Weekly Healthy Eating Plan

Developing a healthy eating plan can leave many feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of fitting in nutritious meals. With proper planning and ready-made food items, getting the right food to promote a healthy body will be a breeze. Try out some of these food suggestions and tips for getting you on track with a weekly meal plan.

Ready-Made Items

• Hectic, fast-paced lives don't give many people time to prepare meals. Give yourself a break by making dishes at the beginning of the week to eat for breakfast, bring into work and enjoy at dinnertime.

  Quiches are the perfect one-dish meal that can be eaten any time of day. Cut down on calories by using egg whites. For a one quiche, use two cups of egg whites. You can cut down on time by buying egg whites from the store. Mix in all of your favorite vegetables and one lean protein such as chicken. Bake in a whole-wheat crust, and serve for a morning meal or heat it up at the office.

  Chicken and turkey breasts can be boiled, poached or grilled at one time and used on salads and in sandwiches. Whole-wheat crust pizzas can be made and frozen for dinner meals. To make it easier, cut up the pizza, and store in foil.

Grocery Shopping

• Grocery shopping at the end of your day can lead to choosing unhealthful processed foods. Try to find a time of day after you've eaten. Go in with a list that includes vegetables, fruits, lean meats, soy products and whole grains. To make sure you always have these items on hand, write on a list on your refrigerator when an item gets used. Instead of a the usual calorie-laden pasta, go for a wheat pasta that has lots of fiber. Avoid deli meats for their high sodium content, and go for hummus, avocados, low-fat cheese and tofu. You can quickly make a whole-wheat wrap by using any one of these food items. Choose your favorite fruits for topping on yogurts or oatmeal for healthful breakfasts. Always have on hand a low-sodium soup for the nights you'd rather not make anything. You can always pair it with a salad of spinach and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Meal Plan

• Create a plan that gives you three healthful meals with two snacks throughout the day.

  Morning starters can include tofu scrambles, egg white omelets and black beans and eggs.

  Great snacks consists of vegetable slices and hummus or fruit with peanut butter. Even a small package of non-salted nuts can boost your metabolism mid-meal.

  Resist work temptations by bringing in smoked salmon wraps, miso soup, brown rice burritos, or tempeh and vegetables.

  Give yourself a delicious way to end your day with steamed fish and vegetables with soy sauce, turkey salad with goat cheese and beets, cous cous with lamb chops, or tomato soup with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

  Check out some of these options, and create a mini cookbook for what works best for you. It will give you fantastic ideas about what you want to eat in the future.