Social Media is a fantastic thing. There are so many great social media platforms out there, to market your product, your brand, you, EVERYTHING.

With that being said, everyone has their favorites. Mine? Instagram. Why? Because I can’t get enough of my feed full of hand-crafted, heavenly looking meals. I love that I can choose who and what I want to follow with limited distractions (advertisements, albums, news feed items, etc.). It’s great being able to view only the pictures I really want to see, which tends to be food. Specifically healthy and unique menu items like grilled cheeses filled with vegan cheddar, sautéed kale, avocado, and mustard versus the main stream fatty cheese and oily sammy’s. Five years ago who would have thought healthy grilled cheeses were possible and would taste so good? And, things like sweet potato turkey chili, and pumpkin spice porridge bowls. Man do I love the breakfast recipes I find on Instagram.  It’s exciting, learning how many unique, healthy, and easy meal options there are out there for us to create and devour. And, it’s awesome that we can still feel good about ourselves while eating them. I love Food Instagram geniuses and I am so happy I continue to find them.

My Top Accounts for Meal Ideas Right Now:

Pinch of Yum- I found this one when I was directed away from the Eat This, Not That twitter account while searching for overnight oats recipes. So glad I found my way to this account because I love every single thing about it. First, I love how Lindsay, the owner, has breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and healthy recipes split into sub-categories on her blog. Do we want to experiment with recipes that include superfoods? Or, a simple recipe with 5 ingredients or less? Are we feeling the simple poached egg and avocado toast for breakfast? Yes, yes we are. It’s so organized and focused. I am a huge fan of her sauces and dips, especially her Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Pumpkin Hummus recipe which combines roasted garlic, olive oil, water, chickpeas, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, rosemary, and a pinch of salt to make a wholesome and fabulous hummus that you can eat on or with anything. This is my go-to dip when I am snacking on carrots, broccoli, or pita bread. It tastes really good with chicken and on top of salads.  Her five-minute Cashew Sauce is bomb as well, all you need are cashews, some water, garlic and salt.

I come to her page for a lot of meal ideas because she puts a spin on traditional plates. I like her spin on traditional oatmeal, for example, her Toasted Coconut Breakfast Porridge. This is a good one. I like porridge made with both rolled oats and quinoa and use coconut milk as a liquid base which she did for this bowl. And, anything topped with coconut flakes, cinnamon, apple slices, honey, and peanut butter is a home run in my book. Try making this bowl, you will not be disappointed.

Photo credit: pinchofyum.com// Toasted Coconut Breakfast Porridge

Instagram Name: pinchofyum// Owner: Lindsay Ostrom

The Colorful Kitchen– My favorite account for healthy and hearty lunch ideas. Ilene’s vegan pizza, salad, and sandwich ideas are top-notch. All of the meals she posts are vegan and the majority are gluten-free as well, which I love because these days I am trying to nourish my body in a healthy way while still fulfilling all of my cravings.  She posts fantastic photos of great snack and meal ideas about two to four times a day and recipes right on her blog (the link is found on her Instagram bio) or underneath the picture.

My favorites to date are her Vegan Harvest Pizza made with gluten free chickpea crust topped with red sauce, squash, kale, onions, mushrooms, walnuts, and cashew cheese. I omit the onions (I am on a low Fodmap diet due to stomach issues). Her Raw Paid Thai Salad made with zucchini, carrots, spinach, and edamame, chopped nuts, topped with a gluten-free tamari, lime juice, minced garlic, and nut butter dressing is amazing. It is veggie-packed and the dressing really works with the combination of vegetables. Her unique Grilled Cheese made with vegan cheddar, sautéed kale, avocado, and mustard which I make on Ezekiel sprouted grain bread is a combination I would have never thought of on my own and the kale and avocado work so freaking well together.

Her account is full of vegan and gluten free recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. I highly recommend following her.

