MyPlate Meals

The MyPlate plan sums up the USDA's tips for healthy eating every day. Here are 20 recipes from Food Network Kitchens — including breakfast, lunch and dinner — that follow the MyPlate guidelines.

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MyPlate Meals from Food Network Kitchens

The USDA's guidelines for healthy eating are called MyPlate. The main recommendations are as follows: 1: Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables; 2: Make at least half of your grains whole grains (such as brown rice, whole-wheat foods or oatmeal); 3: Select a variety of lean proteins, including 8 ounces of cooked seafood a week; and 4: When it comes to dairy, choose nonfat or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese. Here are 20 breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from Food Network Kitchens that follow the MyPlate guidelines. For more information on MyPlate, visit choosemyplate.gov

Whole-Wheat Spinach Mac 'n' Cheese with Broiled Tomatoes

Thanks to whole-wheat pasta shells and the addition of pumpkin puree, this macaroni and cheese dish has more fiber than the traditional version. And the dish has lots of built-in produce: Toss spinach in with the noodles, and serve broiled tomatoes and a handful of grapes on the side.

Get the Recipe: Whole Wheat Spinach Mac n Cheese with Broiled Tomatoes

Grilled Chipotle Pork Tacos with Slaw

Everyone loves tacos, and there's even more than usual to love about this healthy rendition. For the perfect mix of smoky and sweet, fill corn tortillas with grilled pork tenderloin and a crunchy red-cabbage slaw, and then serve with cinnamon-spiked pineapple on the side.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Chipotle Pork Tacos with Red Slaw and Brown Sugar Pineapple

Pan-Seared Salmon with Kale and Apple Salad

This dish may look fancy, but it's easy enough to be a weeknight main course. The salmon cooks in a skillet in about 10 minutes, giving you time to prepare the crunchy kale salad. Add a whole-wheat roll and dinner is ready.

Get the Recipe: Pan-Seared Salmon with Kale and Apple Salad

Waffled Blueberry French Toast with a Carrot-Ginger Smoothie

By preparing French toast in a waffle iron, you skip the usual step of frying in butter. Whole-wheat bread and a homemade blueberry topping make the breakfast extra-nutritious. The meal is ready in 25 minutes, even with a carrot-ginger smoothie on the side.

Get the Recipe: Waffled Blueberry French Toast with a Carrot-Ginger Smoothie

Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken with Corn Salad

Frozen mango is the secret weapon behind this flavorful meal. Use it to make a naturally sweet barbecue sauce for grilled chicken, a healthy dressing for the corn salad and a delicious yogurt-based smoothie on the side.

Get the Recipe: Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken with Corn Salad

Grilled Chicken with Spelt, Pear and Watercress Salad

This easy dinner has it all. It starts with lean protein from the skinless chicken breasts. Then it gets whole grains and green vegetables from the salad — a mix of watercress and spelt berries tossed with a simple lemon dressing and topped with tasty cheese shavings.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Spelt, Pear and Watercress Salad

Tuna-Avocado Open-Faced Sandwiches with Slaw and Oranges

Not the same old boring lunchtime sandwich, this open-faced take on tuna includes an Asian-inspired soy-sesame mayo and slices of heart-healthy avocado. Sprinkling orange slices with five-spice powder makes things even more interesting.

Get the Recipe: Tuna Avocado Open-Faced Sandwiches with Crunchy Slaw and Five-Spice Oranges

Pork and Cabbage with Wild Rice and Spiced Apples

The beauty of this dish is that you can roast the pork tenderloin and the red cabbage together on the same baking dish. On the side, serve antioxidant-rich wild rice.

Get the Recipe: Pork and Cabbage with Wild Rice and Spiced Apple

Kale and Tomato Eggs Benedict with Berries

Eggs Benedict is usually a butter-sauce-drenched affair, but this healthier version, made with a lighter mustard-based hollandaise, is a breakfast you can feel good about. Kale, tomato and a whole-wheat English muffin add to the sandwich's virtues, as do the mixed berries on the side.

