23 Low-Sodium Dinners for High Blood Pressure
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
These low-sodium dinners are delicious ways to stay satisfied until bedtime. Each dish meets our heart-healthy nutrition parameters, focusing on ingredients that are low in sodium like lean proteins, healthy fats and fiber-packed veggies. Plus, each recipe has at least 20% of your daily needs (at least 940 milligrams) of potassium, which can help support healthy blood pressure levels, muscle health, improve mental clarity and increase energy levels. Recipes like our Spicy Orange Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry and our Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing are balanced and tasty dishes that support your heart health.
Spicy Orange Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
With fresh broccoli, ginger, red bell peppers and plenty of fresh citrus, this healthy beef stir-fry is sure to become a favorite. And it's ready in 30 minutes, making it the perfect healthy weeknight dinner. Serve with brown rice.
Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing
Curly kale forms the base of this salad, but you could use chard or spinach. To the greens, add a multitude of chopped veggies, such as broccoli, cabbage and carrots. Finish with rich salmon for protein and a drizzle of creamy yogurt dressing to bring it all together.
Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.
Anti-Inflammatory Eat-the-Rainbow Vegetable Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This vibrant and wholesome soup recipe helps support your well-being. It’s packed with a variety of colorful vegetables, like tomatoes, which contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help reduce inflammation. The base of the soup is prepped ahead of time and stored in separate containers. Simply add the broth and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water.
Veggie Fajitas
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
These veggie fajitas are packed with sweet bell pepper and red onion. Creamy avocado and warm tortillas complete the meal. The veggies alone make a great meal-prep recipe to have on hand. Serve them over rice, or heat them up over tortilla chips topped with melting cheese. To get a little char on your tortillas, place them over a medium gas flame and cook until darkened in spots, flipping once. Place on a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
White Bean & Veggie Salad
This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.
Green Goddess Salad with Chicken
For this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chicken salad recipe, a healthy green goddess salad dressing recipe gets its creaminess from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. Any extra dressing is delicious served over grilled chicken or flaky white fish, such as cod or flounder.
Winter Kale & Quinoa Salad with Avocado
Precooked quinoa helps keep this healthy salad recipe quick and simple. Loaded with black beans, kale and avocado, this recipe is as filling as it is nutritious. You can also make the sweet potatoes and dressing ahead.
Three-Pepper Beef Stew
Cayenne pepper sauce, crushed red pepper and red sweet peppers add a spicy twist to this classic beef and potato stew.
Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Basil Sauce
Swapping spaghetti squash for pasta is a great way to cut back on carbs and calories in this saucy vegan dinner. Here, we have tossed the squash with a simple fresh tomato sauce. Jazz up the sauce with crushed red pepper flakes, Kalamata olives and/or capers, if you like.
Southwestern Salad with Black Beans
Here we top salad greens with black beans, sweet corn and grape tomatoes and bring it all together with a tangy avocado-lime dressing for a Mexican-inspired salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.
Sour Cream-&-Herb Baked Potatoes
Yogurt, sour cream and herbs are combined to make a perky topping for these healthy baked potatoes. Add some sliced tomatoes on the side to brighten up the plate and spoon some of the sauce over them too.
Smoked Salmon Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Step aside, bacon--these loaded baked potatoes are stuffed with smoked salmon, sour cream and chives for a fresh take on this comfort-food staple, and an easy healthy dinner.
Saucy Ginger-Tomato Chicken
Inspired by the flavors of chicken tikka masala, this recipe uses convenient canned tomato soup, so you can get this dish on the table on any busy night. Rather than cooking the chicken in a tandoor, we add it directly to the sauce, so it gets coated in the ginger-tomato flavors.
Provençal Baked Fish with Roasted Potatoes & Mushrooms
This easy healthy meal—which requires just 15 minutes of active time—is typical of southern France. You can use halibut, grouper or cod for this simple Mediterranean baked fish recipe, so just choose what looks best at your market. Look for herbes de Provence, an aromatic spice blend, at most grocery stores.
Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Thyme Sweet Potatoes
A pork tenderloin is baked with sweet potatoes, onions and apples for a dinner that's quick enough for weeknights but special enough for guests.
Marinara Meat Sauce Topped Baked Potato
Break out of your pasta routine by subbing in a baked potato in this simple and satisfying dinner for one.
Italian Zucchini-Topped Baked Potato
Quick-sautéed zuke with herbs and a little cheese adds punch to a plain potato without overdoing it on the fat, sodium and calories.
Honey-Mustard Roast Chicken with Winter Vegetables
Root vegetables and honey-mustard-glazed chicken are roasted together for layer upon layer of intense flavor, with very little added fat. If your parsnips are large and have spongy or woody centers, cut out the cores before slicing.
Grilled Salmon & Vegetables with Charred Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
This grilled salmon recipe paired with grilled vegetables and a charred lemon-garlic vinaigrette captures the flavor of summer with smoky flavor from the grill. Asparagus and zucchini are quick and easy to grill and pair nicely with the salmon.
Chopped Salad with Chicken & Creamy Chipotle Dressing
This chopped salad with chicken is smoky and zesty thanks to the creamy chipotle dressing. Cilantro adds a pop of freshness to each bite.
Cheeseburger Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Skip the bun and serve all of your favorite cheeseburger ingredients--beef, cheese, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce--with baked potatoes for a hearty and easy dinner recipe that kids and adults will love. Feel free to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or tofu crumbles.
3-Ingredient Broccoli Mac & Cheese with Rotisserie Chicken
Transform a box of macaroni and cheese for an easy weeknight dinner. Use frozen broccoli, steamed in the microwave, to cut down on prep time. Opt for chickpea-based macaroni and cheese for a boost of protein and fiber.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
