10 Delicious Recipes to Get in Your Healthy Fat Servings

Avocado. Olive oil. Peanut butter. On the South Beach Diet, these staples—and dozens more—are considered Healthy Fats: Foods that provide a good source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Both aid with essential body function including muscle movement and the building of cells; both help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In addition to their health benefits, Healthy Fats are satisfying. In fact, Healthy Fat servings are essential to success on the South Beach Diet, helping to ensure you won’t feel hungry or deprived.

Sure, you can eat a spoonful of peanut butter right out of the jar, but you can also be a bit more creative (and feel more satisfied) if you make something tasty instead.

Check out 10 delicious recipes to get in your healthy fat servings:

1. No-Bake Overnight Chia Pudding >

This recipe calls for kefir: A probiotic-rich milk made from cultured, fermented cow’s milk, goat’s milk or sheep’s milk, according to BBC Good Food. It tastes a little tart and sour and almost carbonated because of the carbon dioxide (the end product of the fermentation process). If you haven’t tried kefir, start with this recipe because the vanilla and cinnamon—not to mention the nuts and chia seeds (which help with your Healthy Fat servings )—soften the flavor a bit, helping you ease into (and love!) it.

2. Inside-Out Cheeseburgers >

Burgers. On a diet. Wait. What? It’s true. This recipe starts with lean ground turkey and then calls for red bell pepper, scallions and goat cheese to really kick the flavor up a notch. Flaxmeal (the Healthy Fat) can be found at most gourmet supermarkets. Or, you can make it at home from flaxseeds with a coffee grinder. Flaxmeal is rich in fiber, nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids and really holds the burger together.

3. Caesar Salad >

Not all Caesar Salads are created equally. Your average restaurant salad comes swimming in dressing which totally negates its healthfulness. This recipe calls for just a light coating, allowing you to enjoy the flavor and reap the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil. Make this salad an entrée by adding three ounces of grilled chicken or salmon or a whole, sliced, hard-boiled egg.

4. Pesto Cilantro Dip >

In July 2018, researchers published a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that suggests diets enriched with walnuts can lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and apoprotein B (a protein linked to cardiovascular disease). And despite their high-fat content, those studied did not gain weight. If you’re not one to snack on nuts, this goes-with-everything-dip can change your mind. Try it with cut veggies, on whole-grain bread or dolloped on a favorite entrée.

5. Chicken Salad with Avocado >

Anyone can make a chicken salad. But you’ll love the dressing in this classic dish. It’s light; it’s fresh; it’s four ingredients: Olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Don’t dress the whole salad if you’re the only one eating it. (This recipe serves four.) Otherwise, you’ll have soggy leftovers. Similarly, only use half an avocado at a time. Keep the other half refrigerated with the pit in the cavity to prevent browning.

6. “Soufflé” Stuffed Chicken >

You want: Dinner that satisfies your family. You have: A million other things on your to-do list. That’s where this semi-homemade recipe comes into play. It uses a package of Stouffer’s frozen spinach soufflé to make things easier, and the chicken browns in the oven while you help child number one with homework and child number two get ready for practice. Suggested side dish: Basmati rice with lemon and some fresh cilantro.

7. Zesty Crab Cakes with Creamy Pepper Sauce >

Think you can’t cook a fancy, diet-friendly dinner for friends? Not so. These crab cakes—and their zesty, flavorful sauce—could satisfy a chef. To save a little time, make the sauce, brown the veggies and assemble the crab cakes in advance. Before cooking, coat in the breadcrumbs and sauté. Serve with an oven-roasted veggie or cauliflower “mashed potatoes.”

8. Easy Chicken Parm >

It’s not a matter of if you’ll have cravings for chicken parm; it’s when. Luckily, we knew that and created this lighter, healthier, still-flavorful version, thanks to an almond flour-coating and fresh basil. Our recipe tasters liked the chicken served on a combination of whole wheat pasta and spiralized zucchini. You may prefer all pasta or spaghetti squash. Adapt to your taste.

9. Easy Egg Tacos >

Egg tacos? It might sound strange but wait until you taste one. It’s like huevos rancheros meets chicken lettuce wraps. So are they breakfast or lunch? That’s up to you. If you’ve never cooked with nutritional yeast, this is the perfect “try me” recipe because it works really well with eggs.

10. 5-Ingredient Chocolate Avocado Pudding >

There are few things in life more comforting than a bowl of chocolate pudding. It’s dessert at its simplest and best. Sugar, obviously, is a problem when you’re dieting but this recipe uses healthy protein powder to add sweetness. (If you have liquid stevia on hand, you can add a bit more to your liking.) You’ll love the buttery, pudding-like texture of the avocado. Try almond butter, cashew butter or make a chocolate-peanut butter pudding.