Nutritious Meal Strategy for the Holidays

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.

1. Have nutritious breakfast options handy.
2. Eat a  detox salad or hefty green salad each day.
3. 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

1. Granola with kefir or Greek yogurt, add 1 tablespoon chia and/or flaxseed and fresh fruit or dried fruit
2. Nutrient-Dense Egg Casseroles: make on the weekend to enjoy throughout the week
3. Sourdough or sprouted toast with good fats: avocado, hummus, almond butter

Lunch

1. Make a big bowl of Detox Salads to eat throughout the week
2. 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:

1. Anti-inflammatory soups
2. Chili: make one each week
3. 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

30 Ethnic Instapot Recipes – Feasting at Home