Best recipes to get back on track

Ready to hit reset and get back into a routine? Whether you are a tag-along to the back-to-school crowd, moving away from the home office, or just using the new month as a chance to refocus on your health and wellness goals – having a slew of heathy recipes in your back pocket is essential. In this roundup, you’ll find tantalizing options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (not forgetting snacks, of course!) as well as suggestions for making your return to healthy eating as easy and appetizing as possible.

When you’re trying to get back on track, there’s no better place to start than with the most important meal of the day: breakfast (or brunch, depending on the day of the week.) Begin your morning with one of our tried-and-true breakfast recipes: You’ll find an appealing option whether you prefer a fruit-filled parfait, a slice of hearty banana bread or a classic on-the-go breakfast burrito. To streamline your morning routine, many of these recipes can be made ahead of time and heated to serve throughout the week.

Working from home? Out at the office? On the road? No matter where you find yourself when lunchtime arrives, these light yet filling recipes are perfect for beating the midday slump. We’ve included two recipes for our favourite roasted and grilled vegetables, which can be made in large batches and then added to salads, wraps, soups and grain bowls all week long. For a welcome change of texture, enjoy protein-heavy salads such as tuna or chicken by wrapping them in crisp lettuce leaves or sturdy greens (pack them separately and assemble right before eating.)

These end-of-the-day meals are mostly make-ahead, eliminating the need to put together an entire dinner from scratch after a long and busy day. You can stretch many of these recipes over several days, depending on how many people are eating. For example, chili makes a tasty topping for baked potatoes or yams (keep the skin on to reap the nutritional benefits) or as the base for a Tex-Mex inspired pizza. Keep a batch of basic roasted chicken breasts in the fridge and add them to stir-fries, grain or veggie bowls, sandwiches, wraps and soup. Double the recipe for our Italian meatballs and immediately freeze the extra portions, thawing as needed for pasta sauces, sandwiches and as a simple side.

There’s no need to deprive yourself of snacks when you’re getting back on track (in fact, deprivation can cause you to eventually eat more than you might have originally.) In addition to these snack recipes, keeping a designated “snack food section” in your fridge and pantry takes away all of the guesswork when it comes to healthy snacking habits. Items like pre-portioned cheese and yogurt, hummus, cut-up fruits and veggies, hard boiled eggs, and turkey breast from the deli make filling, near-instant snacks without any effort.