Meal planning for a diet is complicated… especially since it seems like every dietician has something different to say.
Some say 3 meals plus snacks; others say you should eat 5 meals evenly spaced out…
…but I just say “do what works for you”.
I personally find it incredibly difficult to work in 5 separate meals. With my busy schedule, I can usually fit it in 4 at most – and that’s only when I count dessert as a meal.
I assume most people have schedules like mine, so I sat down and wrote out what I would eat on a 1,400 calorie day….
…and this is what I came up with:
Breakfast
No one has time to think during breakfast – which is why we tried to keep it simple and used easy-to-cook components. Cook your turkey bacon per the package instructions, and cook your egg however you prefer. Eat with your avocado and tomato in whatever way you want.
And no one should miss out on their morning cup of Joe… but those sweet, milky lattes are horrible for you. To get the same creamy-effect, try unsweetened Almond Milk with a bit of Agave.
Sip on your low-cal coffee while the turkey bacon fries, and enjoy the utter decadence of your healthified meal.
For vegetarian: replace turkey bacon with second egg
For gluten free: swap the whole grain toast for a slice of super-seeded GF bread
Lunch
You can prepare this the night before and bring your lunch to work. If you usually go out to lunch with co-workers, convince them to get their food to-go and enjoy your lunch in a park.
Casually mention how much money you are saving by bringing in your own healthy lunches, and tell them how few calories your meal is, and they’ll be bringing their own lunches in no time.
To make the burger patty:
Mixing ground beef with shredded zucchini is a great way sneak in an extra vegetable, and bulks out the beef so you need less of it to feel full. The zucchini soaks up the flavor of the beef, so you won’t even really notice a difference.
Just mix 3oz of grass-fed ground beef with 1/3 cup shredded zucchini & whatever seasonings you prefer (we like using garlic powder, rosemary, and a pinch of sage.)
Bake in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes. Top with your BBQ sauce, Sauerkraut, Tomato and onion slice, and enjoy this burger alongside a probiotic-filled pickle and a delicious steamed artichoke!
For vegetarian: Swap ground beef burger for veggie burger
Dinner
There’s nothing like a good salad to fill you up and leave you feeling great about yourself at the end of a long day…. And this salad will do just that!
Jazz up your baked potato with a little bit of garlic powder, some salt and pepper, and maybe even a dash of your favorite hot sauce.
Dessert
Slice up all of your fruit and put it in the freezer in the morning.
When you’re ready for dessert, simply pop your frozen fruit into a blender with the almond milk and cocoa powder.
This makes a MASSIVE shake that will satisfy your sweet tooth and is actually good for you!
Snacks
Variety is the spice of life… so I decided to compile a list of snack ideas that you can use to fill out the rest of your 400 calorie day:
- 7 Olives with one slice of Swiss Cheese
- 3 Ounces Roasted ChickPeas
- 7 Tortilla Chips with 2 Tablespoons of Salsa
- ½ Cup of Dried Fruit
- A cup of carrot sticks with 3 TBSP Hummus
- 45 Pistachios
- A medium apple with 1 TBSP peanut butter
- A Kind Mini Bar
- ½ cup of edamame plus 1 cutie orange