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Heart-Healthy Dinners You Can Make in 3 Steps or Less (& Shopping List!)
There are small steps we can all take every day to help improve our heart health by managing or preventing high cholesterol and high blood pressure, reducing our risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack. This can mean fitting in some daily movement—it can be as simple as walking—getting enough sleep and limiting our intake of saturated fat and sodium. It’s up to you to fit in the movement and get to bed on time, but this week’s meal plan can help you fill your plate with heart-healthy foods. Let’s dig in!
Your Weekly Plan
Sunday: Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl
Monday: High-Protein Pasta with Peas
Tuesday: Everything Bagel–Seasoned Chicken Tenders
Wednesday: Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet
Thursday: Spicy Chicken & Cabbage Stir-Fry
Friday: Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta
Our column, ThePrep, has everything you’ll need to make dinner planning and grocery shopping as easy as can be. Nutritional needs differ from one individual to another, and we invite you to use these dinner plans as inspiration and adjust them as you see fit. Sign up to get a dinner plan delivered to your inbox every Saturday!
Sunday: Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl
Ali Redmond
Teriyaki-glazed salmon, edamame, cucumbers and avocado arranged over brown rice make for a visually stunning and heart-healthy dinner. Broiling the salmon, then glazing it and broiling it again ensures that it comes out crispy. The cucumber adds a cool crunch, while a Sriracha mayo drizzled on top introduces some heat. The salmon and avocado both contribute healthy unsaturated fats, which can help lower your risk of heart disease.
Monday: High-Protein Pasta with Peas
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer
This crowd-pleasing dinner is made with chickpea pasta and peas to ensure that it’s packed with fiber and protein. Fiber can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels by regulating how quickly glucose (aka sugar) moves into the bloodstream as foods are digested. The rest of the ingredients—basil, Parmesan, pesto and lemon juice—go into the same pot with the pasta and peas to keep the cooking and cleanup easy.
Tuesday: Everything Bagel–Seasoned Chicken Tenders
Everything bagel seasoning is the secret to making flavorful chicken tenders to top a simple salad. Chicken breast is low in saturated fat, which makes it a good heart-healthy option compared to other higher-saturated fat proteins like red meat. Serving the crispy, seasoned tenders over mixed greens makes a complete meal.
Wednesday: Ground Beef & Potatoes Skillet
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
A perfect weeknight dinner, this mix of vegetables and ground beef comes together in one skillet. Tomatoes contribute lycopene, which can help protect against heart disease. The potatoes and ground beef add fiber and protein, respectively, to keep you feeling full and satisfied. Cumin and smoked paprika guarantee that this dish isn’t lacking in the flavor department. Serve with whole-grain bread.
Thursday: Spicy Chicken & Cabbage Stir-Fry
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Josh Hoggle.
This five-ingredient dish is shockingly delicious. The chili-garlic sauce gives the browned chicken and sautéed cabbage a little kick, while lots of fresh scallions impart oniony flavor. The cabbage has nutrients, including fiber, that can help support healthy cholesterol levels by removing excess cholesterol from the bloodstream.
Friday: Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta
Cooking the pasta, shrimp, vegetables and seasoning in a small amount of water and letting the pasta absorb it rather than draining it off makes a super-creamy and concentrated sauce. Using fresh corn kernels plants this dish firmly in summer dinner territory. Corn has polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, both of which have heart-health benefits. Serve the pasta with a mixed green salad tossed with your favorite dressing.
