Sample Menus
What am I going to eat? For some of you, this simple question brings up anxiety and dread. This is when you have to put everything together — a meal that tastes good, is nutritious, can be prepared quickly, and meets your budget and calories intake goal. This article will provide you with healthier meal ideas for three different levels of calories. The meal ideas presented here are just suggestions to get you going on meal planning.
The following meals are presented in a three-day progression so you can see how leftovers can be incorporated into following meals to save you both time and money. I have included three levels of calories: 1500, 1800, and 2100 calories. If you are curious as to how a diet is “built” from one caloric level to another, compare the 1500 and 1800 calories menus.
For the menus below, nutrient totals are summarized in the last row of each day’s column. MyNetDiary members can see meal details by viewing “SampleMeals” in the Community Forum and searching the reports for the dates listed. Recipes that have links have bold lettering.
Menus were designed to meet the following nutrient goals (please see “Customizing Your Nutrient Goals” for more information about customizing nutrient goals):
Fat: 20% — 35% of total calories.
Saturated fat: 7% or less of total calories.
Carbs: 45% - 65% of total calories.
Sugars: 25% or less of total calories.
Fiber: 25 grams or more.
Protein: 10 — 35% of total calories.
Cholesterol: 300 mg or less.
Sodium: 2300 mg or less.
Calcium: 1000 mg or more.
For more detail the rationale behind how I make meal choices, please see “Meal Planning Tips”, and “Foods to Meet Nutrient Needs.”
1500 Calories
| SUNDAY 8/30 | MONDAY 8/31 | TUESDAY 9/1 |
|---|---|---|
| Brunch | Breakfast | Breakfast |
|
Ham & Veggie Omelet Skillet Potatoes ½ cup cantaloupe ½ cup strawberries 1 cup coffee 1 tsp honey |
1 cup Special K Protein Plus cereal ¾ cup skim milk ½ cup blueberries 1 cup green tea 1 packet Stevia |
1 cup bran flakes ¼ cup pumpkin flax granola 1 cup skim milk 1 cup coffee 2 tbsp skim milk 1 packet Splenda |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
| None |
1 light string cheese ½ cup cantaloupe |
¼ cup cottage cheese 5 celery sticks |
| Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
|
1 tbsp peanut butter 1 medium apple 1 cup skim milk |
Kathy’s Pork Tenderloin Sandwich (2oz pork) ½ medium banana 1 cup vanilla soy milk |
1 large tossed salad 1/3 cup hummus 2 oz tuna (drained/water) 1 whole wheat pita 6 fl oz soy milk |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
|
2 crackers WASA light rye ¼ cup cottage cheese |
10 baby carrots ½ medium banana |
1 small pear |
| Dinner | Dinner | Dinner |
|
CL Pork Tenderloin with Maple- Chipotle Sauce (3oz pork) 1 medium baked sweet potato 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tbsp light canola butter 1 cup steamed broccoli 1 garden salad 2 tbsp light ranch dressing |
CL Pilaf with Chicken Spinach and Walnuts (1 1/3 cup) 1 tossed salad 2 tbsp light balsamic dressing |
Healthier Pork Burrito |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
|
½ cup blueberries ½ cup light vanilla ice cream |
4 oz container of Activia yogurt |
½ cup sliced strawberries ½ cup low fat Greek yogurt 2% |
|
TOTAL 1510 calories 28% fat 48% carbs (31g fiber) 24% protein |
TOTAL 1508 calories 23% fat 53% carbs (27g fiber) 24% protein |
TOTAL 1503 calories 26% fat 52% carbs (50g fiber) 22% protein |
1800 Calories
| SUNDAY 9/6 | MONDAY 9/7 | TUESDAY 9/8 |
|---|---|---|
| Brunch | Breakfast | Breakfast |
|
CL Oatmeal-Raspberry Pancakes with Berry Coulis ½ cup Egg Beaters scrambled 1 cup coffee 1 tsp honey |
1 cup Special K Protein Plus cereal ¾ cup skim milk ½ cup blueberries 1 cup green tea 1 packet Stevia |
1 cup bran flakes ¼ cup pumpkin flax granola 1 cup skim milk 1 cup coffee 2 tbsp skim milk 1 packet Splenda |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
| None |
1 light string cheese ½ cup cantaloupe 2 crackers WASA light rye |
¼ cup cottage cheese 5 celery sticks |
| Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
|
2 tbsp almond butter 1 medium banana 1 cup vanilla soy milk |
Kathy’s Pork Tenderloin Sandwich (use 3oz pork) 1 medium banana 1 cup vanilla soy milk |
