Healthy Diet Meal Plan: 1200 Calories or More

Today’s healthy diet meal plan includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. It will require some meal preparation but not much of your time. I believe you will find the results to be tasty and filling as well as nutritious.

For breakfast, I recommend trying a Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bran Muffin by Zen Bakery. You can find these muffins at Trader Joe’s and other select grocery stores. If you can’t find this product locally you might try making your own low calorie muffins and freezing them for quick and easy meals.

Both lunch and dinner are variations on the theme of having a meal in a pocket. I experimented with making my own whole wheat pita bread over the weekend and I was pleased with the results! When you slice these pita in half you have two instant pockets. (If you don’t have time to make your own pita bread you can find commercially prepared whole wheat pita pockets such as those by Kangaroo.)

I’m sharing two different recipes for quick to fix fillings for the pocket bread, one for lunch and one for dinner.  If you like thick full sandwiches without lots of calories add some leafy greens of your choice to each sandwich. I suggest adding baby spinach greens to the dinner sandwich but add whatever you’d like. (Spinach and other dark green leafy veggies provide more nutrients than iceberg lettuce but what matters most is adding whatever makes you like the sandwich more so you’ll eat it!)

Recipes:

Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Bread

(This is the recipe I prepared and baked in a HOT oven, which was not the best idea for a warm summer day! Not only was it uncomfortably hot but I found the oven procedure put me at risk for getting burned. Next time I will try the other recipe I found that calls for making the pita on a hot griddle or pan on the stovetop.)

The other recipe for Whole Wheat Pita Bread:

Whole Wheat Pita Bread | Live Well 360.

To modify today’s menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments below.

1200 Calorie Healthy Diet Meal Plan for a Summer Menu

Breakfast

1 Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bran Muffin (270 calories, Zen Bakery)
1/2 Tbsp. Light Butter (25 calories, Land O’Lakes Light Butter)
4 oz. Nonfat Milk
1⁄2 cup Orange Juice

(Enjoy the milk as is or add it to your cup of coffee for some cafe au lait.)

Snack

2 Mini Babybel Light Cheese pieces (100 calories, Laughing Cow)

Lunch

1 Tuna with White Beans Sandwich
2 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (20 calories, Kraft Grate-It-Fresh)
1/2 cup Fresh Cherries
water, unsweetened tea, or coffee

Snack

1 Nonfat Light & Fit Yogurt (80 calories, Dannon)
4 Triscuits Reduced Fat Crackers

Supper

1 Chicken and Veggies Sandwich (meal in a pocket, see recipe as follows)
2 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (20, Kraft Grate-It-Fresh)

Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee

Chicken with Veggies Sandwich recipe:

3 oz. cooked Chicken pieces
1/2 cup sliced Zucchini
1/2 cup sliced Sweet Red Peppers
1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Whole Wheat Homemade Pita
1/2 cup Baby Spinach Leaves, washed and dried
2 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (20, Kraft Grate-It-Fresh)

If you are starting with uncooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces and cook chicken with a little oil. Set aside cooked chicken. Add remaining oil and cook the zucchini and sweet red peppers over medium heat till softened and beginning to brown. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and other favorite low sodium herbs and spices.

Add the cooked chicken pieces and veggies including the washed uncooked spinach leaves to the pita pocket. Top with 2 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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 = 1211

Total Fiber = 21.3 g

Fat = 28%

Carbs = 49%

Protein = 23%

(U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%)

Calcium = 958 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day)

Iron = 8.7 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, iron comes up short for women who are premenopausal (with a regular monthly period). Today might be a good day for a supplement. The meal plan is also a little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If this describes you, you may want to supplement this menu with an additional serving of milk, cheese, or yogurt. 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.

What do you think of this healthy diet meal plan? What healthy foods would you like to see in a low calorie menu? Let me know. I’m looking for ideas for a new 7 Day Diet menu that designed for a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian. Let me know your thoughts.

Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food!