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Table of Contents
12-Week High-Fiber Meal Plan
Real-Time Collaborative Notepad
- “Current dietary guidelines for Americans suggests that people age 2 and older get 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories in the daily diet.” (Mayo Clinic)
- ramp up fiber intake to avoid digestive upset
- drink lots of water to help body process fiber increase
- account for leftovers and ability to freeze excess in meal prep
- idea: plan a month of recipes, plus 10 extra, then for the next month keep the same plan except knock out 5 least favorites and substitute with 5 from the extra set
- start every dinner with mini salad serving
- for exhausted days, use #fallback “recipes”
Tools
Here are some resources for finding high-fiber ingredients and recipes:
Shopping
Staples
Always keep these items stocked.
- multi/whole grain bread
- whole grain pasta
- frozen veggies (mix of peas, carrots, water chestnuts, etc…)
- beans (pintos, black beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas, etc… dry or canned)
- lentils (dry or canned)
- nuts (almonds, walnuts, …)
- frozen chicken thighs or breasts
- oats
- quinoa
- buckwheat?
- hemp or flax seeds
- chia seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- rice (wild or brown)
- frozen berries/fruit
- trail-mix
- whole-grain tortillas
- granola
- soy sauce
- olive oil
TODO add spices
Delicate Regulars
These would be stables except that they are perishable; keep them stocked but set a reminder to freeze what remains as they approach end of life. For non-freezable items (like greek yogurt), be sure to keep a steady queue of recipes that will use these items up in time.
- fresh veggies (cucumbers, baby carrots)
- fruit
- spinach
- sprouts
- hummus
- greek yogurt
Recipes
Breakfasts
- overnight oats
- avocado toast
- breakfast burritos
- smoothies
- whole-grain pancakes with fruit
- parfait
- Savory oatmeal: Oats + scrambled egg + spinach + everything bagel seasoning (9g fiber)
- Cottage cheese pancakes (made with oat flour) + berries (8g fiber)
Fallback Breakfasts
- kirkland protein bars #fallback
Dine-Out Breakfasts
- TODO
Lunches/Dinners
- med bowls
- veggie and cheese sandwiches
- veggie burgers
- salmon poke bowls
- garlic asparagus with potatoes
- cucumber salad
- tuna or chicken salad sandwiches
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl: Quinoa + chickpeas + cucumber + tomatoes + feta + lemon-olive oil dressing (14g fiber)
- Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl: Brown rice + black beans + roasted sweet potato + salsa + avocado (16g fiber)
- Sheet Pan Chicken & Vegetables: Roasted chicken breast + Brussels sprouts + sweet potato wedges (9g fiber)
- tacos
- stir-fry
- lentil soup
- Chicken Caesar-ish salad: Rotisserie chicken + romaine + chickpeas + whole wheat croutons + light caesar dressing (10g fiber)
- Slow Cooker White Bean & Chicken Stew: Chicken + white beans + carrots + kale (12g fiber)
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas: Mashed sweet potato + black beans in whole wheat tortillas, served with salsa (11g fiber)
- Buddha Bowl: Brown rice + roasted chickpeas + roasted vegetables + tahini drizzle (13g fiber)
- Chicken & White Bean Salad: Rotisserie chicken + white beans + cherry tomatoes + spinach + olive oil dressing (12g fiber)
- Turkey Meatballs: Ground turkey + oats + garlic, served with whole grain pasta and marinara (12g fiber)
- Chickpea Curry: Chickpeas + coconut milk + spinach + tomatoes + curry spices, served over brown rice (16g fiber)
- Sheet Pan Fajitas: Chicken + peppers + onions, served with whole wheat tortillas + black beans + guacamole (13g fiber)
- Minestrone Soup: Mixed vegetables + white beans + whole grain pasta + tomatoes (prep large batch) (13g fiber)
- Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers: Bell peppers + ground turkey + quinoa + black beans + tomato sauce (11g fiber)
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich: Mashed chickpeas + celery + onion + Greek yogurt on Dave's Killer Bread (12g fiber)
- White Bean & Kale Soup with sausage (or keep vegetarian): White beans + kale + tomatoes + Italian herbs (14g fiber)
- Teriyaki chicken bowl: Chicken + stir-fried vegetables + brown rice + sesame seeds (8g fiber)
- Black bean burgers on whole wheat buns with sweet potato wedges and salad (14g fiber)
- Mediterranean Lentil Salad: Lentils + cucumber + tomatoes + olives + feta + lemon dressing (13g fiber)
- Chicken Tortilla Soup: Chicken + black beans + corn + tomatoes + peppers, topped with avocado (13g fiber)
- Bean & Cheese Enchiladas: Black beans + cheese in whole wheat tortillas with enchilada sauce (14g fiber)
- Hummus Veggie Wrap: Hummus + cucumber + tomatoes + spinach + shredded carrots in whole wheat tortilla (11g fiber)
- drunken beans
- Italian White Bean Salad: White beans + cherry tomatoes + basil + mozzarella + balsamic (10g fiber)
- Turkey & Bean Bowl: Ground turkey + pinto beans + brown rice + avocado + salsa (15g fiber)
- Chicken fajita quinoa bake: Chicken + peppers + onions + quinoa + cheese (11g fiber)
- Asian-Inspired Edamame Bowl: Edamame + brown rice + shredded carrots + cucumber + sesame-ginger dressing (12g fiber)
- Mediterranean Chickpea Wrap: Chickpeas + feta + cucumber + tomatoes + tzatziki in whole wheat wrap (13g fiber)
- Greek Quinoa Salad: Quinoa + chickpeas + cucumber + tomatoes + olives + feta (13g fiber)
Fallback Lunches/Dinners
- amy’s frozen burritos (bean & cheese) #fallback
- frozen veggie burgers #fallback
- pre-made salads #fallback
Dine-Out Lunches/Dinners
Snacks
- kirkland trail mix
- edamame
- whole-grain crackers
- baby carrots
- celery with peanut butter
- apple with peanut butter
- fruit/berry bowl
- artisan bread
Desserts
- whole-grain muffins
- honey, peanut butter, and flax seeds
Meal Agenda
Each week should have: 2+ (two or more) breakfast recipes, 3+ lunch/dinner recipes, 1+ eat-out meal, 1+ social-meal, 1 planned #fallback meal, 1 shopping list, 2+ scheduled prep sessions. TODO what about “types” of meals? like should I specify “1 soup/stew recipe and one assemble (bowl) recipe”? What about a fish recipe for the omegas?
Week 1
- Shopping list:
- whole-grain bread
- avocados
- Breakfast recipe 1: berry instant pot oatmeal
- Breakfast recipe 2: avocado toast
TODO
- plan a recurring “friends/family dinner night”
- consider planning easy, cheap bulk recipes for these nights, like rice and beans
- pick out gluten-free, low-carb, vegan recipes to accommodate guests with dietary restrictions
- plan bigger dinner parties as well as more intimate few people dinners
Prep Sessions:
Things that can be done in batches:
- washing and chopping/cutting produce
- cooking meat
- measuring spices
