Start Your Year Off "Light"

Keeping your pantry well stocked with everyday staples and healthy essentials can make dinners a breeze and support your healthy-eating goals at the same time. Win-win!

Every diet begins with watching what you eat. Counting calories is key whether you're maintaining a healthy weight or working to shed a few pounds. Fortunately, there's an easier way to go about the math than tracking down nutritional info and logging every bite: build a strong portfolio of delicious low-calorie meals and let it do the work for you. We'll get you started with this collection of 400-calorie dinner recipes that are short on calories but big on flavor. The only arithmetic you'll be responsible for is subtracting pounds.

Experts link plant-forward diets to a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, as well as certain types of cancer. Consuming more plant-based foods increases your intake of vitamins A, C, and E, folate, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which may be why the diet is believed to contribute to longer life spans in the Mediterranean and Asia. No matter why you want to embrace more meatless meals, these innovative recipes will convince you to incorporate more nutrient-dense plant-based alternatives more often.

How this is the math we can get down with: 5 versatile proteins + 5 go-with-anything sauces + 5 hardworking sides = a new arsenal of 125 different fast and easy dinners.

These 15 new fast weeknight mains were built entirely from one master list, our new fridge, freezer, and pantry essentials. The sheer variety of mains will amaze you, as will the versatility of everyday ingredients that transform again and again in unexpected ways. Use the list as a shopping guide, scaling items up or down depending on your menu plan. Armed with your new essential ingredients and these family-friendly recipes, you can skip daily shopping trips, avoid food waste, and eat deliciously all week long.

Demand more from your go-to dinner staples: more whole grains and produce, more bold flavors, and less meat and processed foods. Make over your larder this month with a master list of super-versatile ingredients—all you need to conjure new fast mains.

Create vibrant, fresh main dishes with 20-minute dinner solutions everyone will love. Find it all here, from creamy soups and colorful salads to grilled meats and fast vegetarian options.

Maintaining a healthy weight or trying to lose a few pounds ultimately revolves around the science of counting calories. It's a tedious task to tabulate every morsel you put in your mouth, but there's a simpler and much more flexible strategy: Start a file of skinny recipes. Use this collection of low-calorie dinners as a starting point. As always, taste comes first, so we've pulled together our best recipes that are big on flavor and in step with all the latest food trends. The choices are amazing, and you won't feel like you're depriving yourself.