Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve with friends and family and have kicked off 2011 with a bang. We stayed in to ring in the New Year this year, and celebrated with friends, an enormous meal, and a whole lot of celebratory libations. After all of that revelry, Stan and I are feeling the need for some healthier meals and a little more exercise in our lives. While neither of us are big on New Year’s resolutions, eating better and moving more are certainly tops on many people’s lists for this time of year. So, in honor of those, like us, who need some holiday detox, or are trying to make good on healthy resolutions, today’s post features recipes that can help you cook your way to a healthier new year.

Soups and stews are always good in January, heating you up without filling you out. Here are some delicious, belly-warming options... (Just click on the recipe titles to link to the original posts!)

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Tortellini Soup

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Chickpea and Kale Stew

Chicken Posole

Soups make me think of salads. A few we like are:

Raw Kale Salad with Almonds and Cranberries

Green Bean Salad

Grilled Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

And don’t think you have to stick to just soups and salads for healthy eating. There are lots of healthy main dishes, too! A few options for you to consider…

Chicken and Mixed Sweet Pepper Pilaf

Three Bean and Beef Chili

Asian Marinated Chicken with Kumquat Sauce

Peppery Garlic Prawns

Calabacitas Casserole

Baked Panko Crusted Chicken with Basil Aioli

As you can see, there are lots of ways to eat well and eat healthy in the New Year. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2011!