Celebrate Spring with foods that remind you of sunny days and warm winds. As temperatures begin to rise, produce starts to flourish, and there’s no better time to remind yourself what to eat to remain healthy and active.

What’s on Your Plate?

image from myplate.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a website, myplate.gov, to share information on how to prepare a nutritious meal. Remember the food pyramid? Well, that’s become a plate to help you better understand the portions of each type of food on your plate.

The plate is divided into unequal sections to represent the different food groups and how much of each food group you should eat with your meals.

– Vegetables should make up 40% of your plate
– Grains should make up 30% of your plate
– Proteins should make up 20% of your plate
– Fruits should make up 10% of your plate
– Dairy should be incorporated in small amounts (like a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt)

Check out the website and take an interactive MyPlate quiz to learn more about maintaining a healthy diet.

Next, check out these recipes and get into the Spring swing of healthy eating.

Yogurt Parfait

This easy recipe is a great one to start your day with or, enjoy as a mid-afternoon snack.

Servings: 6
Total Time: 10 minutes

  • 4 cups fresh or thawed frozen fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, peaches, or mangos
  • 3 cups nonfat plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups granola

Optional Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Fruited Spring Salad with Chicken

This tasty chicken salad is a great option when you need to prepare a quick lunch or dinner.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 minutes

  • 1 head fresh salad greens torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1/4 cup canned mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breast or 2 cans of chicken
  • 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Tomato Tuna Melt

This recipe is super easy and looks really impressive when you serve it to your family and friends. Add a side of brown rice or whole grain pasta to finish your meal. Save the insides of the tomatoes to make salsa or fresh tomato sauce.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 20 minutes

  • 4 medium or large tomatoes
  • 1 (5 ounce) can no salt added tuna in water
  • 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano, or thyme
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 slices pepper jack cheese, cut in half