Your Easy-Peasy Meal Plan for Losing Weight

Let's be honest, we all experience times when we realize that we need to shift a few pounds. If, like the Remember Stuff team, you love your food it can be difficult to cut back. Rather than go on a strict diet you can think about small changes in your diet that will provide big results in terms of los-ing inches.

We have put together a tasty and healthy meal plan that will provide you with evening meals that can help you lose weight as part of a balanced diet.

Monday: Broccoli and Feta Omelet with Toast >

This quick and easy omelet recipe will give your week the kick-start that it needs. Packed full of protein, fiber and vitamins and coming in at just 390 calories, this hearty breakfast will keep you from snacking before lunchtime.

We are sure you are going to love this recipe and if you think you will making lots of omelets you should invest in a good omelet pan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 2 tablespoons Feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 2 slices rye bread, toasted

Method

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.
2. Add broccoli, and cook 3 minutes.
3. Combine eggs, Feta, and dill in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to pan.
4. Cook 34 minutes; fold in half with a spatula and cook 2 more minutes or until cooked through. Serve with toast.

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Cutlets With Summer Succotash >

Chicken is a ‘go-to’ dish when it comes to healthy eating, but it can get boring sometimes. This grilled chicken recipe will jazz up your lunch or dinner and leaving you feeling full and refreshed.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
• 1 1/2 cups of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed
• 1 cup of fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Method

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
2. Add the corn, onion, bell pepper, Old Bay seasoning, thyme, salt, black pepper, and garlic; sau-té for 4 minutes or until onion is tender
3. Add beans and broth. Bring to a simmer; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low
4. Add chicken and tomatoes; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated, stirring oc-casionally

Wednesday: Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Chili >

Each serving of this warming soup provides 17 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber and the chili in it will hike up your metabolism, so this is an excellent dish for losing weight.

We think this is a per-fect mid-week dinner on a cold autumn evening.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 cup of jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 4 (32 ounces) boxed roasted red pepper and tomato soup
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup of reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup of firm-ripe diced peeled avocado, cilantro sprigs

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add the onion and jalapeño; cook, stir-ring until softened (about 3 minutes)
2. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook 1 minute
3. Stir in soup and black beans; simmer 5 minutes
4. Stir in the chopped cilantro
5. Ladle soup into bowls; top with 1 tablespoon of sour cream, avocado, and cilantro sprigs, if de-sired.

Thursday: Middle Eastern Rice Salad >

Chickpeas are great at providing fiber without weighing on you too heavily. You can whip this rice dish up in under 20 minutes and can eat it as a stand alone dish, a side or for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 Vidalia or other sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown
3. Remove from heat, and stir in chickpeas, cumin, and salt. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
4. Combine the rice, onion-chickpea mixture, dates, mint, and parsley in a large bowl.
5. Toss well until thoroughly combined. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Friday: BBQ Turkey Burgers >

Eating healthily does not mean that you have to deny yourself any treats, as this turkey burger reci-pe proves. We love these burgers in our home, especially the kids!

These burgers are moist and juicy but contain less than half the fat of traditional beef patties.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground dark-meat turkey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices of sweet onion, grilled
• 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce
• 4 (1.6-oz) sesame seed buns, toasted

Method

1. In a medium bowl, gently mix together turkey, garlic, paprika, and cumin.
2. Form turkey into 4 (4-inch) patties; season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat grill to medium-high; cook, turning once, until burgers are just cooked through (about 7 minutes per side).
4. Serve with desired toppings and buns.

Saturday: Honey Grapefruit with Banana >

As you head into the weekend you may be tempted to reach for unhealthy treats, but this zingy breakfast will soon kick your willpower into action and you will want to stay as good as gold all weekend.

Although this recipe is only 122 calories per serving it is surprisingly filling and the grape-fruit will work all day to break down fat.

Ingredients

• 1 (24-ounce) jar of refrigerated red grapefruit sections (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup sliced banana
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon of honey

Method

1. Drain the grapefruit sections, reserving 1/4 cup juice.
2. Combine the grapefruit sections, juice, and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately, or cover and chill

Sunday: Pan-Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa >

Finish off your week with this delicious salmon recipe that has a fun mango salsa to put a little zing into your Sunday. Salmon is packed full of healthy omega 3 oils that are important for our overall nutrition and can help keep heart disease at bay.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of chopped fresh pineapple
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground red pepper
• Cooking spray
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1/2-inch thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Method

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl; set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat
3. Sprinkle fish with salt. Cook fish 4 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Top with salsa.

We are sure that these wonderful recipes all kick start your weightless journey and there are plenty more to be found on the Remember Stuff search function .