Over the past 18 months since having my son, I have really started to examine the food that I eat. I’ve always felt “puffy” even after “eating well” and working out like a crazy person. But for the first time in my life, I finally feel like I’m giving my body the food it really needs. It turns out the food that I thought was healthy (protein bars, deli meat, low fat yogurt, whole grain bread), wasn’t doing me any favors.
This lifestyle change may seem drastic to some (ME! 2 years ago!), but my workouts are better, I run faster and my clothes fit like a boss. I follow this plan about 80% of the time and let myself feed into meat and sugar cravings about two days a week. Yes, it does take a few minutes of prep, especially the day before I work a 12-hour shift.
Some of the personal rules I follow are that I don’t really care about portion control. Because I’m eating foods that work well for my body, I let myself eat as much as I want (especially on sweet potato fry night!). I don’t eat breakfast until I feel hungry. I don’t eat right before a workout, otherwise I feel queasy. If I feel like snacking, I eat an energy ball (recipes below) or a handful of GF chips. And I have dessert every night – usually it’s a dark chocolate covered fruit of some sort.
The following meals are gluten free and full of plant-based protein:
Day 1
Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothies by Kimberly Snyder
I love these because this recipe makes three servings. I store in mason jars and I have breakfast ready to go for three days in a row. If It’s a really busy week, I make two batches at once and freeze another three smoothies. I wait until I’m actually hungry to eat this smoothies – sometimes that’s 7:30 AM, sometimes it’s 11 AM.
Lunch: Kale salad with cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, sliced avocado and grated parmesan cheese. Dressing is balsamic vinegar and avocado oil.
Snack: Gluten-Free chips (delicious Milton’s sold at Costco) and hummus and a piece of fruit.
Dinner: Roasted veggies (usually chop carrots, bell peppers and brussel sprouts, drizzle in olive oil and cook at 400 for 10 minutes), cooked gluten-free pasta and a red sauce. I put it all together in a casserole dish and bake for another 10 minutes. There’s plenty for the whole family and leftovers.
Day 2
Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder
Lunch: Quinoa cooked in coconut milk (it’s so comfort-foody it feels like cheating), with maple syrup and dried cranberries. One cup of quinoa goes a long way and will certainly produce leftovers.
Snack: Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls by the Healthy Maven (I eat 2, and my family is OBSESSED), and a piece of fruit.
Dinner: Crock Pot Chickpea BBQ and Creamy Slaw from Real Food Whole Life.
Day 3
Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder
Lunch: Any of these delicious Mason Jar Salads from Emilie Eats
Snack: Gluten-Free Chips and Hummus and a piece of fruit.
Dinner: Black bean burgers from Wholesomelicious on cloud bread with sweet potato fries
Day 4:
Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder
or (if you’d like to switch things up) low-fat bulgarian yogurt with gluten-free granola and blueberries
Lunch: Leftover black bean burger with avocado on a bed of greens with dressing of your choice
Snack: Pumpkin Protein Balls from Clean Food Crush and a piece of fruit.
Dinner: Edamame pasta or a Veggie spiral pasta (make extra! it shrinks!) usually with an Asian-inspired flare. We usually eat the pasta with stir-fry veggies (TONS OF THEM) and my favorite sauce comes from Tastes Lovely.
Day 5:
Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder
Lunch: Any of these delicious Mason Jar Salads from Emilie Eats
Snack: Sliced cucumber, carrots, Gluten-Free chips and you guessed it… Hummus.
Dinner: Quinoa Veggie Power Bowl from Avocado Pesto
I hope you enjoyed getting a few new ideas for meals.
What are your favorite healthful meals to eat during the week?
Love this! I’m inspired to eat more fresh, whole foods. Thank you for the great resources. Love that my clothes will “fit like a boss”!!!!
Yay! So glad this inspired you. The documentary “cowspiracy” and Kimberly Snyder’s books has kick started me into a great, healthful way of living!