2015-01-14





Once upon a time there were cookbooks. And then came the Internet, and with it recipe-laden sites like Epicurious and Allrecipes. Suddenly, the need to use books was pretty much gone.

Sites like Pinterest make it even easier. Browsing through a feed of carefully curated pins can evoke cravings you never knew you had (pepperoni and cheese crescent rolls, anyone?), and you can create collections of all your favorite eats in a matter of minutes. It’s like the sous chef you always wanted—but without the chopping skills.

While it’s easy to get lost in the likes of funfetti cake batter Oreo ice cream and guacamole grilled cheese, Pinterest is overflowing with healthy recipes too. To help you sort through the stacks of pancakes and sprinkle-covered everything, here are the 22 best Pinterest boards to follow for all the healthy eating inspiration you’ll ever need.



Photo: Cookie and Kate

1. Hearty Breakfasts, Cookie and Kate

Sick of peanut butter toast and granola bars? Even if you’re not (we’d never get sick of peanut butter!), this board is full of amazing and nutritious recipes to breathe new life into your mornings. From breakfast pizza (yep, pizza for breakfast) to goat cheese scrambled eggs with pesto veggies to a blackberry smoothie bowl, your taste buds will never be bored again—and your stomach will be a whole lot happier.

Photo: Tasty Yummies

2. Healthy Snack Food Recipes, Tasty Yummies

It can be tough to get snacks just right. A handful of trail mix can clock in at more than 200 calories, and pre-packed goods can leave you hungry (and on the verge of a salt overdose!). That’s not exactly how we like to fuel between meals. This board comes to the rescue with healthy snack recipes like zucchini nachos, homemade potato chips, and sriracha honey cashews, helping you say good-bye to the corner store and hello to the kitchen (and a healthier you). Plus, they’re all pretty easy to make!

Photo: The Bojoun Gourmet

3. Food, Glorious Food, Maia McDonald

Sometimes it’s best not to categorize food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner... there are no rules when it comes to eating what Maia so accurately describes as "food, glorious food." With recipes such as mini mozzarella sticks, creamy baked parsnips, and honey and beer glazed chicken skewers, you’ll be set for 24 hours of the most amazing (and healthiest) munching ever.

Photo: Brooklyn Supper

4. Salads That Aren’t Sad, BuzzFeed Food

We’ve all seen them: piles of nearly clear lettuce topped with thinly sliced cucumber, aging carrot shreds, and (maybe) a tomato. Those are sad salads. But the veggie-filled meal doesn’t have to tasteless and drab. Our pals at BuzzFeed share the best of leafy greens, with amazing combinations like the baby kale breakfast and Thai brussels crunch salad.

Photo: Gimme Some Oven

5. Appetizers, Gimme Some Oven

There are few more enjoyable things in life than sitting down to a delicious, home-cooked meal—unless there are appetizers first! Though a cheese plate always does the trick, we like to change things up with smoked Gouda quesadillas, spring pea crostini, and white pizza pull-apart bread. After checking out this board, you may not want dinner anymore.

Photo: Damn Delicious

6. Vegetables/Vegetarian, Damn Delicious

Eating vegetables may have felt like a form of torture as a child, but these suggestions are insanely delicious (to the point where even your child palate would be pleased). Whether you’re making fried brussels sprout leaves with lemon and chili flakes, smoky creamed kale, or caprese-style stuffed tomatoes, these dishes will give you a new appreciation for produce—and prove that veggie dishes extend far beyond soggy, steamed broccoli.

Photo: Simple Healthy Kitchen

7. Delicious, Jane Wang

When it comes to eating, we don’t think you should waste your time on anything that isn’t delicious. After all, you only need a few healthy ingredients to whip up epic meals and snacks. This board sticks to our favorite foodie criteria (being delicious) and provides a wide array of options, from garlic butter mushroom risotto to a 60-second chocolate chip mug cake. All of the recipes may not be totally healthy, but it’s important to #treatyoself everyone once in a while. (And it’s good for you too!)

Photo: Half Baked Harvest

8. Soups, Half Baked Harvest

Healthy, easy to make, and one of the most affordable meals out there, soups are a great option for any occasion—whether you’re cooking a week’s worth of lunches or looking for the ultimate crowd-pleaser at a dinner party. You may have mastered some staples, but there’s no reason to stick to a few recipes when there are hundreds to try. We like experimenting with the likes of spicy Thai green curry ramen, chicken minestrone, and broccoli almond soup. Trust us: They’re much easier to make than they sound and well worth the effort.

Photo: Two Peas and Their Pod

9. Side Dishes, Two Peas and Their Pod

No dish is complete without a healthy side of veggie goodness—or mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, or squash fries. No matter the meal, this board has the perfect thing to complement it. And it’s diet-friendly too, with plenty of low-carb, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Our favorites: cilantro lime quinoa, caramelized onion sweet potatoes, and roasted cauliflower with figs and olives.

Photo: How Sweet Eats

10. Easy Meals, How Sweet Eats

With more than 2,000 recipes to choose from, this board ensures you won’t go hungry or get bored anytime soon. And don’t let the pictures fool you: These recipes are all doable and (mostly) healthy. If you’re overwhelmed with the options or too hungry to sift through them, start with these: vegan shepherd’s pie, healthy quinoa chicken curry bowls, crispy salmon with winter fruit salsa, or beer glazed grilled chicken.

Photo: Vegan Yack Attack

11. Vegan Food Galore, VegNews Magazine

In a world of bacon, butter, and cheese, it can be tough to find vegan recipes that are both filling and satisfying. This board cuts through the chalky cheese and chewy meat replacements to find the best and most delicious vegan options out there. Even people who don’t regularly eat vegan will agree: grilled almond butter, dark chocolate, and pomegranate sandwiches are pretty damn delightful—as is buffalo chickpea mac and cheese, cauliflower jerky, and vegan crab rangoon.

