Meal Plan advice

Chicken is also my go-to. I usually make mine in the air fryer with spicy seasoning. I'll also put a little bit of Heinz 57 sauce on the side, but sometimes I like to do honey mustard. Chicken can get old but at least it has many uses.

You could also do a burrito bowl variation, just make sure you measure correctly and log your ingredients.

I have a rough 6-week rotation of lunches and dinners. Lunches I make 10 servings (5 each for 2 people), dinners usually yield 4-6 (2-3 each for 2 people), happy to provide recipes for any of the following if you're interested:

Lunches

• Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli (~450 cal)
• Cabbage Rolls (~150 cal per roll, usually pack 2 or 3)
• Kielbasa and Vegetables (very flexible, usually about 500 cal depending on what you use)
• Greek chicken, green beans, orzo and rice (~600 cal)
• DIY Chipotle bowls (also very flexible - Instant Pot makes quick carnitas/barbacoa, could do rice bowl or salad, copycat Chipotle vinaigrette is quick and easy - ranges from ~300-500cal depending on what you use)
• Japanese kurei raisu (~500 cal depending on what you put in the curry/what protein you use; I use the box-mix Golden Curry roux)

Dinners

• Chicken Enchiladas (about 150cal/enchilada, usually 2 per serving; I usually freeze half for later, either just the filling or the fully-assembled enchiladas; serve with Spanish rice, about 300 cal/serving)
• Bean and Sausage Pottage (~600cal/serving, very hearty, chicken sausage works well and cuts the cals; using pork sausage puts you closer to 900cal/serving)
• Pork Goulash (made in an instant pot - lately I've been finishing by cooking orzo or similar small pasta in the finished goulash as a thickener, about 800cal/serving)
• Cincinnati-style Chili (chili itself is about 350 cal/serving; totals about 600cal/serving when served as a "4-way," 2oz spaghetti topped with 1 serving of chili, handful of diced red onions, and an ounce of shredded cheddar cheese - could swap the onions for black or red kidney beans, or use both for a "5-way," omit both for a "3-way")
• Chicken and Broccoli Strata (basically savory, chicken-based bread pudding, about 600 cal/serving)

I wouldn't like to eat the same thing all week but here is my one week meal plan for a single person household based on a whole chicken.

Day 1. Roast chicken. Spatchcock a whole chicken (cut down one side of the backbone so the chicken can lay flat in the roasting pan skin side up, pressing down on the breast bone to flatten the roast). This is the only position that roasts a chicken so that the legs and breasts are done at the same time because the perimeter of a conventional oven (where the legs are) is hotter than the centre (where the legs are). Roast chicken in the oven to 72C internal temperature (about 30 minutes) and concentrate on eating backbone, wings and drumsticks because thighs and breasts are easier to deal with as leftovers. Prick large potatoes with a fork to prevent them explodng in the microwave and cook on high 6-8 minutes in the microwave. Finish in the oven with the chicken to dry out the roast potatoes. Serve with a salad. Save all chicken bones in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

Day 2. Inauthentic Mexican Chicken wrap. Chop up a leftover roast chicken breast or thigh and mix with a jar of commercial salsa, a chopped avocado, season to taste and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve in a soft tortilla or soft taco shells.

Day 3. Chicken caesar. Salad, commercial caesar dressing, commercial croutons, some chopped up cold chicken.

Day 4. Avgolemono soup. Boil a handful of rice with a chicken stock cube until rice is tender. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Beat an egg in a separate bowl and temper it by adding ladle full of the hot chicken soup to the egg and beating that. Turn down the temperature of soup to low and stir in the tempered egg. Throw in chopped leftover roast chicken and stir until soup thickens.

Day 5. Cheat's soupe au pistou with chicken. Boil a few handfuls of frozen veg. Add a diced tomato and a tin of white beans or chickpeas. Add some chopped leftover roast chicken. Serve with a big dollop of commercial pesto in each bowl. Serve with bread.

Day infinity. Save all bones in the freezer in a ziplock bag. On a day you will be puttering around at home, simmer bones with a halved onion (skin and all is fine) for a few hours to make stock for risotto, soups, gravies. Bring stock to a rolling boil to concentrante it so that it takes less room in the freezer.

