I’ve come across many weekly diet menus online. It never ceases to amaze me how often the menus are designed to include entirely unique meals for each and every meal of the week. No repetitions. What on earth does someone do with the leftovers? I plan leftovers into my menus to save me both time and money.
In today’s menu, I suggest purchasing a meal at Qdoba Mexican Grill for lunch. The portions tend to be quite big and therefore high calorie in my experience! However, there is a simple secret to making it work for you when you are on a low calorie diet. First, know what you will order BEFORE you arrive at the restaurant by going online. Second, divide your meal in half BEFORE you start to eat.
Qdoba has a very handy nutrition calculator on their company website to assist you in choosing a healthy low calorie selection. Just for fun, I selected different ingredients to make a variety of custom-made vegetarian burritos. I wanted to see how the calorie totals might differ. This is an enlightening experience!
If you don’t have a Qdoba restaurant where you live you could choose Chipotle Mexican Grill instead. But unlike Qdoba, you won’t find the nutrition information on the main Chipotle website. For this you will need to go to their chipotlefan.com site. Why they don’t make this easier for customers, I have no idea.
Dinner with today’s menu calls for repeating the Hummus Tomato Sandwich from Day 1 of the weekly menu. Breakfast is a repeat of the grab and go Trail Mix from Day 2. That’s the way to keep things both easy and simple.
I hope you enjoy this menu selection! As you may have learned from my other menus, I am a strong advocate of getting plenty of plant foods in your diet. Although it is not essential to be a complete vegetarian, I encourage you to consume only small amounts of meat and milk products. Fresh or minimally processed foods of plant origin can contribute lots of dietary fiber and water along with a full range of nutrients to keep you feeling satisfied with fewer calories.
I eat quite a bit of vegetarian fare because it can be nutritious, low calorie, and tasty (depending on how it is prepared!). But I still eat a small amount of meat, mostly chicken and turkey, along with some fish and seafood. In addition I eat small amounts of low fat dairy products and eggs. I call myself a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian. It works well for me and I hope you give it a try if you have not already.
To modify today’s menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments below.
1200 Calorie Menu (Day 4)
Breakfast
½ cup Trail Mix (Make your own in minutes. Approximately 188 calories)*
1 stick Mozzarella String Cheese (Horizon, 80 calories)
1⁄2 cup Orange Juice (Light ‘N Healthy Orange Juice with Calcium- Tropicana – 25 calories)**
Snack
½ cup fresh blueberries
1 kiwi
Lunch
1/2 Grilled Veggie Burrito (Qdoba Mexican Grill – about 330 calories for half, save the other half for tomorrow’s lunch)
Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
Snack
1 cup Soy Dream Soy Milk, enriched vanilla (1 cup = 120 calories)
Supper
1 Hummus and Tomato Sandwich
(Start with 1 Whole Wheat Tortilla and spread one side with 2 Tbsp. hummus. Top with ½ cup spinach leaves, 1/2 cup tomato slices, ¼ cup feta cheese. Roll up and enjoy. Quick, easy, and ready in minutes.)
Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
(Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.)
Total Calories = 1212
Total Fiber = 28.4 g
Fat = 27%
Carbs = 59%
Protein = 15%
(U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%)
Calcium = 1044 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day)
Iron = 20 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg)
1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu
This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. However, it is a little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If this describes you, you may want to supplement this menu with another serving of a low fat milk product. Or be sure to take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D).
Otherwise, for women of all ages, simply add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need. (I encourage you to read my article on how to determine the minimum SAFE caloric intake for you: 1200 Calorie Diet: How to Get Started!)
*Trail Mix – Make up enough for several mini-meals or snacks. Combine 1.5 Cups of Multigrain Chex Cereal, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup craisins original, and ½ cup dry-roasted pistachio nuts. Mix, and then add ½ cup servings to mini zip lock bags. Store in a cool, dry place. This makes about 3 cups total for six ½ cup servings or about 188 calories per serving.
Note: Multigrain Chex Cereal is fortified with iron. If you are post-menopausal you may want to choose a different whole grain cereal with less iron.
**Light N’ Healthy Calcium Orange Juice by Tropicana. I included this juice because it is a source of a little extra calcium and it helped the numbers to add up right for a total of approximately 1200 calories. However, I believe a regular orange juice product (with or without added calcium) would be a better choice for not too many more calories. Why would it be better? Adding water to plain orange juice is what makes light juice. That dilutes the available nutrients, which may or may not be added back. In my opinion, the original mix of nutrients as nature intended is always best.
If you’ve read this far, good for you! Here are the links for day one, two, and three of this latest weekly plan:
Healthy Low Calorie Sample Menu
Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food!
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