I get asked this question all the time…
“What does my week on a plate looks like, especially when I’m traveling, or getting settled into a new place?”
What about the dreaded diet and counting calories?
Nope, none of that. As a matter of fact… I’m about to introduce…a simple no-cook meal plan
To help you stay trim, I’ve decided to write a simple recap on what I eat on weeks when I don’t want to use my blender (have no access to it), don’t want to cook or prepare anything elaborate (i.e. takes more than 20 minutes.)
On Sundays I love to shop at Whole Foods or local farmers market (depending on which city I’m in) to stock up the fridge with organic fruits and vegetables.
Of course, you may not feel like making your own smoothies while traveling, which is why stocking up your fridge with organic fruit is one of the best way to get your fibre and raw food goodness in.
Even when I am traveling and have no space/time to cook, I still have time to make salads if I want to eat in.
I love to buy pre-packaged organic salads such as those from Organic Girl and mix it with Follow Your Heart’s Organic Miso Ginger dressing.
I also love to stock up with my favourite raw treats such as Urban Remedy’s Cacao Mousse
I like to keep my breakfasts fairly simple, clean and easy to eat.
In the mornings I try to follow the routine of drinking green tea as well as lemon water.
I’m loving organic blueberries (all sorts of berries) at the moment so I’ll indulge in berries.
If I’m feeling hungry 30 minutes later, I’ll grab some raw dehydrated treats such as the No Oatmeal Cookie by Urban Remedy.
I’ll then hit the gym for an hour or so doing cardio, pilates, yoga, weights (whatever suits that day – workout routine to follow).
I will then get hungry after the gym so I may fuel myself with a chia pudding, usually chia seeds soaked in almond milk, mixed with cacao and some sprouted granola. I also love Living Intention’s Raspberry Detox Superfoods Sprouted Cereal.
My lunch and dinner consists of a very big salad or veggie wraps. I also love to carb it up with quinoa, brown rice or sweet potato to keep my energy levels up especially since I workout so much!
If you eat meat, you can also include some lean meat like wild caught salmon, but make sure you include plenty of fresh organic veggies.
My easy ‘go-to’ dinner at the moment is massaged kale salad with oil-free Balsamic Vinaigrette, wrapped in Sprouted Whole Grain Tortilla and guacamole.
I love buying fresh guacamole from supermarkets because they are usually made of fresh ingredients (which is why they don’t last long in the fridge!)
I also LOVE to have a bit of intense dark chocolate at night given the particular richness and thickness from this indulgence. A few brands I love: Lovechock, Lulu’s Chocolate, just to name a few.
Saturdays (or other indulgence days)
On Saturdays (or name a day of the week) I like to indulge a little so I may indulge in a restaurant.
Perhaps I’ll order vegan pizza, pasta, or my favourite roasted butternut squash tortillas at Gracias Madre.
Image Source: Foodspotting.com
Having a sweet tooth I also like to enjoy cashew cream ice cream, raw chocolate brownies…
Well that’s my week on a plate! I keep my meals easy with the freshest, local ingredients and extra delicious with natural herbs and spices.
Nicole Lana’s Tip:
Having the right salad dressing, with sweet, salty, savoury and tangy flavour profiles, makes a big difference to the taste and texture of your salad.
Skip,
Thanks a lot for your comment and I welcome your cordial discussion.
Yes, I agree – eating healthy is easy and can be “quick” but it also depends on the person. Some people may not necessarily want to cook (or the thought of being in the kitchen scares them), or some may just want to take a break and not cook for say a week or so when they are traveling or settling into a new city.
So in response to your comment, no I don’t believe cooking is arduous, and this is not what the article is suggesting. The article is intended to help people who want to take a break from cooking/preparing food, or not cook, so they have the option of eating healthier while they eat out or buy food from external sources
Yes many of our readers cook, but many may not necessarily be able to cook 365 days a year, 3 meals a day – they may only be able to cook for a certain period of time, or may not have access to cooking utensils/kitchen when they’re traveling (you can take Singapore for an example, there’s a “No Cooking Allowed” rule in some flats).
So while I agree with you that cooking/preparing your own food is probably best in the long run, many people (described above) would need solutions on how to eat healthy while traveling/settling into in new city, etc. They may know how to cook, but they may not necessarily want to/or have the accessibility to a well equipped kitchen. This is why I wrote this article: To help the people described above stay healthy on the road/when they’re not cooking.
3 Comments
While I applaud your dietary/nutrition approach, the focus on ‘no cooking’ is a misdirection that permeates the American culture. THIS is one of the main problems with the deteriorating health amongst so many. The misbelief that cooking is arduous and takes so much time when what you show may indeed take MORE time to prepare. The absence of easily accessible plant-based dining establishments and the focus on ‘no cooking’ discourages people from LEARNING how to cook and prepare Delicious and Inexpensive and QUICK, Plant-Based Cuisine.
From Breakfast to Lunch to Dinner and in-between, Plant-Based fare is inexpensive and easy to prepare but it does take some planning/preparation. If you like cheese, making non-dairy cheese is quick, easy and simple: http://wholefoods4healthyliving.com/plant-based_cheese.html. Vegan ‘meat’ the same and it can last a week in the fridge for sandwiches for lunch: http://wholefoods4healthyliving.com/seitan_vegan_meat_preparation.html.
In general Plant-Based cooking is easier that cooking the more traditional American ‘meat & potatoes’ meals as you can just about toss any vegetables you have on hand, add water, some garlic and spices and BAM, you have a meal; cold, hot, soup or stew: http://wholefoods4healthyliving.com/intro_cooking_classes.html.
Don’t know where to start? Chef Nancy has over 18,000 recipes, meal plans and more on her Pinterest site: https://www.pinterest.com/Gramstein/.
There really is No excuse for not eating healthy and being lazy is no excuse. It’s easy, cheap and quick but you have to make an effort!
Cheers,
Skip Stein
Whole Foods 4 Healthy Living
http://wholefoods4healthyliving.com
Skip,
Thanks a lot for your comment and I welcome your cordial discussion.
Yes, I agree – eating healthy is easy and can be “quick” but it also depends on the person. Some people may not necessarily want to cook (or the thought of being in the kitchen scares them), or some may just want to take a break and not cook for say a week or so when they are traveling or settling into a new city.
So in response to your comment, no I don’t believe cooking is arduous, and this is not what the article is suggesting. The article is intended to help people who want to take a break from cooking/preparing food, or not cook, so they have the option of eating healthier while they eat out or buy food from external sources
Yes many of our readers cook, but many may not necessarily be able to cook 365 days a year, 3 meals a day – they may only be able to cook for a certain period of time, or may not have access to cooking utensils/kitchen when they’re traveling (you can take Singapore for an example, there’s a “No Cooking Allowed” rule in some flats).
So while I agree with you that cooking/preparing your own food is probably best in the long run, many people (described above) would need solutions on how to eat healthy while traveling/settling into in new city, etc. They may know how to cook, but they may not necessarily want to/or have the accessibility to a well equipped kitchen. This is why I wrote this article: To help the people described above stay healthy on the road/when they’re not cooking.