Lunch!

For some reason lunch seems to be the hardest to come up with meals to eat and when I seem to find something I love I eat it for a while and then forget about it. Then I'm stuck in the same situation all over again not knowing what to eat for lunch. SO...if I post them here then I'll be able to look back real quick and see them.

Panini:

Saute olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, sliced zucchini, and onions.

Spread avocado on flat bread.

Put sauteed mixture on half of flat bread then top with fresh spinach. 

Fold over and put in panini press for a couple minutes.

*The best thing about these is that you can make them with whatever you like*

 I made my daughter one with avocado, cheese, and spinach-which she loved!

 

Sweet potato:

This one did not sound appealing when my Mother in law first had me try it, but seriously I absolutely love it now. Best Part>It's healthy!!

Cook/Bake your sweet potato. I use my salad master cookware, so I just chop it up and cook over the stove top on medium click low for about 15 minutes. 

-Cooked sweet potato

-Cooked spinach

-Black beans

-Mango or Raspberry salsa

Mix it all together and enjoy!

 

Salad:

I don't eat salads enough and when I actually do it's always a BBQ chicken salad, but I'm trying to get better!

-Mixed spinach and red leaf lettuce

-Black beans

-Strawberries

-Sunflower seeds (for some crunch)

-Annie's Naturals, Lite, Raspberry Vinaigrette

 *I made this just with what I had on hand. I forget that being creative and using whatever I have works great most the time!*

 

 

Mushroom Ravioli

So we got some mushroom ravioli from Costco that looked delicious, but I didn't want just marinara sauce on them. I've never made up my own sauce before, so I don't know what I was thinking this time. Fortunately it worked out. I heated up butter, almond milk (because that's all we use), minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and a little flour. The sauce was super thin, but it was perfect for these ravioli. I added some chopped up fresh tomatoes on top. All the flavors worked out great. I baked asparagus with olive oil and sea salt to go along with it. I've been craving this dish ever since! 

Easy Bruschetta

My Mother in law had planted a garden this year that produced an enormous amount of tomatoes. Fortunately I had also been craving bruschetta, but many recipes I found seemed so complex. So I just modified one and it tasted great. I probably ate this bruschetta almost everyday for an entire month.

My Easy Bruschetta:

• Fresh tomatoes (you can use store bought just wont taste as good)
• Basil (I just used the seasoning)
• Onion (optional)
• Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 
• Mozzarella Cheese (optional)
• Olive Oil
• Bread (Any kind you prefer)

I spread some olive oil on my baguette and toast it. Mix chopped tomatoes, basil, onion, and balsamic vinaigrette together and put on top of sliced baguette.

 

Homemade Pizza!

We love homemade pizza at our house and we usually always have the ingredients on hand. As far as the crust we seem to forget which recipe we use and just Google one or use

 which tastes just as good!

As far as toppings go:

• Usually use left over spaghetti sauce
•  Mozzarella cheese
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Olives

This is something we have several times a month and gives us a break from eating meat.

Vegetarian Ceviche

We made a Vegetarian Ceviche last week (and again last night) and I am officially in love. I got the full recipe here-Mine is below. My Mother in law made it for me the first time I tried it and we decided to try it ourselves last week. -Good Choice!

We used only 1 jalapeno (Didn't want it too hot for the kids)
We also didn't use the hearts of palm (although I've had it that way and it's pretty good) *Too expensive to buy 
We also put ours on tostada shells with refried beans.

How I made it:

2 tomatoes, diced

1/4 of large red onion, diced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

Juice from 2 limes (Also used it out of the bottom last night-tastes the same)

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper to taste 

avocado, diced

cucumber, diced

Bell pepper, diced

*All you do is chop everything up and mix it together. Heat up some refried beans to spread across the tostada and add ceviche on top. Super easy and yummy. We all love it including my kids. This one will definitely be made regularly.

September Menu

September Menu

This is the first month I’ve done it this way, so I'm sure there will be some editing to future months.

I first went over all our schedules (mine, hubs, and girls) then planned

out a type of dinner that would work best each night.

