Busy people are just like everyone else. They want to be healthy, but they have a million things to do and don’t get the time to make all the right decisions for themselves when it comes to what they eat and drink. If you are a busy person with literally no time to spare, this one-day healthy balanced meals plan may be perfect for you.
These three meals are very quick and easy to prepare and you can get them ready in less than an hour. You can even prepare them the night before if you want and keep them in the refrigerator until meal time. Don’t be afraid to add more vegetables or fruit to these meals. Adding extra ingredients will only make your meal more delicious and healthy at the same time. You can also add various spices and herbs if you like, but that is up to you.
Breakfast:
- 1 cup almond milk (add more if desired)
- 1/4 banana
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional: almonds, cashews, or granola (honey/carob chips preferred) and/or pumpkin seeds)
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar (optional powder: cinnamon).
You can replace the almond milk with coconut water or organic apple juice. The nutrition values are the same or higher. Many people use almond milk and it tastes so much better than most commercial brands of whole almonds which have been roasted in horrible chemicals.
Lunch:
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional: raisins, currants, or walnuts)
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar (optional powder: cinnamon).
By the way, you can use 1/2 cup of any other type of whole grain for this. You can also use quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and more.
Dinner:
- 2-3 large leaves of kale (or other raw leafy greens)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (optional: pumpkin seeds or pine nuts (if you prefer to use an alternative protein source to the tofu))
- 2 teaspoons tamari sauce (or organic soy sauce)
- 3-4 extra firm tofu pieces
- 3-4 mushrooms
- 1/4 red and green bell pepper (optional: black sesame seeds, shredded Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and any other herbs or spices you like).
What makes this meal plan so easy to follow is that you only need to cook the tofu twice, once for the first meal and again for the second one. If you don’t want to buy extra ingredients it’s not difficult to prepare these meals yourself. The first thing you should do is go grocery shopping and stock up on fresh vegetables, proteins, and all the other necessary ingredients (almonds, hemp seeds, coconut butter, dried herbs, or spices). The next step is making your almond milk.
When you are ready to prepare these three healthy balanced meals it only takes about 10 minutes per meal. You break down everything that you need at home into small portions or bowls and bring them to work.
What about food delivery services?
If you live in the city it might be more practical to order from professionals online like e.g. Home Chef meal delivery service, and pay those guys to cook these three meals for you and deliver them to your door. You can also ask the chefs to pack your food into individual portions and you only have to heat them.
Other than that, you can decide to prepare these meals yourself, but I prefer to pay the extra few dollars and get it done this way. It’s very convenient if you work long hours and don’t have time to go shopping for the ingredients. As delicious as this sounds it is more expensive than making these meals at home, but if you can afford it, why not? Because you are the one who decides what and how much you are going to eat. The last thing you want is other people making your food choices for you!
How much does this healthy balanced meals plan cost?
If you already have a budget for food, and you are making these meals yourself, the expense of grains, legumes, and fruits is minimal because most of them are available at any grocery store. The only other expenses would be the hemp seeds and bulk herbs. As for the tofu, extra veggies, and fruits, it’s only around $1 per meal to make these healthy balanced meals. However, if you want to buy everything that is mentioned in this article separately, that could easily cost more than $50/month.
If this healthier eating plan is too expensive for you right now I suggest that you go for it. But…take it as a challenge to cut down on some of your expenses. You can always come up with a way to make this meal plan work for you.
Advantages of making these meals yourself
- You can buy organic produce and products if you like. This may reduce the expense but it’s not necessary at all.
- You know exactly what is in your food.
- Since everything is fresh, you can cook anything that you like without any limits or boundaries.
- It’s all about balance anyway so you should be able to enjoy all kinds of food every once in a while like pizza, burgers, french fries, cakes, or chocolate – even on this diet plan.
- You can enjoy the comfort of knowing that you are healthy and that your body is nourished with all the nutrients it needs to function normally.
- The choice to eat mostly raw foods is a great option if you’re not used to it.
Conclusion
You can’t get everything in life that you want, but if you strive for it you can get more than what you had originally set out to achieve. These healthy balanced meals plan is perfect if you have a busy schedule and time constraints.
By following this plan you will get the necessary protein, carbohydrates, fruit, and vegetables that are essential for your health. You will feel great and have a lot more energy. Your skin will also look better and you’ll lose weight too if you follow this one-day healthy balanced meals plan regularly.
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