BuzzFeed Life’s 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge is a healthy, delicious meal plan designed to make you feel great, without making you feel crazy, stressed, or hungry.
There's no processed food allowed—instead there's lots of lean protein, healthy fats, and fresh produce. Every meal is homemade, but don't be scared! There are step-by-step photos to help you with the recipes, and nothing is too difficult for a beginner cook.
It's important that you follow the meal plan in order starting with Day 1 since most of the recipes call for leftover ingredients from previous days. But you can start any time and find full instructions here. Aim to eat every 3-4 hours and try not to eat within two hours of bedtime.
Pomegranate-Pistachio Greek Yogurt Parfait
Makes 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plain, 2% Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Seeds of ½ pomegranate
40 raw pistachios, roughly chopped
PREPARATION
Stir together the yogurt and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Layer the yogurt with the pomegranate seeds and pistachios in a bowl, and serve.
393 calories, 16.8 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 29 g carbohydrate (3.3 g dietary fiber, 22 g sugars), 31 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 87.5 mg sodium
Cucumber, Tofu, and Barley Rice Bowl with Blood Orange Dressing
Makes 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber (from ½ large cucumber)
½ cup cooked barley (leftover from Monday's dinner)
½ recipe roasted tofu (leftover from Sunday's Lunch)
10 raw pistachios (Men: 20), chopped
½ recipe Blood Orange Vinaigrette (leftover from Sunday's Lunch)
PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
If you're packing this lunch to-go: Toss everything together in the morning and store in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to eat.
421 calories, 22.4 g fat (3.8 g saturated fat), 28 g carbohydrate (6.6 g dietary fiber, 3.2 g sugars), 28 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol 672 mg sodium
1 blood orange with 20 raw almonds (Men: 40 almonds).
Cauliflower “Rice” Bowl with Hard-Boiled Egg, Tomato, Scallions, and Goat Cheese
Makes 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
½ recipe Cauliflower rice, see below
2 hard-boiled eggs (Men: 3 hard-boiled eggs), recipe below
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, whites and greens, thinly sliced
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons jarred salsa
PREPARATION
Prepare the cauliflower rice and hard-boiled eggs, recipes below. When everything is ready, put the cauliflower rice in a serving bowl and top with the remaining ingredients.
407 calories, 20.8 g fat, (8 g saturated fat), 26 g carbohydrate (9.4 g dietary fiber, 5.9 g sugars), 29 g protein, 385 mg cholesterol, 635 mg sodium
Cauliflower “Rice”
Makes 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 small head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cored and cut into florets
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons tamari
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
PREPARATION
Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until they're the consistency of rice.(If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the florets with a knife until they're the consistency of rice. Note that this will take much longer and will be messy)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion starts to soften and the garlic is fragrant, about a minute. Add the cauliflower, stir, and let it cook for about a minute. Add the tamari and chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender but still crunchy, about 6 minutes.
Leftovers: Serve half of the cauliflower rice for dinner tonight (recipe above), then cool the leftover half completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
Break the cauliflower into florets and discard the core. Mince the onion and garlic.
Put the cauliflower florets in a food processor, and pulse until they're the consistency of rice.
You'll have some bigger chunks and some small pieces, which is fine.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion starts to soften and the garlic is fragrant.
It'll take about a minute.
Add the cauliflower, stir, and let it cook for about a minute. Add the tamari and chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender but still a little crunchy.
It'll take about 6 minutes.
Eat half of the cauliflower rice for dinner, and save the rest for lunch on Saturday.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Women, cook 3 eggs; Men, cook 5 eggs
PREPARATION
Fill a medium saucepan with a lid with at least 5 inches of water, and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the eggs, one at a time, dropping them in carefully with a spoon so as not to crack the shells. Reduce the heat as low as it will go, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice water. When eggs are done, use a spoon to transfer them, one at a time, into the ice water. Cool 3 minutes, then peel the eggs and serve.
Leftovers: Refrigerate leftover eggs (3 for women; 5 for men) in an airtight container.
Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and carefully drop the eggs in one at a time. Reduce the heat as low as it will go, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
When eggs are done, use a spoon to transfer them to a bowl of ice water. Cool 3 minutes, then peel the eggs. It's easier to peel them underwater.
Store leftover eggs in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freeze 1 blood orange (or 1 small navel orange), peeled, and the seeds from ½ a pomegranate in a small ziploc bag.
Take 8 ounces salmon (Men: 12 ounces) out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.
Ready for Day 5? Get it here.
So, you’re taking the Clean Eating Challenge? We’d love to see how it goes! Post your photos to Instagram or Twitter and tag them #BuzzFeedCleanEating
BuzzFeed Food editors tested the entire Clean Eating Challenge and can vouch for the validity and deliciousness of every recipe. If you have questions about the challenge or any of the dishes, you can email Christine Byrne.