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Take a Peek at a Healthy Eater's Meal Plan

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By: Stepfanie Romine : 4/24/2009 5:52:46 AM : 145 comments

You've peeked inside our fridges, and we've spilled our secrets about exercising in public. Now we're going to let you take a peek at our meal plans.

On a recent blog, someone wanted to know what a typical day is like for a SparkPeople expert in terms of eating. I remembered to both track my food and photograph it twice last week so I could share it with you. Do we eat the same foods? Would you eat what I eat?

I tend to eat a big breakfast, a moderate lunch and a slightly larger dinner, with one or two snacks. I love vegetables and always eat those before eating anything else on my plate. I don't eat meat or white bread/pasta/etc. I sometimes track calories, and I generally stay between 1,600 and 1,900 calories, the recommended amount from the SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker. (Honestly I'm usually pressing the upper limit of that. I like to eat!) I practice yoga daily and take Spinning, run and/or walk a few times a week, so I'm pretty active. I'm good at eating only when I'm hungry, but I have a bad habit of grazing when I'm bored or stressed.

Take a look at what I ate:

Thursday, April 16

7 servings of fruits and vegetables
9 cups of water

Breakfast: (9 a.m.) I always loved oatmeal, but Kath over at KathEats.com helped me elevate my oatmeal to a new level. Kath tops her oatmeal with all kinds of goodies. My favorite is almond butter and a banana with a bit of vanilla soymilk and cinnamon. Today I changed it up with eight roasted almonds (I buy raw, so I toasted these in the toaster oven while my oatmeal cooked) about 2/3 of an ounce of chocolate chips (a new topping for me--it was so decadent!) and a cup of strawberries.
This was like dessert for breakfast. I will stick with my banana and almond butter most days, but I liked this!

Lunch: (1 p.m.) During last night's Spinning class, I concocted a strange but thankfully tasty recipe: Broccoli and Cauliflower with Whole Wheat Pasta in a Honey-Lemon-Thyme Sauce, topped with Bleu Cheese. I had the leftovers today and added a scrambled egg for extra protein. (There was about 2 cups here, half veg and half pasta.)

Snack: About half an ounce of almonds and pecans. I wasn�t really hungry but wanted to eat something small around 4 p.m.

Dinner: (8 p.m.) I try to cook from scratch, but between yoga classes and teacher training, I've been short on time. I steamed sweet potatoes, added a can of black beans and a carton of Trader Joe's Latin Style Black Bean Soup and called it dinner. I added some avocado and two slices of multigrain bread from the bakery near my apartment. (I also drank a gulp of pomegranate kefir while dinner was cooking. I had just returned from the gym and was starving!

Snack 2: (10 p.m.) I was still a little hungry an hour after dinner and carving something sweet. I had a half-cup of plain nonfat yogurt with two tablespoons of real maple syrup (I didn't mean to have that much--I overpoured!) and about 1/4 cup of Grape-Nuts. It was sweet and tasty.

Friday, April 17

6 servings fruits and vegetables
9 cups of water

Breakfast: I usually eat breakfast at work, and four days out of five, it's oatmeal. I shop for produce at the farmers market and small shops at our public market on Saturdays, so we tend to be low on fruit and fresh vegetables on Fridays. Today I had a rather boring oatmeal/multigrain hot cereal mix with pecans (broken into pieces to stretch them) a bit of sugar (not necessary, I decided. I couldn't even taste it) and some soy milk. It ate at home because I had a meeting near my apartment. I was really thirsty when I woke at 6 for yoga, so I had 6 ounces of coconut water.

Lunch: I tried a new Healthy Choice meal, Sweet Asian Pot Stickers, with an extra half-cup of Harvest Hodgepodge vegetables from Trader Joes. I forgot to pack my lunch but thankfully the SparkPeople fridge and freezer are stocked with healthy food! This was better than I expected. I really liked it!

Snack: 1 medium banana with 1 T almond butter. I am allergic to peanuts, so almond butter is a staple for me. I usually buy the raw crunchy variety from Trader Joe's.

Dinner: I keep a can of almonds in the car for nights when I'm ravenous on the way home from the gym. The chili lime kind are tasty, and just a few (I think I ate three) tided me over until I got home. (It's only a 10-minute drive!) I ate leftovers from last night: more black bean/sweet potato soup with bread. That bagel you see under "dinner" is actually a bialy that I picked up at the bakery when I bought bread for the week. I ate it between breakfast and lunch. Eating breakfast at 8 instead of 9 made me hungry earlier.

Snack/Dinner 2: On Fridays I leave room for a fourth meal late at night. I go to the gym or have yoga training until at least 8, I eat a snack, then we meet friends for a drink or dinner. I tend to eat a small meal around 11. (I had falafel and a pint of Bell's Oberon!)

So that's what I ate. I don't track my food every day, but I do track fruits and vegetables. I usually eat 6-8 servings a day. My meal plan isn't "perfect" (I need to get more calcium most days), but I think it's pretty healthy!

Did you find this feature interesting? Would you like to see more features like this one? Is my meal plan anything like yours?

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Comments (Scroll to end to leave a comment)

CHRISTMASRAIN 5/2/2009 11:54:45 AM	I added almonds,chocolate chips, and a sliced apple to my Malt-O-Meal after reading this blog. It is absolutely delicious and I get two fruit servings with my breakfast! Most days I don't get fruits with breakfast and instead eat fresh fruit for a snack. I feel however, that it is better to get fruit and/or veggies with every meal and snack. I like how one blogger had a ratio of 1:1 veggies/pasta in the broccoli pasta dish. I started doing that with my dinners. It is much more filling:) Thank you so much for this blog. I made slight changes to my eating plan and my calories decreased by about 500 per day! I can't wait to weigh-in on Sunday:)	145
ICANDI4U 5/1/2009 7:13:27 PM	Love it! Thanks for sharing. I also love oatmeal. I usually make it with brown sugar (1tsp), vanilla, nutmeg, raisins, ground flax seed (1-2 tsp), almond milk and water. I stopped drinking dairy milk over a year now. This week I cut out the brown sugar and added a mixture of banana, strawberries and bartlett pear instead. I usally make a batch to last me 3-4 days. It was quite taisty. Tomorrow I need to make my next batch. This time I plan on adding unsweetened applesauce and raisins instead of sugar with chopped almonds for a little crunch and protein. :o)	144
SAVEDBYGRACE95 4/29/2009 10:08:02 PM	that oatmeal looks yummy. I do eat meat but would like to cut back some. Never knew how to incorporate different foods to take place of meats. I can not eat fish and shrimp type foods allergic to them. I add this to my favs.	143
DARLAB4 4/29/2009 7:32:02 PM	Great ideas. If food is boring I tend to reach for the wrong things and that's very very bad. FYI - For dinner tonight I cooked a turkey burger and chopped up then put it on a whole wheat tortilla with 2 T of Helmann's, 2 T sweet relish and Chopped tomato. It was pretty darn good!	142
MOVERSHAKER 4/29/2009 5:37:59 PM	Thank you for the time and effort to encourage and share your meals and tempting to the taste buds, photo's. This is my 3rd day on sparkle and still finding my way around the site. My taste buds are very similar to yours and I really do appreciate the recipies.	141
MPROVE 4/29/2009 12:52:06 PM	I really enjoyed reading this and agree with so many here that it's great to get ideas of what other healthy people are actually eating & how well it fills them up. I enjoy trying all kinds of different foods and am in the process of monitoring myself afterward to learn what really satiates me and what is essentially empty calories for me.	140
LLDURADO 4/28/2009 11:21:44 PM	Ive just started to eat oatmeal regularly again, I will try the add ins to jazz it up. Great pictures by the way	139
KIMTRIM 4/28/2009 12:45:57 PM	GIRLNEXTDOOR94 (#134), you are not alone. I think the fact that Stepfanie does so much exercise later at night might explain it. For years, I worked out from 7-9 every night, and so usually ate an early light dinner at 5 and a substantial snack afterward. Now that I work out in the early afternoon, I stick to eating a single meal at about 6. If I tried to eat much later, I probably would be hungrier and therefore eat more (so perhaps that's part of it, and perhaps it's partly because your body burns calories more efficiently at other times). But even though I eat differently than Stepfanie, too, I'm glad she shared this with us. It's cool to get ideas from seeing what another healthy person eats. I'm going to HAVE to try the delicious almond-butter-banana oatmeal.	138
NEWFOCUS 4/28/2009 11:57:34 AM	Thanks for sharing; I would love to see more of these. It gives me great ideas.	137
HKELLERMAN 4/28/2009 11:38:31 AM	Hi good post, I think I know how to eat healthy. I am not vegetarian but I get a healthy dose of protien every morning, with n/f cottage cheese (15g protien), i like to chop up half a banana and add 1/8 cup banana nut cherrios. Very low in fat and about 150 cal. My biggest struggle is eating after dinner. I stay up till about 11:30 or 12 and get hungry about 11......	136
JJV1024 4/28/2009 10:41:09 AM	Thanks for sharing. I'd love to see more articles like this. It's always good to hear what works for other people. I'd like to hear from people with dietary restrictions too, like gluten and dairy allergies, or moms with crazy schedules trying to feed a whole family...	135
GIRLNEXTDOOR94 4/28/2009 10:09:48 AM	I would also like to see more blogs like this. It helps to see examples of what a healthy person eats during the day and gives ideas to add variety. I also thought it was interesting to see that dinner and snack #2 was at night. My sister and I both have trouble losing weight when we eat after a certain time (6 ish). Is this really abnormal? Do others do well eating later too? Maybe it is in the food choices.	134
GREATDANELOVER1 4/28/2009 6:40:49 AM	Thanks soooooooo much for reminding me how I like to eat healthy, too.	133
CHRISTMASRAIN 4/28/2009 6:03:27 AM	Wow! What a way to excite oatmeal. I will definitely try this. I am going to make the soup this weekend. The pasta dish, I will try next weekend! Thank you:)	132
FORTYFIED 4/28/2009 4:57:17 AM	Great feature and just what I needed to get me back on track and thinking more carefully about what I eat. I feel a spot of menu planning coming on...	131
AWGALINDO 4/28/2009 1:51:20 AM	i never thought to add chocolate chips to oatmeal! i love making different oatmeal concoctions, but that strawberry and chocolate chip one fascinates me. one of my favorite treats is chocolate covered strawberries! i'll probably look for dark chips to add to mine! thanks! (that sweet potato & black bean soup looked stupendous as well...)	130
TDLEITNER 4/27/2009 8:58:41 PM	I like the pics the soup looked yummy. I liked the jazzing up the oatmeal idea. I've never heard of almond butter so I'll look for it at the store next time I'm there. Thanks for the blog with photos.	129
STARGAZER1977 4/27/2009 7:05:32 PM	Thank you for sharing, Stepfanie! I try to aim for the 1200 calories/day end of the spectrum. I like to top my Cheerios with a sliced-up banana or a frozen Belgian Waffle with blueberries. I definitely need to eat more fruits, veggies, and water. Thanks again!	128
DRAGONTAMER88 4/27/2009 6:23:45 PM	Wow, you eat a lot of fruit and veggies! I have a hard time getting enough into my diet every day. I'm getting a little better, but I'm not nearly as on top of things as you seem to be! And I too am an oatmeal lover! I've run dry on new things to try with it, so your strawberry chocolate chip idea sounds fantastic! I just might have to try it. Thanks for posting this - it's interesting and helpful to see what other people who live healthy lifestyles are eating. :)	127
SARAH2345 4/27/2009 5:56:47 PM	I also love to spruce up oatmeal. Can't wait to try your almond butter and banana idea. I bet the kids will love it, too. Thanks for the peek into your diet!	126
UPTODATE 4/27/2009 4:32:54 PM	yentl	125
SUE6196 4/27/2009 3:07:45 PM	I liked this article and wished more people would share what they eat to loose weight and stay healthy. I even like reading the comments. I think one of the reasons my diets have failed in the past is because I've gotten bored with eating the same thing every day. By reading articles like this, you at least get some ideas on changing your menu and this helps prevent you from failing.	124
AMYSTRUCK 4/27/2009 2:33:50 PM	This was a great blog. Thanks for sharing your day! I would love to see more like this. Very motivating and gave me some meal option ideas!	123
CTUPTON 4/27/2009 12:19:01 PM	I enjoyed this and learned some new things! Chris	122
KITTY1 4/27/2009 10:44:47 AM	I enjoyed this article very much. I eat like you. I am a lacto/ovo vegetarian and am low-end on protein, too. I introduced mixed nuts into my afternoon snacks, and throw in an egg now and then to up the protein. I am now managing my binge-eating but still like to have that date square or chocolate frozen yogurt each day, even if I have had black bean or lentil soup and complied with all the other healthy eating principles. I have recently moved from a binge-free focus to a daily-deficit focus, without deprivation, in order to kick-start weightloss. It has been a long haul. I love being a vegetarian and have been so for 24 years, even at my highest weight, some 150 pounds ago!	121
DEBJNC 4/27/2009 10:26:13 AM	I loved reading this blog. I like that you keep your options open and know when your weak moments are and are prepared for them. I found this information very interesting and helpful.	120
DAVISY1 4/27/2009 9:39:30 AM	we all have our own ways of dieting, its good to get ideas from other sparkmembers, I am a really oatmeal lover, I eat a bowl of oatmeal porridge most mornings as I find it keeps me going until lunchtime and sometimes I dont feel like a snack, drinking plenty of water helps!!	119
ROYALETBONE 4/27/2009 1:34:52 AM	Thanks, that was refreshing. I enjoyed the read, and would like everything you ate. Good meals. Yum. My steel cut oatmeal cook ups always include fruit- apples, cranberries, yada yada- oh, and flax, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts. I l love my oatmeal concoctions.	118
