When you diet using Medifast, you can enjoy a healthy lean and green meal that you prepare yourself every day when you follow the 5 and 1 plan. Most Medifast dieters generally choose to have their Lean & Green meal at the dinner time and I always did the same. In fact, I found that I got the best results by sticking to a few basic menu items while dieting. It kept me from worrying about what I was going to eat every day and therefore kept me from thinking about cheating. So here are some quick and easy lean and green menu ideas to help you keep your Medifast diet on track.
Chicken Caesar Salad
I lost over 60 pounds on Medifast and did so by eating chicken Caesar salad about three or four nights a week. It was a quick and easy dinner option that I was able to throw together in about five minutes. Since it was so quick, I didn’t mind making separate meals for my family because I knew I wasn’t going to be spending the whole night in the kitchen.
To make my dinner, I usually used bags of pre-washed romaine lettuce or picked up some Caesar salad kits from Dole when they were on sale. You can cook your own chicken breast and dice it, or you can do what I did: buy prepackaged grilled chicken strips.
For variety, I usually add a little sun-dried tomato and occasionally mushrooms. Or if I had bagged spinach, I would mix my romaine lettuce in with the spinach. You’ll have two cups full of salad greens, so mix them up however you like. Just remember to put down the croutons!
asian stir fry
You can enjoy many stir-fries for your Lean & Green meal, and it can help keep things interesting because you can easily swap out the type of protein you use and the various types of vegetables. For the oil, you can use a small amount of olive oil or try some sesame oil. If you’re using a nonstick pan, a little oil will do the trick.
My favorite vegetables are broccoli, green beans, and some strips of bell pepper and onion. Mushrooms always go into the mix too. Oh, and don’t forget the garlic! Once the oil is hot, you will add the vegetables and stir them constantly. They are ready when the colors become bright. Then add diced and cooked chicken or shrimp and sauté for another minute or two and transfer it all to your plate. You won’t even miss the rice!
Grilled steak and roasted asparagus
I love steak and asparagus together, so this is another lean and green staple for me. For my steak, I use my George Foreman grill. I don’t like to use a lot of the regular marinades that are sold in the supermarket because a lot of them have sugar in them. Instead, I use a beer marinade. A can or bottle of beer, combined with some crushed garlic and some ground pepper and maybe a tablespoon of olive oil will make the meat moist and flavorful while adding negligible calories. The alcohol burns off on its own during cooking, so you don’t need to worry about that either.
For roasted asparagus, I spread my asparagus in a baking dish and then drizzle it with a tablespoon of olive oil or a tablespoon of low-fat dressing (either Italian or Caesar). Then I toss in the asparagus until it’s all evenly covered and put it back on. Grind some black pepper over them on a stick in a 350 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you like them.
So there you have it, my top three basic menus for my lean and green meals on Medifast. All of them are quick and easy to put together and hopefully your family will also enjoy eating them with you from time to time.