Oprah On The Real Food Diet

The Real-Food Diet Mix-and-Match Meal Plan
Menu created by Laura Pensiero

Photo: Con PoulosThe versatile templates below can be adapted to whatever seasonal ingredients you have on hand. The risotto, for example, can be made with zucchini and tomatoes in summer, or with radicchio and butternut squash come fall. And next week, substitute whole wheat pasta or polenta for the grains. The idea is that these three days of menus can be expanded into a blueprint for a lifetime of healthy eating.

Note that this plan is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to everything you should consume in a day (beverages, side dishes, and snacks are absent). Talk to your doctor about your particular nutritional requirements and fill in the blanks with the foods he suggests—a snack of yogurt to increase calcium, perhaps, or nuts for protein. And when your sweet tooth acts up, grab the juiciest, ripest fruit you can find. You'll barely miss the cookies, we promise.

Consult each recipe's notes for ideas on seasonal variations.

Breakfast
Day A: Yogurt topped with whole grain granola and seasonal fruit
Day B: Hard-boiled eggs with whole wheat toast
Day C: Toasted whole grain bread with almond or peanut butter and preserves
Lunch
Day A: Hudson Valley Club Sandwich
Day B: Gigi "Skizza" with Arugula Pesto, Ricotta, and Chicken
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Green Salad

Day C: Gigi Barbina Salad
Dinner
Day A: Mixed Grain Risotto with Squash, Tomatoes, and Basil
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Fresh or frozen berries sprinkled with 1 teaspoon sugar

Day B: Portobello Mushroom and Bell Pepper Sloppy Joes

Day C: Biscuit-Topped Chicken and Root Vegetable Stew
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Rustic Fruit Tart