This one week meal plan is designed to help you get started on the path towards health and wellness. Research shows that it takes 3 weeks to build (or break) a habit and that it is possible to actually change your tastes. I encourage you to test a few recipes from the books I’ve suggested, begin to get familiar with some of the new ingredients and cooking methods and then overhaul your kitchen – cleaning out all the animal products, junk food and unhealthy processed foods. If you have unopened dry goods, take them to a food bank or give them to a friend or neighbor. Refrigerated, frozen and/or partially used products can be given away to friends or family or discarded. Once you’ve done your kitchen overhaul, you’ll probably find yourself with bare cupboards and an empty refrigerator and freezer. Go to the natural foods store and stock up on healthier options including fresh and frozen produce, whole grains and whole grain pasta, beans, nuts and seeds and more. Plan your meals for the week and then really commit to a healthy plant-based diet 100% for 3 weeks. You can do anything for just 3 weeks. Once you see and feel the results of a clean, green, plant-based diet, I believe you’ll want to stick with it for life. When I tried a plant-based diet over 8 years ago for 3 weeks, I lost 2 pounds a week and felt great. I loved the way I looked and felt. That made it easy to want to keep going. But, you decide…
1 Week Menu Plan
Drink lots of plain, filtered or spring water throughout the day. Plain, unsweetened, organic green, white or red (roobis) tea is an excellent choice when you want a beverage with some flavor, as each of these teas provides antioxidants without calories. Green and white tea both contain a small amount of caffeine, however, red tea is naturally caffeine free.
MONDAY – DAY 1
Breakfast: Dark Chocolate Cherry-Kale Smoothie
Snack: 1 slice sprouted whole grain bread spread with raw almond or raw cashew butter
Lunch: Massaged Kale Salad; Cup of Imagine Foods Reduced Sodium Sweet Potato Soup
Snack: Fuji Apple or other fresh fruit and Small Handful of Raw Walnuts
Dinner: Tomato-Vodka Pasta; Side of Steamed Broccoli
Dessert: Fresh Cantaloupe (I eat cantaloupe for dessert almost every day! I’m addicted! For variety, use a melon baller and toss with fresh blueberries and/or sprinkle with fresh and/or minced, candied ginger. Delish!)
TUESDAY – DAY 2
Breakfast: Sweet Salad Smoothie
Snack: Sweet Pea Whole Grain Muffin or 1 slice sprouted whole grain bread spread with raw almond or raw cashew butter
Lunch: Big Hippie Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing
Snack: Raw Veggies and Hummus (broccoli, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, etc.; choose an oil-free store bought hummus or make your own – no oil!)
Dinner: Rainbow Vegetable and Seitan Stir Fry with Brown Rice
WEDNESDAY – DAY 3
Breakfast: Overnight Crockpot Whole Grain Breakfast Cereal
Snack: Goji Berry-Red Cabbage Smoothie (pack to enjoy later at work!); or bowl of fresh berries
Lunch: Southwestern Salad with Fresh Salsa Dressing
Snack: Raw Veggies with Fresh Ranch Dressing (save some from Tuesday’s Lunch)
Dinner: Macro Rice Bowl
THURSDAY – DAY 4
Breakfast: Carrot-Apple Cinnamon Quinoa
Snack: Banana and a few raw almonds
Lunch: Greek Salad with Quick Hummus Dressing
Snack:
Dinner: Soft Tacos with Beans, Corn & Squash
FRIDAY – DAY 5
Breakfast: In a Hurry – overslept! No time for Breakfast! Grab a banana or apple, a slice of bread and grab a whole cucumber, bag of sugar snap peas, or other veg from the fridge. Eat whole cucumber in the car or on the train on the way to work (unusual, but healthy).
Snack: Finish eating unusual mélange of food thrown together in a bag as dashed out the door.
Lunch: Go out for lunch (see Eating Out under FAQ)
Snack: Emergency Snack (keep a few snack sized baggies in desk drawer in case you forget fresh snacks) – Mix of Newman’s Organic High-Protein Pretzels, Raw Walnuts and Dried Cranberries, Blueberries or Goji Berries
Dinner: Fettuccine in Cream Sauce with Summer Vegetables and Herbs de Provence
Dessert: Fat-Free Black Bean Brownies
SATURDAY – DAY 6
Breakfast: Buckwheat Pancakes with Bananas and Pecans, Topped with Strawberry Syrup
Snack: (no snack due to late breakfast)
Lunch: Fresh Berry Salad with Walnuts and Tofu Feta; ½ of a Tempeh Arugula and Avocado on Wheat Toast Sandwich
Snack:
Dinner: Go out for dinner (see What to Order When Going Out to Eat under FAQ)
SUNDAY – DAY 7
Breakfast: Southwestern Tofu Scramble in a whole wheat tortilla; side of fresh fruit
Snack: (no snack due to late breakfast)
Lunch: Mediterranean Veggie Wrap
Snack: Kale Chips! (Try to make enough for tomorrow’s lunch – it’s hard. You’ll want to eat them all!)
Dinner: Simple Tofu, Roasted Broccoli, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon, Maple Syrup and Chopped Toasted Pecans
For More Recipes, please visit my blog at www.skinnymomhealthychild.com (even if you’re not a mom or a child, I hope you’ll still love my Deliciously Green recipes!)
