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30 Minutes or Less

Blackened Salmon Bowls with Coconut Rice and Pineapple Salsa

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Perfectly cooked and seasoned blackened salmon, served over coconut rice with a fresh pineapple salsa! This delicious dinner recipe is surprisingly easy to make, and comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s full of flavor, super healthy, and will quickly become a family favorite!

close-up image of three blackened salmon fillets on a plate.

What You’ll Need to Make Blackened Salmon with Coconut Rice and Pineapple Salsa

Salmon – I prefer either atlantic or king salmon fillets for this recipe! Those varieties are thicker, and cook up perfectly flaky and tender. Another common type of salmon you’ll find at most grocery stores is sockeye salmon. However, sockeye is very lean, and doesn’t have nearly as much flavor as atlantic or king salmon.

Fresh Pineapple – Peel, core, and finely dice fresh pineapple for your pineapple salsa! Pineapple is perfectly tangy and sweet, which helps to balance out the savory and spicy components of the rest of this dish. Not a pineapple fan? Try one cup of fresh diced mango instead.

White Rice – Make sure you use a long grain white rice for this coconut rice recipe. Any other type of rice won’t cook the same. I love this organic long grain white rice – it’s delicious! Though if you’re looking for a grain free option, sauté up some cauliflower rice in about a tablespoon of coconut oil, instead.

Blackened Seasoning – Sure, you can buy blackened seasoning from the store, but it’s just as easy to make yourself at home! It’s a simple blend of six spices, which you likely already have on-hand. And this way, when you make this blackened salmon seasoning blend yourself, you have complete control over the flavors. Feel free to add in as much or as little of each spice as you’d like!

close-up image of blackened salmon served over coconut rice with pineapple salsa on top.

Tips and Tricks

  • Not sure if your salmon is cooked through? Check by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of one of the salmon fillets. If the thermometer reads a minimum of 120° Fahrenheit, then your salmon is fully cooked and ready to eat!
  • Avoid heating your skillet to too high a temperature before cooking the salmon. I know this recipe is for blackened salmon, but we mostly achieve that blackened look through the seasonings we use. Not by cooking at a high temperature, which could easily burn and overcook our salmon fillets.
  • Switch up this recipe anyway you’d like! If you don’t like salmon, you can replace it with whatever fish you prefer. Blackened mahi mahi, halibut, or even red snapper would all taste delicious!
overhead image of a blackened salmon bowl with pineapple salsa and coconut rice on the side.

This Blackened Salmon Recipe is…

close-up image of three blackened salmon fillets on a plate.
5 from 1 vote

Blackened Salmon with Coconut Rice and Pineapple Salsa

Perfectly cooked and seasoned blackened salmon, served over coconut rice with a fresh pineapple salsa! This delicious dinner recipe is surprisingly easy to make, and comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s full of flavor, super healthy, and will quickly become a family favorite!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the pineapple salsa:

  • 1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the coconut rice:

  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 cup coconut water, or plain water
  • pinch of salt

For the blackened seasoning:

  • 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

For the salmon:

  • 4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Instructions

  • Start by making the pineapple salsa by adding all salsa ingredients to a bowl and mixing to combine. Set aside, leaving the flavors to develop and intensify while you prepare the rest of this dish.
  • Now, make the coconut rice by adding all coconut rice ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring rice to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
  • While the rice cooks, prepare the blackened seasoning by adding all seasoning ingredients to a small bowl and mixing to combine.
  • Pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle flesh side with blackened seasoning.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place salmon fillets in skillet, flesh side down, and cook 2-3 minutes. Then, flip salmon and cook 6-7 minutes, or until internal temperate of salmon reaches 120° Fahrenheit.
  • Divide the coconut rice between four bowls, place a salmon fillet into each bowl, then top the bowls with pineapple salsa.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal
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30 Minutes or Less

Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie

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close-up image of a nourishing green lactation smoothie with a metal straw.

Looking for a way to boost your milk supply? Try this nourishing green lactation smoothie! Loaded with fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and plenty of protein.

lactation smoothie being poured into a glass.

As a first-time breastfeeding mom, I’m always looking for ways to increase my milk supply. And after lots and lots of research, I found the best way to increase my supply was through food. Aside from simply making sure I’m eating enough foods, there are certain foods that can actually boost milk production! So I took as many of those foods as possible (oats, greens, flaxseeds, brewer’s yeast) and added them to this lactation smoothie in a way that actually tastes good.

Nourishing green lactation smoothie with a metal straw.

What You’ll Need to Make a Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie

Banana – A whole frozen banana makes this smoothie ultra-creamy, and gives it just a hint of natural sweetness. If you don’t like banana, you can use 1 cup of frozen mango instead!

Spinach – Dark leafy greens, such as spinach, are a great source of iron and calcium, which are essential for boosting your milk supply. Fresh spinach will have the most nutrients, but if you don’t have any, frozen spinach will also do the trick.

Oats – Look up any lactation recipe, and it’ll likely have oats in it. Oats are a go-to ingredient for increasing breast milk production. This is because oats are high in iron, and act as a complex carbohydrate – two vital components to a lactating mama’s diet!

