H is for: Healthy January {& Happy New Year!}

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and festive time ringing in 2018. As I mentioned in my Hot Honey Fried Chicken post yesterday, a “Healthy January” is much needed for my body at the moment. Knowing this was coming, I sort of blew it out in style, eating a bunch of pasta in the Bronx Saturday,  fried chicken for lunch yesterday, Joe’s Pizza for dinner, and Borgatti’s raviolis for dinner tonight.

But tomorrow….

Tomorrow commences a month of healthy eating and no alcohol. I’m also going to try to drink 64 ounces of water per day (I’m horrible about remembering to drink water, so I even downloaded an app to help.) And I’m also going to avoid dairy, added sugar and most grains… to which my friend Nicole asked today “What exactly are you going to eat?!?” Haha, fair enough… but the answer is: lots of veggies and meat.

Since I figure a lot of people will be doing the same, I’ve put together a few ideas to help get you started. It was fun to go back through some of my old posts (sadly, most were pre-Justin, so the photos aren’t as pretty, but you’ll get the idea.) I’m also hoping to do a couple of posts this month with additional healthy recipe ideas, so stay tuned!

Thai Cashew Chicken with Cauliflower Rice: This is one of my more recent posts… from back in November when I did a similar detox. This recipe uses cauliflower rice instead of white rice, and omits a lot of the sugar and fat from a traditional Cashew Chicken recipe. I might actually make it this week!

Marinara Sauce: If you follow me on Instagram stories, you’ll notice that I make this sauce quite a bit. Now admittedly, it’s lately been to use for raviolis or garlic knots or cheesy meatballs… BUT, it’s also a great base to make a healthy dish as well. I actually plan on adding some cooked, ground chicken to the batch I made tonight and serve it over veggie noodles tomorrow. (I usually do zucchini noodles, but I’m trying butternut squash noodles.)

Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles: Speaking of veggie noodles, they are a great way to omit pasta and get more veggies in your diet. This recipe uses them to make Pad Thai, swapping out rice noodles for zucchini noodles. This dish has a ton of flavor while being low in carbs. If you really want to go all out with veggie noodles… check out this blogger who does all recipes using her very own Inspiralizer that she developed!

Tortilla Española: This is one of my all-time favorite dishes, stemming from when I studied abroad my senior year of college in Spain. It’s basically a Spanish frittata and this particular recipe is a lightened-up version of it, using far less potatoes, more zucchini, and less oil. If you wanted to healthify it even more (yes I made that word up), you could sub a sweet potato instead of russet potato. It’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and can be eaten warm, room temperature or even cold. I also used a spiralizer for the potatoes and zucchini.

Winter Citrus Salsa with Pistachio Crusted Fish: This recipe is a suuuuuper oldie but goodie. (Back from my SF days, during the first 6 months of this blog’s existence.) Eating fish is a great way to cut calories, and this one ups the flavor value by crusting it in pistachios and topping it with a refreshing winter citrus salsa of grapefruit, blood orange and tangerines. I’m definitely going to make it this month! (But since I no longer eat tilapia, I’ll probably pick something like sea bass.) If you like salmon, I also really enjoy this Blackened Salmon with Chipotle Squash.

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili: I’m definitely going to make chili at some point this month, especially with the weather forecast looking so brutally cold. This particular version is vegetarian, using pumpkin in the base. I’m thinking I need to add a new chili recipe to the blog, so I might do one using bison or turkey this week… stay tuned!

Acorn Squash stuffed with Apples & Quinoa: Sticking with the vegetarian theme, I love these stuffed acorn squash. It works great as a side but it’s definitely hearty enough for a main course. If you prefer to have meat, you could definitely sub the quinoa for some cooked, ground turkey!

Detox Salad: I know, I know. Salads are boring to me too. BUT…. this one has so many delicious things in it like apples, grapefruit, golden raisins and sesame seeds served over massaged kale. If you want more protein, you could also top it with some grilled or roasted chicken!

Shredded Chicken Lettuce Tacos: UPDATE! A couple people asked for healthy tacos in the comments section, so I’m adding this super easy shredded chicken recipe. You make the chicken in the slow cooker and serve them in lettuce cups. No, not as satisfying as a delicious corn tortilla, but if you load them up with veggies and cilantro and avocado, they’re still pretty good! I also have a recipe for Asian Lettuce Cups, if you are looking to go that route. Or even Tuna Salad in Endive Leaves.

What about you guys? Are you planning to do a Healthy January as well? If so, comment with something you’d like to see me make on the blog this month. And in the meantime… I hope you all have a healthy and prosperous 2018!