Here it is: the dietitian-devised complete balanced meal planner! Choose any combination of steps 1-6 and you will create a healthy, and flavoursome, balanced meal. Give it a try for yourself and have a go planning your dinners (or lunches) for the week.
Step
1: Choose your protein
This should take up ¼ of your plate. Choose
lean meats and trimmed of skin and fat, dried or reduced salt tinned versions of
lentils and other legumes, raw or dry roasted, unsalted nuts and natural nut
and seed butters (without added sugar or salt) and reduced fat dairy, where
possible.
Meat:
100g beef, lamb, kangaroo, veal, chicken,
turkey, pork or fish (in the form of mince, steak, breast, diced, sliced,
tinned, skewers, rissoles, meatballs, etc)
Meat
alternatives:
2 large eggs
170g tofu or tempeh
1 C lentils, chickpeas, red kidney beans,
cannellini beans and other legumes
30g nuts, seeds, or nut or seed paste
Dairy:
1 cup (250mL) milk
½ cup (120mL) evaporated milk
2 slices (40g) hard cheese (cheddar,
mozzarella, fetta)
½ (120g) cup soft cheese (ricotta, cottage)
¾ cup (200g) plain natural or Greek-style
yoghurt
Step
2: Choose your carbohydrate
This should take up another ¼ of your
plate. Choose wholegrain and low GI versions where possible.
Grains:
1 cup cooked pasta (spaghetti, penne,
risoni, lasagne sheets, cannelloni tubes, wonton wrappers etc), noodles (rice,
egg), rice, quinoa, pearl barley, buckwheat, bulgur, polenta or semolina
2 slices bread, 1 medium roll, 1 flatbread
(wrap, pita etc)
4 crispbreads
2 small English muffins or crumpets
1/3 cup flour (wheat, buckwheat, quinoa,
rice, corn) or breadcrumbs- into patties, pancakes etc
Starchy
vegetables:
1 medium potato, sweet potato, parsnip, taro
or cassava
1 medium corn cob
1 cup lentils, chickpeas, red kidney beans,
cannellini beans and other legumes
Step
3: Choose your vegetables
This should take up the remaining ½ of your
plate. Each of the following is 1 serve; aim for 3 or more serves to fill half
your plate. Choose fresh, frozen, or reduced salt tinned versions and as many
different colours as possible.
Cooked:
½ cup cooked green, orange, white or purple
vegetables (e.g. broccoli, carrot, pumpkin, cauliflower, mushrooms, beetroot,
etc)
½ cup cooked beans, peas, lentils or other
legumes
Raw:
1 cup leafy greens (lettuce, spinach,
rocket, kale, silverbeet, etc)
1 cup raw salad vegetables (cucumber,
capsicum, sprouts, etc)
1 medium tomato
Step
4: Choose your cooking method for each element
Note: Plate elements (protein, carbohydrate
and vegetables) can be cooked together or cooked and kept separately.
Boil
Microwave
Steam
BBQ/grill
Stir-fry
Pan-fry
Poach
Bake/roast
Stew/casserole
Toast
Step
5: Choose your flavour base
Usually in tablespoon quantities per plate.
Marinade
Tomato
Stock
White or red wine
Soy/tamari/hoisin/oyster/fish sauce
Herb or spice rub
Reduced fat cream or evaporated milk
Pesto
Curry paste
Step
6: Choose your flavour additions
Usually in teaspoon or tablespoon
quantities per plate.
Herbs- fresh, dried or paste
Spices
Onion
Garlic
Chilli
Ginger
Lemon, lime or other citrus
Cheese- parmesan, fetta, ricotta,
mozzarella, etc
Condiments- mustard, chilli jam, etc
Olive or nut oils
Hi Megan,
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