1 garden salad 1/3 cup hummus 2 oz tuna (drained/water) 1 tsp olive oil 1 whole wheat pita 1 cup soy milk |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
|
6 oz container of low fat peach yogurt |
5 baby carrots 8 almonds |
1 medium pear |
| Dinner | Dinner | Dinner |
|
CL Pork Tenderloin with Maple- Chipotle Sauce (use 4 oz pork) 1 large baked sweet potato 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tbsp light canola butter 1 cup steamed broccoli 1 garden salad 2 tbsp light ranch dressing 1 cup rice milk |
CL Pilaf with Chicken Spinach and Walnuts (use 1 ½ cup) 1 tossed salad 2 tbsp light balsamic dressing 1 cup skim milk |
Healthier Pork Burrito (use 3 oz pork) |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
| ¾ cup pineapple chunks | 4 oz container Activia yogurt |
1 Nonni’s Limone Biscotti ½ cup light vanilla ice cream |
|
TOTAL 1802 calories 26% fat 56% carbs (26g fiber) 18% protein |
TOTAL 1803 calories 24% fat 52% carbs (31g fiber) 24% protein |
TOTAL 1796 calories 29% fat 50% carbs (52g fiber) 21% protein |
2100 Calories
| SUNDAY 9/13 | MONDAY 9/14 | TUESDAY 9/15 |
|---|---|---|
| Brunch | Breakfast | Breakfast |
|
1 cup cooked buckwheat 1 tbsp light canola butter 2 tbsp maple syrup ½ cup egg beaters scrambled 1 oz low fat cheddar cheese 1 cup coffee 2 tbsp skim milk 1 tsp sugar |
1 cup Nature’s Path Banana Almond cereal ¾ cup soy milk 1 slice whole grain bread 1 tbsp almond butter 1 medium banana 1 cup green tea |
1 cup bran flakes ¼ cup pumpkin flax granola 1 cup skim milk ½ medium banana |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
| None | None |
1 tbsp peanut butter ½ medium banana |
| Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
|
1.5 tbsp peanut butter 2 tsp fruit spread (jam) 2 slices hearty whole grain bread 10 baby carrots 1 medium apple |
Kathy’s Curried Chicken Salad 1 garden salad 1 whole wheat pita toasted ½ cup raspberries ½ cup blue berries 1 cup skim milk |
2 oz salmon 2 tbsp light canola mayo ¼ cup chopped sweet peppers ¼ cup sliced avocado 1 cup baby spinach 4 crackers WASA light rye 1 medium pear |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
|
½ cup raspberries 6 oz container of low fat yogurt |
None |
1 container Activia yogurt 1 oz nuts |
| Dinner | Dinner | Dinner |
|
1 cup cooked whole wheat spaghetti 2 tbsp pesto sauce 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese 3 oz roasted skinless chicken thigh 1 garden salad 2 tsp olive oil 1 tbsp vinegar 1 small whole wheat dinner roll 1 tsp light canola butter |
CL Tofu Fried Rice (1.5 cup) 2 cups baby spinach greens 2 tbsp Light Asian Vinaigrette 1 serving Whole Foods Peach Tart ½ cup Blue Bunny No Sugar Added, Fat Free vanilla ice cream |
CL Cincinnati Chili 1 cup cooked noodles 1 garden salad 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 cup skim milk |
| Snack | Snack | Snack |
|
1 smart pop mini bag 1 cup skim milk |
None |
½ cup blueberries ½ cup light vanilla ice cream |
|
TOTAL 2093 calories 29% fat 52% carbs (37g fiber) 19% protein |
TOTAL 2095 calories 24% fat 62% carbs (41g fiber) 14% protein |
TOTAL 2088 calories 30% fat 53% carbs (48g fiber) 17% protein |
Menu Notes
You might have noticed that these menus have a lot of non fat dairy and dairy substitutes. I put these in the menus to insure that I meet 1000 mg of calcium (the DRI for adults up to 50 years of age, thereafter, the DRI increases to 1200 mg).
Almost all of my menus contain snacks. You do not have to eat snacks if you do not want to, but your calorie and carb load per meal is quite a bit higher if you only eat three meals a day. This might be a problem for some of you with Type 2 diabetes who are not taking meal time insulin.
I tried to use a combination of convenience and scratch ingredients. For instance, the skinless chicken comes from the rotisserie chicken you can buy pre-prepared at your local grocery store. However, it is very difficult to limit intake of sodium to 2300 mg or less if too many convenience products are eaten on the same day.
I tried to mix up the meals and types of foods.
Vegetarians, I will be writing an article for you in the near future.
Remember that you can ask questions about this topic in the Community Forum!
Best,Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD