5 Healthy (and Cheap!) Recipes to Help You Stick to Your 2021 Goals

By Amelia Woolard

New year, new health and fitness goals? For many college students, the weeks following the holidays are a perfect time to renew their wellness resolutions, whether they revolve around working out more, stressing less, or swapping their diet of pizza and soda for something a little more nutritious and beneficial to the body. Hey, after a year of pandemic-related anxiety, you are now more aware of how impactful your physical health is to your well-being – so, why not take charge of it in 2021?

When it comes to sticking to a healthy lifestyle, there’s really no way around it: you need to get comfortable with preparing your own meals. It’s not all bad, though! Lots of college students actually fall in love with cooking for themselves, after they discover and perfect a solid repertoire blogger-approved recipes. Not sure where to begin? We’ve done the legwork for you, with these five recipes that are delicious, affordable, and health-conscious!

Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowls

If you love poke, you have to try these Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowls from Budget Bytes. Similar to your favorite Hawaiian-inspired power bowl, this recipe brings together budget-friendly canned tuna, pre-made guacamole, vegetables, edamame, cilantro, and brown rice for a simple, yet surprisingly flavorful, lunch or dinner dish. Best of all, you can customize your bowl based on flavor preferences, and since it’s served cold, you can easily take it on the go!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 5-ounce cans chunk light tuna in water
• 8 ounces guacamole
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1/4 bunch cilantro
• 4 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Cook the edamame according to the package directions. Allow the edamame to cool.
2. Dice the cucumber and shred the carrot using a large box or cheese grater. Drain the tuna and roughly chop the cilantro.
3. To build the bowls, place 3/4 cup of cooked rice in the bottom of each bowl. Top with 1/4 cup edamame, 1/2 a can of tuna, 1/4 cup guacamole, a handful of diced cucumber, a pinch of shredded carrots, and a few pieces of fresh cilantro. Drizzle sriracha over top, add a pinch or two of sesame seeds, and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to four days.

Keto-Friendly Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Sauce

For those nights when you need an impressive and delicious dinner, look no further than this standout recipe from Here to Cook. These Keto-friendly chicken thighs are sauteed with mushrooms and heavy cream, resulting in a rich and decadent sauce that you’ll want to pour over literally everything – and no, that’s not an over-exaggeration! It’s also low-carb, so you can enjoy this restaurant-quality dish knowing that you’re faithfully sticking to your New Year’s meal plan.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
• 8 ounces baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ small onion, diced
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Unsalted butter for frying
• Green onions for garnishing, chopped

Instructions:

1. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and black pepper to taste. Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat and add the butter.
2. When the butter has melted, add the onions and garlic and cook until they start browning.
3. Place the chicken thighs onto the skillet and fry on each side for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
4. When the chicken has a nice, crispy crust on both sides and is no longer pink in the center, transfer it from the skillet to a clean plate and set aside.
5. On the same skillet, cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes or until they reduce in size and start browning. Then, add the heavy cream, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and cook for additional 5-10 minutes.
6. When the mushroom sauce is slightly thickened, add the chicken back to the skillet and let it cook without flipping it for another 2 minutes.
7. Serve hot, topped with freshly chopped green onions over a side dish of your choice.

Chorizo, Kale, & Sweet Potato Hash

Easing into a Paleo diet? Trying the Whole 30 nutrition plan? This potato hash, featuring chorizo, kale, and sweet potatoes, will quickly become your new go-to breakfast dish! Created by Mellissa of the I Breathe I’m Hungry food blog, this hash blends savory and sweet flavors for a wholesome meal that is just as good at breakfast or brunch as it is at dinnertime. You can even try it with cauliflower instead of sweet potatoes to make it more of a low-carb selection.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces raw chorizo sausage
• 2 cups sweet potato, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions:

1. Remove chorizo from casing and cook in a large sauté pan for about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Add sweet potatoes, garlic powder, cumin, and olive oil to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Then, add the onions and cooked chorizo back to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Dump in the kale and cook until wilted – about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, add lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Healthy Egg Muffins

If your idea of breakfast isn’t complete without eggs, check out this second delicious breakfast option: Healthy Egg Muffins! Erin of Well Plated outlines this health-conscious recipe, which is destined to become your favorite way to prepare breakfast, once you realize how much time these babies will save you in the morning. If you aren’t convinced yet, consider the fact that it includes ingredients that extend beyond the typical ham and cheese, incorporating a range of colorful and flavorful vegetables that allow you to “eat the rainbow” and absorb all those incredible nutrients along the way!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lightly packed baby spinach, chopped
• 3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper, approximately 1 small pepper
• 3/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper, approximately 1 small pepper
• 3/4 cup quartered cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 6 large eggs
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch ground black pepper or cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese plus additional to sprinkle on top
• Optional toppings: avocado salsa, hot sauce, freshly chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray. Divide the spinach, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and tomatoes among the cups.
2. In a large bowl or large measuring cup, briskly whisk together the eggs, egg whites, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper until well combined. Carefully fill each muffin cup three-quarters of the way to the top with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the feta evenly over the tops of the cups.
3. Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until the egg muffins are set. Let cool for a few minutes, and then run a butter knife around the edges of each muffin to loosen it. Remove them from the pan and enjoy immediately or let cool on a rack and refrigerate for later.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Talk about the ultimate comfort food! This Turkey Pumpkin Chili recipe from Isabel Eats checks all the boxes for us: it’s warm, it’s hearty, and it’s chock-full of nutrients. This chili substitutes higher-fat ground beef for turkey, thickens up the mix with fiber-rich pumpkin and sweet potatoes, and – of course – has plenty of beans. All in all, despite throwing in a few non-standard ingredients, this recipe still maintains that classic chili taste! It’s also freezer-friendly, so you can make a big batch now and save some for later. That’s a win-win in our book!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced into small cubes
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper
• Cilantro, limes, and/or avocados, for serving

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ground ginger, salt, and cumin.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the ground turkey mixture and cook for about 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through, crumbled and browned.
3. Transfer cooked meat to a large bowl and set aside.
4. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to Dutch oven and add in onion. Cook for about 5 minutes on until translucent and soft. Add in garlic and cook for one more minute.
5. Transfer cooked meat back to Dutch oven and add chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, white beans, pumpkin puree, sweet potatoes, chipotle pepper, remaining 2 teaspoons chili powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
6. Mix together and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes.
7. Serve with chopped cilantro, fresh limes, and avocados.

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