A Weekly Meal Plan in 6 Steps - Healthy and Quick Meals

A suitable diet is very important for excess weight, which can lead to many different health problems. Amid the pace of everyday life, planning, shopping for and preparing practical, healthy meals for yourself and your family separately each day may not always be possible. We therefore recommend making weekly plans. On a suitable day of the week, you can plan meals and complete the necessary grocery shopping.

1- It Should Be Healthy

One key to losing weight is proper meal planning. To control your weight, first choose low-calorie foods. Try to combine different food groups into meals prepared for several days that you can reheat or take to work/school. Planning will prevent you from making last-minute, unconsidered choices of excessively fatty foods with little nutritional value when eating out.

2- Prepare a Grocery Shopping List

Before you begin cooking, make an ingredient list. Decide what to buy at the market and supermarket according to the meals you plan to prepare.

For example:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Each of the six meals should contain 3-5 grams of protein. If you dislike chicken, choose fish or lean beef. If you are vegetarian, choose beans or chickpeas. 
• 1 - 2 kilograms of fresh vegetables. Salad ingredients such as tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots, and vegetables for cooking such as cabbage and broccoli. These vegetables are both very low in calories and very healthy. You can add plenty to your meals.
• Potatoes and whole grains should also be selected and added to this list.

In addition to these foods, you will need safe food-storage containers.

3- Prepare Your Vegetables

Wash your green and colorful vegetables thoroughly and begin steaming them. For example, to accompany your main dish, trim and clean green beans. Then peel and slice carrots. Steam the vegetables separately on the stove. They should take only about 10 minutes to cook. Vegetables are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork. Do not overcook them.

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4- Potatoes and Grains

While the vegetables are steaming, you can peel potatoes or prepare the grain food you have chosen, for example by soaking bulgur. You can then start cooking.

5- A Protein Source

Slice your chicken, fish or meat, sprinkle lightly with spices, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake. If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan meal, you can boil dried legumes such as beans or chickpeas or prepare them as a cooked dish.

6- Pack Your Meals

Once you have prepared all the ingredients this way, you can eat healthy meals throughout the week without wasting time. First, add potatoes or grains, a large handful of cooked vegetables and a few fresh vegetables to each airtight container. Finally, add a few slices of chicken breast, meat or whichever protein-rich food you chose, and seal each container tightly.

Place the containers in your refrigerator or freezer according to the day you plan to eat the meal.

Each meal provides approximately 260 calories, 3 grams of fat, 17.4 grams of carbohydrates and 25 grams of protein. The nutritional content of your meal may vary with portion sizes.

This is only an example of a menu-preparation method. Also add supplementary foods such as fruit, yogurt and kefir . By setting aside time in one session for your weekly market and grocery shopping and cooking, you can save approximately %70 of your weekly meal-preparation time. You can also eat adequately when tired or in a hurry instead of making do with something insufficient. Eating these low-calorie, healthy meals on most days will balance your calorie intake when you occasionally eat higher-calorie foods while dining out with loved ones. Enjoy your meal

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