Looking for a food plan

I eat things I like in a calorie range per day. I'd say 95% of people who follow MFP and have for years do the same thing.

Good foods to eat (satiety, taste, protein, fiber, etc):

Full Fat Dairy (if you aren't lactose intolerant)
Almonds (or other nuts)
Oatmeal
Avocados
Salmon (or other Omega 3 rich fish)
Fresh veggies/fruit
Whole grains
Hummus
Eggs
Lean meat (chicken, pork, etc)
Legumes

But even saying this we'd need to know if you have any dietary restrictions before giving you a plan, hence why "diet plans" are kinda frowned upon.

Even though I don't stick to these foods 100% of the time (especially this past weekend!), they are the basis of my grocery shop. I try and stick with foods without a HUGE ingredient list, more natural stuff.

I found that at the beginning, I had to experiment with food, see how I "reacted" to it (did it keep me full or did I want to eat my arm off in an hour?).

In my opinion, you can't just find a list of foods you "should" eat and stick to those, you'll burn out and want things that aren't on that list. Everything in moderation. You have left over calories at the end of the day, eat what you want (weighing it, to make sure you have an appropriate serving size), log it, and eat it. Yesterday, I wanted ice cream. I weighed it and ate it. And it was good. But you'll notice it's not on that list I went through.

I'm not sure if I was much help, but people can't tell you want to eat. Good luck. Have fun trying new things and experimenting!

The past few months my aim has been to eat as many fruits and veggies as I can and naturally I have eaten a lot healthier with this as it became natural for me to do so and I have a lot less cravings than before.

eg. Today I am having:

Breakfast: Porridge with banana
Lunch: Avocado and tomato on toast
Dinner: Chicken satay with peppers and broccoli
Snacks: Nature valley oat bar & Green protein smoothie

I now aim for more than 5 a day :P

I find it a lot easier and less time consuming to have my own (casual) plan than to try to fit someone else's.

As for food going to waste, think through why that happens and try to learn from it.

What I do is have a standard breakfast (well, a main one and an alternate), make lunches ahead, and then have a general plan for all meals that they must include a lot of vegetables and some protein. I decide the day before what I am having for dinner (at least the protein) so I can take it out of the freezer if necessary and be sure it won't take longer than I'm likely to have, and I force myself to use up the vegetables I have on hand before buying new ones (I got really good at this when I started cooking out of a CSA box a few years ago -- I figure out how to use what's in the box. During the winter when I get to choose the vegetables I will use when shopping, it's actually ridiculously easy now.) Beyond this, have some other staples around, like fruit and pasta/rice/potatoes/sweet potatoes and add them to the meal when they fit in. Put the fruit where you will see it and (if there's an issue with it going bad and you want to eat it) have a plan like bring it for a snack or eat some at breakfast.

The problem with a lot of structured plans is that they incorporate an impossible variety during the week. Cottage cheese one day, quark the second, Greek yogurt the third. Trying to incorporate all these foods in to your diet, with few repeats, means you end up with all sorts of foods moldering in your refrigerator. Especially your poor fruits and vegetables.

I suggest rather a few standard breakfasts that you cycle through. One can be oats, fruit and yogurt, a second can be an egg muffin or omelet with cheese and veggies, and a third toast with peanut butter and banana for instance.

Lunch is a lot easier if you base it on leftovers from the night before. This is also a lot less expensive and less food goes to waste.

The protein for dinner is what I meal plan around. I decide how I'm preparing the protein, and I rotate my side dishes through rice, bread, pasta, or potato. Veggies on the side of course, too.

I keep my salads fresh and interesting by buying small amounts of fruits and vegetables in season and on sale once a week. I make my salad to last a few days and bring it out for lunch and dinner.

So here's your plan.

1. Have the staple carbohydrates on hand to cycle through; rice, bread, pasta, and potatoes. You might try a sweet potato for a few extra vitamins and fiber.
2. Have eggs and a variety of dairy around including cheese; whatever you like.
3. Pick your protein for today.
4. Pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables.
5. Pinterest a recipe for the day with your chosen ingredients.
6. Set aside a portion for lunch the next day, perhaps wrapped in a tortilla.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/tools-daily-food-plans