100 Healthy, Simple Recipes to Fuel Your Day

The best-selling Skinnytaste collection of cookbooks has added an eighth publication to an impressive list. Tapping into the current enthusiasm for upping one’s protein intake, recipe developer Gina Homolka partnered with registered dietitian Heather Kay Jones to create Skinnytaste High Protein. But there’s more to this book than just being trendy.

If you’re familiar with Homolka’s previous offerings, you’ll recognize her flair for herbs, spices and flavour, and Jones has helped increase the protein components. This collaboration features 100 enticing recipes — each made with whole foods with 20–30 grams of protein — that anyone with basic skills can make in their kitchen. Why the high protein? The authors provide ten compelling reasons why a diet higher in protein is important for our health, from regulating food intake and controlling hunger, to building and maintaining muscle mass, creating healthier skin and hair, and preventing cognitive decline.

I appreciate the book’s explanation for how to calculate how much protein each person needs, as this is based on your body weight. Several beautiful pages of photos of what 30 grams of protein looks like are also instructive, ranging from four ounces of a sirloin steak to two cups of cooked beans. A four-week sample menu, with a variety of meals from the book, is also super helpful. It becomes crystal clear that 30 grams of protein per person is very achievable.

Gina Homolka

I love flipping through a book for ideas page by page, but Skinnytaste High Protein also includes a snapshot of each of the full-page images from each recipe to serve as a Table of Contents. The book is organized quite simply (with a good index) into seven sections, covering breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners identified as meatless or focused on poultry, beef or pork, or seafood. The recipes are for generous portions, with plenty of interesting options for vegetarians but not much for vegans.

The book also includes helpful breakdowns for those looking for a more complete nutritional breakdown of each recipe, with the amount of protein per serving, of course, but also calories, carbohydrates, fibre, sugars, fat and saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.

I’ll keep Choose-Your-Adventure Protein Sheet Pan Bake with my favourite recipes, as it’s perfect for those nights when thinking about what to cook is a chore. I chose chicken with broccoli and cauliflower florets, adding curry powder and rice for my options when I tested this book with my mother-in-law. We both enjoyed the flavours, with the high protein and health aspects a bonus. We ate heartily, and there were leftovers for lunch the next day.

I procured some fresh wild Chinook salmon for the Sheet Pan Tajín Salmon Tacos. (Yes, I’m a sheet pan fan!) The salmon was a standout, surrounded by the tangy tastes of the quickly-pickled onion and the (new to me and delicious) Tajín seasoning. I’ll have some of the prep done ahead of time for a quick and satisfying meal for a larger group.

The Pork Tenderloin Piccata was a pleasant surprise. Although rather simple to prepare, I would be very comfortable serving this to guests on a special occasion. The sauce, primarily made up of chicken bone broth, lemons, white wine and butter, added an enchanting and pleasantly tart taste that seemed to both tenderize and uplift the pork to another level.

Isn’t it wonderful when a dish is delicious while providing a healthy boost? Skinnytaste High Protein is full of recipes that achieve that goal, making the case for increased protein an easy one to embrace.

SUE GORDON has taught baking to high school students, including running an alternative school’s commercial bakery in Carcross, Yukon. Now a retired nurse and educator, she is enjoying trying new things in her kitchen and garden.

CHOOSE-YOUR-ADVENTURE PROTEIN SHEET PAN BAKE

Sheet pan bakes are my go-to for meal-prepping lunches and for easy weeknight dinners. The possibilities are endless with the combinations of protein, veggies, and spices you can use.

THE FORMULA HERE IS EASY:

Choose your protein, choose 2 cups of veggies, add some aromatics, and then toss with oil, salt, and your seasoning of choice. Into the oven it goes, and you’re done! You can mix and match and create so many different meals.

SERVES 1

CHOOSE 1 LEAN PROTEIN

6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
7 ounces tofu, drained and cut into ½-inch cubes
6 ounces boneless white fish fillet
6 ounces salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp

CHOOSE 2 CUPS NON-STARCHY VEGGIES

(Feel free to mix and match as long as you have 2 cups total)

Broccoli florets
Cauliflower florets
Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
Green beans, ends trimmed
Mushrooms, halved
Bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
Zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
Grape or cherry tomatoes
½ cabbage wedge, quartered

ADD THE AROMATICS

½ cup chopped red onion, yellow onion, or shallot
1 garlic clove, chopped

TOSS WITH

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

ADD SPICES AND SEASONINGS

(OPTIONAL)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Sweet paprika
Dried or fresh herbs
Chili powder
Curry powder

SERVE WITH

½ cup of your favourite grains or legumes

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a small sheet pan (13 x 9 inches) with oil. (If doubling the portion, use an 18 x 13-inch sheet pan.)

Combine the protein, veggies, and aromatics on the sheet pan. (If using seafood, see Tips.) Drizzle everything with the oil, season with the salt, black pepper to taste, and spices/seasonings (if using). Toss to mix well.

Bake until the protein is cooked through and the veggies are tender, about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Serve it with your choice of grains or legumes.

TIPS: Since seafood will take less time to cook — 6 to 8 minutes — put the vegetables in the oven first and roast for 12 minutes. Then add the seafood to the sheet pan. Flip the veggies and continue cooking for a total of 20 minutes. Double the recipe, and you’ll not only have a dinner for one, but a second meal for lunch the next day (or two lunches prepped for the week). To turn this into a family dinner for four, simply scale it up on two large sheet pans.

SHEET PAN TAJÍN SALMON TACOS

My daughter Madison loves these salmon tacos so much that I usually make them for her a few times a month. They’re super easy to prepare because I don’t take the skin off the salmon before I cook it. Instead, I roast the salmon on a sheet pan skin side down, and once baked, the fish comes right off the skin and right onto the tortillas. My husband is not a fan of salmon, so I usually swap his salmon for another protein, like chicken.

SERVES 4

Olive oil spray
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 limes, halved
Kosher salt
5 ounces avocado (about 7 medium Hass), mashed with a fork
4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon Tajín (Mexican chile-lime seasoning salt)
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded red cabbage
8 lime wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with oil.

In a small bowl, combine the red onion, juice from 1½ limes, and a large pinch of kosher salt. Toss to combine and let the mixture pickle while you prepare the other ingredients, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, combine the mashed avocado. Juice of the remaining lime half, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.

Place the salmon on the sheet pan skin side down, spray the flesh with olive oil, and season with the Tajin. Bake until the fish is cooked through in the center, 12 to 14 minutes, depending on the thickness. (Alternatively, to cook in an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Use air fryer parchment for easy cleanup, then air-fry the salmon skin side down for 6 to 9 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.) With a spatula, break each fillet into 3 pieces, leaving the skin behind.

Meanwhile, lightly char the tortillas over a flame or in a hot skillet, 30 seconds on each side, and keep warm.

To serve, place some of the cabbage on the bottom of each tortilla, top with the salmon, then the avocado, and finish with the pickled red onions. Serve with lime wedges.

PORK TENDERLOIN PICCATA

If you’re looking for a dish that’s elegant yet quick enough to make any night of the week, this dish is a winner. It’s a family favourite. My daughter Madison absolutely loves the tangy combination of capers and lemon, and I love how tender the pork turns out, even when using lean pork tenderloin. The light, flavourful sauce perfectly complements the delicate medallions of pork, and best of all, it comes together in just 30 minutes.

SERVES 4

1½ pounds pork tenderloin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter or nondairy butter
1/3 cup low-calorie dry white wine (I like Kim Crawford Illuminate 70-calorie Sauvignon Blanc)
Juice of 1 large lemon, lemon halves reserved
¾ cup chicken bone broth*
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1 lemon, thinly sliced

*Read the label to be sure this product is gluten-free.

Trim and remove any silver skin from the pork tenderloin. Cut the pork across the tenderloin into 12 medallions ¾-inch thick. Place the medallions between wax paper and pound to a ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides of the pork with the salt and pepper to taste.

Place the flour on a shallow plate. Dredge the pork in the flour and shake off any excess.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Working in batches if needed, sear the pork until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through in the center, about 1 minute per side (they will finish cooking in the sauce later). Remove and set aside on a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add the lemon juice, reserved lemon halves, bone broth, and black pepper to taste. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced, 3 to 4 minutes.

Discard the lemon halves and add the remaining ½ tablespoon butter. Return the pork medallions and accumulated juices to the skillet, spooning the sauce over them. Add the capers and simmer until the pork is cooked through (the internal temperature should register 145°F), 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon slices.

PERFECT PAIRINGS

Serve over pasta or rice, or with crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce. Roasted vegetables and a simple salad on the side would be great, too.

Recipes excerpted from Skinnytaste High Protein copyright© 2025 by Gina Homolka. Photographs copyright© 2025 by Eva Kolenko. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.