Here's a minimal meal plan for lockdown days

Do not let the monotony of a lockdown routine bring you down. Instead, use this opportunity to rework your schedule to include some activities that make you happy and active. One sure-shot way to keep yourself on top of your game is to indulge in a healthy and interesting diet. If you have started losing count of days, follow this weekly menu to keep your mind and body on track. Most of these recipes are extremely simple to execute and few will test your culinary skills, but the end result will always be a happy tummy!

We have deliberately excluded evening snacks because there lesser physical burnout during lockdowns and a three-time meal should more than suffice to keep you full. This plan also excluded any non-vegetarian dishes because of the availability of fresh meat or poultry and also because minimalism is the key during these times.

MONDAY

Breakfast: Rava pancakes – A healthy start to your day and week

Lunch: Masala egg fry – Make up for the lack of meat by including eggs in your diet

Dinner: Biryani kanji – Another dish to make you not miss regular favourites

TUESDAY

Breakfast: Poha – An all-india favourite, poha is simple to make and light on stomach

Lunch: Mint rice – This refreshing dish will save you the trouble of making multiple curries. Enjoy it with plain curd or raita.

Dinner: Beetroot paratha – Use wheat or multigrain flour to make this recipe healthier.

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast: Overnight oats – Oats are probably the simplest breakfast dish next to cereal. Just soak them in milk/yoghurt overnight for a twist.

Lunch: Soy chunks curry – Another delicious substitute for meat dishes.

Dinner: Valluvanadan cheera curry – Becauuse you can never skip leafy greens from your diet.

THURSDAY

Breakfast: Vermicelli upma – For a change, give the rava a rest.

Lunch: Koottu curry – With a mix of ingredients, koottukari will make a filling lunch.

Dinner: Vazhapindi-dal rice – Include proteins in your diet with dal dishes like these.

FRIDAY

Breakfast: Sweet potato dish – Start your day on an energetic note with this dish.

Lunch: Tomato egg rice – Give your regular tomato rice by adding eggs to make it delicious and filling.

Dinner: Pumpkin-carrot sabzi for roti – Give the rice intake a break by eating rotis/chappathis for dinner.

SATURDAY

Breakfast: Ramassery idli – Why not try the famous idli variety while at home?

Lunch: Butter garlic rice – Take a break from spice overload and go for a simple yet flavourful dish.

Dinner: Kothu idiyappam – Reuse breakfast leftovers as much as you can.

SUNDAY

Breakfast: Egg dosa – Why not make a regular breakfast item more filling and tasty?

Lunch: Cauliflower fried rice – This keto recipe is for when you want to eat rice but are too tired of eating rice!

Dinner: Chickpeas salad – This salad is a blessing in disguise when you want to make comfort food for a relaxing Sunday.