April Meal Planner: 30 Colorful, Healthy Meals To Keep Your Table Fresh

April is conceptually the first month of REAL spring, so naturally, we tend to focus on light, healthy, refreshing meal options that will help us get in shape for summer. We also get to go *nuts* at the farmer’s market after months of limited seasonal food options. It’s the month of asparagus recipes, detox recipes, and edible flowers recipes. Unfortunately, though, it’s also tax season and a SUPER busy time of year for a lot of us. Well, we’ve got you covered. These 30 recipes give you the perfect balance of healthy and convenient, with quick-and-easy dinner ideas for Monday nights and gorgeous seasonal creations for not-so-lazy Sundays.

One Pan Honey Lemon Chicken Asparagus

Asparagus, the shining star of spring, is front-and-center in this Paleo-approved and uber-healthy recipe. Actually, it shares the spotlight with juicy, tender, flavorful chicken breasts. (via Cafe Delites)

Baked Orange Chicken

Just because it’s Springtime doesn’t mean your cravings for Chinese food are magically going to go away. Lighten things up with this baked (not fried!) orange chicken recipe. Serve it with brown rice for a totally healthful take on everyone’s fave takeout cuisine. (via Just a Taste)

Asparagus Salad

Got leftover asparagus? Use it up in this delicious salad that’s perfect for meatless Mondays during this time of year. Pick your asparagus up from the local farmer’s market for extra fresh flavor. (via Homespun Capers)

Creamy Portobella Mushroom Chicken

This slow cooker recipe swoops in to save the day when Tuesday has just gotten WAY too busy. Put four ingredients in your slow cooker before you head out the door, and come home to this creamy yet relatively healthy bowl of comfort food. (via Cutefetti)

Slow Cooker Mini BBQ Pork Sliders

Happy Hump Day! Here’s another slow cooker recipe to help you keep things simple. These tasty pork sliders are going to be a *total* crowd-pleaser, too. (via Table for Two)

One-Pan Sausage With Sweet Potato and Asparagus

This healthy and super quick meal is not only delicious, it’s Paleo-approved. Feel free to swap in turkey sausage for an even lighter and healthier option. (via Primavera Kitchen)

California Steak Salad With Chimichurri Dressing

It may be starting to get warmer by now, and we can’t think of a better way to enjoy the spring weather than by eating a fresh and tasty steak salad. Pair it with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc for a perfect Friday meal. (via Joyful Healthy Eats)

Shredded Pork Taco Bowl

Any pork you have leftover from your sliders can be used to make this fresh and delicious taco bowl. Combine your favorite taco fix-ins, like cheese, onions, black beans, tomatoes, and avocados, and nom away to your heart’s content. (via Mantitlement)

Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Who said green bean casserole was just for Thanksgiving time? Certainly not us! In fact, we think this delightfully crispy yet lightened up version is perfect for spring. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Spring Vegetable Quinoa Minestrone

It’s meatless Monday again, and we can’t think of a healthier vegetarian meal than this seasonally-inspired vegetable minestrone. Instead of the traditional pasta, it’s packed with protein-rich quinoa, so it’ll keep you fuller, longer. (via Simply Quinoa)

Crockpot Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Tacos

This crockpot recipe let’s you practically walk in the door to a delicious plate of tacos. The chicken itself comes out tender and juicy, while the honey-lime dressing gives the whole thing a kick of tang and a dose of sweetness. (via A Latte Food)

Grain, Gluten ,and Garbage-Free Chicken Nuggets

This healthy chicken nuggets are a copycat recipe for Chick-Fil-A’s world-famous chicken. And literally EVERY ingredient in these bad boys is good for you, from the blend of anti-inflammatory spices to naturally gluten-free tapioca starch. (via The Domestic Man)

Honey-Lime Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

You know that honey-lime dressing you made a few days ago? Here’s another use for it. These stuffed sweet potatoes are uber-satisfying and totally healthy, but you’ll hardly even notice it because these taste SO good and filling. (via Cooking It Classy)

Springtime Veggie Pasta Primavera

Did you know that primavera literally means “spring?” That’s why primavera pasta is so light, fresh, and colorful — it’s filled with all the produce that flourishes around this time of year. (via Whole and Heavenly Oven)

Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers With Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado

Today is Saturday, which means it’s time to par-tay. Not coincidentally, we’ve chosen arguably the most *fun* recipe on our list: sweet potato burgers. This burger recipe is super unique and flavored with garlic, paprika, onions, olive oil, cumin, Greek yogurt, and maple syrup. WOW! (via How Sweet Eats)

Farfalle Pasta With Light Creamy Mushroom Rosé Sause

Happy Easter! This year, why not skip the traditional ham and go for something a little more…. fancy? If you have any leftover farfalle from your primavera salad, now’s the time to use it up in DELICIOUS fashion. Mushrooms and rosé come together gorgeously in this creamy pasta dish that’s sure to satisfy the most gourmet palettes in your fam. (via Ahead of Thyme)

Spring Minestrone Soup With Chickpeas

In this edition of meatless Monday recipes, we turn to a gorgeously green and seasonal minestrone. Cleansing, warming, nutritious, and tasty, this beautiful soup is made with scallions, spring peas, kale, chickpeas (duh), lemon juice, and herbs such as fennel, cayenne, coriander, and tarragon. (via Feasting At Home)

Easy BLTA Wrap

If you have any avocados to use up, we have the perfect solution: a bacon-lettuce-tomato wrap with avocados thrown into the mix. Spring for a spinach or whole wheat wrap to keep this creation even *more* healthy and fresh. (via Yummy Healthy Easy)

Skinny Chicken and Avocado Caesar Salad

Caesar salad sounds healthy in theory (it’s a salad, right?) but the conventional version is actually quite heavy. This healthified version utilizes Greek yogurt, olive oil, omega 3-rich anchovies, and protein-packed grilled chicken to make this salad both uber-nutritious and completely yummy. (via Cafe Delites)

One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa

It’s Thursday, so you may be hankering for a quick-and-easy meal tonight. We’ve got you covered with this cheesy (yet still nutrient-packed) one-pan dish. (via Cooking Classy)

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

This Friday, spend your time having fun — the weather is undoubtedly getting warmer. Use up any leftover Caesar salad from the other night in these handy, fun, and easy-to-make wraps. (via OMG Chocolate Desserts)

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

These delicious and mildly spicy peppers are stuffed with lean protein (turkey), onion, garlic, tomatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese. Feel free to swap in your favorite ground meat… Chicken and beef will both work perfectly as well. (via Dear Crissy)

Spring Pea Salad

HOW GORGEOUS is this spring pea salad?! We can’t even. Edible flowers, squares of feta cheese, bright green peas, radishes, cucumber, and lettuce are just a *few* of the ingredients in this beautiful creation. (via What’s Gaby Cooking?)

Easy Cream-less Asparagus Soup

Since asparagus is the shining star of spring, this warming and flavorful soup is totally appropos. Serve it with wild rice for a complete meal, or just sip on (and savor) this calming soup creation all by itself. (via POPSUGAR)

Dump-and-Bake Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

This Tuesday, try this dumb-and-bake recipe. It really doesn’t get much easier than this, and the flavors are PHENOMENAL. You’ll be transported right into the heart of Tuscany. (via The Seasoned Mom)

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

You’ll be surprised by how easy (and healthy) these fajitas are to make. You literally just need to cut up your peppers and chicken, pop them in the oven, and serve them with tortillas. Or, just eat it without the tortilla — doing so makes it a 100 percent Paleo-approved choice. (via Cooking Classy)

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

The leftover ingredients you used for that Tuscan chicken pasta can be set aside and reserved for this scrumptious concoction. Featuring chicken breasts, olive oil, heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes, this simple recipe looks as good as it tastes. (via The Recipe Critic)

Falafel

If you’ve been holding off on making falafel at home because you think it’s too difficult, think again. All you need to do is mix a short list of ingredients in your food processor, let your dough sit for a couple of hours, and fry these babies up. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Honey Garlic Salmon

Salmon is one of the healthiest foods around, as it’s rich in healthy fats like omega-3s. This honey-garlic iteration is easy to make, and absolutely *dripping* with flavor and punch. (via iFoodReal)

Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Falafel Salad Bowls With Pickled Beets

Welcome to the last day of April! If you’ve followed along with this meal planner, you’ve gotten to enjoy a wide range of cuisine types, all with a slight bent toward healthy and fresh cuisine. To round it off, enjoy this gluten-free salad featuring your leftovers… That tasty, green falafel. (via Snixy Kitchen)