Week of healthy meal plans: Summertime Clean Eating

It always seems hard to stop craving the dessert, salty snacks, and sugary drinks so often consumed on vacation. BeEmbraced is all about appreciating life, which means that eating healthy doesn’t mean depriving yourself of tasty foods.

Instead I’ve found that for me the best way to get back on the healthy eating track is to plan out my meals ahead of time, and choose meals that get me excited. Sometimes this takes a slight change of perspective and remembering how much more delicious the in-season peaches, berries, and other produce are.  Fresh produce, especially fruits, will be naturally sweet and full of texture, and they will ultimately be much more fulfilling than food filled with table sugar or salt. 

I hope these recipes get you excited about eating healthy today! Enjoy a day’s worth of meals planned out for you, from breakfast to dinner.

Breakfast: Green Smoothie

Before adding in the milk and yogurt 

I’ve posted some green smoothie recipes before (avocado kale smoothie and avocado ginger smoothie), but this one is super summery. With berries in season, I would suggest buying your favorite berries in bulk and freezing some for a quick add in to your morning smoothie.

Ingredients:

            Handful of mixed greens (i.e. a mix of spinach, kale, and swiss chard)

            3 Tbsp. mixed frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are my favorites)

            Half banana (frozen or not)

            1 Tbsp. wheat germ 

            2 scoops vanilla protein powder

            1 cup almond milk

            2 heaping scoops of vanilla yogurt


Preparation: Mix all together in blender until frothy! 

Lunch: Kale Salad with White Beans

This salad is versatile, so throw in whatever veggies you have on hand (i.e. any color bell pepper!) You can also substitute the white beans with whatever bean you have on had. Chickpeas are also a good addition (as shown in the second picture above)!

Ingredients:

            Kale, torn into bite sized pieces and stems removed

            White beans or chick peas

Any variety of vegetables:

            Chopped carrots

            Chopped cucumber

            Chopped tomato

            Chopped bell pepper (red or yellow are my favorites)

            Chopped red onion

Homemade dressing: Lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper

Preparation: Toss all together... That's easy enough!

           

Dinner: Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Inspired by Cooking Light

I used romaine lettuce instead of Bibb lettuce, which made the wraps a little messier to eat but still tasty!

Ingredients:
Serves 4

            1 pound ground turkey

            ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

            1/8 teaspoon salt

            1 cup vertically sliced red onion

            ½ cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

            ¼ cup diced tomato

            ¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper

            2 green onions, chopped

            1 tablespoon fresh parsley

            3 Tbsp. capers

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

            ½ cup mozzarella cheese

            8 lettuce leaves (preferably Bibb)

Preparation:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray and add turkey, salt, and pepper to pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to crumble.
2. Stir in onion and next 6 ingredients (through capers). Cook until turkey is done.
3. Stir in lemon juice, red pepper, and cheese. Spoon ¼ cup of mixtures into each lettuce leaf.