A free, flexible 7-day weight-loss meal plan with breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas plus a complete shopping list. All recipes include macros and Weight Watchers points where applicable. This plan is designed to be adaptable — swap recipes, add snacks, extra beverages, coffee, fruit or dessert as needed to meet your goals.
Free 7 Day Healthy Meal Plan (Dec. 22–28)
Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season—whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or simply enjoy the time with family and friends. May your days be filled with peace and good company.
Shopping for a last-minute gift? Consider one of the Skinnytaste cookbooks or the Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner—practical presents for cooks, college students, or anyone starting a weight-loss journey.
If you’re new to these meal plans: I regularly share free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans intended as a guide, offering plenty of wiggle room to add more food, beverages, snacks, desserts or wine. You can swap meals to suit your tastes. Aim for at least 1,500 calories per day depending on your goals, age and weight; this plan provides a baseline you can adjust.
Ultimate Skinnytaste Meal Planner
Get organized with the Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner. It includes weekly tear-out meal-planning grids, a 12-week meal plan, 30 recipes (15 new), and tear-out grocery lists. The planner also features space for gratitude, affirmations and intentions to help you start the week focused and prepared.
Buy the Skinnytaste meal planner here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Indie Bound
With grocery prices on the rise, meal planning is one of the best ways to stay on budget while keeping meals healthy. Meal planning helps you save time and money, reduces waste, and makes it easier to stick to your goals. For more budget-friendly options, explore five-day meal plans and consider a trial of Relish+ for additional resources and meal plan ideas.
Meal Plan
This plan includes breakfasts and lunches Monday–Friday portioned for one person, while dinners and all weekend meals are sized for a family of four. Many recipes yield leftovers that work well for another night or for next-day lunches. The shopping list below is comprehensive and covers everything needed for the full week.
MONDAY (12/22)
B: Mushroom Spinach Scrambled Eggs with one slice whole-grain toast
L: Buffalo Chicken Salad with two tablespoons light blue cheese dressing
D: Lentil Tacos and Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Total Calories: 1,276*
TUESDAY (12/23)
B: Mushroom Spinach Scrambled Eggs with one slice whole-grain toast
L: Buffalo Chicken Salad with two tablespoons light blue cheese dressing
D: Beef Chili with two tablespoons shredded cheese and one tablespoon light sour cream
Total Calories: 1,197*
WEDNESDAY (12/24)
B: Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas and two scrambled eggs
L: Mussels Fra Diavolo, White Bean Crostini and three Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with two tablespoons light blue cheese dressing
D: Homemade Spinach Manicotti and Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts
Total Calories: 1,300*
THURSDAY (12/25)
B: Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Cheese and Veggies and one cup grapes
L: Jalapeño Popper Dip with 12 tortilla chips, Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail and Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushrooms
D: Spiral Ham with Butternut Squash Bake with Goat Cheese and Pistachios and Roasted Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
Total Calories: 1,180*
FRIDAY (12/26)
B: Peanut Butter Breakfast Oatmeal Bowl
L: Turkey Cuban Sandwich
D: Baked Salmon with Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Total Calories: 1,197*
SATURDAY (12/27)
B: Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Sheet Pan Pancakes with one tablespoon maple syrup and half a sliced banana
L: Classic Split Pea Soup with Ham
D: Dinner out
Total Calories: 720*
SUNDAY (12/28)
B: Leftover Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Sheet Pan Pancakes with one tablespoon maple syrup and half a sliced banana
L: One-quarter White Bean Salad
D: Sheet Pan Chicken Scarpariello
Total Calories: 1,313*
*This is a general guide. Many women should aim for around 1,500 calories per day, though individual needs vary. Use an online calorie calculator to estimate personal needs and adjust portions accordingly. The plan allows room to add coffee, beverages, fruit, snacks, dessert or wine.
*Detailed nutritional estimates and macros are available in the linked Google document for this plan.
