We've all been told to "eat more veggies," but it can be a daunting task, especially for families with young children or picky eaters. Vegetables give us fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, they're low in fat and calories and some even protect us from certain cancers. So, here's twelve ways to increase your veggie count each and every day!
1. Add some baby spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms and/or onions to your morning omelette. Top with fresh salsa and diced avocado.
2. Tear some Romaine lettuce leaves into a large bowl, fill with sliced carrots, diced bell peppers, avocado, add a lean protein like tuna, grilled chicken breast, hard-boiled egg, or Organic turkey slices.
3. Try one new veggie for dinner every week. Don't know how to cook a beet, or are you perplexed by artichokes? Ask your farmer at the market or ask your grocer how to prepare a particular vegetable. You could "Google" Brussel Sprouts and get 3 million results (my fave way to eat those is roasted!). Check out You Tube for videos on how to cut and prepare almost anything!
4. Shred them! Kids especially won't turn their nose up to Zucchini bread and fun veggie fritters. Play around with different veggies like shredded zucchini, squash, or potatoes and make little fritters.
5. Don't forget snacking! Veggies make great snacks too. Set out a variety of carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, sweet bell pepper strips, broccoli, and celery and let your kids try them all. Serve with hummus or ranch dip.
6. Make a fun new chip - Kale Chips! Just tear the leaves onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with some EVOO, sea salt and pepper (or red pepper flakes for a kick) and bake on 350 degrees for 10-15 min.
7. Try juicing! Play around with different veggies to juice like, cucumber, spinach, kale, beet greens, apple, and carrots. Create new combos every day and have some juice for a great afternoon pick-me-up.
8. Skip the fries at a restaurant and order an extra serving of veggies.
9. When planning your dinner, skip the rice or potatoes and add an extra veggie. A nice filet of fish or chicken is great with a serving of broccoli and a kale salad.
10. When making a sandwich, pile it high with lettuce, sliced cucumber, tomato, avocado, sprouts, and smaller portions of protein. The "crunch" is so satisfying!
11. Make it easy for you to access your veggies. When you get home from your weekly shopping trip, wash and cut your veggies for your meals that week. That way they are ready for nights when you are rushed and don't have a lot of time to prep.
12. Add them to soups, casseroles, lasagna, enchiladas, burritos and tacos.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Our Voices Are Being Heard!!
Last month, several grocery store chains agreed to pull the now infamous "pink slime" from their shelves. McDonald's also agreed to stop making their "burgers" with the ammonia-laden product as well as other fast food chains. For those who don't know, Pink Slime is ground beef containing what the meat industry calls "lean, finely textured beef." The low-cost filler is made from fatty meat scraps that are heated to remove most of the fat, then treated with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Yum! And hopefully they will never be able to add it back in considering the company manufacturing the stuff, Beef Products Inc., is closing three of its four factories.
Campbell's Food also agreed to remove BPA (a hormone-disruptor) from the lining of their cans. I'm not sure what they are replacing it with, but it doesn't matter to me, I still won't buy their sodium-laden soups. I prefer the real thing!
Now General Mills has reformulated its Yoplait Trix yogurt to remove artificial colors, artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup. It's a step in the right direction, but the product is still loaded with sugar, which is the contributing factor to 1/3 of children in the US being overweight. I just saw an ad in a magazine for All-Natural CoffeeMate Creamer. I don't know what's in this newer version, but the regular stuff is basically poison in a bottle. More and more companies are hearing our voices and seeing our choices in the form of reduced sales!! We are hitting them where it hurts and this makes me very happy. It's something I have been fighting for the past two years, since beginning this food journey. If our food is healthier, then we don't have to become expert label readers and scientists just to understand what's in our food.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of work to be done. We still need to remove genetically-modified organisms, artificial colors and dyes (like the rest of Europe), MSG and chemical preservatives. We are working on removing trans-fats, but they still linger in the form of partially-hydrogenated oils.
We need to remove pthalates' and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals’ ubiquity in kids’ products like plastic toys and snack food packaging. If pink slime teaches us anything, it’s that Big Ag and its industrial food cronies don’t stand a chance against consumers wielding their forks—and their wallets—for good. Vote with your wallet!
Campbell's Food also agreed to remove BPA (a hormone-disruptor) from the lining of their cans. I'm not sure what they are replacing it with, but it doesn't matter to me, I still won't buy their sodium-laden soups. I prefer the real thing!
