Clean Eating For Beginners: A Simple, Healthy Day of Eating
Clean eating doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, it can be accessible and enjoyable while fitting into your everyday routine. If the idea of clean eating overwhelms you, don’t worry—we’re going to break it down. Today, I’m going to show you how an entire day of nutritious, clean eating can be simple, with just a few ingredients and a minimal time commitment in the kitchen.
A full day of eating clean, from breakfast to dinner, can be done with basic recipes, no fancy ingredients, and maybe less than an hour of actual time spent in the kitchen. Let me walk you through how to make this happen.
The Basics of Clean Eating
For beginners, the concept of clean eating focuses on choosing whole foods that are minimally processed. It’s not about fad diets or strict rules but about nourishing your body with foods that are close to their natural state. Clean eating encourages meals made from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while avoiding excess sugars, refined grains, and overly processed ingredients.
The benefits of clean eating are clear: improved energy, weight management, better digestion, and healthier skin. What’s even better is that clean eating can be easy when you keep the recipes simple and accessible.
The Simplicity of Clean Eating
Think clean eating requires hours in the kitchen or expensive specialty ingredients? Think again. A well-balanced clean eating day can be prepped quickly with items you find in any grocery store. The approach is straightforward: make it easy, make it nutritious, and make sure it tastes good.
Throughout this post, I’ll walk you through simple meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that are not only healthy but easy to prepare. From overnight oats to quinoa bowls and chicken dinners—all these recipes fit perfectly into a busy lifestyle.
Quick and Nutritious Breakfast: Overnight Oats
Breakfast is often the hardest meal for many people to squeeze in. But you can set yourself up for success with overnight oats—one of the easiest clean breakfasts you can make. It requires just a minute of prep the night before and then your breakfast is ready when you wake up.
Ingredients for Overnight Oats
- ¾ cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup of your favorite milk (cow’s milk or any plant-based option, like almond or oat milk)
- Berries of your choice (I like raspberries)
- Optional: A drizzle of maple syrup for added sweetness
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Overnight Oats
- Add the oats to a container: Start by pouring ¾ cup of old-fashioned rolled oats into a sealable container.
- Add your milk: Follow that with ¾ cup of milk—the good news is that any milk works. Whether you’re into almond, soy, or dairy—it all works!
- Refrigerate overnight: Cover your container, and put the oats in the fridge. Let them sit overnight.
- Add toppings in the morning: The next morning, just grab your container and top the oats with fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup. No more skipping breakfast!
Benefits of Overnight Oats
One of the best things about overnight oats is that you can prep them in one minute. The next morning, when time is tight, your breakfast is waiting for you in the fridge. They’re portable too, so if you’re rushing out the door, just take the container and head out. No more fast food breakfasts or unhealthy pastries on the go—just a clean, nutritious option that fills you up and fuels your morning.
Why Prepare Lunch Ahead?
How many times have you grabbed an unhealthy snack or fast food lunch just because you didn’t have a plan? Preparing your lunch the night before is a simple but powerful strategy to avoid making last-minute, regrettable food choices.
Preparing a Quinoa Lunch Bowl
Quinoa bowls are loaded with nutrients and flavors, plus they’re easy to customize. Filled with protein-packed quinoa, veggies, and eggs, this bowl ensures you have a balanced, clean meal ready to go.
Ingredients for the Quinoa Bowl Lunch
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 large fridge-cold eggs
- 1 carrot
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 small handful of parsley
Cooking Quinoa and Eggs
Using an Instant Pot can make this super easy, but if you don’t have one, you can cook quinoa on the stove just as easily.
- Add ingredients to the Instant Pot: Put 1 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water in the pot. Then, place a trivet over the quinoa and add two large fridge-cold eggs. Although you’ll only need one egg for your lunch bowl, cook both eggs to have extra for another day. It’s all about efficiency.
- Set it for one minute: Cook everything on high pressure for one minute, then let the pressure naturally release to avoid overcooking the eggs. When the pin drops, immediately remove the eggs and place them into an ice bath to stop further cooking.
Prepping the Veggies
While the quinoa and eggs cook, it’s time to prep the veggies.
- Peel the carrot and julienne or grate it: A julienned carrot adds a crunchy texture to your bowl. Grating works too if that’s easier.
