WB Meal Plan - Staying Home

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Please excuse my absence on the meal planning posts. Maybe it's the winter blues that creep around on Mondays or my slight addiction to pinning recipes instead of posting? Who knows. But I do know this, when I don't plan my meals for the week, our healthy eating is not as consistent as when I do.

Over the last two weeks I ran to the grocery too many times due to my scattered-brained tendencies. So this week, I'm going to try and not go and pull from the ingredients I already have on hand... but if you do happen to see me at the store, don't judge :)


Monday:
Whole Grain & flax seed waffles
Turkey bacon
Fruit salad (leftovers thrown into a bowl: strawberries, kiwi, red grapes and oranges ~ yum!)

Tuesday:
Alaskan salmon burgers on whole wheat buns (confession: store bought, but all natural)
Sweet potato fries
Sauteed asparagus

Wednesday:
Tandoori chicken
Brown rice
Tomato-Cucumber Raita ** taken from Eating Well's Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook.

Thursday:
Potato & corn chowder ** (thanks to my dear friend Stacy for treating me to this for lunch last week! It was sooo yummy!)
Whole wheat baguettes
Applesauce

Friday:
Barbecue chicken & spinach pizza on whole wheat crust (gotta scroll down a little on the blog) from Peas & Thank You (I am loving this cookbook!)
Double pumpkin bars


** Today I'm including most of the recipes because I really think you should try them... and because I'm nice like that.

Tomato-Cucumber Raita

Combine 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber, 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato, 1/4 cup minced red onion, 2 T chopped fresh mint, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Potato & Corn Chowder (serves 6)

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 can fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
10 oz. frozen corn
1 1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup of fat-free half and half

1. Saute the first 3 ingredients in EVOO on medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth and potato and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes.
3. Transfer 1 cup of soup to blender and blend until smooth and then pour back into the pot.
4. Add corn, milk and pepper and simmer lightly for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add half and half.

30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge

I have put this off long enough. I have watched my portions and still incorporated lots of fruits and veggies in my diet, but the white stuff has crept in...

white stuff: processed flours and sugary foods... cakes, pies, crackers, pasta.

So thus begins a 30-day Green Smoothie Detox.

So are YOU up for this challenge too? If you think you don't need to, then answer some of these questions.

1. Are you sluggish after waking up from at least 7-8 hours of sleep?

2. Do you have dark circles around your eyes?

3. Do you have blemishes on your face, neck, back or chest?

4. Do you have achy joints?

5. Are you constipated or having loose (ribbon-like), foul-smelling BM's?

6. Do you have dandruff or itchy scalp?

7. Do you suffer from mid-afternoon slump?

If you answer yes to two or more of these questions, I believe you need to join me on this challenge. It's easier when you are accountable to someone and know others are in on it with you!

If you're still hesitant in joining me, let me just give you some quick benefits of doing a 30-Day Green Smoothie Detox

1. You will regain energy in a few days.

2. You will feel rested when you wake up in the morning.

3. You will quickly lose those cravings for sweet, carby foods.

4. You will begin to see regular BM's that are soft and not as "foul smelling".

5. You will not be as moody. (Trust me on this one!)

6. Your nails and skin will be more radiant.

and more than likely you will lose some pounds and inches.

Who wouldn't want all that??

So here's whatya do!

You can use any combinations of fruits (berries, banana, pineapple, oranges, mangoes, kiwi), but the added greens should come from a vegetable... spinach, kale or romaine, preferably. (If you are new to green smoothies, you might want to start with baby spinach. It has a mild taste and then work your way up to kale). Here is a sample of what my green smoothies look like...

2 cups of green vegetable (usually kale or spinach)

1/2 very ripe banana

1 cup of frozen berries (or other frozen fruits of your choice)

1 cup of cucumber

1 whole kiwi

a spoonful of coconut oil

1 cup of water

6 ice cubes

Blend thoroughly for 2-3 minutes... drink immediately, but slowly over 15-20 minutes. (In other words, don't save it in the fridge for later. You want those active enzymes in your body and if you wait too long the enzymes begin to oxidize.)

So who's in? I need some buddies to encourage me! Leave a comment saying you're in :) Starting tomorrow... October 5 and ending on November 3rd ~ just in time to look great for the holidays.

30 days... you can do it!

Side Note... It is entirely up to you when you want to do your smoothie... breakfast, lunch, etc... it's up to you and your schedule. I will do mine in place of breakfast. In my opinion, breakfast is best. Also, I am avoiding "as much as" the white stuff as I can. I am the type of person that is all or nothing, but sometimes that can backfire on me. I end up getting too frustrated and give up. So I know there are birthday parties and Halloween coming up... so moderation is gonna be key! But the more you avoid the white stuff, the better your results are going to be.