Meal Planning & Menus

Do you eat breakfast or grab something from a fast food place?
Snacks? Do you get something from the vending machine or nosh on donuts or whatever is laying around the office?
What about lunch? Do you pack and bring a healthy lunch or go out and find something quick?
What's for dinner? Do you tend to go to the grocery store several times a week or do you plan meals that you have time to cook and eat with your family?

First, breakfast. It's so important to get a good, healthy start to the day! When you skip or grab a sweet coffee drink and pastry you are setting yourself up to start the day on the wrong nutritional footing. Your body will crave more sugar and junk food within hours. Get some protein and veggies (I love eggs and greens or a smoothie).


Snacks can help you get through until your next meal. Make your snack count! Veggies and hummus or artichoke dip, a small handful of raw nuts, and/or a piece of fruit.

Lunch. Eat a satisfying lunch with quality lean protein and lots of veggies. Salads or soups (not cream/milk based) are a perfect way to fill up and power your through the afternoon without feeling too full and making you sleepy.  Take time to eat your food without distraction. Get away from your desk, phone, TV, computer, etc. and enjoy your lunch in a comfortable setting indoors or outdoors at a picnic table or park bench.


Dinner. Days are busy, especially when working full time and getting kids to and from their activities. Dinner is an important time to eat together, talk about the day, and fuel your body before bedtime. No food should be consumed 2-3 hours before bedtime as it impacts digestion and sleep. If you feel like you need something, have a cup of herbal tea (with a teaspoon of honey once if desired - just don't get in the habit of having it all the time). Most of my dinners can be made quickly without a lot of fuss. Mussels are a family favorite!

Meal Planning
 
Taking the time to meal plan (I usually do my planning, shopping, and prepping on Sunday's or Monday's - my day off from work) will help you save time and money (it's amazing how much money you save by not eating out regularly). I do one big grocery shopping each week and then tend to go for a quick trip later in the week to pick up more fresh veggies. I tend to prep most veggies Sunday evening - wash, cut, and place in a container so they are ready to go for salads or to steam/cook for dinner. If you really need to save time, you can purchase precut and prewashed veggies (although they are more expensive and I dislike the plastic waste). I also try to cook extra at dinner, usually protein (such as chicken or beef), to have for lunch the next day.

Meal planning, shopping and prepping is something I add to my calendar each week. My teenage daughter usually helps out (so she has a say in what she'd like for dinners and in her lunches each week).

Below is a sample 5 day meal plan of what my typical week looks like in late spring/summer as the weather gets warmer. I tend to follow recommendations from Dr. Mark Hyman and Functional Medicine and stay away from wheat and breads, dairy, and sugar but have them occasionally. In the winter months I do not have many smoothies (too cold) and salads and instead eat more soups and cooked foods.The amounts listedbelow are suited to my activity level, age, and weight. I'm a female, 5'5", 125 pounds, almost 50 years old and I get daily exercise (at least 30 minutes and up to an hour of a mix of cardio and weight training type activities). My husband will have more protein, carbs (such as quinoa, rice, beans), and veggies than I do.

Breakfast (6:30am/7am):	Snack/Lunch 1 (10/10:30am)	Lunch/Lunch 2 (1:00pm)	Snack (4:00pm)	Dinner (6/6:30pm)
Smoothie: 1 scoop whey & 2 T hemp powder* (about 18-20g protein), 1 cup frozen blueberries, ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk yogurt, 1 T ground flax, water to desired consistency.	1 soft boiled egg	Salad: about 2 cups chopped romaine and about 1 cup mixed veggies (celery, red bell pepper, radishes), roast beef (3/4 cup), 1-2 T dressing (EVOO & vinegar, garlic, parsley)	1 cup carrots and celery with ¼ cup hummus.	1 cup Crock Pot Enchilada Bake** (see recipe) with ¼ of an avocado, cilantro. 1 cup steamed broccoli.
2 eggs fried in 1 tsp ghee, 1 cup wilted baby greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc), a sprinkle of garlic granules & salt and a spoonful of salsa.	Smoothie (similar to day 1 breakfast but with a handful of spinach added)	Leftovers from dinner: 1 cup enchilada bake w/ ¼ of an avocado, cilantro, 1 cup steamed broccoli sprinkled with nutritional yeast.		6 oz Baked salmon w/ 1T pesto, 1 cup sautéed fiddle head ferns (EVOO, garlic, salt)
2 eggs fried in 1 tsp ghee, 1 cup wilted baby greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc), a sprinkle of garlic granules & salt and a spoonful of salsa.	Smoothie: Whey & hemp powders (18-20g protein), 1 cup frozen blueberries (1P), 1 T flax, water.	Lettuce Wraps: 1 cup sliced roast beef, sliced bell pepper, shredded carrot, ¼ avocado sliced. Place in lettuce leaves & wrap up.	12 raw almonds, 1 square dark (72%) chocolate.	Grilled chicken thigh, 1 cup steamed snap peas, ½ cup sweet potato.
2-3 turkey sausage breakfast links (about ¾ cup if sliced up), 1 cup cooked/sautéed baby mixed greens, 1 spoonful salsa, ¼ avocado.	Smoothie: Vegan protein powder (18-20g protein), 1 cup frozen blueberries, ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk yogurt, 1 T flax, water.	Salad: about 2 cups chopped romaine and about 1 cup mixed veggies (snap peas, celery, red bell pepper, radishes), chicken thigh meat (3/4 cup), 1-2 T dressing (EVOO & vinegar, garlic, parsley)		Baked haddock (6 oz, 1 tsp ghee, salt, pepper, garlic granules), 10 spears roasted asparagus (1 tsp EVOO, garlic), ½ cup steamed brown rice. Everything sprinkled with a little nutritional yeast.
Smoothie: 1 scoop whey & 2 T hemp powder (about 18-20g protein), 1 cup frozen blueberries, ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk yogurt, 1 T ground flax, water to desired consistency.	12 raw almonds	Fish tacos: 6 oz baked haddock (leftover from dinner) in 2 small corn tortillas w/ chopped lettuce, cilantro, salsa, avocado)	About 1 cup sliced veggies – carrots, bell pepper, celery, broccoli.	6 oz. steak w/ sautéed mushrooms & onions, crispy roasted kale, 1 glass red wine.

