I need meal ideas for the week. variety would be nice. please help!!?!


Question: I need meal ideas for the week. variety would be nice. please help!!?
I usually have something small for breakfast if anything (because i dont have time) and try to have something decent for lunch and my biggest meal is dinner. Breakfast is usually a packet of quaker oatmeal or toast or a carnations breakfast drink. Lunch is a 90 second in the microwave package of rice or sometimes cup-a-soup or a granola bar and fruit cups or apple and banana. once in a while ill have a salad but not often. im not big on sandwiches. I try not to eat a lot of processed or greasy foods.

I pretty much need a meal plan for the week. breakfast and lunch needs to be simple. Im ok for drinks tho, i take Gatorade, water or juice. And have milk at home. I love pasta, salad and pizza

Answers:

Vitamin B's are important and so are lots of other things, too many for me to list here. From what I can see you need to include some nuts (do granola bars have nuts? I've never eaten them) protein and leafy greens in your diet. If your a vegetarian/ vegan you could look at some websites about nutrition.
So, to give you some ideas about a diet, try to work out what your diet is lacking by getting some good information, and add these things to what you love, but here's a start.
vegemite is good for B vitamins
So for breaky:
go for some vegemite on grainy bread toast, try to get bread with pumpkin seeds.
fortified cereals (added vitamins) Fortified means that the vitamins and minerals have to be proven to be beneficial by Food Standards Australia & New Zealand. Might help you get some added vitamins you might be missing out on.
Lunch:
If you don't like bread then you can use flat breads, just fill them with whatever you like, avocado has good oils and you need to get plenty of these. (walnuts have good oils too) cashews are really nice with salad stuff. Use the flat bread to make pizzas too.
Good old baked beans are awesome, plenty of protein, hardly any fat. Toasty with cheese. Mix them with chilli, onion and capsicum. freeze it. use in taco's, enchilada's etc and put cheese on top. Good for dinner also.
For easy - fruit, veg sticks, nuts, dried fruit, smoothies, or buy yourself some sushi if you don't want to make it, though if made the night before it keeps well in the fridge for a day.
Dinner:
Pasta with a shop bought pesto, add other stuff you like to it, eg pepper, lemon oil, lots of spinach, parmesan.
My best salad ever: Lots of green leafy's, cashews, mersey valley (or a sharp, crumbly) cheese, red capsicum (put in the oven for about 1/2 hour peel skin off and slice) raw corn kernels cut straight off the cob, red onion.
Vegie grill - big mushrooms, asparagus, corn on the cob, tomatoes- all in the same pan, colourful and so yum.
Ceaser salad, you can buy pre packaged, ready to make up varieties, add eggs if you eat them.
If you like curry they are easy and tasty. Use chick peas for meatiness.
You can chop up little pieces of root vege's, roast them (this is a quick way to get lots of flavour and you can put garlic etc on them) and add them to salad or pizza.
Make soups with lentils, chick peas and loads of veg and veg stock. Serve with bread/ crackers.
So many things...... but the most important thing of all is that your body is getting what it needs to function properly. Good luck x



There is a GREAT Casserole that makes plenty. If you are only cooking for one two or even three, you can make four little ones and freeze three. Go to tasteofhome.com and search for "meaty pasta casserole" and it is the first one that comes up. It requires a lot of ingredients but is well worth it for taste and quantity!

tasteofhome.com



Try this recipe for hard boiled eggs:

http://www.vegetarian-today.com/Hard-Boi…

http://www.vegetarian-today.com/Polish-E…



Busy schedules can really make eating a healthy diet difficult. I plan my meals for the week and do all my prep work on my day off. I start with cooking a batch of steel cut oats. Simple (directions are on the package). Instant oatmeal cannot even compare in fiber and nutrients. I wash my fruit and cut it if necessary. There's Breakfast. I spice it up by varying the flavors like changing up the fruit or adding cinnamon or nutmeg. I also make a batch of quinoa (directions also on the package) which contains all your aminos and makes a complete protein. It's delicious and can be served hot or cold. I keep frozen veggies handy (while fresh is optimum) to add to it. I like to season it with garlic, sea salt, pepper maybe some oregano. Play with your spices, find out what you like. I also wash and cut lettuce. Romaine is my favorite but choose what you like. I can make a quick simple salad or add it to a wrap. Which brings us to wraps. I like to keep whole grain wraps on hand. I cook up some Gardein "chicken" scallopini (in the frozen section at Whole Foods and sometimes at your regular grocery store) and cut it up into bite size pieces. Now I can throw that on my wrap, in my salad or even in my quinoa. So that takes care of lunch and some dinner. If you are wanting something more hardy for dinner, casseroles are your friend. It's a great way to throw healthy veggies and beans or whatever you like into a warm satisfying meal. This is my favorite recipe http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/07/mex… I always add my own flare. You should too. It sounds like a lot of work, it's really not once you get it down. You will thank yourself during the week when you are eating yummy healthy foods!



Here's a terrific dinner recipe:

Creamy Spinach And Tomato Tortellini

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 package (16 oz. size) fresh or frozen tortellini
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package (9 oz. size) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup cubed, seeded, fresh or canned tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
OR
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:
Cook tortellini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; keep warm

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender and lightly caramelized. Add spinach, tomato, basil, salt & pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in whipping cream and Parmesan cheese; cook until mixture just comes to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cooked tortellini. Cook an additional 4 or 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with additional cheese if desired.

This next one makes a great lunch. Easy to transport and doesn't need to be kept cold because it's served at room temperature.

ORZO PASTA SALAD with SESAME DRESSING
Sesame dressing:

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dark [toasted] sesame oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest, grated
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh peeled ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, minced

Salad:

1 pound uncooked orzo
1 teaspoon dark [toasted] sesame oil
3 cups carrots, shredded
2 cups raisins
1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Method

Dressing
Combine all the dressing ingredients by hand or in a food processor and set aside.

Salad
Cook orzo in rapidly boiling salted water until tender, 7 to 10 minutes or according to the package instructions. Refresh under cold water; drain well and let rest to finish draining, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss with sesame oil. Cool completely.

Combine the pasta with the carrots, raisins, pine nuts, and dressing.

If you're making it in advance, add the carrots and pine nuts just before serving to keep them crunchy.



You can try making your own pizza dough, baking it, and eating the left overs for a day or two. Good for dinner and lunch the following day.

A quick and easy recipe:

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (1 package) active dry yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar, white or raw

1 cup warm water (100 – 115 degrees F)

Cooking Instructions

Combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Add oil and warm water and stir until it balls up. If there is extra dry flour, add more water as needed. Roll out onto a flat surface and top as you please.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.

http://vegonline.org/Vegetarian-Entrees/…




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