*PIANOLADY** 4/26/2009 11:00:56 PM	Please keep up this thread! You gave me some great ideas.	117
RAFASBABE 4/26/2009 9:09:00 PM	I liked reading that, I like tracking food sometimes I think I hardly ate enough then when I track am like woah!	116
KMSUPERSPARK 4/26/2009 6:45:20 PM	I like the idea of adding a scrambled egg to leftovers to boost the protein. Good for you with the vegetables and fruits so well integrated into your diet!	115
ABBYCHANT 4/26/2009 5:28:32 PM	I loved the ideas to make oatmeal more "user friendly". I tend to want to put alot of sugar on my oatmeal, which pretty much defeats the purpose of having it in the first place! :))	114
JIBBIE49 4/26/2009 5:00:49 PM	Looks good.	113
DODANEODWYER 4/26/2009 5:00:15 PM	I love the pictures and your descriptions of what you've eaten - Keep doing this - great inspiration! I love oatmeal as well - I eat it every morning with some frozen berries added - they defrost and help cool down the oatmeal!	112
LUVMYTERV 4/26/2009 3:24:00 PM	Great Blog! Would love to see more like this. I like the food choices i make, and i love seeing what others are eating. I do know that sometimes I will fall into a pattern... I"ll get creative for awhile with my cooking, then it will be a whole bunch of the same over and over..Good stuff, but nonetheless, makes it more exciting when you change it up with new ideas.	111
TRULYLOVLY 4/26/2009 10:58:20 AM	I really enjoyed this. Sometimes I get in a rut as far as my food is concerned. I try to change my food up every four weeks just like my working out. This was great though.	110
MDTWEETY 4/26/2009 10:55:08 AM	looks like you are doing a great job, Stepfanie! :) I LOVE oatmeal for breakfast too!! I make mine with vanilla almond milk. Sooo good. :)	109
VALERIEMAHA 4/26/2009 9:12:30 AM	More of this! Great information!	108
GRANMABOAT 4/26/2009 5:05:34 AM	The pictures were really helpful. Eating dinner at 8pm, was not. Unless you stay up until midnight. I try to only have a snack of fruit after 6pm. I'm a bit like BMORE73, I like my meat, and I don't digest raw veggies well. If I get OUT I can stay away from snacking. I try to walk everyday but I hate the wind. (and a sailor I was) I eat Oatmeal with rasions every-scond or third day, eggs with "bubble and squeez", that's precooked veggies and rice, and lean porkchop, is my prime breakfast, or veggie soup. Just gotta stay away from the toast and potatoes. thanks for sharing.	107
TRISH2229 4/26/2009 1:37:17 AM	Your meals sounded so healthy and good. Please continue posting interesting ideas. I too don't eat meat, poultry or white stuff, so I'm always looking for new ideas. Thanks so much!	106
BREN0412 4/26/2009 1:20:37 AM	This was a great blog. I'd love to see more like this. I agree that it really helps as an example of how to eat in "real life". :)	105
WENDYRS 4/25/2009 10:46:03 PM	Stepf, this was great! I'd definitely like to see more blogs like this one. My meal plans contain meat because I'm not a veg. However, yours looked yummy and healthful!	104
MELIDE 4/25/2009 10:42:44 PM	Please have feature more blogs like this. It helps me learn how "real" people who are being healthy are eating. Always good to get tips from others. Thanks.	103
KAREN-1328 4/25/2009 10:39:18 PM	fiber is in everything i eat !!	102
TRYINGHARD60 4/25/2009 5:54:29 PM	this is a very informative blog. I have trouble keeping the fiber up but looking at the daily menu I can see where I can improve. Thanks for sharing this.	101
SBEDNEY 4/25/2009 4:27:18 PM	Great idea! It is helpful to see what someone actually eats instead of just an article with suggestions. I would love to see others, especially someone who does eat meat and also hypoglycemic.	100
CAREWREN 4/25/2009 3:11:50 PM	Yes, this is a great article. It's nice to hear a real-life account of a few days of healthy eating.	99
NITAINMN 4/25/2009 12:53:26 PM	Thanks for sharing your meal plan with us Stepfanie:) YUM! You diet suits me fine (not very fond of sugar).....which used to be almost the same as mine when I was a vegetarian, add to that an Indian meal every other day! Stay healthy !!	98
OREAD_1 4/25/2009 12:40:17 PM	You forgot to mention that it was not easy to make so much from scratch to start with (Especially for one person) but that after you did this for a while it becomes much easier. And that eating fresh,local and in season is so tasty and hard to go back to the old way of "grabbing something". (insert wink here)	97
BELIEVINGISEING 4/25/2009 12:11:34 PM	The strawberries and chocolate chips look awesome. I needed some new ideas for the oatmeal. Thanks.	96