Almond Butter – I add a healthy fat to all my smoothie recipes, which helps slow down the body’s digestion rate of the fruit, allowing us to absorb as many nutrients and hold onto as much protein as possible. Almond butter is a delicious healthy fat option in this lactation smoothie! Though feel free to use any nut butter you’d like – peanut, cashew, pecan, etc.

Brewer’s Yeast – Another lactation essential is brewer’s yeast! Brewer’s yeast is a known glactagogue, and thought by many to help increase milk supply. It’s totally flavorless, and a great addition to this smoothie recipe. Here’s a link to the brewer’s yeast I’ve been using and loving!

Overhead image of a nourishing green lactation smoothie with oats and spinach on the side.

Optional Add-Ins

Give your nourishing green lactation smoothie a boost with any of the following…

  • Chia Seeds – more healthy fats, omega-3s, and fiber.
  • Hemp Seeds – extra protein, healthy fats, omega-3s, and omega-6s.
  • Protein Powder – I love this Aloha Vanilla Protein Powder!
  • Honey – for an extra bit of sweetness.
  • Frozen Cauliflower – because why not?! more veggies!
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Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie

Looking for a way to boost your milk supply? Try this nourishing green lactation smoothie! Loaded with fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and plenty of protein.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
  • small handful fresh spinach
  • 2 tablespoons oats
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon brewer’s yeast
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional
  • 1 cup water or milk, I used unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal
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30 Minutes or Less

Stuffed Dates with Cream Cheese, Pistachios, and Honey

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close-up overhead image of stuffed dates with cream cheese, pistachios, and honey.

Fancy, but super easy stuffed dates with cream cheese, pistachios, and a drizzle of honey! A perfect no-bake appetizer or snack that comes together in just a few minutes. They’re gluten-free with a dairy-free and vegan option!

honey being drizzled over stuffed dates.

What You’ll Need to Make Stuffed Dates

Medjool Dates – Soft and sticky medjool dates are naturally sweet and totally delicious! I enjoy medjool dates completely on their own, but stuffed with cream cheese, pistachios, and honey take them over the top. You can either buy dates with the pits removed, or buy whole dates and remove the pits yourself before eating.

Cream Cheese – Either cream cheese or goat cheese will work great in this recipe. Both are soft, creamy, and perfectly tangy. A scoop of soft cheese helps to balance out the sweetness of these stuffed dates.

Pistachios – A sprinkling of chopped pistachios contribute the perfect crunch to this dish! Without it, these dates are all one texture, and lack variety. Therefore, for an exciting appetizer, add some chopped pistachios, or your favorite chopped nut to the top of these stuffed dates.

Honey – The finishing touch to this fancy-tasting app is a drizzle of honey. After we’ve added in all our savory components, it’s always nice to round out the dish with an extra bit of sweetness.

Flaky Salt – I seriously put this Maldon flaky sea salt on everything! It instantly elevates any dish, and makes it taste like you spent hours on it, when in reality these stuffed dates come together in under 5 minutes.

stuffed dates on a plate.

Tips and Tricks

  • If your dates are too hard/dried out, zap them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This’ll heat them up just enough to help them open with ease!
  • Prep these dates ahead of your next dinner party or potluck! If prepping more than an hour in advance, I recommend leaving the pistachios and honey off your stuffed dates until right before serving. Leaving them to sit for too long could cause the pistachios to go soft and soggy.
  • Feel free to totally customize this recipe and make it your own! Use any soft cheese you’d like, and any chopped nut you’d like. Have fun with this appetizer, and don’t overcomplicate it!
close-up image of stuffed dates on a plate.

Adjust this Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Dairy-Free: For a dairy-free version, stuff these dates with your favorite non-dairy cream cheese instead.

Make it Vegan: Make these stuffed dates vegan by taking the dairy-free option above, and replacing the honey with a drizzle of maple syrup!

close-up overhead image of stuffed dates with cream cheese, pistachios, and honey.
4.03 from 43 votes

Stuffed Dates with Cream Cheese, Pistachios, and Honey

Fancy, but super easy stuffed dates with cream cheese, pistachios, and a drizzle of honey! A perfect no-bake appetizer or snack that comes together in just a few minutes.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 medjool dates, pits removed and sliced open
  • 4 ounces cream cheese (or goat cheese)
  • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
  • honey, for drizzling
  • pinch of flaky salt

Instructions

  • Fill the cavity of each date with a couple teaspoons of cream cheese.
  • Press chopped pistachios into the cream cheese on top of each date.
  • Arrange stuffed dates on a serving plate, drizzle with honey, then sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal
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30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Carrot Cake Cookies (gluten-free!)

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Close-up overhead image of carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

Soft and perfectly sweet carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese icing! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. These healthy carrot cake cookies are the perfect springtime (or anytime) treat!

Healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

What You’ll Need to Make Carrot Cake Cookies

Oat Flour – Either homemade or store-bought oat flour will work in this cookie recipe! Oat flour replaces all purpose flour, making these cookies gluten-free.

Almond Butter – Smooth and unsweetened almond butter helps hold these cookies together. If you don’t have almond butter, you can use any other nut or seed butter you’d like. Cashew butter would make a great substitute here!

