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helping chronic dieters break free from diet culture and make peace with food and body.

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your work week dinner game plan

2 · Aug 25, 2019 · Leave a Comment

5 quick and easy, balanced dinner ideas to get you (or your whole family!) through the work week!

Five more days of easy dinner ideas to inspire your eats this week! If you want even more dinner inspiration – find all my Work Week Dinner Game Plans here!

MONDAY: Whole wheat broccoli & greek yogurt baked mac & cheese

whole wheat broccoli & greek yogurt baked mac & cheese // cait's plate

say hello to meatless monday with this hearty and filling baked mac and cheese! loaded with whole grains, fiber and flavor, it’ll definitely become a new go-to for your household. Plus, the leftovers make for a great lunch the next day!

  • Serves: 6-8 servings
  • Done in: 35 minutes
  • Tips: You can serve this up as is for a perfectly balanced meal or with a side salad if you’d like varying textures/temperatures. If #meatlessmonday is not your thing, toss some shredded chicken into the mix before baking.

TUESDAY: Grain bowls with 7-ingredient schug sauce

7-ingredient schug sauce // cait's plate

This 7-ingredient schug sauce takes just minutes to pull together and can be drizzled on everything from roasted veggies to grains, even your favorite proteins.  Try it on this easy grain bowl for a quick weeknight meal.

  • Serves: 6-8 servings
  • Done in: 15 minutes (if bowl ingredients are prepped ahead of time, around 30 minutes if not)
  • Tips: Serve up as is, throw in some additional veggies if desired (zucchini or peppers would be great in this bowl!). If serving to a toddler, omit the sauce if spice isn’t their thing.

WEDNESDAY: Mediterranean falafel pita with spiced yogurt sauce

Mediterranean Falafel Pita with Spiced Yogurt Sauce // cait's plate

Homemade baked falafel is wrapped in a warm whole grain pita filled with crisp veggies and finished off with a zippy spiced yogurt sauce for an easy meal that’s as filling as it is delicious!

  • Serves: 4 servings
  • Done in: 30 minutes
  • Tips: Serve these falafels as part of a pita sandwich with tzatziki sauce and veggies, or as hummus bowl!

THURSDAY: Spicy chickpea & tofu veggie farro bowl

spicy chickpea & tofu veggie farro bowl // cait's plate

This quick and easy chickpea & tofu farro bowl is loaded with flavor and nutrition and comes together in just about 30 minutes. You’ll already have most of the ingredients on hand thanks to Tuesday’s dinner! An extra bonus? The leftovers make a great packed lunch!

  • Serves: 2-4 servings
  • Done in: 35 minutes
  • Tips: If serving this to a toddler, omit the sambal oelek if they’re not into spicy food. Otherwise, this is a perfectly balanced meal and can be eaten as is!

FRIDAY: Vegetarian pizza subs

vegetarian pizza sub // cait's plate

This easy vegetarian pizza sub is a fun new way to enjoy your the flavors of your favorite veggie-loaded pizza! done in just minutes and completely customizable based on what you have on hand. A perfect Friday night meal!

  • Serves: 1 (can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled!)
  • Done in: 15 minutes
  • Tips: Feel free to get creative with whatever you have on hand. Any veggies would work. Serve with a cup of marinara for dipping. If serving to a toddler, swap the sub roll for a slice of whole wheat bread to make it easier to eat.
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MEAL IDEAS, WORK WEEK DINNER PLANS

please note: items in these posts may contain affiliate links which simply means I earn a small amount of money if you click on them (at no additional cost to you).  this money is always re-invested in cait’s plate so I can continue to create free content to you!