 *Protein Powders - I currently use these (and doing some research on collagen/beef based powders - will let you know what I find out and try in a later post):

**Enchilada Bake (a favorite in our family) - recipe here

Questions? Comments? Post them below.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like personal help with meal planning, grocery shopping lists, and recipes to meet your needs and/or the needs of your family. Please note: I am not a nurse, doctor, or dietician. I've taken various courses in health and nutrition and it is a passion of mine. You should always consult with a doctor if you have unique nutritional needs. If your doctor has prescribed a particular diet for you, I can help you meal plan to those specifics and will work with you to stay on track and help with an exercise plan that suits your needs.

Favorite Autumn Smoothie #1 - Pumpkin Chai

I love smoothies for their on-the-go portability to provide a healthy snack, breakfast, or lunch. They are an easy way to sneak in veggies for the kids.  My teenage daughter knows they are in there and is her preferred way of getting in those dreaded vegetables (because she can't taste them). I don't know how I have a kid that doesn't like veggies!

During the summer months, my smoothies usually consist of protein, spinach/kale, and mixed frozen/fresh berries picked from local organic farms. I use organic whenever possible.

Come Autumn here in New England, pumpkin is the highlight mixed with high quality protein and superfoods such as flax and chia seeds.

Step 1: Get yourself some pumpkin. Canned is fine but making some yourself is even better and costs a lot less. This one small local organic sugar pumpkin made 7 cups of pureed pumpkin and a cup of toasted seeds for snacking for only $2.50 plus the few cents it cost to run the oven and little of my time.

To make your own puree: cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and stringy parts. Place halves cut side down on a baking tray and bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes (or until soft when pierced with a knife). Let cool for an hour and puree in a food processor with a little water or apple cider (not too much; just enough to process).

Step 2: The rest of the ingredients:

• 1 medjool date (optional), soaked in hot water a few minutes
• 8 raw almonds (helpful to soak overnight - just put in the blender with 1/2 cup of the chai tea before bed)
• 1-2 cups cooled chai tea (or plain water or milk or milk alternative)*
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 scoops (or as noted on can for 2 servings) plain whey (or your favorite vegan plain or vanilla flavored)**
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more as desired)
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp finely ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup (don't need if using stevia based protein powder) 
• Optional: sneak in a green veggie by adding a handful of baby spinach

 *If you don't use chai, you will need to add in extra spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom.

**I prefer unsweetened but for those of you that like sweet, choose a protein powder with stevia, a plant-based natural sweetener.

Step 3: Blend it up!

• add almonds, 1/2 cup chai, and medjool date to blender and blend until smooth
• add the rest of the ingredients (start with another 1/2 cup chai and add more liquid as needed) and blend until smooth. You can also add in a couple ice cubes to make it frosty.
• Serve sprinkled with a little more cinnamon or nutmeg and enjoy!

 Nutritional Information:

• Pumpkin provides a day's dose of Vitamin A along with some Vitamin C, calcium, iron and other trace minerals. For more info click here.
• Banana provides a nice dose of Vitamin C along with some Vitamin A, calcium, iron and other trace minerals. Click here for more info.
• Chia seeds are high in dietary fiber, calcium, omega-3 fats, trace minerals, and rich source of anti-oxidants. Click here for more info.
• Flax seeds provide fiber, omega-3 fats, protein, Vitamin B1, manganese, magnesium, and other minerals and vitamins. Click here for more info.
• Whey = easily digestible and absorbable form of protein. I love Tera's brand for their high quality and commitment to sustainable farming practices and the ethical treatment of animals. If you are vegan/vegetarian, I recommend Sunwarrior brand plant-based protein.