What Should Your Plate Look Like?

Today’s contribution is from Good Measure Meals’ registered dietitian, Joy Goetz, MS, RD, LD, CHES 

“What am I going to eat?”  Have you heard this before? Maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of similar questions from your kids or significant other. Whether you’re cooking for one or twenty-one, there are some super simple meal planning tools that can make your evenings a heck of a lot easier. 

 

 

Enter, MyPlate.

 

Have you seen this image before? In 2010, the USDA transitioned from the Food Guide Pyramid we grew up with to a new icon, a plate. Why didn’t anyone think of this before? 

 

To plan a healthy plate, all you have to do is start with a 9-inch plate (you may have to get out the measuring tape at home), mentally divide it into sections, and fill up those sections with the appropriately types of foods. So, what does this look like in real life? Here are some absolutely delicious meals that fit into MyPlate guidelines:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast: Half of a whole wheat bagel with tomato slices and scrambled eggs, sliced fruit, milk and coffee 

 

  

 

 

 

Lunch: Burrito with a whole wheat tortilla, grilled chicken and veggies, brown rice, reduced-fat cheese, salsa fresco and avocado

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner:  Steak with brown rice, green beans, carrots, salad, and sliced fruit for dessert