The NBRP Weekly Plan
Change this around as you need, this is a guide for you to pick and choose from. Most meals are vegetarian so add meat in where and when you would like to.
For this plan, we are trying to reduce our intake of carbs such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta. If you track your food using My Fitness Pal, you will see that carbs are everywhere in food and we can actually still get a good intake a carbs without having the bread, rice, potatoes and pasta.
Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms.
Lunch: Chickpea and Tuna Salad
- Add the lemon zest to a large bowl with the pepper, and an optional tbsp / dash olive oil.
- Next, add the red onion, tomatoes and cucumber, mix well and leave to infuse for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and tuna, and fold in gently so everything is coated with the dressing.
- Finally, toss in the salad leaves and divide between two lunch boxes, packed with a lemon wedge to squeeze over before eating.
- Salmon or prawns make a good alternative to tuna. For a vegan version, try pieces of marinated tofu.
Dinner: Burton's King prawn, Kale and Aubergine Curry
1 red onion and 1 aubergine cut into chunks - sautéed with olive oil or 1 cal spray with 1 clove of garlic chopped - sprinkle in 2 teaspoons of mixed curry spices or whatever you have in ( cumin / paprika / curry powder etc ) add 100 ml of water and simmer for a few mins . Add chopped cherry tomatoes and stir - add more water if needed now add fresh kale and king prawns and simmer until kale wilted and prawns 
have turned pink . Don’t over cook else prawns go tough and shrink . Recipe donated by Karen Burton. ( (serves 2)
Tuesday
Breakfast: Protein Shake
Lunch: Courgette & quinoa-stuffed peppers
4 red peppers, 1 courgette , quartered length way and thinly sliced, 2 x 250g packs ready-to-eat quinoa, 85g feta cheese , finely crumbled, handful parsley , roughly chopped (serves 2)
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut each pepper in half through the stem, and remove the seeds. Put the peppers, cut-side up, on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season well. Roast for 15 mins.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small frying pan, add the courgette and cook until soft. Remove from the heat, then stir through the quinoa, feta and parsley. Season with pepper.
- Divide the quinoa mixture between the pepper halves, then return to the oven for 5 mins to heat through. Serve with a green salad, if you like.
Dinner: Courgette, feta and mint frittata (2 medium courgettes, grated; handful fresh mint leaves, chopped, 1 small onion, finely chopped, salt and pepper, glug of olive oil, 8 eggs, pinch of cayenne pepper). (serves 2)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Breakfast egg wraps
Ingredients: 250g closed cup mushrooms, 2 tsp extra virgin oil / coconut oil / rapeseed oil, 150g cherry tomatoes , halved, or 4 tomatoes, cut into wedges, 4 tbsp porridge oats (40g), 5 eggs, 1 tsp English mustard, generous handfuls parsley. (serves 2)
- Thickly slice the mushrooms. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the mushrooms, stir briefly then fry with the lid on the pan for 6-8 mins. Stir in half the tomatoes then cook 1-2 mins more with the lid off until softened.
- Beat together the eggs really well with the parsley and oats. Heat a drop of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Pour in a ¼ of the egg mix and fry for 1 min until almost set, flip over as if making a pancake.
- Tip from the pan, spread with a quarter of the mustard, spoon a ¼ the filling down the centre and roll up. Now make a second wrap using another ¼ of the egg mix and filling.
Lunch: Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Soup
1 red onion , cut into 8 wedges, 300g carrot , cut into 2cm chunks, 300g parsnip , cut into 2cm chunks, 300g peeled butternut squash , cut into 2cm chunks , 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp ras el hanout, 1 ½ tbsp olive oil, 1.3l hot vegetable stock. - 6 tbsp Fat Free Greek-style yogurt and 1 tbsp finely chopped mint, to serve (optional). (serves 3-4)
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip all the vegetables and the garlic into a roasting tin. Sprinkle over the ras el hanout and some seasoning, drizzle over the oil and give everything a good stir. Roast for 30-35 mins, turning the vegetables over halfway, until they’re tender and starting to caramelise a little.
- Transfer the roasted veg to a large saucepan, pour over the hot stock and simmer for 5 mins. Purée the soup in a food processor, or in the pan with a hand blender, until smooth, then ladle into a flask for work. If eating at home, serve with a dollop of yogurt, a scattering of mint and a grinding of black pepper.
