I know I have a hard time actually planning out my meals before hand. This means it is much easier for me to fall into the 'fast food' trap or make unhealthy choices at home.

I was thinking that this thread could be where we can post weekly meal plans so that we can help each other out. I know this would help me and I think it would help a lot of others here at Traineo as well. Maybe we will learn about some new foods to try as well!

Today I am having:

Breakfast-
Bowl of Cereal w/ skim milk

Morning Snack-
1 cup of Dannon Light n Fit Yogurt

Lunch-
98% Fat Free bologna on Whole Grain Bread
Apple
Pear
Baby Carrot Sticks

Dinner-
Pizza Bagel (Wheat bagel, a little pizza sauce, topped with shredded low fat mozzarella)
EAS Protein Shake

Snack-
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich (145 calories)

This doesn't quite add up the amount of calories I need so I will probably just wing it for a couple hundred cals.

First rule: Have a well-stocked kitchen, and by that I'm not only referring to food, but have a good selection of sauces, (hit Chinatown hard), spices, dried and fresh herbs, stuff like whole wheat flour and wheat germ, get some linseeds, have a good coffee grinder for stuff like that.

And cinnamon, it's so good for you and just damn good, imho.

In terms of appliances, get a blender, you'll thank it in the long run when you're whippin' up amazing fresh, smooth soups, pestos, home made peanut butter, smoothies.

Then of course do the staples up right:

seeds and nuts, (never in a can/salted etc., ONLY fresh)
whole grains like: rice, quinoa, bulgar, (way higher in fiber than brown rice, btw), pastas
tuna and other canned fish
legumes, like all the beans, chic peas, lentils
a serious fibery bread that's good for toasting, (everything's better toasted! ; )
dried fruits; the selection (berries!) you can get these days rocks
good oils like olive
fun oils like dark sesame
fresh ginger
garlic
onions
brewer's yeast is great and can make so many things come alive, (like popcorn for instance)
feta's great to have around
yogurt
nice clean muslix

Apples are nice 'cause they keep so well.
Load up with fruits and veggies.

Have these choices at the ready and you'll never set yourself up for failure.

Now I gotta start thinking about tonight's dinner.

EDIT: Typo CITY!

Jeff, Minu hit it on the head - you have to be well stocked! I cook about 3X/week for my lunches and dinners, and stock up weekly or so for my snacks. Every week I get:

Eggs (18-36)
Polly-O 2% String Cheese
Dannon Light & Fit
Apples, Oranges, Bananas
Kashi Cereal (I have several boxes at home and a box in my desk at work)
Peanut Butter
Pep. Farms light, 7-grain bread
"Meat"
"Veggies"

The meat and veggies are generally what's on sale. I rely a lot on frozen veggies, and the "day old" section in my grocery store. Days I shop are days I cook generally.

If boneless/skinless chicken breast is on sale, I get the family pack and it goes in the fridge so I cook 2-3 pieces at a time. First day (usually a weekend), I will chop up some onion, garlic, maybe pepper/zuchini/whatever veg i have, saute that in a little olive oil, toss the chicken on top, and cover w/ a can or two of crushed tomato (add basil, salt, pepper, hot pepper, etc to taste)... It comes out tender and delish, and I can cook up some whole grain pasta, barley, brown rice, etc. if I want something like that to go with it....

In my desk at work, I always have pouches of tuna (light in water), PB, bread, fruit, cereal. If I'm extra hungry for a snack, I mix my yogurt in with some cereal.

Today:

breakfast - omelett w/ 4 egg whites, one whole egg, zuchini, low fat mexican mix cheese

snack (9am) - string cheese

snack (11 or so) - pb on 1 or 2 slices bread (depends how hungry)

lunch - pork tenderloin medallions w/ kale (w/ onion and hot pepper flakes), and leftover beans (had a low sugar baked bean with added kidney bean)

snack: banana & yogurt

snack: orange & maybe apple (depends how hungry)

dinner: I'm going to the grocery store tonight... I think ground turkey is on sale, so I might cook that up w/ a big package of spinach, can or two of beans, quinoa on the side... otherwise I'll have more pork tenderloin (so easy to cook, btw!).

For fast food, I just don't go. If I'm that hungry and on the run, hit the salad bar at the grocery store, or the sushi bar there. At home, there just aren't any bad choices. If I'm ravenous, you'll likely find me raiding the freezer/fridge/cabinets and eating a veggie burger w/ cheese & hot sauce and a can of artichokes or beans. Maybe a can of reduced sodium and reduced fat soup. I have chocolate-covered cherries left from a box I got at Christmas, and one of those every so often is a nice treat.

