February is American Heart Month, and as a Registered Dietitian and mom of two, heart health is a priority in our home.
Here are some of my favorite heart-healthy, quick-ish, recipes for the whole family to enjoy for American Heart Month:
Instant Pot Mexican Casserole
Hacks to make it even easier:
- Minimize cutting and chopping by using frozen peppers. I love the Frozen Tri-Color Peppers from Trader Joe’s. I also use their frozen roasted corn in this recipe.
- Onion powder in place of an onion works just fine IMO.
- Use guacamole/avocado cups for an easy topping.
- Scoop with tortilla chips of choice. I like the Good & Gather Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with Flax Seeds, R.W. Garcia 3 Seed Crackers, Late July, Food Should Taste Good, and others from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
* Dietary Preferences: This recipe is gluten-free. It can be made vegetarian by omitting the ground turkey/chicken. It can be made dairy-free by omitting the cheese or using a DF cheese.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Alterations/Considerations:
- Use noodles of choice. I use the whole wheat egg noodles from Walmart.
- Use preferred butter products.
- Make it with low-sodium broth.
- I don’t use sherry as it’s not something we have in the house.
- Use milk of choice.
- We omit the mushrooms and add in frozen corn.
- Can also be made with canned salmon or canned chicken.
* Dietary Preferences: This recipe can be made gluten-free by using brown rice pasta and GF flour. It can be made dairy-free by using a DF cheese and plant-based butter/milk.
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
*This recipe originates from the back of the Kodiak Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle box but with some adjustments from me. Both my kids LOVE these, AND they are quick to make—it’s a win-win! I freeze some so I always have them on hand.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Kodiak Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix
- ¾ cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
- ½ cup 100% pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup butter or oil
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then mix all ingredients together until smooth. Next, fill greased muffin cups ¾ full. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
* Dietary Preferences: This recipe cannot be made gluten-free or dairy-free due to the boxed mix containing whole wheat flour and milk protein.
Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
There are a zillion combinations you can do for overnight oats. This is the way I make it most often (usually because my bananas are going bad when my kids decide they are anti-banana).
I have provided measurements for the sake of this post but let’s be real—I only measure the oats and milk; the rest I just wing! Pour/dump/scoop the other ingredients—you won’t mess it up, I promise.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- ½ cup milk of choice
- ½ banana (mashed)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon hemp hearts
- 1 teaspoon ground flax seed (OR 1 tablespoon of Super Seeds 3 Seed Blend – hemp/chia/flax)
- 1 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions:
Mix ingredients in a mason jar. Put in fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning! I make two at a time, so I can use half a banana in each and have two days of breakfast covered.
* Dietary Preferences: This recipe is gluten-free if GF oats are used. It is dairy-free if a plant-based milk is used.
If I’m completely honest, neither of my kids will eat all these heart-healthy recipes. But I continue to make one meal for the entire family. (I’m not a short-order cook!) This gives them repeated exposure to heart-healthy foods they might not like…yet.
