Like many students at one point or another, you’ve probably told yourself that you’re going to eat healthier starting tomorrow. Well guess what — tomorrow has come! Here are some easy healthy recipes to get you started living a healthier and happier life.

Egg served on a bed of spinach

This brunch idea came to me when my fridge had only a random assortment of items, and items that needed to be used right away — this lead me to get creative with spinach, eggs and onion. This recipe is full of protein, vitamins and other nutrients and serves one.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 big handful of spinach

¼ cup onion chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to season

Steps:

1. Add olive oil to a pan and cook the onion until translucent. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook until the spinach becomes wilted.

2. Create a well in the spinach and onion mixture and crack the egg into the well.

3. Cook the egg to meet your preference and serve.

Smoothie bowl

Smoothie bowls are a healthy breakfast option for students that will provide them with enough fuel to get through the day.

Personally, I had never heard of a smoothie bowl until one of my roommates introduced them to me and as soon as I tried it, I flew over to the smoothie bowl team — their ease and taste captured me. Smoothie bowls are great because there are so many variations to try and they can satisfy your sweet tooth. This recipe serves one.

Ingredients:

¾ cup frozen fruit of your choice

½ cup greens such as spinach or kale

½ cup liquid of your choice, such as water, juice or milk

Toppings such as nuts, oats, dried fruit, flax or chia seeds

Steps:

1. In a blender, mix the fruit, greens and liquid until you reach your desired consistency.

2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add whatever toppings you desire and serve.

Banana peanut butter chocolate ice-cream 

If you’re a lover of ice-cream, this is the treat for you! It taste just like the real stuff, but isn’t packed with the extra sugar, dairy and fat. This recipe serves one.

Ingredients:

1 – 2 frozen bananas

1 tablespoon peanut butter (to avoid processed sugar use organic peanut butter)

½ – 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Steps:

1. Process the frozen banana in a high-powered blender or food processor until it resembles the texture of ice-cream; this will take a couple of minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and cocoa powder and blend.

Yogurt dessert

Although this dessert is extremely simple, it definitely satisfies that sweet tooth without excessive amounts of processed sugar and other not-so-good for you ingredients. This recipe serves one.

Ingredients:

½ cup yogurt (for less sugary yogurt use plain instead of a flavoured kind)

½ – 1 cup fruit of your choice

Steps:

1. Combine the fruit and yogurt in the bowl.

2. If you want to add a little something extra, drizzle honey or agave syrup on top, and sprinkle some chia or flax seeds on top as well.

Sweet chili salmon with a side of asparagus and rice

Salmon has seen a lot of praise in its day for being a healthy food — part of this reason is due to its content of omega-3 fatty acid, which has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Among others, rice is an essential producer of vitamin B and asparagus contains other important vitamins including vitamin A, C and E. This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets

4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 bunch of asparagus, about 20 stalks

½ cup uncooked brown rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to season

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cook rice according to package instructions.

3. On one half of a baking sheet, place the salmon filets skin side down and cover both fillets with the sweet chili sauce and season with salt and pepper.

4. Toss asparagus in olive oil to coat and then place, in a single layer, on the tray. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until fully cooked and serve with rice.

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Kezia Fourie

Photo: mealmakeovermoms / Flickr