I don't even know the last time I had a fast food burger. It has been years.

And yes, while the main ingredients are of course paramount, what are they without a kickin' sauce?

It'a all about the sauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce.

Oh yeah... Pantry never goes dry, always has:

brown rice
barley
lentil
quinoa (just bought for the first time this week)
whole-grain pasta
cans of kidney, white, black beans
cans of tuna
cans of diced and crushed tomato (and maybe stewed)
healthy soups
cans of artichokes
capers
olive oil
garlic
onions
raw almonds

Spice rack:
cumin
chili
curry
rosemary
hot pepper flakes
peppercorn
kosher or sea salt
cinnamon
basil
some random steak/chicken rub (tons of flavor)

You keep your capers in the pantry?

I thought it was a fridge-once-opened kinda thing.

That's one thing I miss and don't take the time to make much anymore.... Have any good and healthy sauce recipes?

Yep... I usually use a whole jar when I open it, so they don't have a chance to hit the fridge...

Oh, and of course, if you have refined sugar around, pitch it and pick up some honey, a much better kind of sugar and it's sweeter than sugar, so it goes a long way.

Artificial sweeteners are alright, so long as they're being used sparingly.

When in doubt about any food, just think about how close it is to the source.

I've recently been getting into teas, green, infusions, (making my own out of fresh ginger actually), oolong, to name a few, which I never sweeten.

10 years ago, I would have never imagined myself become a tea-er...

Wow, thanks for the advice. My kitchen is basically stocked with whatever my wife decides to buy. (and I don't really have any cooking skills) I am really good at boiling water though. but that usually involves pasta which I over eat.

I need to get to the grocery more often and grab fresh fruit and nuts. I go on spurts where I buy apples and bananas and then when they run out I don't get back to the grocery for a few weeks.

I have found that my weakness is a hamburger and french fries. I crave that so often, it is crazy. I think fried potatoes and beef have something addictive in them.

And always shop with a list, and only buy stuff on that list, and make it healthy.

Shopping hungry can be problematic for some people too.

OH! On that subject, today I was shopping for a few things, ('cause us Euro's like to shop almost daily ; ), and the store was doing a special, grilling up what else, BURGERS! Had it all set up in the entrance trying to sell some bar-b-q/hibachi thing.

Talk about the big gulp, as I hadn't eaten yet and DAYAMN, what a remarkable moment.

Gave me a cool idea for these turkey breasts tonight actually, so yay, and yum and oh yeah, LISTS ALWAYS.

I just read through the thread and I got some good tips, thanks guys.

But I have a question too. My boyfriend had a friend that introduced him to quinoa once and he likes it, I do too. But, it is always cooked the same and we don't really put anything on it. Is it possible to make it more interesting? If so, how?

i have a co worker that's way into quinoa - i'll see if i can hunt her down for some tips! anyhoo, one thing that i've really found helps is to visually place out my 9-5 food.

i work a 9-5 (or, more.... 830-6ish) in the heart of downtown - near the pike place market. im surrounded by eateries, bakeries, cafes, specialty delis, gourmet [insert food]s and little dessert shops, resulting in a bad habit of just picking up my meals - a cookie here, a slice of cake here - the place around the corner just introduced a new dish/sandwich/pasta/salad/pizza, etc... at the end of the day, I know I havn't given my body the best food.

To help me avoid that, I've been making my work food at home and then placing it out on my dining table all at once so I'm SEEING what I'm eating - that way, I'm controlling my portions (i also have a bad habit of overeating), and I get to see if my diet is well-balanced.

I just finished for the evening and here's what I'm looking at:

Breakfast:
FiberONE Oats and Chocolate bar
Orange

Snack:
Reduced Fat Club crackers (7)
Swiss cheese (5 thumb-sized slices)

Lunch:
Brown rice w/ teriyaki chicken and veggies
Slice of pineapple cake

Snack:
3 handfuls of home-made trailmix (almonds, cranberries, apricots, cheezits, bananas, jellybeans [YES! jellybeans!])

Since I've been good at work, I like to reward myself with some leeway when it comes to dinner. Typically, I cook it the night before so it's ready when I'm home. Sometimes, it's what I had for lunch, but glorified - I'll add a little bit of extra cheese to a pasta, or have seconds on that tuna casserole. It doesn't hurt to reward yourself for being good to your body the first 2/3 of your day!

