July Week 3 Meal Plan Review and July Week 4 Plan

Thursday's Dinner

Last week's meal plan was based on what I had on hand.  I wanted to see how well I would do with trying to have 30 different plant based foods in the week's meals.  But, more than 30 plant based foods, I wanted to see if I could get in my 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

This was my July Week 3 Meal Plan:

Brunches: Hot dogs on buns with condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish), scrambled eggs or omelets (compliments of Chicken Little!), waffles with blueberry compote; salad

Dinners:  Rice with leftover beef curry, sauteed cabbage curry, and tomato curry (Monday and Tuesday); rice with sauteed okra, leftover beef curry, cabbage, and tomato curry; ground turkey curry patties; leftovers, Yellow rice, salted dried fish, pappadum

Snacks/desserts: Plums, pomegranate, grapes, apples, ice cream, bread pudding (maybe)

And here is how that turned out:

Monday:

Brunch: Hot dog and bun, with condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish - I don't think they count towards plant based points, although they are plant based!); plums = 1 point; 1 serving of fruit

Dinner: Rice, leftover beef curry (7 points), sauteed cabbage curry (1 point), and tomato curry (1 point)' = 9 points; 2 servings of vegetables

Desserts/Snacks: More plums, pomegranate seeds (1 point); 2 more servings of fruit

Daily Total: 11 points for plant based foods; 3 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables (= 5/5 per day)

Tuesday:

Brunch: Same as Monday (hot dog and bun; plums) = 0 points; 1 serving of fruit

Dinner: Same as Tuesday = 0 points; 2 servings of vegetables

Snacks: More plums, pomegranate seeds, a KIND protein bar (list of ingredients include oats, tapioca syrup, soy protein isolate, semi-sweet chocolate, bananas, canola oil, cane sugar, peanut butter and peanuts, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa obviously in small quantities, but, maybe I can claim 0.25 points each for the bolded items? = 1.75 points; 2 servings of fruit

Daily Total: 1.75 points; 3 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables (= 5/5 per day)

Wednesday:

Brunch: Toast with peanut butter and peach jam = 0 points  (Does peanut butter count?)

Dinner: Leftover rice, the last of the beef curry, leftover cabbage, leftover tomato curry, and a pappadum; 0 points, 2 servings of vegetables

Snacks: Plums, the last piece of pecan candy that my daughter brought me from her visit to New Orleans (yes, it had pecan halves in it, but, I don't think I should count it! LOL).

Daily Total: 0 points, 2 servings vegetables, 1 serving fruit (=3/5 per day)

Thursday:

Brunch: Tuna salad sandwich, with shredded lettuce = 1 point; 0.5 servings of vegetables

Dinner: Yellow rice (cooked with spices such as whole cloves, cardamom pods, pepper corns, curry leaves, pieces of cinnamon and pandan leaves, turmeric powder = 1.75 points and coconut milk = 1 point), fried dry fish (a salted and dried fish), freshly cooked okra (1 point), leftover tomato curry, leftover cabbage = 3.75 points; 3 servings vegetable

Snacks: Pomegranates, mixed nuts and seeds (pistachio, almonds, sesame, sunflower)  = 1 point

Daily Total: 4.75 points; 3.5 servings vegetables, 1 serving fruit (=4.5/5 per day; I didn't count the mixed nuts)

Friday:

Brunch: tuna salad sandwich; tortilla chips; 

Dinner: Leftover yellow rice, leftover cabbage, leftover tomato curry, fried dry fish, pappadum  (0 points; 2 servings vegetables).

Snacks/ Desserts: Grapes, pistachio ice cream (1 point, 1 serving fruit)

Daily Total: 1 point, 2 servings vegetables, 1 serving fruit (= 3/5 per day)

Saturday:

Brunch: Salad - lettuce, 1 carrot, 1/2 apple, cashews = 3 points; 2 servings veg; 1 serving fruit

Dinner: Leftover Yellow Rice, fried breaded shrimp, cabbage, tomato chutney = 1 serving veg.

Snacks/Desserts: The last of this year's Plums, cereal = 1 fruit

Daily Total: 3 points, 3 serving vegetables, 2 servings fruit (= 5/5 per day)

Sunday:

Brunch: Hot dogs and buns

Dinner: Peanut butter and crackers (power went off before I could cook dinner)

Snacks/Desserts: Spicy dried mango = 1 point; 1 serving fruit

Daily Total: 1 point; 1/5 per day

Plus, 1 point for a cup of tea, which I drink daily.

23.5 points of plant based food for the week, which was just half a point more than what it was the previous week, which isn't bad, I guess.  Not ideal, but, it leaves room for improvement.

As for the 5 a day, on three of the days, I met that goal, on one other day, I almost met the goal with 4.5 servings, on two other days, I had 3/5 servings and one day, I only had 1 serving, which was very sad!

My conclusion is, I repeat a lot of the same plant based items during the week, which can't be counted after the first time.

Onwards and upwards, as they say!

Week 4 Meal Plan:

I probably should go grocery shopping this week, but, assuming I don't, this week's meal plan is also based on what I have on hand:

Brunches:  Toasted cheese sandwich (Monday), scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes; waffles/pancakes with blueberry compote; salad; uppuma (Indian style cream of wheat)

Dinners: Sauteed chicken with broccoli and microwave baked potato; Rice with dhal, sauteed okra, and hot dogs sauteed with onions and tomatoes (I have to finish that packet of hot dogs!); leftovers. 

Snacks/Desserts: Fruit/fruit salad, tuna salad or peanut butter on crackers, protein breakfast bars, apple juice, lemonade

I will keep track of my plant based food points for this week, too, but, the focus is on getting my 5/day.

What do you think?