25+ Easy and Delicious Recipes for Heart Healthy Meals

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Support your cardiovascular health with these 25 Heart Healthy Recipes that are both easy and delicious. They’ll help keep your heart strong, your tastebuds happy, and your tummy satisfied!

A two-by-three collage of dishes like spinach salad, avocado toast, muffins, turkey chili, and more with a pink box in the middle with text overlay that says "Heart Healthy Recipes".

Does Food Impact Your Heart Health?

Absolutely. While there are many things that impact your cardiovascular health, food is an important one – and one that you likely have the most control over. Certain foods that are high in trans fat can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries, which leads increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

While genetics do also play a role in your heart health, there are several things you can do to improve your heart health. These include:

  • Live an active lifestyle to keep blood pressure and weight under control and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Keep alcohol consumption in moderation.
  • Control stress and anxiety.
  • Eat a heart-healthy diet.

Know your risk factors, talk to your doctor, and take action to protect your heart health and inspire others to take action.

What Is A Heart Healthy Diet?

So when exactly does it mean to eat a heart healthy diet? Here are a few guidelines.

  • Eat more fruits and vegetables. Besides being low in calories, produce provides an abundance of vitamins and minerals, many of which are known to protect the heart. These can be fresh, frozen, or canned, but watch the sodium levels in vegetables from a can and added sugar in packaged fruit.
  • Increase fiber intake from whole grains. Fiber regulates blood pressure, can lower “bad” cholesterol, fills you up, and helps move fats through your system. So be sure most of your grains are fiber-rich whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and whole-wheat bread (if you are not gluten free. If you are, choose whole grain gluten free bread).
  • Be smart about fats. Eliminate trans fats, reduce saturated fats, and focus on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from plant sources like olive oil, nuts and nut butter, seeds, and avocados. Also try to eat more sources of omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
  • Choose good protein sources. Fish and poultry are your best options for animal proteins, but if you choose other meats, be sure to choose lean cuts to avoid adding extra saturated fat to your diet. Legumes like beans, peas, and lentils as well as eggs are other good choices for protein.
  • Dairy is good in moderation. The calcium in dairy products is good for your heart, but you’ll want to limit your intake of full-fat dairy which can be high in saturated fat or choose non-fat or low-fat options.
  • Reduce sodium. Watch the salt you add, but especially the sodium levels in packaged and processed foods. Instead, add flavor with herbs, spices, vinegar, and citrus.
  • Watch your portion sizes. Remember, all things are in moderation!

What Foods Are Considered Heart Healthy?

According to sources like WebMD, the following foods help support your cardiovascular health:

  • Legumes
  • Fresh herbs
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Olive oil
  • Nuts like almonds and walnuts
  • Tofu
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Oranges
  • Oatmeal
  • Flaxseed

This is just a short list of examples. It’s also important to remember that you should also focus on everything in moderation. Just because olive oil can support heart healthy doesn’t mean you should add it to every meal.

25 Heart Healthy Meals, Snacks, and Desserts

Enjoying wholesome and nutritious meals that are good for your cardiovascular system shouldn’t be hard or bland or boring. In fact, some of the most flavorful ingredients are the best for your heart health, and you’ll find many of them in these dishes!

Frozen Oatmeal Cups

Make Ahead Freezer Oatmeal Cups

A warm bowl of oatmeal is one of the best ways to start your day with the benefit of being good for healthy cholesterol levels.
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three gluten free mini vegetable muffins on a tray with a carrot and zucchini nearby

Healthy Carrot Zucchini Mini Muffins

These muffins have been winning raves for years. Kids love that they are super yummy. Parents love that they are made with whole grains, veggies, and only a bit of honey or maple syrup to sweeten them up
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Two slices of gluten-free avocado toast topped with sliced hard boiled eggs on a white plate.

