Fail to plan and plan to fail as the saying goes. It is very true about eating nourishing foods during the holidays. If you don’t have a couple of nutritious meals planned, you are likely to overeat foods that are not good for your body and you won’t feel well. A key strategy to reduce weight gain and give your body the nutrients it needs is to have a simple meal plan.
- Have nutritious breakfast options handy.
- Eat a detox salad or hefty green salad each day.
- Plan 2 core meals for the week and double the recipe to re-use.
Essential nutrition guideline : Get 20-30 grams protein per meal, carbs from plants and good fats from nature
Here are some of my staples.
Breakfast
- Granola with kefir or Greek yogurt, add 1 tablespoon chia and/or flaxseed and fresh fruit or dried fruit
- Nutrient-Dense Egg Casseroles: make on the weekend to enjoy throughout the week
- Sourdough or sprouted toast with good fats: avocado, hummus, almond butter
Lunch
- Make a big bowl of Detox Salads to eat throughout the week
- Or a hefty green nutrient dense salad. Mix and match these nutrient-dense foods:
- Greens
- Onions
- Beans
- Rainbow veggies (bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, leftover sweet potato…)
- Nuts or seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
Always add good fats to
- absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K
- fuel your muscles, your heart and your brain
- keep you satiated
Here are some of the options I keep on hand to rotate in my greens
- sardines
- olives
- hummus
- avocado
- pesto
Dinner
These are 3 of my holiday main nutrient-dense staples:
- Anti-inflammatory soups
- Chili: make one each week
- Sheet pan dinners – so many options from Cooking Classy
For More Empowerment
Meal Prep – Downshiftology
Also check out Lisa Ryan’s (from Downshiftology) new Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook