Clean eating sounds like an impossible task to most of us, but you should know that the basic principles behind this practice are founded in nutritional science. It is not difficult to follow, once you get used to it. The first step towards healthy and clean eating is to have clean ingredients ready in your pantry with planned menu. Most of the clean dishes are made up of simpleingredients and can be prepared in less than 60 minutes. Clean eating dinners are diet-friendly, low in fat, sugar and sodium. So why not start trying one of the following recipes tonight!

6 Clean Eating Dinner Recipes

Shrimp Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Add this recipe in your dinner menu if you want to have something fresh and light. It doesn't require too much time for preparation and gets done in just 18 minutes.

Ingredients:

Cooking instructions:

1. Crisp bacon in a medium-sized pan on medium heat. When done remove it from pan, add shrimps to the pan and cook for 2 minutes turning at least once. Reserve the crumble and drippings.
2. Mix crispy bacon, grape tomatoes, fennel, red onion and spinach. Mix all the leftover ingredients in another bowl and whisk to stir. Add mixture of shrimps to spinach and toss to combine.

Nutritional facts:

• 274 calories
• 13.5g fat
• 27.5g protein
• 11.2g carbohydrates
• 3.5g fiber
• 176mg cholesterol
• 5mg iron
• 487mg sodium
• 156mg calcium

Grilled Baby Eggplant

Being a great vegetarian choice from the clean eating dinner recipes, it is easy and simple with no slicing involved. It can be prepared within 15 minutes with only 17 carbs per plate.

Ingredients:

Cooking instructions:

1. Mix rosemary and goat cheese in a bowl. Cover it and refrigerate for a few hours. Combine oil, vinegar and salt (1/2 teaspoon) in another bowl.
2. Preheat the grill, brush the marinade on eggplant and use salt and black pepper to season. Keep the marinated eggplant on one side for halfanhour.
3. Place eggplant on grill, cook covered for 5-7 minutes until it gets soft and tender with a turn.
4. Remove eggplant from grill, top with goat cheese mixture, raisins and pine nuts. Place again on grill, cover and cook to melt the cheese.
5. Serve with some marinade drizzled on top.

Nutritional facts:

• 333 calories
• 29g fat
• 17g carbohydrates
• 5g protein

Pan-Seared Steak with Port Sauce and Grape

The recipe is a quick and easy addition to your clean eating dinner recipes and takes only 20 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

Cooking instructions:

1. Dividesteak into 4 pieces and pat it dry. Sprinkle 1/4th tablespoon pepper and salt and set aside in refrigerator for half an hour. Take 1 tablespoon oil and heat in a pan; add steaks and cook for 2-4 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove steaks from pan and cover using foil.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan. Cook after adding grapes with occasional stirring and pressing for 4-6 minutes. Cook by adding shallot with stirring for 1 minute. Add flour and coat then add port, thyme, broth and 1/4th teaspoon salt. Cook on high-medium heat with stirring and scrapping for 2-3 minutes.
3. Serve steaks with sauce about 3 tablespoons per serving.

Nutritional facts:

• 246 calories
• 10g fat
• 23g protein
• 11g  carbohydrates
• 1g fiber
• 61mg cholesterol
• 217g sodium
• 410mg potassium

Grilled Tunisian Chicken

It's one of the best clean eating dinner recipes if you're looking for something spicy and quick.

Ingredients:

Cooking instructions:

1. Grind both the seeds and red pepper and transfer to bowl. Add garlic powder, salt and stir.
2. Add chicken in mixture and leave to coat for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat grill/broiler.
4. For grilling: oil the grill, then grill chicken for 4-8 minutes each side;

For broiling: lines foil on broiling pan, place chicken and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Nutritional facts:

• 131 calories
• 3g fat
• 23g protein
• 2g carbohydrates
• 63mg cholesterol
• 195mg sodium
• 228mg potassium

Catfish Fingers with Pilaf

This tender catfish with spicy pilaf can be prepared in an hour providing the satisfaction of stick-to-the-ribs, making it a delicious choice among the clean eating dinner recipes.

Ingredients:

Cooking instructions:

1. Combine peas, water (4 cups) and bay leaf in a pan and boil for about 45 minutes. Drain and discard leaf.
2. Spray a pan and put on heat. Sauté yellow onions and Jalapeño pepperswhile stirring for 3 minutes. Sauté for 45 more seconds after adding garlic. Add rice, salt, thyme and water (2 cups) for about 40 minutes.
3. Spread paprika, cornmeal, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne and some salt on a plate. Heat a large pan, combine mixture of cornmeal and catfish thoroughly. Place on skillet and cook, flip the fish and crisp both the sides by cooking for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add peas, green onions, tomatoes, parsley and vinegar in rice. Put off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.
5. Top with catfish and serve.

Nutritional facts:

• 339 calories
• 5g fat
• 25g protein
• 2g carbohydrates
• 66mg cholesterol
• 351mg sodium
• 5g fiber

Mac & Cheese with Sweet Potato

This dish from the clean eating dinner recipes is enriched with fiber. It does not only appeal by its color, but is also healthy with only half of the cheese from the normal mac and cheese.

Ingredients:

Cooking instructions:

1. Preheat the broiler after spraying the baking pan.
2. In a pot, boil noodles until tender and drain.
3. Prick the sweet potato on multiple sides, microwave for 7-10 minutes.
4. Combine flour, garlic and milk in a pan and heat with continuous stirring until hot (not boiling).
5. Cut the sweet potato open and scoop out the inner flesh into milk. Blend to smooth.
6. Add mustard, cheese, salt and pepper and combine. Add pasta and peas and combine.
7. Transfer to baking dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs and oil over the top and broil to crisp.

Nutritional facts:

• 479 calories
• 14g fat
• 24g protein
• 68g carbohydrates
• 40mg cholesterol
• 511mg sodium
• 10g fiber