Now General Mills has reformulated its Yoplait Trix yogurt to remove artificial colors, artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup. It's a step in the right direction, but the product is still loaded with sugar, which is the contributing factor to 1/3 of children in the US being overweight. I just saw an ad in a magazine for All-Natural CoffeeMate Creamer. I don't know what's in this newer version, but the regular stuff is basically poison in a bottle. More and more companies are hearing our voices and seeing our choices in the form of reduced sales!! We are hitting them where it hurts and this makes me very happy. It's something I have been fighting for the past two years, since beginning this food journey. If our food is healthier, then we don't have to become expert label readers and scientists just to understand what's in our food.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of work to be done. We still need to remove genetically-modified organisms, artificial colors and dyes (like the rest of Europe), MSG and chemical preservatives. We are working on removing trans-fats, but they still linger in the form of partially-hydrogenated oils.
We need to remove pthalates' and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals’ ubiquity in kids’ products like plastic toys and snack food packaging. If pink slime teaches us anything, it’s that Big Ag and its industrial food cronies don’t stand a chance against consumers wielding their forks—and their wallets—for good. Vote with your wallet!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Revelations
Several things have happened in the past few weeks that have led me to believe that our clean food journey is not only improving our lives, but it's the best decision I have made for our family.
Revelation #1
All of the immunity-boosting foods, supplements, probiotics and exercise that I have been doing, prevented me from getting a nasty virus that my husband and two girls got a couple of weeks ago. My husband was sick first and then my girls - fever, chills, headache, no appetite and lethargy. My husband was sick for over 10 days; the girls just 3 days. I, thankfully, never got sick. My hubby isn't really on the clean plan and eats whatever he wants at work (including daily food truck runs). He gets one clean meal every evening and on the weekends. I can get the girls to take their daily probiotic, vitamins and even my picky little one loves my green juices!!
To me, this is proof that our immunity is stronger and helping us to get over illness faster. It's proof that processed foods and fast foods are compromising his immunity.
Revelation #2
Sugary foods with artificial colors make my kids sick. This past weekend was my daughter's 5th birthday. I planned for weeks and debated over what to serve. Last year at my oldest's birthday party, which was low-key and held at our private community pool, was met with rejection by the young party-goers. I served a veggie crudite platter and turkey roll-ups. I was ridiculed by a 6-year old who asked, "Where's the pizza?" I told her we like to eat healthier foods and she scoffed at me and grabbed her bag of Doritos.
So this year, I didn't want to disappoint, but I also didn't want to compromise our new food values. I served organic peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches, nitrate-free organic ham sandwiches, organic grapes, strawberries and pineapple. But then there was the desserts...I splurged on authentic Parisian pink macaroons, designer sugar cookies in the shape of teapots, indulgent cupcakes and a jar full of pink jelly beans holding handmade lolli-pops. All that pink food was obviously tinted with artificial dyes. There was a bit of sugar excess in that the girls kept grabbing fistfulls of jelly beans (which were actually meant to be more of a decoration).
Later in the day, both girls complained of headaches and were sluggish and tired. It's unusual for them to get headaches, much less both of them several hours after the party. I had one too (I ate one too many macaroons). Then even went to bed early. Proof that excess sugar and artificial colors and dyes can have adverse effects on your body.
Revelation #3
I must be doing something right! In the last week, I have overhead many a friend complain of allergies right now. We live in Northern VA - home to abundant allergens and Cedar trees. For years, I have suffered from nasal allergy symptoms - but usually all year long! I have been on Claritan, Zyrtec, Singulair, Flonase, etc...for my post nasal drip, itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing. But now, after a year and a half of eating clean, unprocessed foods, I am drug free and symptom-free. I can't pinpoint the exact thing that I am doing that is making me an allergy-free person, but I truly believe that once you remove foods that cause inflammation, your body isn't constantly fighting itself anymore and those histamines aren't called in for an inflammatory response. Another thing to note is that in the past, I would have typically had at least one sinus infection, bronchitis and several colds at the end of the winter season. But this year - NONE!!!! I made it through the winter without multiple bouts on anti-biotics! This is perhaps the biggest news for me yet. I truly believe that eliminating dairy has helped with this. I have a friend who has suffered all winter and is still coughing and sneezing her way into Spring. I shared with her my success and suggested she try it for a couple of weeks to see if she got any relief. Her own doctor advised against it because she has osteopenia (a condition where bone mineral density is lower than it should be). He wanted her to keep up the dairy intake for the calcuim. There are DOZENS of better food sources of calcium and magnesium than dairy!! Again, I'm not a doctor, and I'm only a couple of days into Nutrition Counseling school, but REALLY???!!! One does not NEED to consume dairy to achieve optimal levels of calcium in their body. I sent her a list of some foods to try. Hopefully she can find some relief.
My progress report:
35 pounds lost, down from a size 16 to a 10!!!
No more drugs (except a small dose of Synthroid for Hypothyroidism)
Very infrequent migraines
Tons of energy
Belly problems subsiding
Overall, feeling GREAT!
I have a few more pounds to lose to meet my original goal of 40 lbs, but my new goal is 135. So, 11 more to go!
I CAN DO IT!!
Revelation #1
All of the immunity-boosting foods, supplements, probiotics and exercise that I have been doing, prevented me from getting a nasty virus that my husband and two girls got a couple of weeks ago. My husband was sick first and then my girls - fever, chills, headache, no appetite and lethargy. My husband was sick for over 10 days; the girls just 3 days. I, thankfully, never got sick. My hubby isn't really on the clean plan and eats whatever he wants at work (including daily food truck runs). He gets one clean meal every evening and on the weekends. I can get the girls to take their daily probiotic, vitamins and even my picky little one loves my green juices!!
To me, this is proof that our immunity is stronger and helping us to get over illness faster. It's proof that processed foods and fast foods are compromising his immunity.
Revelation #2
Sugary foods with artificial colors make my kids sick. This past weekend was my daughter's 5th birthday. I planned for weeks and debated over what to serve. Last year at my oldest's birthday party, which was low-key and held at our private community pool, was met with rejection by the young party-goers. I served a veggie crudite platter and turkey roll-ups. I was ridiculed by a 6-year old who asked, "Where's the pizza?" I told her we like to eat healthier foods and she scoffed at me and grabbed her bag of Doritos.
So this year, I didn't want to disappoint, but I also didn't want to compromise our new food values. I served organic peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches, nitrate-free organic ham sandwiches, organic grapes, strawberries and pineapple. But then there was the desserts...I splurged on authentic Parisian pink macaroons, designer sugar cookies in the shape of teapots, indulgent cupcakes and a jar full of pink jelly beans holding handmade lolli-pops. All that pink food was obviously tinted with artificial dyes. There was a bit of sugar excess in that the girls kept grabbing fistfulls of jelly beans (which were actually meant to be more of a decoration).
Later in the day, both girls complained of headaches and were sluggish and tired. It's unusual for them to get headaches, much less both of them several hours after the party. I had one too (I ate one too many macaroons). Then even went to bed early. Proof that excess sugar and artificial colors and dyes can have adverse effects on your body.
Revelation #3
I must be doing something right! In the last week, I have overhead many a friend complain of allergies right now. We live in Northern VA - home to abundant allergens and Cedar trees. For years, I have suffered from nasal allergy symptoms - but usually all year long! I have been on Claritan, Zyrtec, Singulair, Flonase, etc...for my post nasal drip, itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing. But now, after a year and a half of eating clean, unprocessed foods, I am drug free and symptom-free. I can't pinpoint the exact thing that I am doing that is making me an allergy-free person, but I truly believe that once you remove foods that cause inflammation, your body isn't constantly fighting itself anymore and those histamines aren't called in for an inflammatory response. Another thing to note is that in the past, I would have typically had at least one sinus infection, bronchitis and several colds at the end of the winter season. But this year - NONE!!!! I made it through the winter without multiple bouts on anti-biotics! This is perhaps the biggest news for me yet. I truly believe that eliminating dairy has helped with this. I have a friend who has suffered all winter and is still coughing and sneezing her way into Spring. I shared with her my success and suggested she try it for a couple of weeks to see if she got any relief. Her own doctor advised against it because she has osteopenia (a condition where bone mineral density is lower than it should be). He wanted her to keep up the dairy intake for the calcuim. There are DOZENS of better food sources of calcium and magnesium than dairy!! Again, I'm not a doctor, and I'm only a couple of days into Nutrition Counseling school, but REALLY???!!! One does not NEED to consume dairy to achieve optimal levels of calcium in their body. I sent her a list of some foods to try. Hopefully she can find some relief.
My progress report:
35 pounds lost, down from a size 16 to a 10!!!
No more drugs (except a small dose of Synthroid for Hypothyroidism)
Very infrequent migraines
Tons of energy
Belly problems subsiding
Overall, feeling GREAT!
I have a few more pounds to lose to meet my original goal of 40 lbs, but my new goal is 135. So, 11 more to go!
I CAN DO IT!!
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Wake Up Call for Food
It seems everywhere you turn these days there's another article about the dangers of food dyes, the endocrine disruptors in canned food linings, the arsenic in chicken, the added phosphates in food that's causing diabetes and high blood pressure, the antibiotics in conventional beef, the blood, pus and more found in milk, the dangers of gluten, the pesticides in our produce, the genetically-modified organisms wreaking havoc in our bodies and the tainted soil in which we attempt to grow said foods.
It's a miracle we're even alive. We're kind of like the walking dead though if you really think about it. Millions of us have auto-immune diseases, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, allergies, and every day maladies like headaches, pains, tummy troubles, low energy, depression and neurological disorders. Do you just give up, pop a pill and reside to believing that "everything's gonna kill us, so why bother getting rid of it?" I hope not!
You really can make a difference in your health. There's SO much information out there, so much to read, much to decipher what it all means and where you should even start.
I'll give you 3 simple steps to move toward the right direction for better health:
1. Read ingredient labels. Put items back that contain chemicals, trans fats, lengthy lists of food dyes, colorings, additives and words you can't even pronounce.
2. Move your body! No more excuses. 30 min a day is all you need.
3. Make at least half of your meals (or more) from scratch. That means ditch the fast food, convenience foods, packaged meals and mixes.
I finding this journey of educating myself about my own health to be eye-opening. I find it truly amazing how our bodies react to food and how we overlook the truth that's staring us right in the eyes. It's not a pill we need to take - it's better food we need to grow and eat.
It's a miracle we're even alive. We're kind of like the walking dead though if you really think about it. Millions of us have auto-immune diseases, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, allergies, and every day maladies like headaches, pains, tummy troubles, low energy, depression and neurological disorders. Do you just give up, pop a pill and reside to believing that "everything's gonna kill us, so why bother getting rid of it?" I hope not!
You really can make a difference in your health. There's SO much information out there, so much to read, much to decipher what it all means and where you should even start.
I'll give you 3 simple steps to move toward the right direction for better health:
1. Read ingredient labels. Put items back that contain chemicals, trans fats, lengthy lists of food dyes, colorings, additives and words you can't even pronounce.
2. Move your body! No more excuses. 30 min a day is all you need.
3. Make at least half of your meals (or more) from scratch. That means ditch the fast food, convenience foods, packaged meals and mixes.
I finding this journey of educating myself about my own health to be eye-opening. I find it truly amazing how our bodies react to food and how we overlook the truth that's staring us right in the eyes. It's not a pill we need to take - it's better food we need to grow and eat.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Silently suffering...
Warning: I get slightly personal here. I talk of bathroom issues. But if you've ever suffered from tummy troubles, read on!
Since changing my lifestyle in Sept of 2010, to one of clean, whole foods, every part of my life has improved. I'm down 35 pounds and 3 dress sizes, daily headaches are gone, migraines are few and far between (used to get 2 a month), I have tons of energy, my hypothyroidism is going away (I'm down from .175 mcgs to .125 mcgs), and I just feel so much better. Everything was going perfectly - all bodily functions were normal.
Then, on Oct. 1 of last year, something changed and I have been suffering in silence ever since. I started having daily tummy troubles and it continued for months. I saw my doctor. He ran tests. Tests came back normal. Hmmmm...I decided to start researching my symptoms. From what I could discern, it sounded like a gluten-intolerance. I tested negative for Celiac, but sometimes it's hard to pick up.
So, I have been experimenting with my gut. I made attempts to go off gluten for a few weeks. Then, I would introduce it back with disastrous results. I would be in the bathroom for hours the next morning. Hmmm...I'm no doctor, I'm not even a certified Health Coach yet, but I would guess that I have developed an intolerance for gluten.
There's a faction of health-minded folks that swear gluten is a poison. I'm starting to agree with them. I'm not at all happy about this. In fact, I'm kind of depressed about it. After all, some of my favorite foods involve wheat, flour, gluten, etc... I love a good New York-style pizza, a yummy homemade pasta dish, a moist cookie straight from the oven, or freshly made Ciabatta bread from the bakery. I don't eat them all the time, but occasionally, they fill a void. For the past year, I have made my food choices. I have decided to give up processed foods, fast food, convenience food. It has been MY decision. This decision was made for me and I'm not pleased with it. I've been suffering for five months and I've been in denial. Why is this happening now? Why NOW, after making the best decisions for my health? I've been eating grass-fed meats, organic veggies and fruits, raw nuts and seeds, I've shunned dairy (and by the way, I haven't had a sinus infection or bronchitis in over a year since giving up dairy!!), and I've limited my refined carbs.
