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Five-Day Healthy Meal Plan

Meal-planning ideas come easy to me. I’m a planner by nature; the food industry is my profession and I simply love to cook. For those who desperately strive to create nutritious fare but still struggle to put a healthy meal plan together — I sympathize. Nothing sucks worse then settling for “just okay” when you could have had fabulous.
If you’ve taken to heart Kristen’s meal-planning tips and still find yourself banging your head against the pantry door, let me help a sister out — FBG style. I’ve created a balanced five-day healthy meal plan to get you through the busiest of weeks. All of the recipes require minimal prep and are ready to serve in less than an hour.
To avoid burnout, these easy meal plans utilize a different protein every day, plus a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. The recipes use basic ingredients; a single trip to the grocery store should cover it for the week.
Dessert is a part of life, so I’ve included one of those and — bonus! — all of these wholesome dinners are gluten-free!

Monday

She can’t help it, but Monday’s a bitch, so tonight’s dinner is super casual Wasabi-Mango Fish Tacos. Any whitefish will do, buy whatever is on sale, and doctor them up with your favorite toppings or follow Jenn’s lead and add heart-healthy avocado.
fish-tacos-done-text
Start to finish: 20 minutes max. Slow down to eat and savor every last bite.

Tuesday

Tonight start with dessert. This healthy indulgence has less than 200 calories per serving and takes only a couple of minutes to prepare. Stash it in the freezer and save it for later.
Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, Ina Garten’s sautéed cabbage is the bomb! It cooks up in about 15 minutes and only requires four ingredients (salt and pepper included!). Slap a ham steak on the grill; cook 3 to 4 minutes per side and day two of your five-day healthy meal plan is ready to go.
Later that evening enjoy ice cream on the patio while you air out the house.

Dessert with a protein punch! Credit: Raquel Guss

Scream for ice cream! Credit: Raquel Guss

Wednesday

Hump day requires a celebration, so get a bit fancy with chicken and chocolate.

This just seems wrong!

Tomatoes and chocolate make a savory sauce for Oaxacan Chicken Mole.

This south of the border easy meal goes well with quinoa and a spinach salad. If you crave more of the dark stuff, try this chocolaty vinaigrette for a change.
chocolate-salad-carafe-585

Thursday

One-pan meals rock for easy clean-up. Tonight, go for broke with the Hakuna Matata Frittata — the ultimate no-worries dinner.

Cold potatoes are easier to handle. Cook them the night before while you watch the tube.

If you got adventurous last night and made the vinaigrette, you should have leftover chocolate to nibble on. If not, fruit’s your dessert. (See why you should try new things!)

Friday

Time to pull out a favorite from our Fun Friday’s repertoire of healthy meals.
mexican-dinner
Enjoy another one pan wonder, Mexican Rice Skillet, crack a cold one and put up your feet, it’s Friday!
How about it? Ready to give this easy and healthy meal plan a try?— Karen

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