Introducing My Gut-Friendly, Balanced ‘What I Eat in a Week Series’
The hardest part about taking care of my gut is deciding what to eat. Navigating my food sensitivities while trying to still have nutritious yet tasty foods has always been hard. While I find the Korean diet to be able to satiate that the best, I know some of my followers don’t have access to East Asian grocery stores. I asked Grandmaster Lim, my source for all things gut health and wellness, to give me a Monday-to-Sunday, breakfast-lunch-and-dinner recipe to guide me through the week. While all of it may not be strictly non-Korean food (there’s still some food that I’m going to buy from a Korean restaurant — I can’t cook all the time!), most of the recipes will still be hopefully helpful.
The meals are thoughtfully created to be balanced, give energy throughout the day, and easy to make, especially if you live alone like me. There are a total of 10 recipes because what I eat on Monday, I’ll have Tuesday too. That way, it gives me a break so that I don’t have to cook everyday and I won’t waste any leftovers living alone!
MONDAY AND TUESDAY MENU
1 Atualfo Mango
2 Golden Kiwis
1 cup of blueberries
2 cups of Fuji apple, diced (aka put the diced apples in a measuring cup and fill it up so it’s 2 cups worth — technically not 2 cups)
1 avocado
2 cups of oats
4 cups of milk of choice
2 slices of whole wheat bread
drizzle of olive oil
garlic powder
Materials: food processor or blender
8 chicken wings
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 cup of soy sauce (optional if you like soy-glazed chicken)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar (optional if you like soy-glazed)
jasmine green tea leaves (optional)
1 tomato
1/2 red onion
1 carrot
1 celery
1 lemon
olive oil
Materials: Air-fryer and small strainer for tea leaves or a tea cup
10 raw shrimp with shell-on, head removed
4 tablespoons of butter unsalted or ghee
4 cloves of garlic and/or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of white glutinous rice (gluten-free)
3 tablespoons of miso
4 cups of water
1 bunch of scallions
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY MENU
sticky glutinous white rice (gluten-free)
3 tablespoons of peanut butter
4 cups of water
3 tablespoons of peanut butter
ginger tea or ginger apple mandarin tea (optional)
pinch of salt
I buy this from a local Korean restaurant, but recipe here from my favorite Korean food bloggers, Maangchi. The ingredients should be easy to find
2 chestnuts
3-4 dates
1 dried persimmon
1/4 cup of white glutinous rice
water
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MENU
Breakfast — Chia Smoothie
2 bananas
14 strawberries
1/3 cup of yogurt
carbonated drink (can be soda)
chia seeds
Lunch — Scallion Onion Rice Porridge
2 scallions
sesame oil
4 cups of water
1 cup of sticky white glutinous rice
salt to taste
Turkeytail mushroom (optional)
Dinner — Garlic Porkbelly
10 garlic cloves
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
black pepper
onion powder
tomatoes
cabbage
SUNDAY MENU
Steak and Salad
6 oz Steak
apple
carrot
beets
tomatoes
Lemon juice
Vinegar
Dijon mustard
Garlic
Brown Sugar
Extra-virgin olive oil
If you’re interested in the above, check out each recipe for step-by-step instructions and detailed explanations as to why the meal is prepared a specific way as well as why certain ingredients were chosen together to create a harmonious, nutritious meal. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on what I eat for my gut health!