Was I already at my tipping point? Was it going to happen anyway? Before I started this journey, I was so tired all the time, overweight, sick a lot with bronchitis and sinus/allergy issues and starting to have pain in my legs (which my doctor thought was fibromyalgia). So, was Celiac just around the corner anyway? Had I already done major damage to my immune system by years of eating a conventional American diet?
It seems that auto-immune diseases come in pairs or multiples. Hashimoto's thyroiditis can be accompanied with Celiac disease, MS, Lupus, Type 1 Diabetes, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and many more. Sufferers of one, may also get another.
I will see a gastroenterologist soon and an official diagnosis will come. Maybe it is something else. I'm hoping! But I know that I already feel better and can stay away from the bathroom when I abstain from gluten. So, I'm not that hopeful...
I'm curious if this has happened to anyone else. Who else out there has Celiac disease or a gluten-intolerance? How do you cope? Did you give up your dream of eating pasta in Tuscany and pizza in Sicily? Why does food damage us so much? I can't wait to get started with my education at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition next month. I want answers and I want better food for our society. I think I have found my lifelong mission - to rid the world of processed, chemical-laden foods that are making us all sick. Watch out - here I come!
Since changing my lifestyle in Sept of 2010, to one of clean, whole foods, every part of my life has improved. I'm down 35 pounds and 3 dress sizes, daily headaches are gone, migraines are few and far between (used to get 2 a month), I have tons of energy, my hypothyroidism is going away (I'm down from .175 mcgs to .125 mcgs), and I just feel so much better. Everything was going perfectly - all bodily functions were normal.
Then, on Oct. 1 of last year, something changed and I have been suffering in silence ever since. I started having daily tummy troubles and it continued for months. I saw my doctor. He ran tests. Tests came back normal. Hmmmm...I decided to start researching my symptoms. From what I could discern, it sounded like a gluten-intolerance. I tested negative for Celiac, but sometimes it's hard to pick up.
So, I have been experimenting with my gut. I made attempts to go off gluten for a few weeks. Then, I would introduce it back with disastrous results. I would be in the bathroom for hours the next morning. Hmmm...I'm no doctor, I'm not even a certified Health Coach yet, but I would guess that I have developed an intolerance for gluten.
There's a faction of health-minded folks that swear gluten is a poison. I'm starting to agree with them. I'm not at all happy about this. In fact, I'm kind of depressed about it. After all, some of my favorite foods involve wheat, flour, gluten, etc... I love a good New York-style pizza, a yummy homemade pasta dish, a moist cookie straight from the oven, or freshly made Ciabatta bread from the bakery. I don't eat them all the time, but occasionally, they fill a void. For the past year, I have made my food choices. I have decided to give up processed foods, fast food, convenience food. It has been MY decision. This decision was made for me and I'm not pleased with it. I've been suffering for five months and I've been in denial. Why is this happening now? Why NOW, after making the best decisions for my health? I've been eating grass-fed meats, organic veggies and fruits, raw nuts and seeds, I've shunned dairy (and by the way, I haven't had a sinus infection or bronchitis in over a year since giving up dairy!!), and I've limited my refined carbs.
Was I already at my tipping point? Was it going to happen anyway? Before I started this journey, I was so tired all the time, overweight, sick a lot with bronchitis and sinus/allergy issues and starting to have pain in my legs (which my doctor thought was fibromyalgia). So, was Celiac just around the corner anyway? Had I already done major damage to my immune system by years of eating a conventional American diet?
It seems that auto-immune diseases come in pairs or multiples. Hashimoto's thyroiditis can be accompanied with Celiac disease, MS, Lupus, Type 1 Diabetes, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and many more. Sufferers of one, may also get another.
I will see a gastroenterologist soon and an official diagnosis will come. Maybe it is something else. I'm hoping! But I know that I already feel better and can stay away from the bathroom when I abstain from gluten. So, I'm not that hopeful...
