Friday Meal Plan – Fights Cancer Infections and Stress

By the time Friday arrives – everyone in the family is exhausted and excited. The body is exhausted after a whole week of working and exposure to environmental toxins. And the mind is excited as it looks forward to weekend activities that satisfy the soul.

So on Friday you want to cook something that heals the body – fortifies it against damage from cancer and disease  and protects it from infections and hormonal imbalances.

But food for the body must never be cooked by enslaving and chaining the soul. So whatever you cook on Friday – must not keep you in the kitchen for too long – so that you can follow your heart and do what you really want to do.

And all of the above must be kept in mind when you plan the Friday menu

Challenges with planning the Friday menu –

1. The meals of the Friday menu must have healing properties. They must be loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances.
2. It should not take too long to cook the meals – because the body needs rest after the whole work week
3. The meals should have be fun and interesting to set the tone for the weekend.
4. To avoid spending too much time in the kitchen – the snacks included should be made ahead on the weekend

Friday menu breakup

1. A wholesome healing breakfast
2. A hearty 11 am snack
3. A packed tiffin that thrills
4. A strengthening and soothing lunch
5. A resuscitating 4 pm snack
6. A rejuvenating restoring dinner

Weekly meal planning – Day 5 – Friday

This menu is designed by Simran Oberoi Multani with nutritional and parenting inputs from Dr Debmita Dutta

Breakfast – Dal chilla

10 am snack – Fruit salad with seasonal fruits, nuts and seeds

Lunch box – Paneer sandwich

Lunch – Mixed lentils dal with whole wheat ragi roti

Evening snack – Baked nippattu

Dinner – Keema and dal kebab with Biryani

Also read Monday menu , Tuesday menu  and Wednesday menu, Thursday menu

The features on the Friday Menu

1. The carbohydrates in the meals come from different sources
2. Every meal is loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances
3. The recipes are loaded with fiber to clean out the gut
4. The meal are loaded with high quality protein
5. Three different fat sources have been included in the menu
6. The meals are designed to heal the body, replenish the probiota of the gut and repair the cells that have been damaged through the week by wear and tear and exposure to toxins.
7. One key ingredient is used to make the meals interesting and easy to cook.

Also read How To Plan A Balanced Diet For Your Child :10 Tips

The theme for the Friday menu

The key ingredient for Friday is a mixture of yellow and green moong dal. The moong dal is rich in antioxidants and high quality proteins that efficiently repair the cells of the body in preparation for the indulgences of the weekend and the stresses of the week ahead. Very little cooking is involved but the meals turn out absolutely delicious because of the recipe and menu design.

Recipes for Friday

Breakfast

Dal  Chilla ( Mix of Green and Yellow Moong)

Ingredients  

Green   moong    1 cup

Yellow moong     1 cup

Chopped onions   ½ cup

Chopped coriander   ¼ cup

Ginger garlic paste   1 tsp

Ghee for shallow frying

Salt    1 tsp each.

Turmeric    1 tsp each.

Red chilly Powder   1 tsp each.

Method –

1. Presoak the dals overnight
2. Next morning grind them finely
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well.
4. Make the cheela like you will make a dosa
5. Add a bit of ghee
6. Put a ladle of the batter on the pan
7. Allow it to cook well
8. And then flip to cook on the other side.

11 AM snack

Fruit salad with mixed seasonal fruits – peeled chopped and mixed with nuts and seeds

Lunch box

Paneer Sandwich

Ingredients

Paneer crumbled well   1 cup

Bread slices

Chopped onions   ½  cup

Bell pepper chopped    ¼ cup

Salt and black pepper    to  taste.

Method-

1. Mix the paneer
2. Onions, Bell pepper, Salt and pepper well.
3. Fill it in between 2 slices of bread.
4. Toast it lightly on the pan
5. And eat.

You can add any other   seasoning or even a touch of grated veggies like carrots.