Gluten Free Avocado Toast

Just because it is trendy doesn't mean it isn't good for you. Avocadoes are loaded with heart-healthy unsaturated fats, and you can add fiber with a good whole grain bread.
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peanut butter and jelly smoothie bowl

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie Bowl

It takes just five minutes to make a creamy and delicious breakfast that tastes like your favorite sandwich. And the combo of fruit, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter is wholesome and satisfying.
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Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad

A healthy combination of your favorite flavors that is perfect to make ahead for lunches all week. Quinoa is a tasty whole grain that adds a punch of extra protein. Pile it all on top of some nice leafy greens.
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Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls

Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls

Skip the fried and greasy takeout for these fresh rolls filled with succulent shrimp and crisp veggies. Your wallet and your ticker will thank you.
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Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Over rice on a red and white plate with red chopsticks

Instant Pot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken (plus slow cooker directions)

Make this easy lean chicken dish in your Instant Pot or slow cooker and you have tons of meal prep options to pack in more veggies or whole grains, form brown rice or quinoa ramen noodles to zoodles or cauliflower rice.
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A ladle of chicken soup over a pot.

Rotisserie Chicken Soup

A comforting bowl of soup is good for the heart and the soul. And this one is super easy because it uses leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It is filled with lean protein and tons of veggies.
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turkey hummus wrap cut in half on a plate.

Avocado, Turkey & Hummus Wrap

So easy to make ahead and bring along with you anywhere. And when you fill it with simple, wholesome ingredients, it's a lunch you can feel good about, from the lean turkey to the fiber in the hummus, as well as the lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers. Make sure you use a whole grain wrap or make your own gluten free wraps.
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Broiled salmon on a plate with maple sesame glaze

Sesame Maple Glazed Salmon

With all of its healthy omega-3s, salmon is one of the best things you can eat for your heart healthy. And the flavor-packed marinade will convert even non-fish-lovers. I'm one of them, and I still devour this dish.
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Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Pineapple Black Bean Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Hearty, healthy comfort food packed with lean turkey, fiber-rich black beans, and lycopene from the tomatoes. A bowl of this chili will make you feel good inside and out.
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Close up overhead view of a sweet potato buddha bowl with roasted veggies, chickpeas, broccoli, kale, and quinoa, drizzled with dressing.

Sweet Potato Buddha Bowls

With a base of whole-grain quinoa, lots of fiber-rich chickpeas, and nutrient-dense veggies, these bowls are filled to the brim with good stuff for your heart. And with the flexibility to customize them, you can incorporate all the flavors you love while allowing everyone to make their own healthy meal.
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Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad on a tin plate with antique fork and mustard-colored napkin

Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Hearty, healthy comfort food packed with lean turkey, fiber-rich black beans, and lycopene from the tomatoes. A bowl of this chili will make you feel good inside and out.
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Garlic Herb Oven Roasted Chicken

Garlic Herb Oven Roasted Chicken

Enjoy a juicy chicken dinner in under an hour. And the antioxidant power of all that garlic has been shown to be beneficial for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
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Instant Pot Lentil Curry

Instant Pot Lentil Curry

Easy and creamy with amazing Indian flavors, but it's not too spicy. You'll love this one pot recipe that's completely hands free. And those lentils provide fiber, folic acid, and potassium to protect your heart, plus the spice boosts blood flow.
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Easy Peanut Butter Banana Snacks

These fun and easy snacks can be customized with your favorite nut or seed butter and granola. It's a delicious way to get a good dose of potassium, and you can choose granola with all of your favorite superfoods.
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maple walnut sweet potato hummus

Maple Walnut Sweet Potato Hummus

Anything that gets you eating more fruit and veggies is good, but especially when your dip is actually made with veggies like this sweet and savory hummus. It's a seriously delicious way to pack in tons of nutrition.
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One homemade energy square, plus two stacks, one with two in the stack and the other with three.

No-Bake Apricot Chia Energy Bars

These portable bars are sweet, chewy, and have only six ingredients. They are nut-free, but still pack in the fiber and protein you need from pumpkin and chia seeds. Dates are another great source of potassium and apricots are loaded with vitamins.
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Looking down at the top of a green mint smoothie in a glass with two straws, one pink and white striped and one green and white striped.

Healthy Shamrock Shake Mint Smoothie

Gorgeous bright color and fabulous minty flavor make these smoothies irresistible. And it's the best way to sneak in the heart-protecting vitamins and minerals of dark leafy greens any time of the day.
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A glass jar filled with chocolate granola.

