How to Turn Your 13 Favorite Midwestern Meals into a Weight Loss Diet

Introduction

Recently, my personal training client wanted to ramp up her weight loss efforts. Our first step was to examine her current meal plan (a typical Midwestern diet) and identify healthy alternatives. Take a look… the same meals are probably in your diet, too!!

Quick Swap/General Changes to Your Typical Meals

• Organic ingredients only (more flavor!).

• Reduced sodium for all canned products (less bloatedness!).

• No lard in any of the canned bean products (less of the unnecessary bad fat!).

• Meat (including red meat, white meat, fish, seafood, etc.) should not exceed 25% of any dish (vegan is preferred for ALL 3-4 meals).

• Eliminate cheese or swap it for a SMALL amount of Diya's Chopping Block Cheddar Cheese Shreds. I still hesitate to recommend a cheese substitute because it's highly processed and can trigger cravings (which can be dangerous when the substitute isn't available).

• No butter.

• The portion of vegetables must always be at least twice the size of the meat.
  

Common Meals (and their Healthy Alternatives)

1. Chili mac

   Healthy Alternative: Mexican mix (below) using the taco seasoning recipe (below) with Banza Chickpea Elbows Pasta (boil until el dente, and then quickly rinse with cold water). Meal Ratio: 1/4 ground chicken (2-4 oz), 1/2 veggies, 1/4 pasta.

2. Pizza

   Healthy Alternative: 365 Everyday Value Cauliflower Pizza Crust, 8 oz (frozen), tomato sauce, Diya's Chopping Block Cheddar Cheese Shreds, roasted red bell peppers, fresh garlic cloves, basil.
   

3. Lemon garlic sauce chicken, veggies, and pasta

   Healthy Alternative: 1/4 chicken (2-4 oz), 1/2 veggies, 1/4 Banza Chickpea Penne Pasta (or substitute with boiled and drained cauliflower rice).
   

4. Grilled chicken breast and veggies

   Healthy Alternative: 1/4 chicken (2-4 oz), 3/4 veggies (grilled asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.).
   

5. Grilled cheese

   Healthy Alternative: Whole-grain bread with Diya's Chopping Block Cheddar Cheese Shreds, but this still isn’t a nutrient-dense option alone. Make this a 1/4 of your meal and add veggies for the rest.
   

6. Lasagna

   Healthy Alternative: Mexican mix recipe (below) using the taco seasoning recipe (below). Meal Ratio: 1/4 ground chicken (2-4 oz), 1/2 veggies (beans, corn, sauteed onions, bell peppers), 1/4 El Milagro Corn Tortillas (only ingredients: corn, water, lime).
   

7. Beef chili

   Healthy Alternative: 1 diced medium yellow onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbs tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 cup dry green lentils, 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce, 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles or hot Rotel, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 2 green peppers, 3 tbs of Worcestershire, 1 can of drained kidney beans, and 1 can of drained pinto beans.
   

8. Crockpot BBQ chicken

   Healthy Alternative: Chicken breasts, green pepper strips, sautéed onion strips, diced garlic, and Annie's Original BBQ Sauce. The chicken is only 1/4 of your meal, and veggies for the rest.
   

9. Tuna salad

   Healthy Alternative: Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna Pouch (No Salt), 1 tbs of Real Mayo, 1tsp of Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper seasoning, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, lemon garnish, and 1-2 tsp of diced pickle or relish.
   

10. Chicken casserole (chicken, peas, cream of chicken soup, breadcrumbs)

    Healthy Alternative: Chicken breasts, peas, vegan cashew sauce (https://cookieandkate.com/vegan-mac-and-cheese-recipe/), and oats or quinoa (instead of breadcrumbs). The chicken is only 1/4 of your meal, and veggies for the rest.
    

11. Tacos (chicken, lettuce, cheese, shells)

    Healthy Alternative: Mexican mix using the taco seasoning recipe. Meal Ratio: 1/4 ground chicken (2-4 oz), 1/2 veggies (beans, corn, lettuce, as well as chopped spinach and green peppers marinated in squeezed lime juice), and 1/4 El Milagro Corn Tortillas (only ingredients: corn, water, lime)…no cheese.
    

12. Taco salad (same as above, but in a salad)

    Healthy Alternative: Mexican mix using the taco seasoning recipe. 1/4 Ground chicken (2-4 oz), 3/4 Veggies (beans, corn, lettuce, as well as chopped spinach and green peppers marinated in squeezed lime juice)…no cheese.
    

13. Beef meatloaf

    Healthy Alternative: Ground chicken, diced green peppers, diced sautéed onions and garlic, oats or quinoa (instead of breadcrumbs), Organic Large Omega-3 Brown Grade A Eggs, Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup, and Annie's Original BBQ Sauce…..but this still isn’t a nutrient-dense option alone. Make the meatloaf a 1/4 of your meal and add veggies for the rest.
    

Base recipes

Mexican mix

• 1 lb ground organic chicken breast sauteed with 1 chopped medium onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves

• 2 cans of organic black beans

• 1 can Hot Rotel (or any diced tomatoes)

• 1 can Mexican corn
  

Taco seasoning

• 2 tbs chili powder

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp paprika

• 3 tsp cumin

• 2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp pepper

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About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant

Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of the “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver and other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.

Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Golden, Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, and more.

If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!