Lunch

Mixed Lentils Dal (just add a more dal to the mixed presoaked ones already)

Ingredients

Gingelly/ Groundnut oil  2 tbsp

Jeera    1 tbsp

Chopped onions   1/2 cup

Chopped tomatoes   ½ cup

Ginger, Garlic paste   1 tbsp

Dried red chilly (optional)    1

Asafoetida or Hing   1/4 tsp

Moong Dal  ( Yellow, Green, or a mix )    1 cup

Chana   1 cup

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder   1/4 teaspoon

Fresh coriander

Method-

1. Put the dals in a pressure cooker.
2. Add a bit of the oil,
3. Then sauté the onions and tomatoes,
4. Until they lose their rawness.
5. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute.
6. Then add the daals,
7. Followed by about 3-4 cups water, salt, turmeric powder
8.   And cook the dals until they are done.
9. This should be within 3-4 whistles.
10. Then heat the remaining oil in a pan,
11. Add asafoetida and jeera.
12. Add this to the cooked dal and mix well.
13. Cook for a couple of minutes, add coriander and serve.

 Whole Wheat – ragi roti    –

Ingredients

Regular whole wheat atta

With  ragi flour  2-3 tbsp

Make the dough as you usually do

And then the chapattis.

4 PM snack

Baked Nippattu(with besan, ural dal and rice flour)

Ingredients

Besan      1  cup

Rice flour    2 tbsp

Ural dal ( grind finely)     2 tbsp

Curry leaves chopped finely      a few

Red chilly powder or paprika     1 tsp

Salt    as per taste

Chopped onions     ½   cup

Hot water to mix

Oil     1  tbsp

Dessicated coconut   1 tsp

Method-

1. Mix all the ingredients well
2. And then slowly add the hot water
3. To bring the dough together.
4. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes
5. Then cut into small discs
6. And bake on a greased baking tray for 10-15 minutes until crisp
7. At 180 degrees C.
8. Cool off and store in air tight container.

Dinner

Biryani  

Ingredients

Basmati or any other rice you prefer   1 ½ cup

Water as per instruction

Chopped onions   ½

Ghee to caramelize the onions

Bay leaf   1

Elaichi   2 big

Small stick of cinnamon   1

Salt as per your requirement

Homemade biryani  masala,

Haldi powder   1tsp

You can add precooked chicken (meat of your choice) / eggs or veggies to it.

Method-

1. Fry the onions in the ghee to caramelize them.
2. Presoak the rice and keep it ready.
3. Add the bay leaf and sauté.
4. Then add the rice,
5. Pour water
6. Add the rest of the ingredients
7. And allow it to cook slowly.
8. The biryani masala should be added just before you are about to switch off the flame.

Homemade biryani masala –

Method-

1. In a tawa lightly roast
2. Jeera 1 tbsp
3. Dhaniya seeds  1tbsp
4. Black peppercorns ½  cup
5. Fennel / saunf   1 tbsp
6. Big elaichi    2-3 big
7. Small elaichi    2-3 l
8. Cloves 2-3
9. Cinnamon 1  small stick
10. Dry grind in a grinder all the above.

This powder can be made and kept in a bottle.

Keema and Dal Kebab ( use the presoaked dal mix that as used for the dal chilla)

 Ingredients

Dal mix   1/2 cup

Chicken mince or keema   1 cup

Homemade garam or goda masala    1tbsp

Red chilly powder    1 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste    1tsp

Salt as per your preference

Jeera powder    1 tbsp

Chopped onions    ½ cup

Chopped fresh coriander    ¼ cup

Besan    1tbsp

Method –

1. Cook the dal until it is half done.
2. Add it to the mince and mix well.
3. If you want a smooth mix
4. You can put it in the mixer.
5. Add the spices.
6. Add the onions and coriander
7. And then the besan.
8. If it seems too wet, add a bit more of the besan.
9. Make kebab shapes
10. And keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
11. Shallow fry them in olive oil until the chicken cooks through.
12. Serve hot.