Shopping list
Produce
- 3 medium ripe plus 4 large underripe bananas
- 1½ pounds seedless red or green grapes
- 1 (6-ounce) container raspberries (or frozen)
- 2 dry pints blueberries (or frozen)
- 6 medium plus 1 large lemons
- 2 small plus 2 medium limes
- 2 medium plus 1 large Navel oranges
- 2 medium Hass avocados
- 2 medium heads garlic
- 6 medium shallots
- 5 large jalapeños
- 1 medium serrano pepper
- 2 medium red bell peppers
- 1 (8-ounce) container sliced white mushrooms
- 5 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1½ pounds whole baby bella (crimini) or white mushrooms
- 5 ounces broccoli florets
- 1 small bunch celery
- 1 small plus 2 large carrots
- 2 small plus 2 medium English cucumbers
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts (or 14 ounces pre-shredded)
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 pounds green beans
- 1 large bunch scallions (about 10)
- Fresh herbs: small bunches of Italian parsley, cilantro, thyme, dill, chives and sage
- 1 small head Romaine lettuce (or baby romaine leaves)
- 1 small head Iceberg lettuce (or small bag pre-shredded)
- 1 (5-ounce) container baby spinach
- 1 (5-ounce) container mixed baby greens
- 2 medium plus 1 large vine-ripened tomatoes
- 1 (1-pound) package Campari tomatoes
- 1 dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 large Vidalia onions
- 3 small plus 1 medium red onions
- 1 small plus 2 medium yellow onions
- 1 container Pico de Gallo (or ingredients to make your own; optional for Lentil Tacos)
Meat, Poultry and Fish
- 1¼ pounds Italian chicken sausage
- 1¼ pound ground chicken
- 1 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast (or 6½ ounces pre-cooked)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
- 3 pounds live mussels (48–50)
- 1 pound large cooked peeled shrimp
- 3 ounces thick-sliced deli turkey
- 1 package center-cut bacon
- 1 (6–8 pound) fully cooked spiral-sliced ham
- 1 (2-pound) whole skin-on side wild salmon
Condiments and Spices
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Avocado or canola oil
- Cooking spray
- Olive oil spray or oil mister
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract
- Mayonnaise, Dijon and yellow mustard
- Frank’s RedHot and other hot sauce (optional)
- Crushed red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar
- Onion and garlic powder
- Ground cloves, chili powder, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika
- Oregano, Italian seasoning, honey
Dairy & Refrigerated Items
- 2½ dozen large eggs
- 1 pint liquid egg whites
- Skim and 1% milk (small containers)
- 1 pint low-fat buttermilk
- Light blue cheese dressing (or ingredients to make your own)
- Unsalted butter, part-skim ricotta, light sour cream
- Whole milk plain Greek yogurt (16-ounce)
- Cream cheese (8-ounce block) and reduced-fat cream cheese
- Shredded part-skim mozzarella (8-ounce + 16-ounce bags)
- Shredded cheddar cheese (8-ounce)
- Goat cheese log, feta, Swiss slices
- Fresh Parmesan wedges (two medium)
Grains*
- 1 medium baguette
- Whole wheat crusty bread (optional for mussels)
- Sliced whole-grain bread
- 1 small sandwich-size French roll (or sliced bread for Cuban sandwich)
- Soft or hard shell corn tortillas
- Package of gnocchi
- Large bag tortilla chips
- Panko and Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
- Unbleached all-purpose and white whole wheat flour
- Quick or old-fashioned oats
- Dry quinoa
Canned and Jarred
- Creamy peanut butter
- Sliced dill pickles
- Roasted red peppers (12-ounce jar)
- Cherry peppers or banana peppers
- Pitted Kalamata and Manzanilla olives
- 2 (29-ounce) cans cannellini beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium black beans
- 2 (25-ounce) jars marinara sauce (or ingredients to make homemade marinara)
- 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 (32-ounce) cartons low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium vegetable broth
Frozen
- 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
Misc. Dry Goods
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Granulated sugar
- 1 (16-ounce) package dry split peas
- Small package dry brown lentils
- Single-serve bottle dry white wine and one light beer (optional for cooking)
- Chia seeds, pecans (about ½ cup), almonds (about 1 tablespoon), shelled pistachios (about 2 tablespoons)
*Gluten-free substitutions are fine if preferred.
For best results, customize portion sizes and snacks to meet your daily calorie goals, and use the shopping list to streamline grocery trips and reduce food waste. Enjoy a balanced, varied week of meals designed to support healthy, sustainable weight loss.