Whole Health Dietitian
MEAL PLANNING
The question I get asked most often is: "how do you plan meals"? My response is "once you have the knowledge on how to eat healthier, it becomes fun and easy". I'm just here to help get you started.
I'm also told "well I don't cook" or "I don't have a lot of time to plan meals or cook healthy". Well you don't need to be chef or spend a lot of time in the kitchen in order to eat healthy. And for those that have lack of time there is a way around that -click here.
See below for some examples of what I eat and how I plan my meals. Even though I'm vegan, I have other options shown for those that aren't.
For breakfast and lunch, I try to get a vegan protein source and a healthy carbohydrate source with each meal then I try to find a way to add veggies. For dinner- I shop and plan my meal around the plate method below. Viola, easy! See below for a few ideas to help get you started:
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
Pick 1 lean protein source
-low fat milk or nut-based milk
-1-2 eggs (nor more than 4 yolks/wk)
-1/3 cup nuts, or 2T seeds (hemp, etc)
- 3oz organic non GMO tempeh or tofu
-Organic vegan protein powder
-1-2T Natural Peanut butter
-6oz low fat yogurt
Pick 1 lean protein source
3oz of lean meat (turkey or chicken breast, fish, shellfish -not fried)
1 low-fat yogurt or 8 oz low-fat milk
½ cup of legumes, lentils, or edamame or seeds (hemp, etc)
1/3 cup nuts or 1-2T natural PB
-3oz organic non GMO tempeh or tofu
~1 cup of healthy carbs
-1 small fruit or 1 cup cut up fruit
-1 serving dried fruit with no added sugar
-Oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat
-Non-refined whole grain products (certain healthy cereals, breads, tortilla, bagels)
-low-fat yogurt or 8oz of low-fat milk
~1 cup of healthy carbs
-1 small fruit or 1 cup cut up fruit
-1 serving dried fruit with no added sugar
-legumes, peas, lentils, potatoes
-Whole grains: noodles, quinoa, teff, amaranth, barley, farro, buckwheat, etc
-low-fat yogurt or 8oz low-fat milk
For DINNER- just make your plate look like the plate method below. Fill 1/2 your plate with non- starchy veggies, 1/4 of your plate with lean protein, and 1/4 of your plate with healthy carbohydrates.
NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES
Artichoke, asparagus, beans (green, Italian, or wax), bean sprouts, beets, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, onion, lettuce, leeks, mushrooms, okra, peppers, radishes, red leaf lettuce, salad greens, spinach, summer squash, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts,
watercress, zucchini
HEALTHY CARBS
(~1 cup cooked):
Grains: Quinoa, rice, pasta, teff, wheat berries, bread, cereal
Beans & Peas: Dried beans, lentils, lima beans, green peas
Starchy Veggies: White/red potatoes, sweet potato, winter squash, corn
Also, milk, yogurt and fruit
LEAN PROTEIN
Vegan options- Legumes, nuts, seeds, lentils, Tempeh, organic soy based products, nut butters.
Non-vegan -Eggs, low-fat dairy, Fish, turkey, chicken (white meat, skinless), boneless pork chop or loin, ham, red meat once a week. Do not fry or add unhealthy fat to the protein.
***Yogurt, milk & legumes/lentils count as a protein and carbohydrate source.
To see samples of the options above visit my pantry page.