After a summer of eating poorly, I finally sat down yesterday for a couple of hours and planned out a healthy two-week meal plan for my family of six.
I had all of the notes and handouts from the nutritionist who I had seen at the gym in the past, as well as some recipes that I had printed off from the internet for school lunch ideas. With my pen and paper, I planned a menu for one week and will just duplicate the same menu for my second week.
I have recently stopped running (due to laziness, mainly), but coupled with my low thyroid condition, I had noticed that I was gaining weight. I also took into count that I ate terribly throughout the summer, with many barbecued foods and lots and lots of carby foods (burgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, as a few examples).
I had noticed the past few weeks, I quite often had a dull stomach ache. After having a BBQ with friends on the weekend and eating processed burgers with white buns, potato salad (yummy), and corn on the cob, I went to bed early with some pepto bismol, because I had a sore tummy—even worse than the usual dull ache I had been experiencing.
At that point, I had talked many times about getting back to our eating clean diet, but just hadn't made the time to sit down and get it planned. After Saturday night, I knew that I finally had to make the change and get back to a healthy and nutritious meal plan for the entire family.
After two hours of sitting in front of the computer—with a pen, paper, and nutrition handouts—I planned our menu.
Meal Planner:
Monday
Breakfast: whole wheat blueberry pancakes with a side of berries
Lunch: tuna sandwich on whole wheat with lettuce and light mayo, and cucumbers on the side
Dinner: chicken stir-fry with alfalfa sprouts, yellow and red pepper, broccoli, and green beans on brown rice
Tuesday
Breakfast: cereal with yogurt
Lunch: summer sausage, cheese cubes, and kashi pita crisps
Dinner: homemade burgers on whole wheat bun, with mixed salad
Wednesday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and toast
Lunch: turkey roll ups (turkey meat on whole wheat wrap, with lettuce, mayo, green peppers)
Dinner : fish and a salad
Thursday
Breakfast: toast with peanut butter, fruit, and a glass of milk
Lunch: kids at school-bagel with cream cheese, adults-chicken Caesar salad
Dinner: whole wheat spaghetti with pasta sauce and ground turkey
Friday
Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins
Lunch: chicken sandwich with light mayo and lettuce
Dinner: salmon with broccoli and cheese sauce
Saturday
Breakfast: bacon, eggs, and toast
Lunch : soup and sandwich
Dinner: steak on a whole wheat bun with grilled green peppers and zucchini, and sweet potato fries
Sunday
Breakfast: egg white omelette with turkey and cheese
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich with apple slices
Dinner: baked chicken parmesan with side of whole wheat pasta
The above menu does not show the snacks that I have planned for the children's school lunches, but I will give a few examples below:
My menu is a bit different. I am trying a low carbohydrate diet, otherwise known as Keto Diet. I am eating low carb, but still following the principles of eating clean. I am not eating anything white or processed, no bread or pasta, and am limiting sugar as much as possible.
And even though it has been only two days, the dull stomach ache I have had recently has not came back. It could be a coincidence that it has gone away with my new eating habits, but I will keep you posted. So far so good!
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