Balanced Meal Planning: Easy as 1-2-3

Meal Planning

Wondering how to get a quick meal on the table yet still assure it's nutritionally balanced?

That's where I come in. As your personal nutrition guide, I'm here to share the tricks of the trade with you.

Now, if you're like lots of people, just the thought of planning meals ahead sends you running for the telephone to make dinner reservations.

However, what I'm suggesting is much easier than making a weekly menu plan, so don't worry.

Balanced meal planning simply requires you to keep a few basic nutrition principles in mind...and a few basic foods on hand. You'll see that by thinking about food differently, meal planning becomes a cinch. Quick and easy, perfectly balanced meals practically make themselves when you do!

Meal planning as easy as 1-2-3...

For balanced meal planning, all you have to do is choose a food from each category...

1. Lean Protein
2. Low Starch Vegetable
3. Healthy Fat
4. (optional) Starch: whole grain, whole grain product or starchy vegetable

Then, add some seasoning or sauce and voila...a healthy quick meal in a flash!

For example, take a

1. Turkey burger made from ground breast meat (lean protein), top it with
2. Tomato slices (low starch veggie),
3. Slices of avocado (healthy fat), and serve on a
4. Whole wheat bun (whole grain product)

Add catsup or BBQ sauce if you like, and you've got a balanced meal that I, a Registered Dietitian, would approve of.

Here are some examples of the foods in each category:

1 Lean Protein	2 Low Starch Veggie	3 Healthy Fat	4 Starch (optional)	5 Sauce (optional)
Skinless Chicken	Tomato	Avocado	Whole Wheat Bun	BBQ Sauce
Skinless Turkey	Broccoli	Canola Oil	Brown Rice	Low Sodium Teriyaki
Shellfish	Snap Peas	Cashews	Whole Wheat Pasta	Marinara
Egg	Onions	Extra Virgin Olive Oil	Whole Wheat Bread	Salsa
Lean Meat	Spinach	Nuts	Sweet Potato	Balsamic Vinegar
Soy Foods: Tofu, Tempeh, Edamame	Green Beans	Seeds	Barley	Fruit Preserves

Lean Protein

• Poultry: skinless chicken and turkey
• Fish: salmon, sardines, halibut, cod, tilapia, flounder, and canned light tuna
• Shellfish: shrimp, scallops, crab, oysters, lobster
• Eggs: whole eggs and egg whites
• Meat, Pork, Lamb and Veal: lean beef (round, sirloin, tenderloin, rump), lean ham, Canadian bacon, lamb loin chop, veal chop, veal roast
• Soy: tofu, tempeh, edamame (soybeans)
• Lowfat Cheese

Low Starch Vegetables (from A to Z!)

artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, spinach, summer squash, zucchini

Healthy Fat

avocado, canola oil (organic, expeller pressed), flaxseed oil, extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, peanut oil, pumpkin seed oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, nuts (ex: pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds), nut butters (ex: natural peanut butter, almond butter) and seeds (ex: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, ground flaxseeds)

Starch: Whole Grains, Whole Grain Products and Starchy Vegetables

Whole Grains and Whole Grain Products:

barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa, wheat berries, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat crackers, oatmeal, quinoa flakes, quinoa pasta, brown rice pasta

Starchy Vegetables:

corn, green peas, potatoes (white or sweet), turnips

Some Seasoning and Sauce Suggestions

• BBQ Sauce
• Fat-Free Salad Dressings (my favorites: Annie's Naturals, Newman's Own, Spectrum Naturals)
• Fruit Preserves (my favorites: American Spoon Fruit, Polaner All-Fruit Jam)
• Low sodium Teriyaki
• Low sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
• Marinaras
• Mustards (Dijon, Horseradish)
• Salsa (look for interesting flavors like black bean and corn, mango, pineapple, etc.)
• Vinegars (balsamic, rice wine, red wine, flavored vinegars)

I told you meal planning was easy! Here are some examples of how you can bring everything together:

1 Lean Protein	2 Low Starch Veggie	3 Healthy Fat	4 Starch (optional)	5 Sauce (optional)
Turkey Burger	Tomato Slices	Avocado	Whole Wheat Bun	Catsup
Chicken (stir fry)	Snow Peas & Scallions	Cashews	Brown Rice	Stir Fry Sauce
Shrimp (for soft taco)	Sauteed Onions & Peppers	Canola Oil to Saute Shrimp & Veggies	Whole Wheat or Corn Tortillas	Salsa
Shrimp (cold pasta salad)	Broccoli	Sesame Oil	Whole Wheat Pasta
Low Fat Feta Cheese	Sun Dried Tomatoes	Extra Virgin Olive Oil	Brown Rice
Canned Light Tuna	Broccoli & Cherry Tomatoes	Low Fat Poppyseed Dressing	Spiral Noodles (whole wheat or brown rice pasta

You know...

A recipe is simply someone's suggestion of what they think goes well together. So you really don't need a "recipe" in order to help you get a meal on the table. You don't need a "recipe" to tell you it's ok to put salsa on chicken, rice and broccoli.

If you like salsa, and you like chicken, rice and broccoli, I bet you would like the resulting meal!

And that's all you really need to know to get a delicious, nutritious meal on the table in a flash.

http://www.personal-nutrition-guide.com/meal-planning.html