I'm curious if this has happened to anyone else. Who else out there has Celiac disease or a gluten-intolerance? How do you cope? Did you give up your dream of eating pasta in Tuscany and pizza in Sicily? Why does food damage us so much? I can't wait to get started with my education at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition next month. I want answers and I want better food for our society. I think I have found my lifelong mission - to rid the world of processed, chemical-laden foods that are making us all sick. Watch out - here I come!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Week of Feb. 12 - 18
This week poses many challenges for me. I start teaching classes and my husband is going out of town for a couple of days and then I have to get ready for a weekend away with the girls. When my hubby travels, I always lose interest in cooking a full meal for just the kids and myself. So, I'm gonna keep it simple and super kid-friendly this week. But I still want to make a romantic dinner Tuesday night...hmmm...what to make?
Monday - Chicken with Sun-dried tomatoes and leeks
Tuesday - Romaine Hearts Finger Salad with Balsamic dressing (recipe below), Seared Scallops, Green Beans, Parsnip Puree, Personal Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes (gluten-free)
Wednesday - Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers, Broccoli
Thursday - Dinner out with the girls (Chipotle is a safe bet)
Friday - Pork Tenderloin, Sauteed Zucchini, Quinoa
Saturday - Hubby is on his own as I head out of town...(Woo-to-the-hoo!)
Romaine Lettuce Hearts Finger Salad
By placing the dressing on the side you can use your fingers to dip the lettuce and pepper hearts.
Monday - Chicken with Sun-dried tomatoes and leeks
Tuesday - Romaine Hearts Finger Salad with Balsamic dressing (recipe below), Seared Scallops, Green Beans, Parsnip Puree, Personal Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes (gluten-free)
Wednesday - Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers, Broccoli
Thursday - Dinner out with the girls (Chipotle is a safe bet)
Friday - Pork Tenderloin, Sauteed Zucchini, Quinoa
Saturday - Hubby is on his own as I head out of town...(Woo-to-the-hoo!)
Romaine Lettuce Hearts Finger Salad
- 2 hearts of Romaine lettuce
- 1 T pecans, toasted
- 1 small red pepper
- 1/4 C Italian cheese, shredded
- 1 C Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
- Separate the leaves of each heart and place them on 2 salad plates.
- Sprinkle the top of the lettuce with 1/2 T of the pecans per plate.
- Slice the red pepper in half and remove the seeds and core.
- Slice each half into half then cut with a heart shaped cookie cutter.
- Place the red pepper hearts on top of both salads.
- Top each salad with 1/8 C of the cheese.
- Divide the dressing into 2 small bowls.
By placing the dressing on the side you can use your fingers to dip the lettuce and pepper hearts.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Meals for Feb. 5 - 11
Last week was rough for me. I was busy with work, school projects for my daughter and I got a migraine headache out of nowhere. I hadn't had one in almost 6 months!! I only managed to hit the basement gym three times, but thankfully my weight held steady. It's been mentally defeating to be at a plateau for so long as well. So, I ramped up the repetitions and slowed down my workout with weights. I noticed I was kind of rushing through the process, so I slowed down and made every curl, kickback and squat count.
I also skipped out on dinner two nights last night, so you will see a repeat this week because I have the proteins and veggies already prepped. Sometimes, you just gotta take a break and let someone else do the cooking. I'm pretty proud of how far I have come with planning and executing meals. I mean, five years ago, the only thing I was good at making was reservations!
Meals for this week:
Sunday (early dinner before Superbowl) - Roman-style Chicken (www.foodnetwork.com)
Monday - Shrimp Pad Thai
Tuesday - Maple-Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin (Clean Eating mag), sweet potato mash, sauteed zucchini
Wednesday - Honey Dijon Salmon, Garlic & Ginger Broccoli, Whole Wheat couscous
Thursday - Slow Cooker Short Ribs, Braised Kale/Collards
Friday - Baked Tilapia packets with veggies inside
Saturday - Date Night
I also skipped out on dinner two nights last night, so you will see a repeat this week because I have the proteins and veggies already prepped. Sometimes, you just gotta take a break and let someone else do the cooking. I'm pretty proud of how far I have come with planning and executing meals. I mean, five years ago, the only thing I was good at making was reservations!
Meals for this week:
Sunday (early dinner before Superbowl) - Roman-style Chicken (www.foodnetwork.com)
Monday - Shrimp Pad Thai
Tuesday - Maple-Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin (Clean Eating mag), sweet potato mash, sauteed zucchini
Wednesday - Honey Dijon Salmon, Garlic & Ginger Broccoli, Whole Wheat couscous
Thursday - Slow Cooker Short Ribs, Braised Kale/Collards
Friday - Baked Tilapia packets with veggies inside
Saturday - Date Night
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