Week Meal Plan: January 28 – February 3

A good weekly meal plan should include both nourishing meals and a variety of healthy snacks. Eating healthy snacks between meals supplements the nutrients that our bodies need. Healthy snacks are also a great way to get extra servings of fruits and vegetables into our diets.

Healthy Snacks For On The Go

I keep a variety of healthy snacks on hand for Dan and me to take to work or eat in the evening. What we eat from day to day varies.

Fruits & Vegetables

Apples and bananas are fruits that we eat virtually every day. Both are full of fiber. Bananas contain a lot of potassium. I like to take one of each to work. Dan eats his apple at night with Ripley.

I am not a big fan of raw vegetables unless they are part of a salad, but Dan loves to eat plain carrots and celery as a snack. I’ll eat them if the carrots or celery are paired with fresh hummus. Both carrots and celery are great to snack on along with grape tomatoes, fresh pea pods and steamed edemame. I try to incorporate vegetables in our meals to avoid eating them raw!

Other Snacks

Dan and I usually eat a serving of nuts once a day. Our go-to nuts are no/low sodium almonds, cashews, and pistachios. Occasionally I purchase walnuts and pecans too. Nuts have protein and some varieties are also high in magnesium. Since most Americans are deficient in this mineral a serving of nuts will not only satisfy your hunger but provide you with a mineral your body needs.

Protein bars also have a place in our pantry. They are not something we eat every day, but they are perfect for those on-the-go days when you need to go a little longer between meals. Lately, we discovered RXBars and Figgy Pops. Both items contain only natural sugar (from dates which are the binder) and other natural ingredients such as nuts, dried fruit, and seeds. When I travel, I like to keep a Luna bar or something similar in my purse as a go-to healthy snack for those unexpected layovers.

For those after dinner snacks, we eat popcorn or water crackers with cheese. Sometimes its a small bag of Vitacost organic microwave popcorn. Other times I buy Skinny Pop. Some nights after dinner, I love to eat cheese! Dan does not! A few crackers paired with a little cheese is a healthy snack as long as you limit your serving size and don’t eat the full-fat variety every day. Cheese is one food that I’m willing to accept a few extra milligrams of sodium to enjoy.

Dark Chocolate! After reading more about foods that are high in magnesium I discovered dark chocolate contains close to 16% of one’s RDA of magnesium. The amount of cocoa is the key factor that determines how much magnesium is in the dark chocolate. I recently discovered Endangered Species brand of chocolate. The Hazelnut Toffee & Dark Chocolate is quickly becoming my favorite flavor!

What are your favorite snacks?

Weekly Meal Plan

This is my weekly meal plan for January 28 through February 3. Again I’ll be relying on quick easy to cook meals or meals already made in the freezer as I recover.

Monday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Peaches and a hard-boiled Egg
Lunch: Tuscan Bean Soup with Greek Yogurt and Fresh Strawberries
Dinner: Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Rice

Tuesday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries and Veggie Sausage
Lunch: Southwest Salad with Chicken Taco Burger and Greek Yogurt
Dinner: Boneless Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables and Baked Potato

Wednesday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Blueberries and Almond Butter
Lunch: Tuscan Bean Soup with Greek Yogurt and Fresh Strawberries
Dinner: Meatloaf (leftovers) and Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes with Peas and Homemade Applesauce

Thursday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries and Blueberries, plus a hard-boiled egg
Lunch: Southwest Salad with Chicken Taco Burger and Greek Yogurt
Dinner: Red Lentil Pasta with Homemade Red Sauce

Friday

Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Blueberries and Almond Butter
Lunch: Boneless Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables and Baked Potato
Dinner: Homemade Pizza and Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Blueberries and Greek Yogurt
Lunch: Avocado Quesadillas with Peach Salsa
Dinner: Hamburgers, Cole Slaw and Brussel Sprouts

Sunday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Blueberries and Almond Butter
Lunch: Beef Vegetable Soup with Salad Greens
Dinner: Shaved Beef with Peppers and Onions and homemade Sweet Potato Fries with Steamed Broccoli

I hope this week is filled with many blessings!