Eating healthy tops many lists of New Year’s resolutions but sticking to it often slips away about mid-January. Stay on track this year by starting with small changes. Set a few realistic goals and in the long haul you will celebrate many more successes.

Here are a few tips to begin your journey!

• Don’t skip breakfast, start your day with fruit and yogurt, or whole-grain cereal and low-fat milk.
• It is tempting to skip a meal or a snack, don’t go over five hours without eating, it will zap your energy and may cause overeating later.
• Include a total of 30 minutes of activity every day, it can be all at once, or spaced out throughout the day.
• Reduce or remove sugar drinks from your day, drink your water, 8, 8-ounce glasses per day.
• Target eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, make this easy by prepping the vegetables and fruits and making them easy to pick up or use in recipes. Frozen vegetables are easy as well. And enjoy a variety.
• Mix up your menus by trying some of these recipes.

Sheet pan meals can help you easily prepare proteins and vegetables, and you can always cook extra to have for lunch or leftovers.

Sheet Pan Sweet Chili Shrimp and Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
• ½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium sweet orange pepper, cut into strips
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F  Place shrimp, zucchini, mushrooms, and orange pepper in a greased 15 x 10 x 1inch jellyroll style pan. Combine chili sauce, oil, lime juice, and soy sauce. Pour over shrimp mixture and toss to coat.
2. Bake until shrimp turn pink and vegetables are tender, 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.

Serves 4. Each serving contains Calories 199, Fat 6g., Cholesterol 138mg., Sodium 483mg.,

Carbohydrate 15g., Fiber 3g., Protein 22g.

Hummus can be prepared many ways and is always a great go-to snack for dipping vegetables.

Basic Hummus Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ cup tahini *
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup cold water
• Optional Toppings; olive oil, roasted garbanzo beans, toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Place garbanzo beans in a large saucepan, add water to cover by 1 inch. Gently rub beans together to loosen outer skin. Pour off water and any skins that are floating. Repeat 2-3 times until no skins float to the surface, drain. Return to saucepan, add baking soda and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until beans are very tender and just starting to fall apart, 20-25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, process lemon juice, garlic, and salt until almost a paste. Let stand 10 minutes, strain, discarding solids. Stir in cumin. In a small bowl, stir together tahini and olive oil.
3. Add beans to blender, add cold water. Loosely cover and process until completely smooth. Add lemon mixture and process. With blender running, slowly add tahini mixture, scraping sides as needed. Adjust seasoning with additional and cumin if desired.
4. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. If desired, top with additional olive oil and assorted toppings.

* If you have a difficult time finding tahini, you may substitute sunflower seed butter, cashew and almond butter, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, or sesame oil.

Yields 1 ½ cups. Each ¼ cup serving contains Calories 250, Fat 19g., Cholesterol 0g., Sodium 361g, Carbohydrates 15g, Fiber 5g., Protein 7g.

Kale Caesar Salad

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped fresh kale
• 4 cups torn romaine
• 1 cup Caesar salad croutons
• ½ cup light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a large salad bowl, toss kale, romaine, croutons, and cheese.
2. For the dressing, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl, pour over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 8. Each 1 cup serving contains Calories 148, Fat 13g., Cholesterol 10mg., Sodium 417mg., Carbohydrate 6g., Fiber 1g., Protein 3g

Tex-Mex Oatmeal Based Grain Bowl

Ingredients

(Oatmeal is a great additive, generally we think about oatmeal being sweet, but they work for savory too)

• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats or multigrain hot cereal
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed, drained, and warmed
• ¼ cup onions, chopped
• ½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup salsa
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
• Optional toppings, pitted olives, sour cream, and chopped cilantro

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring water and taco seasoning to a boil. Stir in oats, cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Divide oatmeal among four bowls. Top with beans, onions, tomatoes, salsa, cheese, avocado, and other toppings as desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4. Each serving contains Calories 345, Fat 13g., Cholesterol 14mg., Sodium 702mg., Carbohydrate 46g., Fiber 9g., Protein 12g.

Riced Cauliflower Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen riced cauliflower
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup frozen, or canned corn, thawed or drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup water
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• Optional; salsa, sour cream, and shredded Mexican Blend cheese

Directions

1. Prepare cauliflower according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add corn, cook, and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. In a small saucepan combine beans, water, chili powder, cumin, and turmeric. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is heated through and liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes.
2. Divide the cauliflower among 4 serving bowls. Top with bean mixture, corn, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and toppings of your choice.

Serves 4.