I pick a meal for each day that "want" to have, usually dinner, and plan the rest around them. It keeps me satisfied, something to look forward to and gives me choice control in dieting. I prep twice a week and toss items together for meals and sides 5-15 minutes and grab and go..

If you looking for recipes my apologies.

I use the below general list for various meal combinations and daily goals of low salt (2000 or under) low saturated fat (12) and 1500 calories a day.

Protein prep: egg, hard boiled eggs for easy go to, ground meat of choice (I know there are better options but I use 93%-95% lean beef) and boneless skinless chicken breasts, eye of round beef (cooked in a slow cooker (slice and freeze for quick) smoke tuna in a pouch or canned tuna are a go to, sometimes kidney beans, white beans, black beans and black eyed peas and I par-cook bacon and freeze in wax paper for quick microwave.

Veggies: slice or chop onions, green onions, baby carrots, celery, tomatoes or grape tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli and baby spinach on hand. They versatile in quick toss together meals to and last in the frig.

Starches: baked potatoes (par-cook for quick add in, shred for Hashbrowns, cut and pan fry in a little oil , or just baked etc,) I pre-cook wild rice, for a quick go to I use Uncle Ben's Jasmine Rice 90 second pouch, cook whole wheat or a durum pasta and keep in cold water in a sealed container until ready to use (cold or reheat), granola cereal ( I use 2T to top yogurt and fruit), old fashion Quaker oat meal, frozen corn for recipes.

Dairy: Lite sour cream, 1% milk, cottage cheese, Greek vanilla yogurt, regular fat shredded cheese (I use small amounts for toppings and plan around the fat.)

Fruit: Berries, grapes, apples prep easy and last the week.

Fats: olive oil, sesame oil (stir fry), walnuts, sliced almonds.

Herbs and spices: crushed red pepper flakes, fresh basil, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon.


Easy mix and match meals with the above: tacos, BLTs, burgers, meatballs, chicken and beef stir fries, stews, chicken and beef Chili's, pasta salads (lite dressing or oil with spices and veggies and protein) and hot pasta meals with a protein and veggies, tuna mixed with onions, celery and tomatoes, stuffed peppers with rice and veggies and/or protein, oil and spices top with a little cheese) stuffed tomatoes, go to salads, wild Rice with veggies and/or protein or add to a soup, or mix both rices together.


Example meals for a day:

oatmeal with walnuts and blueberries; tuna sandwich and fruit side milk. Yogurt.

Omelette veggies, 1T cheese, 2 strips bacon, hasbrowns; Stuffed pepper (spices, jasmine rice, corn, green onion, black beans a little olive oil , red wine vinegar, top wit 1 T cheese and taco meat; chicken breast, veggie, baked potatoes with lot sour cream.

Cottage cheese, fruit and toast; BLT with chicken; Green chicken chili with 1T sour cream a little cheese and a few scoop chips.

Mexican omelette with taco meat hash browns, chicken breast sandwich with side of veggies and milk; eye round beef stir fry using sesame oil. Yogurt and berries.

2 pancakes with berries , 2 strips bacon, milk ; tacos, lettuce and tomato a little cheese, and fruit side; eye round, potatoes or Rice or pasta mixed with veggies and spices.

Oatmeal, apple and cinnamon and walnuts and yogurt; grilled eye round beef sandwich, thin slices cheese, milk and veggies; doctor up a can of low fat healthy cream chicken canned soup by adding 1c milk, adding chicken, carrots, wild Rice, chicken breast, thyme, sage, pepper. Baked apple in microwave with cinnamon and granola.

Hope this helps with meal ideas

sdanner08 wrote: »

Hello Friends,
Thank you all for your time and energy of typing all this out. This is great ideas and I'm going to start taking some of this ideas and building out a template. Once I have done that I'll post it here for anyone as well as for any feedback. I need to eat healthier and first step is to start am I right lol.
Thank you all again.

I would be interested in seeing what you come up with! Good luck, don't forget to have fun with it too and constantly look for new things to try.

I'll send you a friend request as well, if you don't mind.