Since I'm a dancer and tend to have late night rehearsals, I get hungry when I come home (typically between 11:30pm-1am.) To prevent mindless gorging on leftover dinner or the lunch that I've made for the next day, I chew on some handy trailmix or split a granola bar with my sister - just something small to stave off hunger cravings while I prepare for my next day.

Wow! I wrote a novel, but I hope it helps....

sally i never made quinoa myself but last night i was at whole foods and i saw it made with vegetables such as corn and onions and peppers etc and also another dish had nuts in it. i would say try experimenting and adding things to it that you like and see how it comes out!

Treat quinoa like any other grain and use whatever sauces and preparations you like on it. Like:

Use instead of couscous for taboule
Greek style with black olives and feta, fresh or sundried tomatoes
Under stirfries
Stuff peppers with it

It's such a great food and to me, quite interesting in texture.

I just had quinoa for the first time last night and I really like it!

First of all, there's no such thing as a "fast food trap". It's not as if fast food sabotages you while you're on your way to lunch and stuffs itself down your gullet. One's diet is pure choice, nothing else.

I suggest making a huge vat of good eats every Sunday that will last you throughout the week. Make a huge, barracks-style concoction comprised of a variety of healthy foods. This past week I made a huge dish consisting of brown rice, lentils, turkey sausage, pork chops, frozen vegetables, kidney beans, and beer-battered bratwursts (to give it a flavorful, filling kick). Or throw in whatever else you can think of (tofu even?)

I have never even heard of quinoa..... sounds kinda strange.....



I have found that when I prepare too much in advance I just won't eat it. I really have a hard time eating 'left overs' or even food prepared days before I eat it. It is mental for me, but I always consider it 'used' food. I like to have my food be as fresh as possible, which is a good thing as long as I make healthy choices about it.

I sometimes get sick of it too... To balance that with being prepared, enter cooking about 3x per week... Then I eat the same thing for about 2 days, not bad. Plus, you can always microwave some frozen veggies in the morning to add to your lunch to make it seem a little different.

FWIW, I often eat totally raw. I'll make a small meal out of say peanuts and an apple, or a few plump, fresh dates followed by some lo-sodium lean turkey lunch meat for example.

I love cooking, but I'm not crazy about cleaning, so if it's just me nibbling, I often keep it tres simple.

Use this thinking to your advantage! When and how do you think all that fast food you're eating is prepared? Everything they do is in advance and in bulk. There is nothing fresh about fast food. Except salads, fast food joints are one big menu of leftovers.

PUNTO: USA!

THAT is one quality post, Cindy, cheers.

...

I'm starting a new diet plan based on the BFFM nutritional guidelines, and it's really easy to work out a menu, I can highly recommend it, it's great for explaining the reasons behind the various nutrition combinations.

An example of mine:

meal 1 : Egg white omelet, bowl of shredded wheat, banana

meal 2 : Peanuts, apple + wholemeal slice of bread or roll

meal 3 : Chicken breast, spring greens, small white potato

meal 4 : Can of tuna, with green beans and a rye cracker

meal 5 : Turkey breast with carrots, runner beans and cabbage

meal 6 : Tuna and lettuce on rye crackers, maybe some peanuts.

The key is to always have lean protein and starcy carbs with every meal, early meals (before the afternoon) add simple carbs in the form of fruits. Also add fibrous carbs to afternoon/evening meals. Essential fats are added in the form of olive oil and peanuts (or flaxseed oil etc..). Omelets are made from 1 yoke to 4 whites. The last meal is very small and light and taken 2-3 hours before sleep. All meals are approx 3 hours apart. You adjust the portion sizes to match your calorie target.

Sounds like Mr. Venuto in all his wisdom (and gorgeous-ness!) has rightly inspired you, Colin.

ENJOY. I used his techniques in my journey too, peeled off a good 15+ lbs that way.

Minu - reading his e-book has been a real eye opener, and I can see why i've not had much progress as I hoped even though I thought my diet plan was good, with a little knowledge and the book as a guide, I'm feeling more inspired/confident of results and can highly recommend it to anyone who wants/needs a little more guidence like myself.

That's tres coule, Colin, good on ya, and already, off ya.

Was it by any chance moi who suggested that you check it out?

It may have been, although I can't remember exactly. I kept seeing reference to it prior to joining this forum, but have since had it recommended a number of times, so you may well have been indirectly responsible

But the deciding factor was the amazing transformation and blogging of Adam Waters, very inspirational.

And cute too...