Do you stand in front of your fridge 1 hour (or less) before dinner time and feel stumped on what to make?
Do you feel like you are constantly trying to find the balance between delicious food, good nutrition and convenience?
What I am about to teach you will be your forever meal planning roadmap and will help you reduce stress, save time and boost your health. Are you ready?
First, let me share with you my favorite things about this strategy:
1. The flexibility. It can easily be adjusted based on preference and availability of foods you have in the house. Just remove an ingredient or replace it with a crowd pleaser (hello moms with picky eaters and athletes with food allergies).
2. It also allows you to use the same ingredients various ways, so no long grocery lists or fancy items going bad in the crisper.
So now that I have your attention, let us get to the good stuff.
First: Flip the script- start with a green base.
Examples: Steamed or sautéed spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus or raw romaine, arugula or any other green you enjoy.
RD fact: Make at least half your plate veggies. Switching out the large portion of rice or pasta for nutrient dense, high water content foods creates bulk and nutrition- naturally cutting fat, salt and sugar while reducing inflammation. Green veggies also boost fiber, calcium (YES, I SAID CALCIUM) and nitrites (the good kind that turns to nitric oxide) consumption.
Nitrates/Nitrites have been shown to enhance performance by increasing time to exhaustion and are valuable for high intensity endurance exercise. They also have been shown to play a role in reducing blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels
Next, Step 2: Build bulk with a serving of whole grains (about 1 cup). This will add texture, B-vitamins and fiber.
Examples: Quinoa, Brown Rice (both gluten-free options!), Whole Wheat Couscous, Barley, or Whole Wheat Pasta. Buy pre-made or make one big batch at the beginning of the week and use all week long.
RD fact: Half your grains should be whole grains. Whole grains contain fiber, which naturally lowers cholesterol and promotes a healthy gut microbiome (supports good bacteria in your gut).
Aim to get 25 (women) to 35 (men) grams of fiber a day. The Standard American Diet (SAD) falls short by 10-12 grams a day.
Step 3- Protein Power
Every food group provides protein (yes, even vegetables) but taking a moment to add in a protein rich food here helps increase satiety (the feeling of fullness) and rounds out the dish. Aim for 1/2 cup of beans or lentils or 4 ounces of tofu or lean meats.
Examples: Chose plant based proteins like lentils, beans, tofu or tempeh or lean proteins like chicken, shrimp or fish.
Step 4- Bring on the color!
Here's a chance to empty out your leftovers. Add any vegetable raw or cooked you want to tie into the theme of the dish (frozen vegetables lend well in warm dishes here).
Examples: Red, yellow and/or orange peppers, grape tomatoes, onions, green onions, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, green or purple cabbage, carrots.
RD tip: The more color, the more phytochemical (cancer fighting!) benefits you cash in on, so eat the rainbow!
The Final touch- It's time to get saucy!
The sauce elevates and also identifies the dish (Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian etc.). You can go straight from the jar or get fancy with some sauces featured here
Of course, they don't have to be homemade, easily use shortcut cooking methods like salsa, jarred pasta sauce, frozen herb cubes, dressing like balsamic vinaigrette, soy sauce or marinade.
(I love Bolthouse dressings, they have unique creamy flavor with fewer calories because they are made with yogurt instead of cream or mayo!)
*Optional bonus flavor and nutrition boosters
Add on a healthy fat like walnuts or avocado
Add a sprinkle of cheese (make it flavorful, so you need less- think sharp cheddar, Parmesan, blue cheese)
Add citrus (Citrus is received by taste buds similar to salt, so adding it can help reduce the salt added at meals)
Add fresh herbs- Canned foods or sauce from a jar can be easily brightened up by adding fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, cilantro)
Sample meals using the inspiRD life 5-step meal roadmap
Mexican burrito bowl
1. 1 cup Steamed or sautéed spinach
2. 1 cup quinoa
3. 1/2 cup black beans
4. Peppers, onions, tomatoes
5. 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of Salsa
*Bonus: Cilantro, Lime, Avocado, sprinkle of sharp cheddar
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
1. 2 cup raw spinach
2. 1 cup quinoa
3. 1/2 cup chick peas
4. Olives, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber
5. Balsamic vinaigrette
*Bonus: sprinkle of feta cheese, mint and parsley
Red Pepper Pasta
1. 1 cup of sautéed spinach
2. 1 cup whole grain pasta
3. 1/2 cup white beans
4. peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic
*Bonus: Sprinkle of slivered almonds, parsley or Parmesan cheese
All three recipes use similar ingredients, can easily be modified and are thrown together in less than 30 minutes, so sit back and enjoy!
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