Dark Chocolate Granola

Satisfy your chocolate cravings with a dose of fiber and healthy fats from oats, nuts, and flaxseeds along with those antioxidants. Scoop it over some lowfat yogurt for protein and calcium too.
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Triple Berry Coconut Chia Pudding Parfaits

These treats are so good for you, but most importantly, they are absolutely delicious. This healthy dessert recipe is nutritious and can be vegan and paleo depending on your choice of sweetener. 
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Platter of Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Strawberries with one cut open

Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Everybody loves chocolate dipped strawberries, but when they are stuffed with lightly sweetened cream cheese, they become a treat that nobody can resist. Use dark chocolate for the health benefits, and the polyphenols in the strawberries help protect the heart.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Funky Monkey Smoothie

Funky Monkey Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

A deliciously healthy smoothie recipe that tastes like dessert with the ultimate flavor trifecta of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter.
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Homemade Dark Chocolate

Homemade Dark Chocolate

The flavonoids in chocolate help increase blood flow to the heart as well which helps to prevent blood clots and hardening of the arteries. Eating a small amount of dark chocolate a few times a week has also been shown to lower blood pressure. And it makes you happy, which is also totally healthy.
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A piece of frosted cake on a plate with two bananas in the background

Gluten Free Banana Snack Cake

Dessert can be wholesome too. This cake has whole grains from oat four and healthy fats from almond flour. And the frosting is made lighter with lowfat Greek yogurt. Have your cake and eat it too!
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Apple Nachos with Vegan Caramel Sauce

Apple Nachos with Vegan Caramel Sauce

With layers of sweet crisp apple slices, smooth vegan caramel, dark chocolate, walnuts, and coconut, it’s like eating a delicious candy apple. Only this is packed with antioxidants that'll keep your heart happy.
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Disclosure: This was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Heart Truth® several years back.  All opinions are 100% mine.

February might have most people thinking about their making hearts happy for Valentine’s Day. But since it is American Heart Month, make sure you think about the heart health of everyone you love – your partner, your children, your mom and dad, your friends and other loved ones.

Give a gift from the heart by doing something good for their health and yours. Cook your mom one of these heart healthy meals from the recipes listed above. Go for a long walk with your sister. Make plans to join a gym or exercise class with some friends. Get your kids in the kitchen to cook heart healthy recipes. And if you just can’t resist candy, treat yourself to a small bit of good quality dark chocolate.

I hope this gives you inspiration and motivation to take charge of your heart health.

Every February during American Heart Month, I am reminded of the importance of cardiac health, but honestly, it is something on my mind on a daily basis. That is why I partnered with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) The Heart Truth program to help raise awareness of the prevalence of heart disease amongst women. We’re also sharing what you can do to reduce your risk factors for heart disease.

I will share my personal story and advice from the heart, along with some recipe ideas for a heart-healthy diet.

Heart Healthy is Important for Everyone

I remember that morning at work. I was away from my desk and cell phone for a while. When I saw multiple missed calls and a voicemail from my dad’s wife, I knew something was wrong. My dad had a heart attack. He nearly died. He was 49.

That was 2004, and luckily he is still with us today. But shortly after his heart attack, I had another shock. When updating my family history with my doctor, she recommended I have my cholesterol checked.

The results came back and it was over 250. I was 25 years old, ate a fairly healthy diet, and worked out regularly. Truly, I did not look like someone who would have one of the risk factors for heart disease.

happy bride on her wedding day standing next to her father

I blamed it on the fact that I had just spent two months in Europe for work, and definitely enjoyed my share of pastries and gelato and other indulgences. While there, I was not working out as much as I usually had, and had gained a few pounds.

So I cleaned up my diet, started getting more physical activity again, lost weight, and two months later, my cholesterol had not changed. So yes, other than while pregnant and nursing, I have been on cholesterol medication since I was in my mid-twenties.

Genetics may not be on my side, but there are things I can do to control my other risk factors. And since this disease, and especially awareness of risk factors and steps to lead a heart-healthy life, is near and dear to MY heart (literally and figuratively), I have been taking these actions ever since. This is particularly true since heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States.

runners reaching the finish line of a race
12 Comments
  1. Kathy Werner

    After my heart attack a week ago I have been searching for recipes that will be delicious and also heart healthy. There is a yummy looking tidbit shown in the breakfast section that doesn’t have a link. It is the fourth picture down and looks like they might be frozen. I really want to try it.
    Thanks!

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