July 28, 2023

Donation Essentials Blog

Healthy Recipes for a Healthy Mind and Body

July 28, 2023

You Are What You Eat

Healthy Recipes

When nutritionists emphasize the phrase, ‘you are what you eat,’ sometimes it holds a great deal of truth. Healthy recipes are a great way to keep both your mind and body in its best possible state. 

The state of our health is intricately connected to our lifestyle and eating habits. Healthy eating with quality, unprocessed ingredients not only boosts our energy levels and overall well-being but also plays a significant role in healing some medical conditions and preventing certain diseases.

High blood pressure and diseases including diabetes and cancer, among others, greatly affect our vital organs such as the heart, liver, kidney, lungs, etc. By fostering healthy habits, maintaining a nutritious diet, and prioritizing our well-being, we can mitigate the risk of these diseases, ultimately reducing the likelihood of requiring an organ transplant.

Today, there are 105,000 people in the United States waiting for a life-saving transplant. In Colorado and Wyoming alone, there are nearly 1,500 people waiting.

Let’s unite in supporting this cause as a community, empowering ourselves with knowledge, registering as organ donors through the DMV or on our website, and raising awareness for those who are patiently waiting. Moreover, we extend an invitation for you to join us in preventing disease by adopting a healthy eating lifestyle.

Nutritious and delicious

Discover below a selection of delicious easy snack recipes to enrich your menu with healthy options.

Remember: Selecting natural ingredients, avoiding processed foods, reading labels, staying hydrated, and being physically active is the best recipe for health!

Bow-Tie Pasta Salad

Serving size: ⅓ cup

Ingredients

2 cups cooked bow-tie pasta

¼ cup chopped celery

2 tbsp chopped green pepper

2 tbsp shredded carrot

2 tbsp minced onion

⅛ tsp pepper

⅔ cup mayonnaise, low-fat

½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Mix pasta, celery, green pepper, carrot, and onion in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, blend pepper, mayonnaise, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over pasta and vegetables. Mix until well-coated. Chill before serving.

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

Serving size: 1 oversized taco

Ingredients
Pineapple Salsa

1 cup pineapple, chopped

2 tbsp green onions, chopped

1 tbsp red onion, chopped

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp lime juice

Shrimp Tacos

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1½ tbsp Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash*

1½ pound shrimp (approximately 32 medium-sized shrimp), cooked, no tails, peeled, deveined, thawed (if frozen)

4 corn tortillas, taco size

2 cups cabbage, shredded

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together olive oil, garlic, and Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash. Toss shrimp into this mixture, coating the shrimp well. Set aside to marinate. Shrimp mixture can also be made ahead of time and marinated in the refrigerator. Put salsa together. Mix pineapple salsa ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

Heat skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp mixture to the pan and cook for approximately 4 minutes, turning shrimp once, until heated through. (Shrimp can also be grilled in a vegetable-type grill basket). Assemble tacos by dividing the shrimp mixture among the 4 tortillas. Top with 1/4 cup shredded cabbage.

Top each taco with 1/4 of the salsa mixture. Each taco will be overstuffed.

*Substitute Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash with:

1/3 cup chili powder

2 tbsp dried cilantro

2 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp dried basil

1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp ground chipotle pepper

Apple Nachos

Serving size: 1 person

Ingredients

1 medium apple, sliced,

1/2 cup plain reduced-fat Greek yogurt

1 tsp. honey

1 Tbsp. almond butter

3 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. salted pumpkin seeds

1 tsp. chia seeds

1 Tbsp. granola chunks

1/8 tsp. cinnammon

Directions

Slice apple into thin slices (about 25 slices) and arrange on a plate. Mix yogurt, honey, almond butter and water together and drizzle over apples. If yogurt dip is too thick to drizzle, add more water to thin out. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and granola chunks on top of yogurt layer.

To finish, sprinkle cinnamon over the entire dish and serve immediately.

Almond Snack Mix

Serving size: 1 person

2/3 cup whole-grain cereal squares

1/3 cup whole, unsalted almonds

1/2 cup low-fat granola (without raisins)

1/4 cup dried apricot halves, cut into pieces

or

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup sweetened, dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted, stirring once or twice to ensure even baking. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Stir in the cooled almonds.

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