7-Day Summer Meal Plan to Get Back on Track Post Vacation

Summer vacation often means a diet of restaurant meals, ice cream, margaritas and fried seafood. It's delicious and should be enjoyed! But often many of us are craving a sense of normalcy (and vegetables!) in our post-vacation meals. In this 7-day plan, we focus on simple recipes that are a snap to prepare, so you can ease back into your routine. The goal is to get back into home-cooked meals without a ton of effort—because the harder something is to do, the harder it will be to stick with it—while enjoying the best flavors of summer.

Vacations are for trying new foods, mixing things up and indulging a bit. While we don't recommend an extreme shift towards restriction, we recognize that many people follow meal plans for weight loss. To promote a healthy and more sustainable weight loss, we set the calorie goal at 1,500 calories a day. For those with different calorie needs, we included modifications for 1,200 and 2,000 calories per day.

Strategies to Get Back on Track Post-Vacation:

• Reframe: Avoid the mindset of restricting to go on vacation ("I want to fit into my shorts") and punishing yourself for indulging when you return ("I was so bad!"). It's normal to eat a little differently on vacation and that's part of the fun! Enjoy meals with your family and friends without guilt.
• Moderation: In the same light, try to avoid the mentality of restricting when you're home and going totally crazy on vacation. Practice mindful eating and take a moment to think about what you really want to enjoy on vacation. For some of us, brunch is everything. For others, dinner or fun drinks are on the menu. If vacation sweets are your favorite, aim to eat more healthfully for your other meals. We want to avoid the mentality of eating whatever just because we're on vacation, then eating no treats when we're at home.
• Exercise: Whether you walk on the beach, kayak on the lake or explore new areas on your bike, fitting in some exercise on vacation is a great way to keep your body moving while seeing the sites.
• Hydrate: When we're on vacation or whenever we are thrown off our routine, hydration seems to be the first to go. Keep a water bottle with you and aim to stay hydrated as much as possible.
• Plan Ahead: Planning ahead is they key to staying on track. When you're traveling, pack healthy road trip snacks and picnics for the beach. Once you're home, plan your meals ahead of time, pack lunches for the week and have some simple breakfasts on hand. In this plan, we included a grocery list to help jump start your routine.

Get the Printable Shopping List Here!

How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals:

1. Make Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad to have for lunch on Days 2 through 5.

Day 1

Breakfast (264 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup blackberries
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds

A.M. Snack (156 calories)

• 1 cup raspberries
• 12 dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Lunch (381 calories)

• 1 serving Cucumber Turkey Sub Sandwich
• 1 medium peach

P.M. Snack (200 calories)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Dinner (484 calories)

• 1 serving Greek Salmon Bowl

Daily Totals: 1,486 calories, 105 g protein, 110 g carbohydrate, 31 g fiber, 73 g fat, 1,133 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Omit the almonds at the A.M. snack and change the P.M. snack to 1 plum.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to breakfast, increase to 35 almonds at the P.M. snack plus add 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast to dinner.

Day 2

Breakfast (293 calories)

• 1 serving Apple & Peanut Butter Toast

A.M. Snack (59 calories)

• 1 medium peach

Lunch (374 calories)

• 1 serving Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad

P.M. Snack (231 calories)

• 30 dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Dinner (542 calories)

• 1 serving Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame
• 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast

Daily Totals: 1,500 calories, 61 g protein, 97 g carbohydrate, 30 g fiber, 100 g fat, 1,687 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Reduce to 15 almonds at the P.M. snack and omit the Everything Bagel Avocado Toast at dinner.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Increase to 2 servings Apple & Peanut Butter Toast at breakfast plus add 1 cup edamame, in pods, to the A.M. snack.

Day 3

Breakfast (264 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup blackberries
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds

A.M. Snack (200 calories)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Lunch (374 calories)

• 1 serving Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad

P.M. Snack (249 calories)

• 20 dry-roasted unsalted almonds
• 1 medium apple

Dinner (418 calories)

• 1 serving Greek Summer-Squash Grilled Pizza

Daily Totals: 1,505 calories, 90 g protein, 131 g carbohydrate, 28 g fiber, 74 g fat, 1,436 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change the A.M. snack to 1 plum and omit the almonds at the P.M. snack.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1 slice wheat toast with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to breakfast, add 1 medium peach to the A.M. snack and add 1 serving Guacamole Chopped Salad to dinner.

Day 4

Breakfast (293 calories)

• 1 serving Apple & Peanut Butter Toast

A.M. Snack (200 calories)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Lunch (374 calories)

• 1 serving Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad

P.M. Snack (131 calories)

• 1 large pear

Dinner (487 calories)

• 1 serving Grilled Caprese Chicken
• 1 serving Cucumber & Avocado Salad

Daily Totals: 1,486 calories, 85 g protein, 106 g carbohydrate, 29 g fiber, 81 g fat, 1,481 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change the A.M. snack to 1 plum and change the P.M. snack to 1/2 cup sliced cucumber.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Increase to 2 servings Apple & Peanut Butter Toast at breakfast and add 1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds to the P.M. snack.

Day 5

Breakfast (264 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup blackberries
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds

A.M. Snack (131 calories)

• 1 large pear

Lunch (374 calories)

• 1 serving Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad

P.M. Snack (206 calories)

• ¼ cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Dinner (526 calories)

• 1 serving Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Penne Pasta
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 1 serving Citrus Vinaigrette

Daily Totals: 1,502 calories, 73 g protein, 127 g carbohydrate, 30 g fiber, 83 g fat, 1,296 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change the A.M. snack to 1/2 cup sliced cucumber and change the P.M. snack to 1 plum.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 20 almonds to the P.M. snack and add 1 whole avocado, sliced, to the salad at dinner.

Day 6

Breakfast (293 calories)

• 1 serving Apple & Peanut Butter Toast

A.M. Snack (187 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup blueberries

Lunch (352 calories)

• 1 serving Salmon-Stuffed Avocados
• 1 medium peach

P.M. Snack (265 calories)

• ¼ cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds
• 1 medium peach

Dinner (414 calories)

• 1 serving Quinoa Avocado Salad

Daily Totals: 1,511 calories, 75 g protein, 126 g carbohydrate, 32 g fiber, 85 g fat, 996 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Omit the yogurt at the A.M. snack and reduce to 12 almonds at the P.M. snack.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Increase to 2 servings Apple & Peanut Butter Toast at breakfast, add 4 Tbsp. slivered almonds to the A.M. snack plus add 1 plum to dinner.

Day 7

Breakfast (264 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup blackberries
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds

A.M. Snack (206 calories)

• 1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Lunch (352 calories)

• 1 serving Salmon-Stuffed Avocados
• 1 medium peach

P.M. Snack (131 calories)

• 1 large pear

Dinner (552 calories)

• 1 serving Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing
• 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast

Daily Totals: 1,505 calories, 92 g protein, 114 g carbohydrates, 37 g fiber, 84 g fat, 1,278 mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change the A.M. snack to 1 plum and change the P.M. snack to 1/2 cup sliced cucumber.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to breakfast and add 40 dry-roasted unsalted almonds to the P.M. snack.