A plate is like a painting, with the food as the main work of art. Brighten up your spring meals with our simple (and healthy) ideas.

1. Consider color. In terms of color, most meats aren't very interesting. Brighten up your entrées by selecting vegetables or fruits to add pops of color to your culinary artwork. Green vegetables are popular (and easy) additions, but you can really make your plate a work of art by adding veggies that are red, orange, and yellow.

Plus, adding a variety of colored fruits and veggies to your meals can add a variety of vitamins and nutrients. For example, lycopene, the antioxidant found naturally in tomatoes, is known to give tomatoes their red color. Orange fruits and veggies such as cantaloupe and carrots are great choices to add beta-carotene. Just 1/2 cup of cooked leafy greens such as spinach, turnip, and collards can add fiber and calcium. Purple and red fruits and veggies (known for flavonoids) are other beautiful ways to enhance your dietary color palate.

2. Get garnishy. Popular garnishes such as a sprig of parsley, curls of carrots, or twists of lemon are simple and easy ways to give your meals a professional, finished look without adding unwanted calories.

3. Shape up. Plan for a variety of shapes and forms. For example, if you're serving meatballs, you don't want to add additional round foods such as brussels sprouts and new potatoes to your plate. Green beans and whipped potatoes would be better sides to visually complement the meal.

Additionally, cutting vegetables into different shapes can give you creative freedom. Carrots, for example, can be cut into dice, rounds, or sticks to finish off nearly any meal with a pop of color and an interesting new shape.

4. Pep up pasta. When cooking pasta, add a tablespoon of turmeric to the water to bring your pasta a rich, yellow color without adding any extra calories. This simple trick also works for grain dishes such as rice, rice pilaf, potatoes, and couscous. Paprika works the same way, but adds a luscious earthy tone and a spark of delicious flavor.