Happy Summer All!
I know during the summer our structure gets thrown a little out of whack. The kids aren’t in school; we may sleep in a little later; and vacations are happening, BUT as a food allergy parent preparing safe allergy-friendly meals never gets a vacation.
In our home, we plan meals weekly. On Friday, I write up our meals for the week. I don’t have a plan for lunch because I make sure to cook enough at dinner to be able to have leftovers for one day after. It makes things so much easier!
So what exactly is a meal plan?
A meal plan is simply writing down what you will eat for meals (and snacks, if you want) ahead of time. You can plan for a week or even a month!
What are the benefits of meal plans?
- Saves Time. You don’t have to think about what you are going to make each day because it is written out already. You don’t have to take extra trips to the grocery store because you have already bought everything you need! Also, with meal planning, you can plan to eat leftovers, so you don’t even need to cook every night.
- Saves Money. If your meals are already planned, you most likely won’t choose to order in or go out to a restaurant unless you planned for it. Also, you will have less food waste because you bought every food item in order to make the meals on your plan.
- Helps you Meet your Goals. When you take the time to create a menu plan, you can look for recipes that are anti-inflammatory or heart-healthy or that help to reduce blood pressure. And of course, all meals will be allergy-friendly!
Yes, it will take time to create the meal plan, but before you know it it will be second nature. If you don’t know where to begin, reach out to me and I can create your first meal plan for you!
As a food allergy dietitian, I create meal plans for my patients taking into account their health goals, health concerns, allergies, likes/dislikes, etc. I could make you a weekly meal plan or even a monthly meal plan. Just think, if you had a month’s worth of meals you could just reuse this plan every month. I don’t think anyone would complain about eating the same meal one time per month!
What does a meal plan look like?
Below is an example of a top 9 allergy-friendly 5-day meal plan. It includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks a day. Leftovers are used, so you don’t have to prepare every breakfast and lunch, but dinner is always different.
I’m hoping this example can show you that it is doable to eat healthy and safely as a food allergy family. It just takes some planning and maybe a little help:)
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Breakfast | Roasted Tomato & Basil on GF Toast | Roasted Tomato & Basil on GF Toast | Roasted Tomato & Basil on GF Toast | Cinnamon Sweet Potato Smoothie Bowl | Cinnamon Sweet Potato Smoothie Bowl |
| Snack | Lemon Coconut Power Balls | Lemon Coconut Power Balls (Leftovers) | Lemon Coconut Power Balls (Leftovers) | Fruit Kabobs | Fruit Kabobs (Leftovers) |
| Lunch | Slow Cooker Dill Vegetable Soup | Beef Taco Rice Bowl with Cabbage
(Leftovers) |
Chicken, Broccoli & Mashed Potatoes
(Leftovers) |
Arugula, Kale and Pinto Bean Salad
(Leftovers) |
Lentil, Bean & Turkey Chili (Leftovers) |
| Snack | Basic Granola | Basic Granola (Leftovers) | Basic Granola (Leftovers) | Mango Coconut Bites | Mango Coconut Bites (Leftovers) |
| Dinner | Beef Taco Rice Bowl with Cabbage | Chicken, Broccoli & Mashed Potatoes | Arugula, Kale and Pinto Bean Salad | Lentil, Bean & Turkey Chili | Grilled Zucchini & Chickpea Pasta Salad |
If you are interested in the recipes above, feel free to contact me at liz@eatinghealthy4life.com and I would be happy to email you all of these recipes for FREE. If you would like a more tailored menu plan for your specific allergies and/or health goals I would be happy to work with you individually.
Weekly meal plans are $75 and monthly meal plans are $200.
Happy planning!
Liz Pecoraro