The Complete Plate. Lauren Klukas
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to adopt a Complete Plate seven days of the week. Or you may just start with a few days of the week. Additionally, you may decide that you want to try new recipes every single day. Or you may choose to pick one or two days and double or triple each recipe, batch cooking the same recipes for the whole week. The options are endless.
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Shopping
Everyone has their own grocery-shopping preferences. For myself, I like to shop on Sunday and get everything I need for the week. Others prefer to use produce when it is at its freshest, so they shop every other day. Whatever your inclination, there is an ingredient list provided at the beginning of each day to help you quickly build your grocery list.
Pantry and Freezer Staples (page 35) features a list of regularly used items that you should always have in your pantry or freezer. It makes weekly shopping more manageable!
Portion Control
Each recipe includes the number of serv-ings as well as the number of portions to be served for each calorie plan. Portions are intended for healthy males and females, aged 19–50 years old, based on current dri values. Some people may be surprised by actual portion sizes, and it may take some time to adjust to eating proper portion sizes. A gram weight is often included next to the volume measure. You don’t need to live life worrying about every single gram you eat, but weight does have an impact on the caloric range of certain types of foods. For example, 3 cups of spinach or ½ cup of shredded cheddar will vary depending on how tightly they’re packed into measuring cups. Invest in a digital scale to get the most accurate measurements (see Essential Equipment, page 36).
Please be aware that meal plan portions are not suitable for children, but kids can still eat the same meal. Just be sure to give them their usual portions.
Snacks
I’ve included a snack list for each meal plan. Consume all the snacks within your caloric plan to keep you satiated throughout the day and to ensure you meet your dri requirement. I recommend spreading them out over the course of the day.
Hydration
Males require 15½ cups of water per day and females require 11½ cups. This number includes drinking water, water from beverages, and water from food. While you receive some water from food, you definitely do not receive all of it. Your water intake should come from tap water, tea and coffee (with no additional cream or sugar), and sparkling water. If your sparkling water is sweetened, be sure it is sweetened naturally (e.g., with fresh lime juice) and not with an artificial sweetener. Water is vital with this plan as your fiber intake will most likely be much higher than you are used to. (See page 284 for fun flavored water ideas!)
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One approach that I’ve found to be suc-cessful is what I call Five Days Planned, Two Days Smart. For five days I eat specific to the meal plan portions. I am considerate of portion sizes and measure everything out. I do not estimate my portion sizes, because when I am hungry estimating 1 Tbsp turns into a ¼ cup. For the two days that I don’t have a meal plan, I make sensible eating decisions. Whether it’s having some of the leftovers from the week or dining out with my husband and daughter, I appreciate the freedom that comes with making wise eating decisions. If I have a hankering for French fries, so be it. If I want the chocolate-almond croissant at my local patisserie, I’ll indulge. We all have favorite comfort foods and so long as we make considered choices and consume in moderation, we can establish a healthy relationship with food.
Five Days Planned, Two Days Smart requires a bit of pre-planning and the process may seem slow at first, but with routine and habit, it’s something you can easily incorporate into your life.
Meal planning reduces stress during the busy work week and protects you from consuming energy-dense convenience foods. Being prepared and organized is essential for establishing positive relation-ships with food and for being successful in the execution of maintaining healthy eating habits.
The book is designed so that no matter what plan you choose (page 38),you will consume a complete set of nutrients for the day, purely through dietary means. As someone who loves to organize, I find meal planning an effective tool for weight management—especially when I eat Five Days Planned, Two Days Smart. Why five days and not seven? The common theme you will find throughout this book is that success is all about sustainability. Planning meals for seven days of the week is not realistic for everyone. Breaks from cooking are important, planning for leftovers, making a simple grilled cheese, or eating out for a night is all a part of fostering a healthy relationship with food.
Five Days Planned, Two Days Smart
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meal plan
1
2
3
4
5
Breakfast
Southwest Crustless Quiche and Tropical Green Smoothie
Vanilla Blueberry Chia Pudding
Eggs in a Ring
Coconut and Flaxseed French Toast
Goat Cheese and Avocado Toast
lunch
Grilled Vegetable and Hummus Flatbread
Bocconcini Salad
Portobello and Prosciutto Pizza
Quinoa, Buckwheat, and Bean Salad
Berry and Boursin® Salad
dinner
Thai Chicken, Quinoa, and Veggie Bowl
Potato and Leek Soup with Buckwheat Salad
Bison, Spinach, and Sweet Potato Salad
Slow-Cooked Chicken Fajitas
Arctic Char with Wild Rice, Corn Salad, and Beet Greens
Anatomy of a Meal Plan
Organization is key to successful meal plans and weight management. Here, I show you how a week-long meal plan might look with recipes and strategies for planning ahead.
I like to have fish one day of the week, a slow-cooker recipe on a busier day, and a few days of variety. (If you’re just starting out, I recommend choosing two or three of your favorite meal plans and spreading them out across the week.)
When I plan I also look at how I can use leftover ingredients in multiple recipes. For example, leftover chicken on day 1 can be used for lunch on day 2.Some of the other meal plans that require precooked chicken include Meal Plans 8, 15, 16, 22, and 30. There-fore, it would work well to combine Meal Plans 1, 6, and 13 with the former meal plans so you already have your chicken prepared.
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Produce
3 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
2 orange bell peppers
1 cucumber
2¼ lbs cherry tomatoes
4 avocados
1 zucchini
1 (2-lb) bag carrots
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