Easy, healthy meal ideas for the week ahead: Buffalo chicken lettuce cups, salmon veggie rice bowls and more

Samantha Cassetty, RD
·5 min read

Welcome to Start TODAY. Sign up for our free Start TODAY newsletter to receive daily inspiration sent to your inbox.

You asked, we answered! Hundreds of Start TODAY members told us they wanted more healthy, balanced meal ideas to help them reach their health goals. This dietitian-designed meal plan gives you the flexibility to ease into healthy eating.

If your goal is to eat healthier, we’ve got you covered with easy nutrition strategies in this week’s plan. For breakfast, you’ll get plenty of protein — which keeps you fuller for longer periods of time — and when eaten at breakfast, may help minimize cravings later in the day. Hearty plant-forward lunches reduce your meat consumption while keeping you satisfied. And the range of dinners show how easy seasonings can elevate any dish, so healthy meals pack a flavorful punch.

What to Eat This Week, October 16 , 2023

Start TODAY meal plan, week of October 16, 2023
Start TODAY meal plan, week of October 16, 2023

>>Download this week’s meal plan

>>Train with us! Get a 5K training plan here

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Breakfast

Get your day off to the right start with these protein-packed options. We recommend sitting down while you eat, but these meals can easily be taken to-go.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos by Lauren Salkeld

This recipe makes four burritos that get wrapped and frozen. Spend 15 minutes prepping this on the weekend for heat-and-eat meals during the week.

Power Protein Smoothie by Jessica Sepel

Although you can swap Greek yogurt for the protein powder in this smoothie, the recommended amount won’t provide the same level of hunger- and cravings-busting protein. To choose a protein powder, look for one with minimal, simple ingredients and no artificial sweeteners.

Lunch

Plants dominate the plate on the world’s healthiest diets. These filling, plant-centric meals will keep you fueled and focused all afternoon.

Veggie-Packed Sandwich

Mash some rinsed and drained canned chickpeas into store-bought hummus. Spread the mixture over 2 slices of toasted whole-grain bread. Layer jarred, roasted red peppers and baby spinach between the two bread slices and fold into a sandwich. Serve with some baby carrots.

Edamame-Tuna Salad

Frozen, shelled edamame and canned tuna are two nourishing meal prep staples. While this recipe serves one, you can easily multiply the servings and make a bigger batch of this salad to enjoy throughout the week. It’ll keep up to four days in your fridge. Mix 1/2 can tuna, flaked and drained, ? cup shelled edamame, frozen and thawed, and ? cup shredded carrots with a store-bought vinaigrette. Serve the mixture in a whole-grain pita or over salad greens.

Dinner

We’ve offered four delicious recipes this week, but there’s no need to make them all. A great meal prep strategy is to make enough for leftovers, so choose the most tempting ones to make this week. We’ve also included another handy meal prep strategy — using healthy convenience foods, like frozen mashed cauliflower and brown rice. Don’t forget to include the veggie side dishes, too.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Cups by Elena Besser

This is the recipe you need for busy weeknights. A store-bought rotisserie chicken is transformed into an exceptionally flavorful meal by tossing it with a quick buffalo sauce and layering on a yogurt-based ranch dressing. The chicken is served in lettuce cups, but you could always use it to top a salad instead. Or serve the chicken in a whole-grain wrap with a side of veggies dipped in the remaining ranch dressing.

Garden Frittata by Maneet Chauhan

A frittata works for any meal, but we like it for a low-maintenance dinner. This one uses frozen vegetables to keep things especially low-key. Have it with a piece of whole-grain avocado toast on the side.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Thyme by Goop

Chicken thighs are less expensive and more tender than chicken breasts. This minimal-ingredient fall-off-the-bone chicken thigh dish is simple to prep, but makes an impressive meal. Serve it with ready-to-heat frozen mashed cauliflower or make a mashed potato-cauliflower blend using premade mashed potatoes.

Siri Daly's Salmon and Veggie Rice Bowls by Siri Daly

This recipe is basically a canvas in which you can easily switch up what you’re working with. Swap chicken for salmon, couscous for rice or basically any veggie your heart desires. These bowls are versatile and quick to throw together — an easy way to pack in healthy protein and nutritious veggies.

Snacks

Snacks that contain whole food sources of protein and fiber offer a winning formula that keeps you full for hours. Here are a few ideas:

  • Baby carrots with creamy taco dip. To make the dip, add some taco seasoning to Greek yogurt and mix.

  • Ricotta cheese topped with sliced grape tomatoes.

  • Frozen spiced bananas with tahini. To make, sprinkle cinnamon and cacao powder over banana slices and freeze until firm. Drizzle with tahini.

  • Red peppers and edamame.

  • Medjool dates with nut or nutless butter.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next