My
Nutrition
Healthy Meal Ideas and Menu Planning
Thinking ahead and menu planning for Save time by cooking meals in advance
you or your family can help you to choose and freezing individual portions that can
healthier options, manage your weight be reheated when you are short on time.
and ease the daily stress of planning Use supermarket catalogues to guide
meals. menu planning to help you save money.
Creating a Menu Recipe Ideas
Create a menu plan for a few days, a Websites:
week or even a month in advance. • http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/
When planning your meals and snacks • http://healthier.qld.gov.au/
aim to choose foods from the 5 food
• http://www.daa.asn.au
groups:
• Vegetables; a variety of colours My • http://www.heartfoundation.org.au
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Nutrition
• http://www.diabetesqld.org.au/
• Fruit; a variety of colours Nutrition
• Grain (cereal) foods; choose
Books & Magazines:
wholegrain and/or high fibre varieties.
• Australian Healthy Food Guide
• Lean meats; poultry, fish, eggs, tofu,
• ‘Symply Too Good To Be True’
nuts and seeds and legumes/beans.
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or • Women’s Weekly ‘Good Food Fast’
alternatives; choose reduced fat • CSIRO ‘Total Wellbeing Diet’
options
Healthy Meal Ideas
Once you have decided on your meals Use the following tables to help plan your
and snacks write a list of all the items that menu.
you need to buy. These meal ideas will help you to meet
the Australian Guide to Health Eating.
Please discuss with your Dietitian if
this is suitable for your health &
dietary needs.
This is a consensus document from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
Disclaimer: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/disclaimer Developed: June 2019
Copyright: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/copyright-statement Due for review: June 2021
Breakfast
Don’t skip breakfast!
Starting your day with a healthy meal will give you energy, can be a good source of fibre
and calcium and can prevent you from over eating later in the day. Include a protein
option at this meal such as milk or yoghurt, eggs, baked beans to keep you full.
Get creative and try adding some vegetables to any of these meal options. Great choices
for breakfast are: sautéed free vegetables – mushrooms, tomato, onion, spinach, zucchini,
asparagus, and capsicum.
Choose one option from the table for breakfast:
2 x eggs +
2 x thin slices wholemeal/grain
2 x Weet-bix/Vita-brits + 1 cup 1 cup fresh fruit salad + 1 small toast or
low fat milk tub of yoghurt. 1 x wholemeal muffin
My + 1 tsp spread
My
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130g tin baked beans
Smoothie – 100g frozen
¾ cup All Bran/Sultana 2 x thin slices wholemeal/grain
berries, 100g vanilla yoghurt,
Bran/Guardian/Fibre Plus or toast or
0.25 cup oats, 200ml low fat
other wholegrain flaked cereal 1 x wholemeal muffin
milk
+ 1 cup low fat milk. + 1 tsp spread
(margarine/butter/nuttelex/etc)
Tinned fish ie sardines.
2 x thin slices wholemeal/ grain 2 x thin slices wholemeal/grain
0.5 cup (45g) muesli + 1 cup toast toast or
low fat milk or 175g yoghurt. + 1 tablespoon peanut butter 1 x wholemeal muffin
+ 1 tsp spread
(margarine/butter/nuttelex/etc)
1 x 40g serving of quick oats
French toast – dip bread in egg Omelette – 2 eggs + free
or 0.3 cup Traditional oats
mixture (2 large eggs + 2 thin vegetables, 50g diced ham + 1
+ 1 cup milk
slices wholemeal/grain bread. slice toast.
This is a consensus document from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
Disclaimer: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/disclaimer Developed: June 2019
Copyright: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/copyright-statement Due for review: June 2021
Lunch
Sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups are easy meals to prepare for lunch or to have on
the go. Remember to add plenty of vegetables at lunch!
Choose one option from each column:
Healthy carb Lean Protein Vegetables/salad Healthy Fats
1 x small wholegrain roll -1 slice cheese Aim for >1 cup Olive oil – 2 tsp
2 thin slices wholegrain -0.5 cup cottage Avocado – 0.25
bread cheese medium
1 x wholemeal pita pocket -1 extra large egg Steamed vegetable Butter/margarine – 2
6 wholegrain crispbreads -Tin salmon/tuna 95g bag tsp
ie Vita-Weat -Roast chicken 80g Garden salad Nuts – 15g
6 x thin wholegrain rice (skin off) or non-starchy
thins -Roast beef 80g vegetables
1 x small wrap -Lean ham 80g
0.5 cup cooked -Tofu 80g
rice/pasta/quinoa -Legumes/tinned
1 x medium corn cob beans 0.5cup/100gMy
(100g) My
Nutrition
1 x medium potato cooked
potato (150g) Nutrition
Healthy Lunch Ideas
Roll/sandwich/wrap Tinned/fresh soup with Tinned tuna/sardines/salmon
- Roast beef, mustard + legumes/vegetables with a with salad or on a sandwich.
salad slice of wholegrain toast.
