Are you heading off to the beach in three weeks time and need healthy meals plans for a three week body makeover? If that is the case, you do not have to look far because in this article you can learn about a metabolism-boosting meal plan that could help you shed off a few pounds in the next 21 days. This meal plan aims for you to lose at least a pound a day by keeping your diet on a 1,200 calorie kickstart with three meals and a few snacks per day. Let us continue shall we?
Breakfast time
Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, let us start off with a maple-pecan quinoa, blackberry-almond smoothie or egg ‘n' toast. These breakfast ideas contain around 250-300 calories per serving. Here are the recipes for each:
Maple-Pecan Quinoa
Cook around ¼ cup of quinoa in ¼ cup low-fat milk and also ¼ cup water. Top it with ¼ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp chopped pecans and ½ cup fresh thawed cherries
Blackberry-Almond
Blend today ½ cup almond milk, ½ cup low-fat yogurt, ½ cup fresh blackberries, ½ banana, 2 tsp hemp seeds, a dash of cinnamon and 1 tsp honey
Egg ‘n' Toast
Make 1 poached egg and a slice of multigrain toast. Include ½ grapefruit, ¼ avocado with a hint of fresh lime and a pinch of red pepper
Mid-morning snacks
These are approximately 100 to 150 calories per serving:
Apple with 2 tsp almond butter
½ cup of red grapes and 1 oz cheddar or gouda cheese
12 oz soy latte with cinnamon
10 multigrain tortilla chips with ¼ cup of guacamole
Lunch time
During lunch, you can try out these simple recipes which contain only a few calories and are quite easy to make even when you are on the run:
Spinach Salad
Toss in together 2 cups fresh spinach, 1 tbsp of toasted walnuts, dried cherries, blue cheese, a slice of hard-boiled egg, 2 tsp walnut oil and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
Veggie Soup with Sides
Make a cup of ready-made lentil soup that is seasoned with ¼ tsp cumin powder for added twist. Roast 1 ½ cups of carrots and fennel with 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp thyme, 1 clove of garlic, salt and pepper and a hint of cayenne pepper
Italian Tuna Sandwich
In a whole wheat pita bread that is preferably 6 inches long, stuff in a mixture of 3 ox water packed canned tuna, ½ cup white cannellini beans, ¼ cup chopped grape and cucumber and also 1 tbsp of chopped red onion. You can add in light dressing inside the sandwich but make sure that it is not too much
Afternoon snacks
These tasty afternoon snacks will help you feel full throughout the day and could also help boost your metabolism:
1 oz of dark chocolate and 8 to 10 walnut halves
4 oz of low-fat Greek yogurt with 1 tsp honey and ½ cup of oranges
1 ½ cups edamame pods with sea salt and chili powder
1 cup of pineapple or mixed melon
Dinner time
Try out these dinner time specialities to boost up your metabolism and help you shed some much needed weight:
Spiced Steak
Buy grass-fed flank steak that is approximately 4 oz and season it with ½ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp pepper, ¼ salt and grill it. Top it off with 2 tbsp chimichurri sauce which is ¼ cup cilantro, 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar, 2 tbsp parsley 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes and 1 minced garlic clove. Try serving it with ½ cup warm black beans and 2 cup of arugula that is drizzled with 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice
Chicken Pasta
This is a simple recipe that consists of combining 4 ox of grilled chicken and 1 ½ cup of broccoli rabe that is sautéed with 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, ½ tsp minced red chili, 1 minced garlic clove and ½ tsp of orange zest. Then boil up some ½ cup of whole wheat penne and then serve
Mediterranean Salmon
Try baking 4 oz of salmon and a cup of artichoke hearts, 1 tsp minced shallots, 2 tsp capers, lemon slices and salt and pepper for about 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Sprinkle in 1 tsp of chopped parsley. Serve it with ½ cup of cooked whole wheat couscous alongside 2 tsp toasted pine nuts, ½ cup sautéed mushrooms and 2 tbsp sautéed onions
Try out these simple yet beneficial healthy meal plans for your three week body makeover. Make sure that you try these meals in variety on a daily basis so that you do not get tired of one meal every meal time. Mix it up and make sure to consume at least 8 to 10 glasses of water per day for proper hydration.