Maple Syrup – These healthy carrot cake cookies are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. The maple adds a touch of flavor, and the perfect amount of sweetness.

Shredded Carrots – Wash and peel about three large carrots, then run them down a box grater to make shredded carrots. Or, to make things even easier, simply buy pre-shredded carrots from the store for this dessert recipe!

Overhead image of healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

Tips and Tricks

  • Gently flatten each carrot cake cookie before baking. If you skip this step, they’ll bake up like round little balls. Therefore, for a more classic flat-looking cookie, give them a gentle press right before putting in the oven.
  • Allow your cookies to cool completely before icing! If the cookies are still too warm when iced, the cream cheese icing will melt and slide right off. (I’ve learned from my mistakes here – ha!)
  • These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm client/are baking these in the summer – it’s best to store them in the fridge instead. If the cookies with cream cheese icing are left in too warm of an environment, the icing may melt and spoil.
close up image of a healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookie with a bite taken out.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Dairy-Free: While the cookies themselves are already dairy-free, make a dairy-free cream cheese icing by subbing your favorite non-dairy cream cheese, butter, and milk.

Make it Vegan: For vegan carrot cake cookies, replace the egg with a flax egg, and take the dairy-free icing option above!

Close-up overhead image of carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.
5 from 3 votes

Carrot Cake Cookies

Soft and perfectly sweet carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese icing! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. These healthy carrot cake cookies are the perfect springtime (or anytime) treat!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 medium bowl
  • 1 large baking sheet

Ingredients

For the dry ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup oat flour made by pulsing rolled oats in a blender until ground into a flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the wet ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup almond butter unsweetened
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted (or butter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans unsalted
  • 1/4 cup raisins

For the cream cheese icing:

  • 1/4 cup cream cheese softened (I used non-dairy cream cheese)
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened (I used non-dairy butter)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk (I used non-dairy milk)
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Then, in a separate bowl, add all the wet ingredients except the carrots, walnuts, and raisins, and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use mix until fully combined. Then, fold in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
  • Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Then, transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • While cookies cool, make the cream cheese icing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until smooth and well-combined. Then, spread or pipe cream cheese icing on top of each cooled cookie.

Notes

Nutrition info is for one cookie out of 24 cookies and does not include the cream cheese icing.
  • These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm client/are baking these in the summer – it’s best to store them in the fridge instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Sugar: 5g
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30 Minutes or Less

Spring Mix Salad with Blueberries, Almonds, Feta, and Honey Vinaigrette

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Close-up overhead image of spring mix salad in a bowl.

Fresh and seasonal spring mix salad with blueberries, almonds, feta cheese, and a simple honey vinaigrette! The perfect warm-weather lunch or side dish, loaded with healthy ingredients.

Overhead image of spring mix salad in a bowl with water on the side.

What You’ll Need To Make Spring Mix Salad

Spring Mix Lettuce – Spring mix is a simple assortment of dark leafy greens. Each brand makes theirs a little differently, but every batch of spring mix is flavorful and super healthy. If you can’t find any spring mix, you can certainly turn this into a spinach salad instead, with 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach.

Sliced Almonds – Every salad needs a little crunch! I love buttery, lightly toasted sliced almonds in my spring mix salad. However, if you don’t have any almonds, any chopped nut will go great in this recipe. Or for a nut-free version, add in some roasted sunflower seeds instead!

Feta Cheese – Some salty feta cheese takes this spring mix salad over the top! Add as much to your salad as your heart desires. Or, if you don’t have any feta, a nice soft goat cheese also tastes great here. And for a vegan or dairy-free option, simply leave the cheese out of the salad – still super tasty!

Honey – A touch of honey balances out the otherwise extremely savory vinaigrette. With plenty of balsamic vinegar, the vinaigrette needs a little sweetness to help mellow it out. And for a vegan version, replace the honey with two tablespoons of maple syrup.

Honey vinaigrette being poured over spring mix salad.

Tips and Tricks

  • Dress the salad right before serving! Avoid storing this salad already dressed, since the vinaigrette will cause the spring mix to wilt. So if prepping ahead of time, keep the honey vinaigrette on the side until ready to eat.
  • Have fun with this healthy salad recipe! This simple lunch or side dish is a great way to use up any fresh veggies or berries you might have on-hand. Strawberries taste delicious in place of the blueberries, and a yellow onion can be subbed in for the red onion.

Add Protein

For a heartier meal, add any of the following:

Close-up overhead image of spring mix salad in a bowl.
5 from 1 vote

Spring Mix Salad with Blueberries, Almonds, Feta Cheese, and Honey Vinaigrette

Fresh and seasonal spring mix salad with blueberries, almonds, feta, and a simple honey vinaigrette! The perfect warm-weather lunch or side dish, loaded with healthy ingredients.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6 side servings

Ingredients

  • 1 5-ounce package spring mix lettuce
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese or goat cheese

For the honey vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Assemble all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Make the dressing by adding all ingredients to a jar with a lid, secure the lid then shake until combined. Drizzle over spring mix salad and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

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