- Cut the cucumber into slices: Lebanese cucumbers are crisp and refreshing.
- Halve the tomatoes: Grape or cherry tomatoes add vibrant color and a burst of juicy flavor to balance the bowl.
- Chop some parsley: A small handful of parsley adds freshness and a dash of extra nutrients.
Simple Lemon Dressing
Don’t forget a light dressing to pull your bowl together.
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Just put these in a small jar, shake well, and it’s done!
Assembling the Quinoa Bowl
- Layer your quinoa: Once the quinoa is ready, place half of what you cooked into a large sealable container.
- Add the veggies and egg: Top with your julienned carrot, cucumber slices, halved cherry tomatoes, and chopped parsley. Peel one of the hard-boiled eggs and add it to the bowl.
- Store and refrigerate: Keep the bowl in the fridge with the dressing jar next to it. Don’t mix the dressing in until you’re ready to eat so that the veggies remain crisp.
Benefits of the Quinoa Lunch Bowl
This quinoa lunch bowl is as versatile as it is easy. You’re getting protein from both the quinoa and egg, lots of vitamins from the veggies, and healthy fats from the olive oil in your dressing. It’s perfect for keeping you energized through the day, without having to reach for unhealthy snacks.
Simple and Delicious Dinner: Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potatoes
Finally, dinner. You’ve had a full day of clean eating so far, and dinner will be no different. Chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, and green asparagus create a simple yet satisfying meal that won’t take a lot of effort.
Ingredients for Dinner
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small sweet potato
- Green asparagus
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 tsp avocado oil
Prepping Chicken Thighs
Before you cook, grab your chicken thighs and season liberally. This seasoning gives you an explosion of flavor without any over-complicated techniques.
Season both sides with:
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- A dash of black pepper
Set the seasoned chicken aside to absorb the spice mix for a few minutes.
Preparing Sweet Potatoes
Take your small sweet potato, peel it, and slice it into thin, even rounds. Make sure the slices are no more than half an inch thick so that they’ll cook through evenly alongside the chicken.
Cooking Dinner in a Pan
Now, grab a large pan and preheat it over medium heat. Once it’s hot:
- Add avocado oil and let it shimmer (about 2 tsp).
- Place the chicken and sweet potato slices in the pan. Let everything brown for about five minutes per side.
- Once both sides are golden, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan (it’ll help get all the tasty bits off the bottom).
- Add asparagus to the pan, cover it with a lid, and reduce the heat to low. This will steam both your sweet potatoes and asparagus for about 20 minutes until tender.
Finishing Touches
When it’s all ready, plate the chicken, sweet potato slices, and steamed asparagus. Don’t forget the pan juices! Pour them over the dish for an extra punch of flavor.
Benefits of This Dinner Recipe
This dinner doesn’t just taste amazing—it’s also balanced with lean protein, complex carbohydrates from the sweet potato, and fiber-rich green vegetables. And the best part? Almost half of the cooking time is inactive while everything steams, giving you time to relax after a long day.
Time Management in Clean Eating
Clean eating doesn’t mean you have to spend all day in the kitchen. Today’s examples show how you can keep your meal prep time efficient:
- Breakfast: Only 1 minute of prep time the night before
- Lunch: 15 to 20 minutes of active prep
- Dinner: 40 minutes (but only 20 of active cooking)
When you break it down this way, eating clean doesn’t sound so time-consuming, does it?
Integrating Clean Eating into Daily Life
One of the keys to making clean eating part of your long-term routine is setting yourself up for success. Doing this for a few days is great, but the real magic happens when you commit to six weeks. This duration allows you to cement new habits, shift your lifestyle, and make healthier choices effortlessly. After six weeks of making clean eating part of your daily life, it becomes second nature—and you’ll start to notice improvements in everything from energy levels to skin clarity.
Conclusion
It’s clear: clean eating doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor or time. With simple recipes like overnight oats, a quinoa lunch bowl with veggies, and a perfectly seasoned chicken dinner, you’ll be well on your way to making clean eating a part of your everyday life. And if you’re eager to make clean eating part of your routine long-term, check out the Six-Week Clean Eating Mastery Program. It’s designed to help you take control of your eating habits for good.
