution made with apple cider vinegar and salt. This one takes only 10 minutes to make.
Image via Empowered Sustenance
Top 10 Clean Eating Recipes
2020 is almost overheavy sigh. Good riddance! Bringing in a new year with healthy feel good foodssimply prepared of course! Check out our Top 10 Faves! Now clearly we got carried away and have much more than 10 Clean Eating Recipes here, but there is just so much good food to eat we had to share!
Join the January Clean Eating Challenge at Laughing Spatula | Welcome to The Kitchen our private Facebook group. Hundreds are already signed up and following. Lets share the journey and learn as we go! Sharing tips, tricks, exercise hacks and tools to navigate the first 31 days of 20201!
We love the camaraderie of having so many people on board to navigate clean eating with us- Best part is, this group is private, so only members can see our discussions. Its like a secret club with free easy recipes!
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Healthy Tacos & Burritos
Kids love anything tacos, quesadillas and burritos. Just like they love anything muffins. Cant get away from cheese when making those. I try to use a bit less of quality natural or organic cheese. And load these healthy taco recipes with veggies, protein and wrap in whole wheat or corn tortillas. Easy and healthy!
If your midday meal is a struggle, check out these easy healthy lunch ideas!
Eat Your Way Clean: 20 Easy Recipes
Find below exactly what you were looking for, and exactly what we promised: a collection of recipes to guide you and inspire your weekly breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. We have also included some singular side recipes for you to consider.
If you are meal prepping, you can pick 2-3 from each category below, prepare in bulk, and store in your fridge to have an easy and healthy week planned ahead of you.
As a plus, find one plant-based idea on each meal period to add to your rotation.
Preparation is the key to success, and staying on top of your nutrition is no different!
If you like this collection of recipes, check out our Nutrition and Fitness Community for more similar content.
Let’s dig in.
1. Shakshuka Breakfast Recipe
Shakshuka is an Israeli dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This dish however, from personal experience, is a delicious and very well rounded breakfast meal.
This recipe is perfect if you are cooking for a family of 4, or simply want to knock a few breakfasts ahead of time! Pair it with some whole-grain toast and you’ve got yourself a complete meal!
Casseroles provide an amazing well rounded breakfast in a very compressed way. Like some of our other clean eating recipes, this recipe is perfect to spice up your meal prep for your week.
One recipe can yield a few days worth of breakfast and snacks!
Enjoy it with a side of scrambled eggs.
4. Breakfast Burrito Recipe
The low-carb aspect? Jicama tortillas!
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Dont Be Too Restrictive
When I first started trying to eat healthier, I was restricting myself to chicken breast and broccoli every single day.
This was also due to the fact that I didnt actually know how to cook anything else apart from instant noodles
But remember not to restrict yourself. Moderation is the name of the game. You can absolutely still have ice cream after dinner.
But instead of finishing the whole tub whilst watching Gossip Girl in bedtry moderating your serving to just two or three tablespoons. I promise youll feel a lot better afterwards as well!
How To Make Clean Eating Part Of Your Lifestyle
And there you have it! A full day of Clean Eating! Breakfast takes 1 minute to prepare the night before and another minute to top in the morning. Lunch takes 15-20 minutes to prepare, and dinner takes 40 minutes tops, of which 20 minutes require you to do nothing at all but wait.
Now, if this day sounds delicious to you and you want to make healthy clean eating a part of your lifestyle, the best way to change your eating habits is to commit to the change for at the very least 6 weeks, so it really sinks in and becomes part of your routine. You will find that later it will become an automatic daily decision. After 6 weeks of eating healthy, you feel amazing and cant imagine eating junk food or processed food on the regular ever again.
My 6-Week Clean Eating Mastery Programis a complete done-for-you solution. A macro-nutritionally balanced meal plan with grocery lists and recipes all in one place so all you have to do is follow the plan and not spend any time worrying if youre doing it right.
If you are finally COMMITED to turning your life around, then start TODAY!
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Healthy White Chicken Chili
Healthy White Chicken Chili is a 30 minute meal with chicken breast, white beans, corn, cumin and yogurt. This healthy dinner idea is easy to make on the stove, crockpot or just make Instant Pot white chicken chili. A true crowd pleaser!
Chicken turns out flavorful and tender! Choose from fajita, greek, lemon, teriyaki and ranch marinades. Each simple marinade is made ingredients you probably already have on hand!
Eating Clean Recipes For Beginners
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Basil Pesto Pasta With Grilled Vegetables
This dish is an easy way to turn grilled vegetables into a satisfying meal, thanks to hearty whole-grain pasta and a quick homemade pesto.
This dish is packed with flavor and fits perfectly into a Mediterranean diet.
Hummus goes from appetizer to main dish as a rich, tangy coating on chicken breasts. In the oven, the hummus coating caramelizes slightly and the sprinkle of sesame seeds turns extra-crunchy and nutty. For leftovers, you could slice up the chicken and tuck it into a pita with crisp lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Avoid Processed Foods Grains And Sugars
- Since you are choosing whole and natural foods, you want to avoid any processed foods, grains, and sugars. This means avoiding store bought breads, cookies, chips, pastas, crackers, candy, and even processed dairy like flavored light yogurt. This doesnt mean that you cant eat anything that comes in a bag, box, or carton it just means you need to read the ingredients.
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Fig And Arugula Salad With Walnuts And Goat Cheese
Super clean salads highlight all kinds of fresh, wholesome, unprocessed foods, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and more. Chickpeas, goat cheese, and walnuts pump up the protein in this arugula salad, making it a hearty meatless main. Dried figs add a big fiber boostmore per serving than any other fruit. Nuts are a common ingredient in clean cooking because they fill you up, provide hard-to-get nutrients like magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamin E, and are chock full of good fats.
When it comes to salad dressings, clean dressings are low in fat but still pop with flavor from fresh herbs, zesty spices, or a splash of fruit juice. In this recipe, honey blends with a dash of balsamic vinegar to pack a tangy-sweet punch.