Dinner: Mexican Bean Burgers and Salad
Ingredients: 2 x 400g/14oz cans kidney beans rinsed and drained, , 2 tsp mild chilli powder, small bunch coriander, stalks and leaves chopped, 1 egg, 200g tub fresh salsa, 150ml fat free greek yogurt, juice ½ lime. (6 burgers)
Heat grill to high. Tip the beans into a large bowl, then roughly crush with a potato masher. Add the chilli powder, coriander stalks and ½ the leaves, egg and 2 tbsp salsa, season to taste, then mix together well with a fork.
Divide the mixture into 6, then wet your hands and shape into burgers. (The burgers can now be frozen.) Place on a non-stick baking tray, then grill for 4-5 mins on each side until golden and crisp. To cook from frozen, bake at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for 20-30 mins until hot through.
While the burgers are cooking, mix the remaining coriander leaves with the yogurt, lime juice and a good grind of black pepper. Serve the buns with salad leaves, avocado, onion, a burger, a dollop of the lime yogurt and some salsa, then serve.
Thursday
Breakfast: Protein Shake
Lunch: Easy ratatouille with poached eggs
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, chopped, 1 red or orange pepper , deseeded and thinly sliced, 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped, 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1 aubergine , diced, 2 courgettes , diced, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 4 large eggs, handful basil leaves. (serves 2 -4)
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, pepper, garlic and rosemary, then cook for 5 mins, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened. Add the aubergine and courgettes, then cook for 2 mins more.
Add the tomatoes, then fill the can with water, swirl it around and tip into the pan. Bring to the boil, cover, then simmer for 40 mins, uncovering after 20 mins, until reduced and pulpy.
Stir the vinegar into the ratatouille, then make 4 spaces for the eggs. Crack an egg into each hole and season with black pepper. Cover, then cook for 2-5 mins until set as softly or firmly as you like. Scatter over the basil and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Dinner: Bean Stew
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil. 1 onion , thinly sliced, 1 red pepper , thinly sliced, 2 garlic cloves , crushed. 3 tbsp red chilli , sundried tomato pesto or vegan alternative, 1 heaped tsp ground coriander, 400g can mixed beans , drained and rinsed, 400g can chopped tomatoes. ½ small bunch of coriander , finely chopped - optional 1 x aubergine (serves 4)
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper, along with a pinch of salt and fry for 10 mins or until softened. Add the garlic, pesto and ground coriander, and cook for 1 min. Tip in the beans and tomatoes along with ½ can of water, then bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 mins.
- Add the remaining oil to a separate frying pan over a medium heat. Slice the aubergine. Fry the aubergine slices for 2 mins on each side or until golden brown.
- Taste the beans for seasoning, then spoon into deep bowls. Scatter over the chopped coriander.
Friday
Breakfast: Veggie sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes.
Lunch:
Dawson’s tuna salad!
Dinner:Veggie Protein Chilli
1 tbsp olive oil, ½ onion , finely chopped, ½ red chilli , finely chopped, 1 garlic clove , finely chopped, 1 small sweet potato , peeled and cut into chunks, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp cinnamon, 400g can mixed beans, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 1 lime , juiced, to serve - cauliflower rice , to serve. (serves 4)
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, chilli and garlic and cook without colouring for 1-2 mins. Tip in the sweet potato, spices and some seasoning, then pour in the beans and chopped tomatoes. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan, then bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer.
- Cook for 45-50 mins or until the sweet potato is soft and the sauce has reduced – add some water if the sauce looks a bit thick. Stir through the lime juice, season to taste and serve with cauliflower rice.
To make the cauliflower rice:
Ingredients: 1 medium cauliflower, good handful coriander , chopped, cumin seeds , toasted (optional)
Cut the hard core and stalks from the cauliflower and pulse the rest in a food processor to make grains the size of rice. Tip into a heatproof bowl, cover with cling film, then pierce and microwave for 7 mins on High – there is no need to add any water. Stir in the coriander. For spicier rice, add some toasted cumin seeds.