- Boiled egg, low fat
mayo, lettuce
- Tinned Tuna or salmon
and salad
- Ham, cheese and salad
- Roast chicken/turkey
and salad
Pita Pocket pizza Salad - following portions Frozen meal ~1500kJ
above
Ie Garden salad 1.5 cups, corn
0.5 cups,
80g chicken, 0.25 avocado, 0.5
cup brown rice.
This is a consensus document from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
Disclaimer: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/disclaimer Developed: June 2019
Copyright: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/copyright-statement Due for review: June 2021
Dinner
Try to fill half your plate with salad or vegetables every night as per the “Healthy Plate
Guide”. Choose lean meats, and wholegrains.
Healthy carb Lean Protein Vegetables/salad Healthy Fats
0.5 cup cooked 120g lean 1.5 cups 1-2 tsp
carbohydrate meat/vegetarian
Brown rice, quinoa, protein Salad or non-starchy Olive oil, avocado
wholemeal/spelt pasta, vegetables
potato/sweet potato, Skinless chicken, (not including
small cob corn. lamb, beef, pork, tofu, potato/sweet potato or
fish, legumes. corn)
Healthy Dinner Ideas
Stir fry Spaghetti Bolognese Frozen Meal
120g chicken/beef/tofu 120g mince Choose options based on meat
+ 1.5 cups free vegetables + 0.5 cup pasta and vegetables ~1500kJ.
+ 0.5 cup cooked rice. +1.5 cups vegetables or salad.
My
Casserole Grilled meat My
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+ veggies Fish and vegetables
120g lean meat/legumes 120g grilledNutrition
steak/chicken Individual steamed fish,
+ 1.5 cups free vegetables + 1 medium potato/corn/0.5 + microwave brown rice
+ 1 medium potato. cup sweet potato + steamed vegetables.
+ 1.5 cups steamed vegetables
Curry – Fish and Chips Soup + toast
120g lean meat/legumes 120g Grilled fish Tinned/fresh Soup with
+ 0.5 cup rice + baked home-made chips legumes/vegetables with a
+ 1.5 cups free vegetables + 1.5 cups salad slice of wholegrain toast.
Healthy Plate Guide
Lean protein
(~100-120g)
Free
vegetables or
salad
(~1 1/2 cups)
Carbohydrate
Foods
~1/2 to 1 cup
This is a consensus document from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
Disclaimer: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/disclaimer Developed: June 2019
Copyright: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/copyright-statement Due for review: June 2021
Snacks
Choose up to 3 snacks a day from the table below.
Keep healthy snacks at home and prevent having unhealthy choices in your house.
5 x round wholegrain crackers 1 x wholegrain crisp bread Veggie sticks + 1 tbs dip
+ 1 tbs hummus + slice low fat cheese
+ tomato
150-200g Greek yoghurt Baked beans 130g Piece of fruit
1 large or 2 small
1 cup fruit salad 20g nuts Boiled egg
1 cup low fat milk 1 x medium skim 0.5 can (265g)
flat white/latte/cappuccino Hearty vegetable soup
1 x 95g Tin tuna 1 x 20g snack bag of Popcorn 2 x Corn thins
+ 2 tsp peanut butter
Fruit snack tub 140g 3-4 thin slicesMy
of watermelon. 1 slice light cheese
My + 4 round crackers
Nutrition
Nutrition
Drinks
One of the best things you can do for your health is to avoid sugary drinks. Best choices:
• Water
• Sparkling mineral water or soda water
• Tea or coffee
• Herbal tea
For further information contact your Dietitian or Nutritionist:_____________________
This is a consensus document from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
Disclaimer: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/disclaimer Developed: June 2019
Copyright: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/copyright-statement Due for review: June 2021
Meal Plan
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Breakfast
Morning Tea
Lunch
Afternoon Tea
Dinner
Supper
Total kJ
This is a consensus document from Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, "NEMO", team.
Disclaimer: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/disclaimer Developed: June 2019
Copyright: www.health.qld.gov.au/global/copyright-statement Due for review: June 2021
