Weekly Menu Generator using the USDA Recommendations

To use this form, begin by going to the USDA's My Pyramid website. Plug in your age, gender, and exercise level. Then, fill out the Recommended Intake section below. You will need to scroll down on the My Pyramid page to find the weekly vegetable listings.


Recommended Intake
according to MyPyramid
Grains Daily Vegetables Daily Fruits Daily Milk Daily Meat & Beans Daily
To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product - such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice. It's important to substitute the whole-grain product for the refined one, rather than adding the whole-grain product. Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking in the microwave. Dried fruits also make a great snack. They are easy to carry and store well. Because they are dried, 1/4 cup is equivalent to 1/2 cup of other fruits. Have fat-free or low-fat yogurt as a snack. Boneless skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest poultry choices.
ounces cups cups cups ounces
Dark Green Vegetables Weekly Orange Vegetables Weekly Dry Beans & Peas Weekly Starchy Vegetables Weekly Other Vegetables Weekly
cups cups cups cups cups
Oils Daily Discretionary Calories Daily Calories Daily
teaspoons Calories Calories

Next, you will need to fill in the values for the foods you will eat during the week. To calculate calories, you can look up the values for various products online, at sites like Calorie-Count, if what you are eating doesn't come with a label. If you choose to weigh your food, it is helpful to know that 1 gram = 0.0352739619 ounces. If you don't weigh your food, approximate weights can be found on the My Pyramid site for grains and meats. You can skip sections or days without breaking the program. By default, this program generates code that can be posted in HTML form to an online journal. If you don't want this, make sure to change the setting.


Generate LiveJournal code?
Yes   No  

Snacks

Recipe Title
Recipe Source
Extras

Monday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams

Tuesday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams

Wednesday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams

Thursday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams

Friday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams

Saturday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams

Sunday

Dinner Recipe
Source
Extras
 Breakfast
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Lunch and Snacks
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams
 Dinner
  
Grains ounces
Vegetables
Dark Green Vegetables cups
Orange Vegetables cups
Beans & Peas cups
Starchy Vegetables cups
Other Vegetables cups
Fruit cups
Milk cups
Meat & Beans ounces
Oils teaspoons
Calories  
Fat grams
Protein grams