Get the Recipe: Kale and Tomato Eggs Benedict with Berries

Bean-Kale Burgers with Sweet Potato Wedges

A step up from the typical veggie burger, this meatless main is prepared with mashed pinto beans and kale and then stacked on a whole-wheat English muffin with lettuce, tomato and onion. Fries are a must, of course — in this case, delicious sweet potato wedges. The healthy dessert: peaches in yogurt.

Get the Recipe: Bean-Kale Burgers with Sweet Potato Wedges

Pork Tenderloin with Corn Panzanella Salad

To make this meal's built-in vegetable side dish, cook corn kernels in a skillet until a little bit charred and then toss with tomatoes and chunks of whole-grain bread. Use the same skillet to roast the main attraction: pork tenderloin. For a sweet finish, serve yogurt tossed with mango.

Get the Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Corn Panzanella Salad and Yogurt with Mango

Herbal Chicken Sandwiches

This well-rounded lunch has three parts: a chicken salad sandwich on whole-grain bread, Greek yogurt topped with raspberry jam and green smoothies made with Granny Smith apples, avocado and fresh herbs.

Get the Recipe: Herbal Chicken Sandwiches with Apple-Avocado Smoothie

Cheesy Meatloaf with Green Quinoa

Call it a healthier take on comfort food. The meatloaves are made with a mix of extra-lean ground beef and fat-free ground turkey and are topped with tomatoes and cheese. On the side are garlicky spinach quinoa and juicy wedges of watermelon.

Get the Recipe: Cheesy Meatloaf with Green Quinoa

Greek Chicken Salad with Whole-Wheat Pita

Use grilled triangles of whole-wheat pita and a crunchy romaine salad with lemon-oregano dressing as the bed for simply grilled chicken. For a healthy dessert, soak dried apricots in orange juice and serve atop yogurt.

Get the Recipe: Greek Chicken Salad with Whole Wheat Pita and Yogurt with Apricots

Flank Steak with Creamed Swiss Chard

Flavorful steak can be part of a healthy diet, especially when it's balanced by plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Here, the accompaniments are creamed Swiss chard, halved strawberries and whole-wheat dinner rolls.

Get the Recipe: Flank Steak with Creamed Swiss Chard and Pine Nuts

Creamy Lemon-Pepper Orzo with Chicken

This chicken dinner hits all the right notes, flavor-wise and nutrition-wise. The whole-grain orzo (tossed with a lemon-yogurt sauce) and the green salad (made with figs and goat cheese) keep fiber levels up, while the chicken thighs deliver satisfying protein.

Get the Recipe: Creamy Lemon-Pepper Orzo with Chicken and Fig Salad

Zucchini "Hash Browns"

Zucchini takes the place of the usual potatoes in this healthy remake of hash browns that's accompanied by fried eggs and whole-wheat toast. To drink, make an easy banana-berry smoothie with frozen fruit and yogurt.

Get the Recipe: Zucchini "Hash Browns" and Eggs with Berry-Nana Smoothie

Broiled Tilapia with Bean, Potato and Olive Salad

Quick-cooking tilapia offers an easy way to incorporate more seafood into your diet. Here, the fish gets a whole-wheat breading that turns crisp in the broiler. Serve the fillets with fiber-filled brown rice, a green and yellow bean salad, and antioxidant-rich berries.

Get the Recipe: Broiled Tilapia with Bean, Potato and Olive Salad

Broccoli and Cheese Frittata with Tomato Toast

An easy, cheesy frittata gets a boost of nutrition with the addition of broccoli and a side of garlicky whole-wheat toast with tomato. For a smoothie that doesn't require a blender, just mash ripe banana in a glass of milk.

Get the Recipe: Broccoli Frittata with Tomato Toast and Banana Milk

Honey-Soy Grilled Salmon with Edamame and Brown Rice

This simple salmon dinner comes together in 35 minutes. To make the fish extra flavorful, stuff each fillet with a mix of cilantro, scallion and ginger and brush with a honey-soy sauce. Then round out the dinner with brown rice, edamame and sweet orange wedges.

Get the Recipe: Honey Soy Grilled Salmon with Edamame and Brown Rice