By Jolynn Martin

Sometimes people ask me what I eat everyday just for an idea of what to eat. Today I’ll share with you my daily menu from Monday to Sunday when I was losing weight. I always eat 3 times daily with a snack or two in between my main meals. I usually eat every 3 to 4 hours depending on how busy I am. Skipping meals will do the body no good. You need food for fuel so that your body will burn more fat for energy instead if muscles. Go for complex carbohydrates, good quality protein, fibre and healthy fats.

Monday

• Breakfast: 2 slices of wholemeal bread with 2 half-boiled eggs accompanied with a cup of unsweetened coffee.
• Mid-morning snack: A glass of low-fat milk.
• Lunch: A cup of brown rice, a piece of deskinned chicken breast and mixed vegetables tomyam soup.
• Evening snack: One green apple.
• Dinner: A cup of brown rice, simple stir-fried deskinned chicken breast with mixed vegetables.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: A bowl of cooked oats flavoured with a glass of low-fat milk and 2 teaspoons of organic honey.
• Mid- morning snack: A cup of low-fat yogurt.
• Lunch: A cup of brown rice, deskinned chicken breast curry with mixed vegetables.
• Evening snack: A handful of raw mixed nuts.
• Dinner: A cup of brown rice, deskinned chicken breast soup with mixed vegetables.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Oat pancakes accompanied with a cup of unsweetened coffee.
• Mid-morning snack: A glass of low-fat milk flavoured with some dark chocolate powder.
• Lunch: Deskinned grilled chicken breast slices with raw salad leaves and tomato slices wholemeal sandwich flavoured with 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce.
• Evening snack: A cup of low-fat yogurt.
• Dinner: A cup of brown rice, ginger steamed fish with stir-fried mixed vegetables.

Thursday

• Breakfast: Ommelette wholemeal sandwich accompanied with a cup of unsweetened tea.
• Mid-morning snack: A handful of dates.
• Lunch: A cup of brown rice, spicy grilled chicken with simple stir-fried mixed vegetables.
• Evening snack: A glass of low-fat milk.
• Dinner: Grilled chicken salad with diced potatoes.

Friday

• Breakfast: 2 half-boiled eggs with 2 slices of wholemeal bread and a glass of low-fat milk.
• Mid-morning snack: One green apple.
• Lunch: A cup of brown rice, grilled fish and stir-fried mixed vegetables.
• Evening snack: A handful of mixed raw nuts.
• Dinner: Deskinned chicken breast and raw salad wholemeal sandwich with 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce to taste.

Saturday

• Breakfast: Oats and banana slices porridge cooked in a glass of low-fat milk.
• Mid-morning snack: Egg ommelette.
• Lunch: Spicy grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and a bowl of salad with low-fat plain yogurt as a salad dressing.
• Evening snack: Fresh fruits salad.
• Dinner: Wholemeal bolognese pasta cooked with deskinned minced chicken breast and lettuce leaves.

Sunday

• Breakfast: Egg ommelette wholemeal sandwich.
• Mid-morning snack: A handful of dates.
• Lunch: Wholemeal spaghetti soup with deskinned chicken breast slices and mixed vegetables.
• Evening snack: 1 piece of fruit.
• Dinner: A cup of brown rice, sweet and sour fish with mixed vegetables.

I usually cook my own meals so that I get to control my food portions and serving sizes. I use no more than 1 tablespoon of oil when I cook. For my curries, I replace coconut milk with low-fat milk or low-fat plain yogurt. Healthy eating need not be boring. You just need to be slightly creative and look out for healthier ingredient alternatives. I also cook 1 day in advance to save time, so I only need to reheat my food the following day. You can also cook your meals in bulk, freeze them and then reheat them when required. Good luck in planning your meals!