I'll be the first one to admit that I actually do LOVE avocado toast (secret tip: mix your mashed avocado with honey and it's *chef's kiss*) as well as açaí bowls. But I do think that eating healthy has kind of lost its touch. It's now the trendy thing to do. Things like avocado toast and açaí bowls have kind of been ingrained in my brain as "healthy" foods, ones you should eat often in order to stay on stack. And as much as I love them too, I want to prove that eating healthy is more than that.

Over the last few months, healthy eating has become my thing, but I hope I have shown that the balance is possible. You don't have to give up your favorite foods to live a healthy lifestyle. You can still eat your favorite treats in moderation as well as make more nutritious alternatives to them that actually taste good!

So, here are just some of my favorite foods that I eat as well as enjoy eating that both fuel my body and are so delicious that will have you wanting more. All of these meals (excluding those that need some prep or sitting time) should take you less than a half an hour to make.

Oatmeal Yogurt Bowls

Lauryn Smith

Oatmeal and/or yogurt bowls (sometimes I eat together, sometimes separate) have become an absolute lifesaver breakfast for my out of control sweet tooth. What I love the most about these bowls is that they're so versatile and you can flavor and top them anyway you choose. Personally I love to spice up my bowls with sliced banana or strawberries, granola or cereal, and either peanut or almond butter.

Air Fried Tofu with Fried Cauliflower Rice

Lauryn Smith

I haven't eaten tofu for that long, but I actually love it and it's definitely a nice thing to change it up every once in a while. Cutting it up into cubes and putting it in the air fryer is one of my favorite ways to eat tofu and gets it super cripsy. Serving it over a bed of cauliflower rice with stir fried veggies and either tamari or teriyaki sauce is my favorite. The trick is to add and egg and stir it in which makes it taste so much more indulgent.

Homemade Granola

Lauryn Smith

This year I have become obsessed with granola. As I mentioned, it is one of my favorite toppings for my yogurt bowls as the crunchiness perfectly balances out that creaminess of the yogurt. I have found that making your own granola at home is a more nutritious choice than store-bought as you know exactly how much you are putting in your body. It's also super easy to do! My favorite homemade granola recipe consists is a peanut butter flavor, but you could definitely alter this recipe and make it with whatever you would like!

Chicken and Waffles

Lauryn Smith

You're probably looking at this one and laughing. How in the hell is chicken and waffles "healthy"? Well I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite kitchen appliances: the air fryer. The air fryer is one of my family's absolute favorite things; We literally make absolutely everything in it. To make the recipe, we will take grilled chicken breasts and coat it in some egg, panko breadcrumbs, and then throw it into the air fryer to cook. For the waffle mix, I typically use kodiak cakes, which is a waffle high in protein. I cook it in my waffle maker and then air fry it to get the waffle to be even more crispy. Serve it with some sugar free syrup (I personally love Mrs. Butterworth's) and you've got yourself the most perfect meal.

Taco Salad

Lauryn Smith

Believe it or not, up until about a year ago, I hated Mexican food. I also hated chocolate. Yep, make fun of me all you want. Well unfortunately, I've got a lot of lost years to make up for. Taco salads are a great meal because again, they are super versatile. I love serving mine with some lean ground turkey, avocado or guacamole, sautéed onions and peppers, and even some dorito crumbs on top if I'm REALLY feeling it. However, I think my most favorite thing to put on my taco salad is this recipe for elote, also known as Mexican Street Corn. It's so creamy and delicious.

Air Fryer Hot Dogs

Lauryn Smith

I actually will be the first to admit that I don't love hot dogs that much. But for some reason, this is one of my favorite ways to eat them. My family uses 99% fat free Hebrew national hot dogs and wraps them in a reduced fat crescent roll. Pop them in the air fryer and they make a quick and delicious dinner.

Tuna or Egg Salad Sandwiches

Lauryn Smith

As picky of an eater that I was growing up, for some reason, I've always loved tuna salad. It's by far one of my favorite things to order when I go to a deli. Good thing for you they are also super easy to make at home. Tuna and egg salad are super easy to make. Take canned/pouched tuna or some hard boiled eggs and stir it in with some light/fat free mayo, salt, and a drop of mustard. Serve it on top of some toast, rice cakes, or even eat it plain if you choose.

Grilled Salmon and Pasta with "Pink" Sauce

Lauryn Smith

For those of you who are uncultured and have no real appreciation for good Italian (joking haha), you may be scratching your head at what "pink" sauce is. "Pink" sauce, also known as "marfredo" sauce, is a mixture of marinara and alfredo sauce is seriously to die for. I love to make a version of it at home for whenever I'm craving it, which uses canned tomato sauce and a light alfredo sauce. One of my favorite low carb pastas is "carba-nada" pasta as the noodles are so chewy and delicious, but you could also make it with some whole wheat pasta, chickpea pasta, or even some real, good pasta if you're feeling it. Serve it over grilled salmon and you have a good-tasting and filing Italian meal.

Chicken Shawarma with Israeli Salad and Pita

Lauryn Smith

Mediterranean food is one of my favorites. You can't even tell that there isn't dark meat in this chicken shawarma recipe. We love to eat this with some classic Israeli salad (chopped cucumbers and tomatoes with some lemon juice, salt, and olive oil), hummus, and some pita. My new OBSESSION aka pitas we make out of our favorite dough recipe is linked here, but I will be explaining more in a few so stay tuned.

French Toast McGriddles

Lauryn Smith

As you can probably tell, I am a SUCKER for sweet and salty, so McGriddles are one of my absolute favorite meals. Unfortunately, a real McGriddle is not only too tiny for a gal who cannot control her portions, but may not always be "worth it." Good thing I've got away to get your fix in that's arguably just as good if not better than the real thing. I coat my bread in a mixture of eggs, almond milk, and cinnamon (you could totally make pancakes or waffles too if you want instead, I just love the thickness of the bread in there) and cook it on a pan. I either use scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and either turkey bacon, chicken apple sausage, or turkey sausage as my meat. As always, sugar free syrup is a must.

Two Ingredient Dough Pizza

Lauryn Smith

Out of all my recipes, this may be the one that I think will change your life the most. Two ingredient dough has kind of swept the nation because it completely revolutionized the ability for you to make a healthy dough recipe. The original recipe calls for equal parts nonfat greek yogurt (yes, stay with me people) and self-rising flour. However, from my experience, this dough turns out kind of bland but also is extremely sticky and hard to work with. I finally took it up a notch and used an altered recipe made by mybizzykitchen.com which adds yeast, salt, and warm water to the recipe and it truly made the world of difference. My family swears by this dough and uses it for so many different things: bagels, soft pretzels, pitas (yes, the amazing the ones that I was talking about earlier), and so much more. However, I think we will always make our way back to the beloved pizza. I have made margarita pizzas, white truffle, barbecue chicken, and I even made a mac and cheese pizza once! The possibilities are endless.

I hope this list provided you with some yummy new recipes to spice up your quarantine cooking. If you are interested in seeing more of my favorite healthy and in-depth recipes, be sure to check out my instagram @laurynslifestyle! Now just wait to see what tricks I have up my sleeve for dessert, so stay tuned...