7-Day Whole Food Diet Plan

Get your diet back on track this week with these seven dinners that focus on real, whole food—no ingredients you don’t recognize or processed, high-sugar ingredients. These dinners utilize fresh produce, whole grains and healthy fats and proteins to keep you satisfied and feeling your best.

If you’re feeling like your diet needs a longer healthy reset, join our 30 Days of Whole Foods Challenge.

Day 1

Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

Pictured recipe: Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens

In this healthy salmon dinner, you’ll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features one of our Test Kitchen’s go-to methods for doctoring a can of chickpeas: Spice them up and roast them until crispy.

Day 2

Sheet-Pan Pork & Cherry Tomatoes

Pictured recipe: Sheet-Pan Pork & Cherry Tomatoes

Rutabaga is a root vegetable that tastes like cabbage and turnips got together and had a baby. Start roasting it in the oven first while you prep the tomatoes and pork. As the tomatoes cook, they burst and create a delicious sauce to mix with the balsamic vinegar at the end.

Day 3

Chicken with Tomato-Balsamic Pan Sauce

Pictured recipe: Chicken with Tomato-Balsamic Pan Sauce

Fennel seeds give this tomato and balsamic sauce an extra kick, but if you don’t have them on hand, try using cumin or coriander seeds, or 1 teaspoon of a ground herb or spice. Serve this easy chicken breast recipe with whole-wheat spaghetti or crusty bread to sop up the sauce. Save the unused chicken tenders in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. Once you have enough, thaw them out for another use.

Day 4

Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

Pictured recipe: Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

Give buttery shrimp scampi a healthy update with delicately sweet spaghetti squash. The parsley-flecked squash “noodles” slash calories, add fiber and leave this classic dish still plenty decadent.

Day 5

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Carbonara

Pictured recipe: Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Carbonara

Carbonara, traditionally bathed in eggs, gets a vegan makeover using roasted and pureed butternut squash instead to make it ultra-creamy. A topping of ground almonds, garlic and sage gives it texture and an herby, savory flavor in place of the cheese and bacon.

Day 6

Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Pictured recipe: Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente or just done. To save time on another day, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing so that you’ve got it on hand to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

Meal-Prep Tip: Cook extra chicken tonight for tomorrow’s dinner.

Day 7

Kale Salad with Quinoa & Chicken

Pictured recipe: Kale Salad with Quinoa & Chicken

Toss the cooked chicken into this healthy 5-ingredient salad recipe while it’s still warm to lightly wilt the kale, making it softer and easier to eat. Using store-bought salad dressing saves time, but you could also make your own Mediterranean vinaigrette.