Welcome to Start TODAY. Sign up for our free Start TODAY newsletter to receive daily inspiration sent to your inbox.
Labor Day weekend is the unofficial sendoff to summer and the start of fall, making it the perfect time to recommit to a healthy eating plan.
And eating the right foods not only benefits your physical health, but gives your mental health a boost as we start a new season. As previously reported by TODAY, research links fruit and veggie intake to happiness levels. Eating omega-3 fats and magnesium-rich foods and limiting red meat and added sugars has also been shown to improve mental health markers like stress levels, mood and energy.
This dietitian-designed meal plan will help you learn the building blocks of healthy eating and gives you the flexibility to ease back into a healthy fall routine.
What to Eat This Week, September 4, 2023
This week’s focus is on a nutritious, plant-filled diet that includes healthy sources of fat (such as seeds, nuts, avocados, and extra virgin olive oil), plus a few servings of seafood per week. We’ve also got creative ways to cut back on meat (hello, magnesium-rich lentils!) and added sugars.
Whether you’re simply trying to eat healthier, or actively working on habits to boost your energy, mood, brain skills and quality of life, we know you will enjoy the menu we’ve selected for the week ahead.
>>Download this week’s meal plan
Monday
- Breakfast: Coffee Chia Parfait
- Lunch: Green Grain Bowl
- Dinner: Lentil Tacos with Sautéed Kale
- Snack of choice
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Pumpkin Overnight Oats with Greek Yogurt
- Lunch: Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Cucumber Slices
- Dinner: Cashew Chicken and Asparagus and Brown Rice
- Snack of choice
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Coffee Chia Parfait
- Lunch: Green Grain Bowl
- Dinner: 4-Ingredient Air Fryer Salmon with Broccoli and Brown Rice
- Snack of choice
Thursday
- Breakfast: Pumpkin Overnight Oats with Greek Yogurt
- Lunch: Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Cucumber Slices
- Dinner: Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs with Broccolini
- Snack of choice
Friday
- Breakfast: Joy Bauer’s Broccoli Tots with Eggs and Fruit
- Lunch: Leftovers or takeout
- Dinner: Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad with Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Skewers
- Snack of choice
Breakfast
Make mornings easier by spending five to 10 minutes prepping the night before. Come breakfast time, you’ll be happy you did.
Using leftover coffee, make the coffee-chia topping before you head to bed. Then assemble the rest of the parfait in the morning.
Pumpkin Overnight Oats with Greek Yogurt
To make, mix 1/2 cup each oats and unsweetened almond milk with 2 tablespoons pureed pumpkin, 1 teaspoon chia seeds, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with Greek yogurt on top or on the side.
Serve tots with hard boiled eggs and a cup or piece of fruit.
Lunch
Continuing with the mental health theme, we incorporated several smart strategies into the lunch selections. For instance, smoked salmon is a convenient way to score omega-3 fats. We dressed up the meal like a bagel but made it healthier by using a whole-grain English muffin and Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese. If you’re not fond of smoked salmon, you can try canned or pouched salmon or tuna, which have been featured on previous menus. In addition, the grain bowl is loaded with antioxidant-rich produce and healthy fats to protect your brain and support your mood and energy levels.
Leftovers or Takeout
Need inspiration? Choose one of the healthiest things to eat at Starbucks.
Here’s a filling, fiber- and protein-rich grain bowl you can meal prep in advance. To do so, make the quinoa and dressing and shred your rotisserie chicken. Assemble the grain bowl and add your veggies when ready to serve. If you’re trying to reduce your meat consumption or are exclusively plant-based, use canned and rinsed beans instead of chicken.
Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich
Toast a whole-grain English muffin and spread with Greek yogurt. Top each half with capers, red onions, lettuce, tomato slices and smoked salmon. Serve with cucumber slices.
Dinner
Dinners include multiple healthy swaps, like ground chicken and lentils in place of ground beef and whole grains instead of refined grains. But the best part about this week’s dinner lineup is that you’ll be too tuned into the flavor to think about how wholesome the meals are.
Eating a meatless meal at least once a week helps you boost your intake of plant foods and lentils are packed with magnesium, a nutrient that is involved in regulating your stress response. We chose tacos for this menu because they’re an easy way to dip your toe into meatless meals. This version calls for making guacamole, but if you don’t have time, you can swap it with a store-bought variety and garnish with cubed mango for a special touch. While you have the kale out, saute some extra to serve with your tacos.
A Chinese takeout dish could have 77% more sodium than what’s recommended in a day. We’re not saying this dish is low in sodium, but making a Chinese-style dish at home will save you tons of salt and sugar. You’ll also get more veggie goodness when cooking yourself since restaurants tend to serve skimpy portions. To get an even bigger veggie boost, double up on the red pepper and asparagus, and make more sauce if needed. Serve your stir-fry with brown rice.
Salmon is loaded with omega-3 fats, and this easy marinade makes it the perfect thing to cook when you don’t want to fuss in the kitchen. The recipe calls for soy sauce, but we’d suggest swapping that with lower-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos — a milder, less salty alternative. Serve your salmon with broccoli and brown rice (frozen or microwavable to save time).
Making meatballs with ground chicken instead of ground beef reduces saturated fat — the kind that can raise your risk of harmful LDL cholesterol. And you won’t miss the beef in this insanely tasty meal. Feel free to swap broccoli for the broccolini, and serve your meatballs over whole grain, chickpea or lentil pasta with a lower-sugar jarred pasta sauce.
Shrimp is a perfect weeknight protein since it’s easy to defrost in icy water, and it helps you meet the recommended goal of eating seafood twice a week. The cilantro-lime dressing brings everything together here; it serves as the marinade for the corn and shrimp and the dressing for the salad. The salad is plated with a fun surprise: tortilla chips. The various textures add an element of interest to this easy meal, and many tortilla chips are made from whole-grain corn.
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:
- Grape tomatoes with creamy taco dip. To make the dip, add some taco seasoning to Greek yogurt and mix.
- Red pepper strips with egg salad
- Cucumber slices and edamame
- Freeze-dried apple or strawberry chips with nuts
- ½ grapefruit with Greek yogurt