Photo Credit: thecolorfulkitchen.com // Vegan Harvest Pizza

Instagram Name: thecolorfulkitchen // Owner: Ilene Godofsky

OhHappyVeggie- Aisling from Ireland was a great find. I love her baked oatmeal and porridge ideas because they are not only  extremely good for you but satisfy your sweetest cravings.  My favorites to date include her Mocha Baked Oatmeal made with rolled oats, almond butter, and dark chocolate. The Spiced Pear Porridge Bowl which combines cooked oats, plant based milk, vanilla extract, chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pear puree is to die for. Pick any plant based milk your heart desires, I love my coconut and almond milk. For the pear puree, boil two or three pears until tender and toss them in a food processor/blender until they are in sauce form. I top my bowl with flaked almonds but the bowl tastes great when topped with dried fruits and maple sugar as well or all three.  Delicious. Other unique creations worth checking out are her Shepardless Pie with sweet potato mash and lentils and her Indian Chickpea Curry Stir-Fry which are found in her 10 Quick Easy Health Dinners post on her blog. There are a bunch of great simple meal ideas in this post that are perfect recipes to take advantage of during the busy work week. The Indian Chickpea Curry Stir-Fry is made with some of my favorite spices: turmeric, cumin, and coriander, which are full of flavor, nutrients, and really aid in food digestion.

All of Aisling’s recipes are plant-based and filled with ingredients that give you that boost of energy we need to get the day going.

Photo Credit: OhHappyVeggie.com //  Indian Chickpea Curry Stir Fry

Instagram Name: ohhappyveggie // Owner: Aisling Tuck

YourHealthyWorld– My one stop shop for every type of meal idea under the sun. Some recipes are made with dairy and meat, so that is something to take note of, while others are vegan friendly, gluten and refined-sugar free. Some are definitely cheat dishes though! This Instagram account does not have a separate blog linked to it but every picture has the recipe posted right underneath so you can quickly nail down what ingredients you will need. My go-to snacks came from this account, they include the Yogurt Superfood Bark, Almond butter Filled Dates, and Crispy Baked Chickpeas which are all so easy to make and ready in no-time. I make the yogurt superfood bark with Silk soy yogurt due to my dairy allergy but all you need is natural yoghurt and your favorite nuts and dried foods and enough self-control to let them sit in the freezer for an hour or two before devouring. The dates are great and take seconds to make and the Crispy Baked Chickpeas are great for mindless snacking (something I am a professional at). All you need to make the chickpeas are garbanzo beans and a little sea salt, coconut oil, and cayenne. I add curry powder as well. They are also a perfect topping for any salad.

For entrees, thus far, I love the mashed Sweet Potato and Turkey Mini-Patties over spinach. This specific post on her page is a video that walks you through how to make the patties which left me thinking… how come I never thought of that? Another favorite is the Savory Zucchini & Corn Pancakes, which are made with zucchini, corn, a little bit of dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, olive oil, and all-purpose flour and if you would like to add cheese, they recommend cheddar but I could see mozzarella working well too. These patties are delicious and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (I eat them at all times of day). This account makes interesting combinations of food work really, really well.

Photo Credit: YourHealthyWorld  Instagram account//  Yogurt Superfood Bark

Instagram Name: YourHealthyWorld

TheHappyCleanVegan  – This girl makes everything I would ever want to devour in this life and all of her recipes contain low fodmap ingredients which have really made a difference for my sensitive tummy and out of whack digestive system. Every picture she uploads is a meal idea that I have to tag immediately. Her ideas are what build my weekly grocery list. For the best snack idea I have heard to date, which uses three food items I eat on a regular basis (but separately), is her post-workout Sweet Potato, Banana, and Cinnamon smash. It is literally the perfect combination of savory and sweet. All you have to do is boil a sweet potato, cut a few slices of banana and mash it into the center of the boiled and somewhat mushy sweet baked potato, and top with cinnamon. So simple and so good.

I love this time of year! The Fall is so cozy. The leaves are changing and it’s starting to get cold so I have been loving soups lately. Her simple Pumpkin Soup recipe which only needs 4 ingredients: butternut squash, potatoes, vegetable stock, and pepper to taste. Try it! My other favorites from this account include the Sweet Potato & Quinoa Balls and her Cookie Dough Protein Balls which really do take 5 minutes or less to make. Just combine almond meal, raw vanilla protein, and coconut nectar (I have found this at Trader Joe’s and Wholefoods) and stir until well combined and roll into balls. They are very yummy and filling!

I plan to try her Veggie Samosas recipe next which is made with sweet potato, quinoa and peas. I love that she uses sweet potato in everything.

Photo Credit: TheHappyCleanVegan Instagram account// Sweet Potato & Quinoa Balls over Spinach

Instagram Name: TheHappyCleanVegan// Owner: Grace