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Hi, friend! I’m sharing how we are able to successfully crank out a healthy meal plan consistently by sharing my ideas for clean, wholesome dinners we’ll be eating over the next week.
These are for my Advocare “Challengers” that I’m assisting through their challenges AND for those who simply need help getting meals on the dinner table that are clean {they also happen to be gluten-free, cheap, and dairy-free}.
Why I’m doing this free healthy meal plan
Up until last year, I had never conquered the mindset of planning ahead for meals but then I went through the 24 Day Challenge the first time, lost over 50 pounds, and learned how simple it is to make healthy meals that make a difference for your health and the health of your family.
It’s so rewarding to watch my friends and family join me and go from being lethargic and unhealthy to vibrant, healthy people excited about living life to the fullest. WOOT!
Even though my Challenger friends receive a helpful guide and virtual coaching, they still ask what WE are eating because they say that they’ve seen us keep the weight off while eating what looks like lots of yummy food that I post.
My goal today is to share the healthy dinners {with recipes} that I am planning to eat for the next week to help you plan too.
Here’s the deal: There are four main keys to sticking to clean eating via your healthy meal plan and they are 1) plan ahead, 2) choose real whole foods, 3) mix the right food groups at meals, and 4) do a little prep work to make your life easier so you’ll stick to it.
My Healthy Meal Plan
Here’s how the next few days are going down:
Breakfasts ~ Advocare protein shakes. Oh my friend, don’t you dare feel sorry for me! I’ve never been a breakfast eater (which was SO unhealthy) and now my body gets a nutritional protein drink that is so yummy that I can’t wait for breakfast now that I can grab and go with no prep. There is no planning for breakfasts.
Snacks ~ Within this system, snacks are super-easy quick treats I look forward to each day (like apple slices with nut butter or hummus and baby carrots), but they are ready to go and don’t require any prep. There is no planning for snacks.
Lunch ~ Typically they are the meals I’m sharing below that are leftovers from the night before. There is no planning for lunch.
Dinner ~ Glory-Be, what’s better than dinners that can be enjoyed each night and then stretched out for lunch the next day to not only be economical but very tasty!
A little prep work will make a huge difference in putting together super-quick dinners: I’ve made a whole crock pot chicken which I’ll stretch for three meals below and I’ll use the broth to cook my whole grain rice, quinoa, and veggies. I’ll also buy dried beans and prepare them ahead but you can use low sodium, canned ones if you must.
- Grilled steak, garlic mashed cauliflower, grilled asparagus
- Pulled chicken slices from my crock pot chicken, green beans, and quinoa
- Healthy, spicy chili – recipe below
- Stir Fry veggies with chicken over whole grain rice
- Healthy meatloaf
- Salmon, baked sweet potato, roasted veggies
- Buffalo chicken soup – a new one I’m trying this week!
Sometimes we will go out to eat for dinner on Sunday and I use my Advocare guide to keep me on track to make the right choices. If eating out on Sunday is not an option, throwing a roast into the crockpot early that morning with red potatoes and carrots is always a great option for us.
I don’t do complicated these days. Gotta be simple and easy ’round here.
- 1 1/2 pds. lean ground meat
- 1 large can crushed or chopped tomatoes or 3 large fresh tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 tomato sauce – no sugar added -15 ounce can
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves of chopped garlic or 1 tablespoon jarred minced garlic – no sodium
- 1 cup chick peas – preferably dry or low sodium/no sugar canned
- 1 cup red beans – preferably dry or low sodium/no sugar canned
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce with lowest sodium you can find
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- water as needed to give soup consistency, not too loose
- Be sure to prepare your beans, including cooking them ahead of time if you are using the dry ones. They are the most nutritious but take some time. Brown your meat in skillet and drain if needed and add bell pepper, garlic, onions, and seasonings and all other ingredients except tomatoes and beans. Cook for five minutes on medium/high. Add tomatoes and beans. Give it a good stir, turn down to low/medium for 30 minutes to an hour or throw in the crockpot on low until you need it. Season more if needed.
Let me know in the comments if you’d like more healthy meal plan ideas!
More you may like:
Guilt-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins are a girl’s best friend
How to Cook Pork Loin – Cheap + Easy + Tender!
Secluded Florida Weekend Getaways
Published on HuffPost, Okefenokee Living Magazine, and more, Shan is a Family Travel Journalist with a passion for helping women lose the overwhelm of planning family-friendly trips in the south. She shares travel reviews & insider secrets that Women REALLY want to know about Georgia, Florida, & the Carolinas vacations.
☕️ It’s THE REAL DEAL around here ☕️
I love simple and easy and this sounds delicious! Thanks for linking up with “Try a New Recipe Tuesday.” I hope you can join us again this week. https://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/2015/10/try-new-recipe-tuesday-october-6.html
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Thanks Lisa! It truly is. I’ll heading to your site now!
blessings,
Shan