3-2-2 and Taste the Rainbow

3-2-2 entrees a week

As part of the "new" My Plate recommendations for daily intake, an emerging theme has developed to address the issue of meal make-up. It is called the 3-2-2 concept: The idea is to serve a lean meat or poultry entrée three days a week, fish entrees on two nights a week, and two nights a week of vegetarian main dishes that include beans, soy or whole grains. Eating dinners along the lines of 3-2-2 emphasizes more plant-based foods. Research concurs that a diet high in plant foods is highly nutritious and can help in weight management while decreasing the risk for many chronic diseases.

The My Plate tool can also help in determining adequate portion sizes without the need for weighing and tediously measuring every meal component. You don't need a measuring cup to determine what a half-cup is if you look at the plate and aim to fill 1/4 of of it with a whole grain or other complex carbohydrate.

If you know that half of your plate should include fruits and veggies, and you look at your plate and don't see any vegetables, then you know something is wrong!

I was feeling a simple stir fry for dinner. I had some leeks from my recent trip to Whole Paycheck and decided to use them instead of my usual onions (leeks are also in the allium family and have similar antimicorbial properties and health benefits as onions). A trick to ensuring that they are dirt-free is to slice them and place them in a bowl of water. The cleaned leeks rise to the top while the dirt settles on the bottom of the bowl. Strain and toss into a sautee pan with my "taste the rainbow" medley: zucchini, yellow pepper, and red cabbage. Spray with olive oil and lightly sautee (I don't care for wilted veggies-- they need some crunch!). Add some garlic powder at the end.

I cooked the cubed chicken breast separately with low sodium soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic powder, and fresh ground pepper. So delicious and colorful-- you know this is good for you :) I also had some leftover brown rice that went unpictured and polished off 3/4 of a mango for dessert . . .I'll just tell Director Doc that there was a moldy piece and that is why I only left him a small sliver.