Saturday
Breakfast: Protein Shake
Lunch: Veggie Protein Chilli
Dinner: Mustardy salmon with beetroot & lentils
Ingredients: 2 salmon fillets, 250g pouch ready-cooked puy lentils, 250g pack ready-cooked beetroot - cut into wedges, 1 small pack dill , roughly chopped, 1-2 tbsp capers, ½ lemon , zested and cut into 2 wedges to serve, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, ½ tsp honey, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds , toasted - rocket , to serve (optional) optional 2 tbsp crème fraîche. (serves 2)
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix together 1 tbsp oil, the mustard, honey and some seasoning. Put the salmon fillets on a baking tray and spread the honey and mustard mixture all over. Tip the lentils and beetroot into a casserole dish, toss with the remaining oil and season well. Put both in the oven for 10 mins until the salmon is cooked through.
- Stir the crème fraîche, dill, capers and lemon zest through the lentils. Serve alongside the salmon with the pumpkin seeds scattered over and lemon wedges for squeezing, with a rocket salad on the side, if you like.
Sunday
Breakfast: Poached Eggs, Avocado and Roasted Tomatoes
Lunch: Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Soup
1 red onion , cut into 8 wedges, 300g carrot , cut into 2cm chunks, 300g parsnip , cut into 2cm chunks, 300g peeled butternut squash , cut into 2cm chunks , 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp ras el hanout, 1 ½ tbsp olive oil, 1.3l hot vegetable stock. - 6 tbsp Fat Free Greek-style yogurt and 1 tbsp finely chopped mint, to serve (optional). (serves 3-4)
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip all the vegetables and the garlic into a roasting tin. Sprinkle over the ras el hanout and some seasoning, drizzle over the oil and give everything a good stir. Roast for 30-35 mins, turning the vegetables over halfway, until they’re tender and starting to caramelise a little.
- Transfer the roasted veg to a large saucepan, pour over the hot stock and simmer for 5 mins. Purée the soup in a food processor, or in the pan with a hand blender, until smooth, then ladle into a flask for work. If eating at home, serve with a dollop of yogurt, a scattering of mint and a grinding of black pepper.
Dinner: Roast
NBRP 7 Day Plan
This plan has been created with some input of our Infinite Balance member's when reducing foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes from their diet.
Additional Info...
Taking white bread and white potatoes, as well as white rice and white pasta, out of your diet can be helpful for weight loss. Because of the way your body processes these four foods, they can lead to cravings for carbohydrates, also called sugars. By eliminating them, you decrease food cravings, making it easier to eat less and lose weight.
The main problem with white rice, bread, pasta and potatoes is that they trigger a cycle of food craving. After you eat them, they release a sudden spike of sugar in your bloodstream. Your body responds to that extra sugar by releasing insulin. Insulin is a hormone your pancreas makes that allows sugar to enter your cells, lowering the amount of sugar in your blood.
Because your blood sugar level goes up quickly after eating these foods, your body may release more insulin than it really needs. The extra insulin causes blood sugar to then drop lower than normal. When your body senses low blood sugar, you crave more carbohydrates. When you eat them, they once again raise your blood sugar, starting the cycle over. The result of this process is that you eat more food, more often.
In addition, as you eat more of these foods, your body needs to process all the extra sugar. Although some sugar is burned off as energy, most is converted into fat, leading to weight gain.
To get beyond the cycle of food cravings, have a go at completely avoiding white bread, white rice, white pasta and potatoes for two weeks. After that, you can introduce them back into your diet in smaller, reasonable amounts.
Those two weeks can be hard because your body will have strong cravings for these foods. But during that time, the cravings should gradually decrease. Eating plant-based proteins such as nuts, beans and lentils can help. Lean meat and fish also can be good sources of healthy protein to include in your diet instead of rice, pasta, bread and potatoes.
Keep in mind, too, that the whole-grain alternatives of some of these foods can be healthy options if you eat them in moderation and keep portion sizes reasonable. Whole grains have not had the bran and germ removed through milling. Whole grains can be single foods, such as brown rice and popcorn, as well as ingredients in other products, such as whole wheat in bread.
Although avoiding white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes can be a useful step toward weight loss, it should be done as part of a healthy program that includes a balanced diet, along with exercise.