Photo: The Kitchn

12. Healthy Comfort Food, The Kitchn

Devouring comfort food can leave many feeling way too full and stricken with cheese remorse. But it doesn’t have to be that way! There are several ways to enjoy comfort food dishes without the inevitable food coma—and also plenty of recipes that are full of healthy ingredients. Here, you’ll find meals like lasagna-stuffed spaghetti squash, double chocolate zucchini bread, and olive oil, lemon, and sea salt sundaes. How’s that for comforting?

Photo: Vega Team

13. Best Smoothies, Vega Team

Smoothies are some of the most-pinned food items, and for good reason: They’re often full of healthy fruits (and veggies), packed with protein, and require minimal prep work and preparation. These recipes mostly call for using Vega products, but we’ve tried many of the recipes, and they taste awesome with almost any protein powder you have on hand. The chocolate orange smoothie is to die for, as are the cinnamon bun, lime blueberry, and coconut avocado smoothies. We say try ‘em all!

Photo: Blog Over Thyme

14. Healthy Food, Jessica Wall

We like getting straight to the point, which is exactly what Jessica Wall does in her Healthy Foods board. With recipe ideas for every hour of the day (and more than 2,000 options to try!), no healthy option goes unexplored. The top recipes on our to-make list: rainbow veggie flatbread pizza, baked chicken with spinach and artichokes, pineapple flurry and coconut chia pudding, and shakshuka. We love takeout, but this board is enough to convince us to take a break.

Photo: Damn Delicious

15. Seasons Eatings, Greatist

Navigating the holidays can feel a bit like riding the Titanic. You start with grand ambitions, and the next thing you know, you’re sinking in wine and cookie dough. The trick to doing it right is allowing treats on occasion and altering recipes to be healthier (while just as tasty as the originals). At Greatist, we’re firm believers in flavor and indulging in the good stuff (we’ll never let go!), and our Seasons Eatings board helps you do just that. From DIY candy bars for Halloween to nutritious cookies for Christmas, these recipes will keep your holiday ambitions afloat.

Photo: Kalyn's Kitchen

16. Deliciously Healthy Low Carb Recipes, Kalyn’s Kitchen

Featuring recipes that are both low-carb and gluten-free, this board is the perfect place to get inspiration when looking for light, high-protein meals. From coffee-braised lamb shanks to garlic and parsley butter shrimp to cauliflower quiche, you won’t miss your carb-filled meals. (Until next time, oatmeal). If you are a carb lover, don’t worry, this board is still useful. Simply add a small side of quinoa, rice, or roasted sweet potato.

Photo: Damn Delicious

17. Chicken Dinners, Williams Sonoma

If we’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that our readers love chicken. In particular, spicing up boring ol’ chicken breast. When you’re done trying out our 67 favorite recipes, turn to this Chicken Dinners board. Whether sautéed with lemon butter, shredded and dropped into cheese broth, or coated in pretzels and drizzled with honey mustard, these recipes provide everything you need for a menu loaded with lean protein.

Photo: Oh My Veggies

18. Vegetarian Sandwiches, Oh My Veggies

If an excuse to eat grilled cheese sandwiches makes you feel like you just won the lottery, head over to this board ASAP. With amazing creations like Greek-style quinoa burgers, portabella mushroom cheesesteaks, and white bean cheddar melts, you’ll have more healthy reasons to bite into paninis than you ever thought possible. We also love to use lettuce wraps in place of the bread for some of these—though we don’t recommend trying to melt the fillings in this scenario.

Photo: A Beautiful Mess

19. Meal Ideas, A Beautiful Mess

For a blog called A Beautiful Mess, this board sure isn’t one (though it is beautiful!). It’s full of healthy, nutritious recipes such as quinoa shrimp scampi, vegan green chili mac and cheese, and zucchini and squash pad Thai—and the recipes are simple enough for a chef at any level to master. The hardest part is not devouring them in five minutes. Though some of these meals aren’t the healthiest (we’re looking at you, mac and cheese pie with bacon), there are plenty of good ones to round it out.

Photo: skinnytaste

20. Skinny Gluten-Free Recipes, skinnytaste

While gluten-free products have become widely available in the past few years, it can be difficult to come up with (and find) creative recipes to satisfy gluten-free needs. That's why we love boards like this one, which has nearly 400 options of g-free goods for every meal. Our favorites: loaded cauliflower “mash” bake, baked pears with walnuts and honey, BBQ chicken chili, and the roasted strawberry protein smoothie.

Photo: POPSUGAR Fitness

21. Healthy Dessert, POPSUGAR Fitness

A life without dessert would be a sad one indeed. But we’re the first to admit that many of the drool-worthy options out there (edible chocolate cups filled with ice cream, for example) can be filled with a week’s worth of sugar. Delicious as those may be, we’re all about healthier options—so we can eat that much more! Our pals at POPSUGAR rounded up some of the best, like healthier peanut butter balls, baked pumpkin doughnuts, and chickpea cookie dough. Keep calm, and get your dessert on.

Photo: Half Baked Harvest

22. Healthy Delicious, Katie at the Kitchen Door

This board puts our two favorite food words together: healthy and delicious. With recipes ranging from ginger miso soba soup to coconut curry with crispy tofu to avocado summer rolls, this board has all of your healthy food needs covered. Though some of the recipes sound slightly exotic, they’re actually pretty easy to make, and like all recipes on this list, they’re worth your while.

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