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You asked, we answered! Hundreds of Start TODAY members told us they wanted more healthy, balanced meal ideas to help them reach their health goals. This dietitian-designed meal plan gives you the flexibility to ease into healthy eating.
This week’s menu features plant-based MVPs, including snap peas, carrots, avocado, asparagus and arugula. You’ll find these ingredients in meals from Breakfast Tacos to Chickpea Burgers to Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad, showing you how to enjoy foods and flavors you love while packing in more produce.
What to Eat This Week: October 23, 2023
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Monday
- Breakfast: Avocado, Spinach and Egg Breakfast Tacos
- Lunch: Caprese Caesar Wrap
- Dinner: Chickpea Burgers with Creamy Sriracha Sauce
- Snack of choice
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt, Nuts and Honey
- Lunch: Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Dinner: Gluten-Free Chicken Piccata
- Snack of choice
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Avocado, Spinach and Egg Breakfast Tacos
- Lunch: Caprese Caesar Wrap
- Dinner: Steak Caesar Salad with Sugar Snap Peas
- Snack of choice
Thursday
- Breakfast: Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt, Nuts and Honey
- Lunch: Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken with Roasted Asparagus with Pistachio Pesto
- Snack of choice
Friday
- Breakfast: Avocado, Spinach and Egg Breakfast Tacos
- Lunch: Caprese Caesar Wrap
- Dinner: Leftovers or Takeout
- Snack of choice
Breakfast
If you’re not a breakfast eater, let these low-maintenance ideas inspire you to make it a habit. Take 10 minutes to prep the scrambled eggs in advance (they’ll last up to four days in your fridge) and reheat a portion before assembling your tacos. The grapefruit meal is easy to put together, and you can broil the fruit while making your coffee.
Breakfast tacos? Yes, please! The recipe calls for one egg, which doesn’t provide sufficient protein in the morning, so we recommend topping your tacos with canned, drained black beans. You could also double up on the eggs, provided you have no more than 7 per week.
Broiled Grapefruit with Yogurt, Nuts and Honey
Section ½ grapefruit, sprinkle with cinnamon, and drizzle with honey. Broil until the topping bubbles and the grapefruit begins to caramelize. Then top your grapefruit with plain or lower-sugar Greek yogurt and nuts or seeds (such as pumpkin or hemp seeds).
Lunch
Sandwiches and salads are standard lunch go-to’s, but these versions are anything but typical. With some minimal advanced prep, assembling these meals before you head to work or sit down to eat is a cinch.
Here’s an easy lunch wrap that combines the flavors of your favorite salads. Though the recipe involves making a quick dressing, you could skip this step and use bottled dressing instead. Then, add some avocado slices to your wrap. Serve your wrap with sliced red pepper strips and a dip made with Greek yogurt mixed with pesto to taste. This will amp up the protein and veggie goodness.
This salad boasts numerous veggies, making it a filling and nutritious meal. To take the healthfulness up a notch, use whole-grain tortellini and add an extra handful of arugula to your bowl. To meal prep this salad in advance, leave out the basil and arugula until ready to serve.
Dinner
This week’s focus is feel-good meals featuring lots of colorful produce. Bonus: None of these recipes require more than 20 minutes of hands-on time.
Chickpea burgers are easy to make with a food processor. Do yourself a favor and make a big batch to freeze and enjoy later. Serve your burger on a whole-grain pita with all the fixings and have roasted carrots on the side.
This is a gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb version of chicken piccata, but don’t let that put you off. The chicken is breaded in seasoned almond flour and cooked until golden brown, and the sauce is rich and creamy. While it’s served over zucchini noodles, you could mix them with whole grain or legume-based pasta if you’d like.
Serving steak over salad is a healthy way to enjoy red meat, and it’s a filling combo that feels light, too. Plus, the salad’s mix of little gem lettuce and snap peas makes for the perfect crunch.
Rotisserie Chicken with Roasted Asparagus
When you don’t have time to do much cooking, buy a store-bought rotisserie chicken to pair with this quick, veggie side dish. Whip up a big batch of this pesto and freeze what you don’t use to season other meals later on. If your meal doesn’t feel complete without a starch, serve it with quinoa. Using a frozen version means everything will be ready to eat in 15 minutes or less.
Snacks
Snacks that contain whole food sources of protein and fiber offer a winning formula that keeps you full for hours. Here are a few ideas:
- Baby carrots and roasted chickpeas.
- Pineapple cubes with cottage cheese.
- Clementine and nuts or seeds (such as pumpkin seeds).
- Red pepper slices with creamy taco dip. To make the dip, add some taco seasoning to Greek yogurt and mix.
- Grape tomatoes with a boiled egg.