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Week 3 Meal Plan

If you started with the menu plan for Week 1, you already have half the Challenge behind you! Are the rhythms of eating this way starting to feel familiar? In Week 3 we’re serving up Health Starts Here versions of egg rolls (with collard leaves taking the place of deep-fried wrappers) along with a whole week’s worth of new recipes, tips and suggestions for quick and easy, healthy meals. If you’ve followed our advice about eating fresh fruit for snacks and dessert thus far, perhaps this is the week to indulge in a quick and easy Health Starts Here dessert recipe.

Week 3 Meal Plan

Serves 1

Print Meal Plan (PDF) | Watch Cooking Videos

Day 15 – Batch Cook Day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Quinoa Breakfast Bake + fresh fruit + optional Green Smoothie

Bake (or warm) quinoa bar if so desired, rinse fruit and slice or chop if needed. Consider a smoothie with fresh greens if you prefer a bigger breakfast.

Veggie Burger + salad

Make (or thaw and warm) burger. Eat open-faced on a slice of toasted Health Starts Here bread if desired. Add a green salad with dressing.

Collard Rolls + salad

Prepare 6 collard rolls (½ of the recipe); consider adding additional condiments or fresh herbs like cilantro or basil to the bean and grain mixture for enhanced flavor. Take care not to over-steam the rolls. Serve 3 collard rolls with green salad and reserve 3 rolls for tomorrow’s lunch.

Day 16

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Millet Breakfast Cereal + optional Fruit Smoothie

Prepare ½ the recipe. Divide into 2 servings and save 1 for later in week. Add a Fruit Smoothie if you want a fresh side to the cereal.

Collard Rolls + salad

Gently reheat 3 collard rolls and serve with a mixed green salad loaded with crunchy vegetables.

White Bean Spinach Salad

Assemble beans, vegetables and dressing. Divide into 3 servings, reserving 2 for lunches later in the week. Divide spinach into 3 servings, reserving 2 for later lunches. Add bean mixture to greens just before serving. Serve with whole grain tortillas or Health Starts Here bread.

Day 17

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Quinoa Breakfast Bake + fresh fruit

Warm quinoa bar if so desired, rinse fruit and slice or chop if needed.

White Bean Spinach Salad + tortillas

Add dressed bean mixture to greens just before serving. Accompany with whole grain tortillas or Health Starts Here bread.

Turkey Sloppy Janes + salad

Prepare half the recipe; one serving for tonight, and one for lunch later in the week. Serve with a large salad!

Day 18

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Millet Breakfast Cereal + optional Fruit Smoothie

Gently reheat millet cereal. If desired, prepare a Fruit Smoothie with berries for an antioxidant boost.

Turkey Sloppy Janes + salad

Warm the other half of the Sloppy Jane dish from last night’s meal. Add a green salad with your favorite colorful vegetables.

Tempeh Curry + salad

Prepare recipe and reserve 1 serving for meal later in the week. Freeze 2 servings for later. Add a romaine salad and dressing of choice.

Day 19

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Oatmeal Mighty Bowl + optional Fruit Smoothie

Cook rolled or steel-cut oats with apple and cinnamon or peaches and nutmeg; top with your favorite nuts or seeds.

White Bean Spinach Salad + Cornbread Muffin

Add dressed bean mixture to greens just before serving. Accompany with whole grain tortillas or cornbread muffin.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Eggplant Bolognese + salad

Use this pasta sauce to top a number of dishes. Be sure to adjust seasonings to your personal taste. Cook pasta for tonight’s meal and tomorrow’s lunch (about 4 ounces) and serve your meal with spinach salad topped with pine nuts.

Day 20

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Almond Rice Mighty Bowl + optional Fruit Smoothie

Warm ½ cup brown rice in ½ cup of almond milk. Top with a sliced banana and 1 ounce of chopped raw almonds. Sweeten with a chopped date.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Eggplant Bolognese + salad

Gently warm leftover sauce and pasta. Serve your meal with spinach salad topped with pine nuts.

Veggie Burger + Baked Fries + salad

Thaw burger and warm. Bake the fries. You may wish to serve the burger open-faced on toasted Health Starts Here bread. Add a green salad with dressing.

Day 21

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Oatmeal Mighty Bowl + optional Fruit Smoothie

Cook rolled or steel-cut oats with cranberries, orange zest and ginger or blueberries; top with your favorite nuts or seeds.

Tempeh Curry + salad

Gently reheat the curry and greens. Serve with a green salad and dressing.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with  Eggplant Bolognese + salad

Gently warm leftover sauce and cook 2 ounce serving of pasta. Serve your meal with spinach salad topped with pine nuts.

Keep yourself on track. Download a printable food journal.

Still want a taste of something sweet to end your meal? Grab a piece of fresh fruit or consider the dessert pick of the week, which is also a tasty mid-afternoon snack. These Carrot Walnut Cookies are delicious and portable. Want more dessert options?

Batch Cooking

Start the week by batch cooking and storing meals in grab-and-go serving containers. This saves precious time during the week for all meals.

Keep in Mind

  • Make sure to change up the greens and other veggies in your twice-a-day green salad to prevent palate fatigue. Try alternating spinach, romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, arugula, mesclun, butter lettuce and mâche. If you’re eating out, take advantage of the salad bar to create a salad packed with crunchy vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, etc.

  • In a hurry? Squeeze the juice of half a lemon or add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar for a quick salad dressing.

  • Canned beans are a huge time-saver and are quite tasty; read labels and look for no-salt-added options.

Breakfast Tip

Warm leftover brown rice and add almond milk, cinnamon and fresh fruit to the mix. Almost instant breakfast!

Lunch Tip

Most salad bars have all the components you need for a healthy entrée salad. Choose vinegar or a lemon wedge as a dressing — forgo any of the dressing selections on offer (unless you’re at a Whole Foods Market that has Health Starts Here dressings on the bar!).

Snack Tip

Bean dips, nut or seed-based spreads, fresh no-oil hummus, guacamole and whole grain breads, tortillas or pita make a great afternoon or evening snack.

Dinner Tip

A sure winner at any meal is a Mighty Bowl of Goodness: whole grains topped with a protein of your choice, steamed greens and your favorite condiments (soy sauce, tamari, vinegars, avocado, hot sauce).

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