Week 1: Survival Meal Plan

 

• First, design your recipes. You can use my suggested week plan as a guideline if you want, but adapt it to what you enjoy, and what you have available to you.
• Switch up the greens, the side, the spices and the protein at dinner, the toppings at lunch or the yoghurt at breakfast. This keeps things interesting, but still easy and low effort.
• Make a list of every food item you need to have available. Group them according to food group, and if you can, according to where you are at the grocery store.
• Pick one day every week where you get groceries. When you know what you need, you spend less time on getting them, and you are less tempted by impulsive purchases.
• Before grocery day, check which foods you are running low on, and mark them on the list. 
• Once a month, bulk buy the long lasting things (grain, meat to freeze, frozen veggies, etc.) That will make the weekly grocery trips a lot faster.
• You don’t have to go for all healthy foods, you can always add a frozen pizza or takeout on weekends, or an unhealthy snack. The point is to always have something to fall back on that is easy and low effort, so you don’t have to stress about food. But I would still recommend to eat healthy the majority of the time, as your body have more energy on healthy food.
• Healthy food can be super delicious, especially with the right seasoning. Food should be delicious and nourishing, not fell like a punishment.

The Why

The Survival Meal Plan is the first step, because you need to eat every day. If you don’t get enough calories or nourishment, you have no energy (mental or physical) to deal with your daily life. This is a lot of decisions, and a lot of energy on cooking and cleaning up afterwards. By taking out the decisions, and having something that require very little active cooking time, you free up a lot of mental energy for other things. You can always add new meals to the plan as you discover them, but having these to revert back to in stressful times are absolute gold.

An example of a meal plan

Below, I put a SUGGESTION if you are lacking inspiration or energy to start out. Based on one person. But of course, you will need to adapt it based on your household size and needs. This is the plan I followed for a long time, and occasionally still do if life gets a little too fast.

Suggested meal plan dinner (adapt to your preferences):

• Monday: Pasta, frozen greens, shredded parmesan cheese
• Tuesday: Rice, frozen greens, 1 chicken breast (cook 3, store 2 in the fridge)
• Wednesday: Bulgur, frozen greens, 1 chicken breast (reheated)
• Thursday: Pasta, frozen greens, 1 chicken breast (reheated)
• Friday: Rice, frozen greens, steak or fish (make 2, save 1 in the fridge)
• Saturday: Bulgur, frozen greens, steak or fish (reheated)
• Sunday: Pasta, frozen greens, shredded parmesan cheese
• Aim to drink 2 or 2,5 liters of water per day.

The Base Recepies

Breakfast: 

• 250 ml yoghurt of your choice, but preferably low added sugar or artificial additives. But make it tasty and enjoyable.
• 1,25 dl Rolled oats mixed in with the yoghurt
• Very quick to put together, quick to eat, and keeps you full for a long time. Lots of good nutrients, and will help your digestion function well.
• Optional: 1 banana/other easy piece of fruit. Eat now, or bring to work/school for a snack.

Lunch:

• Choose a healthy and filling bread, rye bread is the gold standard, but full grain bread is also good. 3-4 pieces.
• Add some tasty and fairly healthy toppings, that are quick and easy. Hummus, liver pate, banana with a pinch of salt, sliced meat or other things. Key is easy and not too processed.
• Optional: another piece of fruit, or a healthy snack.

Dinner:

• 1 dl rice/pasta/bulgur or 2 dl full grain pasta
• 1 bag of frozen greens (around 500 grams)
• Protein of choice (chicken breast, salmon, cottage cheese, high protein grated cheese, or other easy options - try to go for something that can cook alongside the vegetables/takes the same time and heat)
• Olive oil
• Bullion cube
• Spices to taste (suggestion: salt, pepper, curry, rosemary, garlic powder)
• Start by putting the frozen greens in an oven safe pan. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom. Pour in the frozen greens, and season to taste. Put the pan in the oven, turn it on at 200 degrees celcius ‘normal oven’. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
• If you are doing meat (for example chicken breast), put it in at the same time next to the greens. If you put it in the same pan, there is less dishes, and less effort.
• Next, pour in your grain of choice. 1 dl rice to 2 dl water. Put in a bullion cube and a pinch of salt. Put it on the stove, high heat until it is boiling. Then switch to medium heat until all the water is gone, and the grains look good. Remove from heat, and set it aside with the lid on. They will keep warm until the greens are done.
• After 45 minutes, take out the vegetables, mix with the grain/pasta in a large pasta plate, and enjoy!
• You can use a frying pan for the greens instead of the oven. That will require a bit more active cooking, but will also be faster. If you choose this option, use high heat until they are thawed, then switch to medium or low heat until the grain or pasta is done.
• Tip: soak the dishes before you eat. This will soften any sticky or burnt food, and make the dishes faster to clean.
• Tip 2: cook 3 chicken breasts once or twice a week. This way, you can keep them as leftovers in the fridge, and there are less preparation on two of the days.

Snacks

- Make sure you have easy and healthy snack options available. Bananas, apples, protein bar, or other things. The meals are not super high calorie, so a healthy snack is a good way to make sure you get enough calories to have the energy you need.

Supplements

• Consider taking a multi vitamin and omega 3 every day. If you are taking any medication, make sure to check with your doctor first. This is not a replacement for healthy food, but can be a small boost.

Emergency meal

• If you have one of those days where everything collapsed, and you have no energy, make an emergency meal. Something that is very easy, very fast, and very filling. My go to is oatmeal on the stove. It is sooo good if you make it right, and easy to make when everything is going crazy.
• 2 dl rolled oats
• 4 dl water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
• Honey (but use in moderation)
• Add oats, salt, cinnamon and water to a small pot. Use high heat until it starts to bubble, then turn down to medium heat until it is finished. Give it a stir with a tablespoon regularly, to prevent it from burning. When it is still a little runny, pour into a bowl, and add honey or butter. It will thicken up a bit more after you pour it into the bowl, this is why you want it slightly runny at first. You will find the right consistency after a few tries. Add the honey and enjoy.
• If you need more, add a healthy snack or a piece of fruit.

Grocery list bulk buy (around 4 weeks)

• 2 kg bulgur
• 2 kg rice
• 3 kg rolled oats
• 6 kg pasta
• Salt
• Pepper
• Curry
• Rosemary
• Garlic powder
• 28 bullion cubes
• Olive oil (0,5 liters should be enough)
• Cinnamon and honey (for emergencies)

Weekly list:

• 7 bags of frozen greens (around 500 gram each)
• 2-3 liters of yoghurt (depending on how much you have left)
• 1 bag pre shredded parmesan cheese
• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 packs of smoked salmon
• 7 bananas (choose a few less mature ones so they last the week)
• 7 apples 
• Berries and 2 small 25 gram chocolate bar (my weekend special treat)