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it took a while for me to get to a point where I r it took a while for me to get to a point where I realized I was chasing something that wasn't working for me.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we're constantly told that thinner is better, that being healthy takes willpower and discipline.  that ‘pain is weakness leaving the body.’⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it took me years of being miserable as I tried to adhere to all of diet culture's rules before I got to my 'ah-ha' moment.  what I was doing was not only making me unhappy, but it was harming not only my physical health, but my mental health too.  and wasn't I supposed to be doing all of this in the NAME of health?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I wish I could go back to my younger self and tell her it wasn't worth it.  all the rigidity, missing out and being so unhappy - all in the name of doing what I thought would lead to my happiest, healthiest life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we’re taught we can’t trust ourselves to know what’s best.  that we need to follow someone else’s plan for us in order to live a happy, healthy life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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but for whatever it’s worth to anyone out there that might need to hear this: I’m always my happiest, healthiest self when I lean into my own body and my own experiences - not someone else’s idea of what it should be.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it's not officially fall for me until I've had thi it's not officially fall for me until I've had this harvest wrap.  it's quick, easy and the perfect melt of my favorite fall flavors.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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here's what I put in it:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* mixed greens⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* roasted sweet potatoes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* diced apple⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* diced pear⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* chickpeas (could also use chicken!)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* red onion⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* dried cranberries⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* walnuts (can also use pecans)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* goat cheese (feta would also be great)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and balsamic glaze.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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printable recipe on @caitsplate: https://caitsplate.com/vegetarian-harvest-wrap/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #vegetarianlunch #easymeal #fallfood #f52community #thefeedfeed #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarianmeals #vegetarianfoodshare
walk through the grocery store and you’re bound walk through the grocery store and you’re bound to find “natural” prominently featured on any number of products.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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the idea of something being “natural” has infiltrated marketing messages in everything from our toiletries & cleaning products to food & beauty items.  that companies have found this term so useful for sales is no wonder - it’s heavily promoted in our society as being “better” for us.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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yet, we’re often told by this same health and wellness culture not to trust our natural, internal signs and signals.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we’re told to push through exhaustion even if what our bodies really need is rest, we’re told to ignore our signals of hunger and fullness in deference to a pre-set plan, we’re constantly told to fix, resize and reshape our bodies from their natural states.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it’s worth noting that there’s little profit to be made off us trusting and honoring our body’s innate signals and states.  if we could simply trust our own bodies, we would have no need to buy solutions to “fix” our wellness “problems.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it then begs the question, is it truly our health and wellness, or simply the chance to profit, that motivates so much of the messaging in our health and wellness culture?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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part of freeing yourself from diet culture is unraveling the pervasive messaging we often take as hard truth and picking it apart based on our lived experience and knowledge.  this can help us determine what truly serves our overall wellbeing versus what is simply padding the pockets of the industry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #dietsdontwork #intuitiveeatingjourney #ditchthediet #bodyrespect #foodfreedom #nondietapproach #bodyacceptance #nondietdietitian #nofoodrules #antidiet #antidietculture #breakfreefromdieting
white bean & veggie farro soup! a latest spin on white bean & veggie farro soup!  a latest spin on one of my favorite soup recipes.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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super simple to pull together, perfectly comforting and great to make ahead and reheat for easy meals (my favorite kind 🙌)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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recipe is linked in my profile (@caitsplate)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
https://caitsplate.com/white-bean-veggie-farro-soup/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #f52community #soupseason #vegetarianrecipeshare #meatless #souprecipe #easymeal #easycooking #recipeshare
one of the things I hear most often from individua one of the things I hear most often from individuals looking to break free form diet culture and embrace intuitive eating is “I feel like all I’m doing is thinking and analyzing my food behaviors and all I want to do is stop thinking so much about food.”

this is completely understandable.  when food and food rules have owned your life for so long, and you finally embrace the thing that’s supposed to help you break that cycle, it can feel like a lot.

the difference is, while intuitive eating may require a deeper dive at the outset, it ultimately sets you *free* from all the over-thinking and analyzing of food & food choices, setting you up for a peaceful relationship with food that can last a lifetime.

dieting and food rules feel simple at the outset, but keep us in a never-ending cycle of distress around food.

#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #intuitiveeating #disorderedeating #disorderedeatingrecovery #bodydysmorphia #redefiningbeauty #i_weigh #antidietculture #nondietdietitian #intuitiveeatingjourney #antidiet #nondietdietitian
pumpkin turkey meatballs! done in less than 30 mi pumpkin turkey meatballs!  done in less than 30 minutes with less than 10 ingredients.  a perfect easy fall meal!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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grab the recipe details on @caitsplate (link in profile): https://caitsplate.com/pumpkin-turkey-meatballs/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #pumpkinseason #pumpkinrecipes #easymeal #easydinner #dinnerrecipes #dinnertonight #f52community #thefeedfeed

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