Lesson 3: Meal Planning
When making dietary changes, meal planning can be a challenge. This lesson gives easy menu and recipe ideas for adding more plant source foods throughout your day.
Breakfast and Drinks
Breakfast is light and quick for many people but this is one of the easiest opportunities to get in several portions of plant source foods. Breakfast is a good meal to experiment with. Find creative ways to add fruits, berries, veggies, hash browns, even peanut butter.
Continue to think main dish and choose from the grain/pasta group. One or two servings of a whole grain cereal, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, toast, burritos, or bagels make good choices. Fruits, berries, juices, nuts, soymilk or anything else you like may be added. Instant oatmeal with added blueberries, banana, and/or chopped pecans, and a fruit juice drink, is quick, easy, delicious, and satisfies several plant source servings. Or try toast served with eggs scrambled in lightly stir-fried chopped green onions, cherry tomatoes, and canned mushrooms.
If you’re a dedicated coffee lover, there are even ways to veggie up your coffee. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee granules in 2 ounces of boiling water. Add 1 cup of warm vanilla soymilk and 1 package of vanilla or chocolate flavored Instant Breakfast. Now you have a creamy drink from the legume group with vitamins, protein, and fiber.
Besides fruit and vegetable juices, other drinks can add to your daily quota of plant source foods as well. Smoothies, rice milk, almond milk, and green tea are good choices. Green tea is a powerhouse of antioxidants, and without sweeteners, offers dental benefits as well, but if you like it sweet, try adding a teaspoonful of honey instead of sugar. You get more sweetening for fewer calories with honey.
6 Minute Breakfast Sandwich
Toast two slices of whole wheat bread, and butter lightly. Whisk one egg in a small bowl and microwave for two minutes to make an egg pattie. Meanwhile, lightly fry a thin slice of Gimme Lean soy sausage. Peel, slice, and fry one tiny potato, in the same oil. Layer the egg pattie, soy sausage and potatoes with a cheese slice on the buttered side of the toast and serve with juice for a quick and complete “take-along” sandwich breakfast for when you’re in a hurry but need some powerful nutrition for a busy day.
Berry Breeze Smoothie
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup cran/grape or cran/raspberry juice
1 cup blueberry or strawberry yogurt
1 Tbsp dry, instant oatmeal
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
Blend until smooth for a delicious drink packed with phytonutrients. And this recipe is so versatile, you can use any kind of berry or even throw in a few cherries.
