Menu Plans

So many of you have been asking what some of my menus look like and how many calories I am eating a day. That is why I am doing this post. Here is the history on this one! When I first started trying to loose weight I fought the idea of counting my calories at all! I knew I could get the weight off and not think about it. Boy oh boy was I wrong! I tried every diet plan out there so that I would not have to personally count the calories or come up with menu ideas. That worked as long as I was only cooking for myself!

I know I am not the only person out there that needed a menu plan that was cost effective and would feed more than 2 people. Have you noticed this?? Almost all plans figure on one to two people needing to eat! Hello world I have a family of 6! Yes I can do the math but lets be real it is not just the math on the portions that needed to be figured out but the adjustment on the cost! Once this was done I realized that it did not matter what plan I was working on it was far to expensive! Not to even begin to mention that it was hard to find things that my family would be willing to eat. Yes world there are picky eaters out there... I guess you could say that I am one of them because I do not like to eat fish! Oh that is right almost every plan in the world has fish 3 out of 5 days! Wait most plans give you only Monday through Friday... guess I am just to not eat the other days!!!!

If that was not enough I found that cooking the menus equaled me cooking all day! Having kids that need to get on buses I found that to make that menu work I needed to be up an extra hour before them just to make the breakfast so that the food would not go to waste. Never mind the lunches because there was no good way that they could have what was on my plan so extra money to lunch meat and other such items for them!

My solution... Make my own menu plan! Now this is just listings of the meals. I do make full menu plans based off of a persons likes, family size and budget as well... yes it is a little side business. Ask me if you would like me to do it for you and I will give you the information! :)

Ok on to what you are really reading this for! The Menu!!!

Most people need to eat between 1050 and 2100 calories a day. You also need to eat at least 3 meals a day. I personally do not eat a ton of snacks and follow the 6 small meals idea. (I can figure those menus as well) The menus I am going to show you are for one day. I normally plan for a week to two weeks depending on budgets etc.

We will start with a menu for 1050- 1200 calories for the day

Breakfast~

One egg, scrambled ( no added milk)

One slice of american cheese

1/2 an English muffin

Coffee

Calorie total 130 If you go for the full English muffin the calories jump to 190

Lunch

Chef salad knock off~

1 serving of mixed salad greens

5 cherry tomatoes

2 slices turkey breast lunch meat ( shredded)

1 oz cheddar cheese grated

1 hard boiled egg

2 tbs light ranch dressing

1 8oz glass 2% milk

Total calories ~ 372

Dinner

Pizza Burgers

(from the Biggest Loser Family cook book)

Applesauce

8 oz glass of milk

Dinner total ~ 620

Day's grand total of calories ~~~~ 1122~~

Now for a higher intake of 1200-1300 your day could look more like this

Breakfast

1 packet maple brown sugar instant oat meal

Coffee

Apple small chopped

Total 227

Lunch

Turkey breast sandwich

2 slices lunch meat

lettuce

1 slice of tomato

1 slice american cheese

2 slices white bread

1 tsp mustard

1 8oz glass 2% milk

Total 357

Dinner

Hungarian Goulash 190 calories per serving

1 cup green beans

1 cup apple sauce

8 oz glass 2% milk

Dinner total ~ 540

Desert~

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Total~ 140

Day total ~ 1264~~

Now for a high end calorie day! If you are looking to have the full 2,100 calories a day ( top level of calories that is recommended for any level intake your day would look something like this!

Breakfast~

2 large hard boiled eggs

Steel cut oats 1/2 cup

1 med banana

Coffee

8 oz glass Orange Juice

Total~ 522

Lunch

Turkey breast sandwich

2 slices lunch meat

lettuce

2 slice of tomato

2 slice american cheese

2 slices white bread

1 tsp mustard

1 med apple

1 8oz glass 2% milk

1 serving mixed salad greens

2 tbs light ranch dressing

Total ~ 583

Dinner

1 Cup apple sauce

1 oz shredded cheddar cheese

4oz salsa

1 chicken breast grilled (skinless)

1 cup green beans

Total~ 650

Desert

1 2 inch brownie

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Total ~ 252

Day's total 2007 calories

I hope this gives you some idea of what a day's break out can look like.