Monday: Simple (something I could make and Shaun could take to school)
*Hubs takes 4yr old to gymnastics this night and then goes straight to class*

Tuesday: Crockpot
*We are both gone all day and get home right before dinner*

Wednesday: Lite
*I go to Zumba this night, so I want to eat something super lite when I get
home*

Thursday: Pre-made
*We are both gone all day, so I’d like to have something previously made and
frozen that we can just toss in the oven*

Friday: Husband's choice
*He is home before I get off work, so he gets to decide and make dinner*

Saturday: Out or leftovers
*We usually are out and about this day, so we get to decide to eat out or
leftovers* (We don’t eat out more then twice a month and usually use some
kind of coupon.)

Sunday: -
*I don’t plan anything because we go to in-laws a lot this day or we are
starving because we get out of church at 2 and then aren’t hungry for dinner*

Next I got out a calendar and planned different meals for the days of the
week that we’d be home. There were a few days that we had special events
or knew we’d be gone that night, so I didn’t plan meals for those. So when I
got done I had; for example, 4 Monday meals, 5 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday…and I
also planned special things like desserts for after family night. I also wanted to start making breakfast on Sunday mornings, so I planned those out
as well.

Mondays:
Corn & Zucchini Quesadillas
BBQ Chicken Ranch Wraps
Bean & Cheese Burritos
BBQ Chicken Salad

Tuesdays:
BBQ Chicken Crockpot meal
Potato Soup
Chicken Fajitas
Enchilada Soup

Wednesdays:
Homemade Pizzas
Spaghetti Squash w/marinara sauce
Stack Dinners

Thursdays:
Enchiladas
Pasta Bake (which was awful!)
Sweet & Sour Chicken & Rice
Taco Soup

Fridays:
Red Beans & Rice
Pork, veggie, & fruit
Hamburger Spins

Sunday Breakfasts:
Pancake Bites
Cinnamon Rolls & Fruit
Crepes

Family Night Desserts:
Baked Churros
Brownies
Arroz con leche

After that I went through all the recipes and made a list of ingredients I would
need. I wrote out all the ingredients and then went through my kitchen and
crossed off the stuff I already had. I finished up my list adding breakfast
stuff to the list (cereal, oatmeal…) and lunch stuff and then the usual (bread,
milk, eggs, fruit) and I planned a store trip when my hubby could watch our
youngest and went to the store! I picked up most things for the entire month. We made a few extra trips for fruit & veggies and then I didn't plan well for my daughter's bday, so I had to get stuff for that. Total for the month we spent $266 for our family of four.

This may sound like it took a long time, but the planning was like maybe 2
hours on a Sunday afternoon. (recipes of things I hadn’t previously made I got
from pinterest, so those were all in one place and easy to look up) And I made sure I went to the store on a separate day, so I wasn’t too overwhelmed or exhausted.

Here are pictures of our meals:

Red Beans & Rice w/Squash and Zucchini

Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls w/Fruit

Chicken Fajitas

Pork Chops, Potatoes, & Veggies

Homemade Pizza

Corn & Zucchini Quesadillas

Pasta & Salad

BBQ Chicken Salad

Sweet & Sour Chicken w/Rice and Cabbage & Carrots

Taco Soup

Dairy...Not for Us

Then

I never liked to drink milk. I stopped all together when I was younger; didn't even drink it on my cereal. Naturally, I became lactose intolerant. I was never completely dairy free because of my love for ice cream and ranch dressing:) so basically I'd eat those two things and get sick. Most people thought I was odd. (I've soon discovered it is in fact opposite and that they are the weird ones for still drinking milk.) However, when I got married my husband got me hooked on cheese. Not just any cheese-only Tillamook cheese, the good stuff, and so I started eating nachos, quesadillas, bean and cheese burritos along with my ice cream and ranch dressing...

Now

We will be cutting dairy out of our diet completely (We've haven't bought cow milk for months-Almond Breeze has worked perfect for cereal and cooking). My husband, me, and my two girls will be much healthier for it!

How we came to this

My husband and I have been doing a bit more research in our progression to eat healthier. We've known for awhile that dairy wasn't good for us. (My Mother-in-law would remind us constantly-thank you) I've noticed we, Americans, are the only ones who still drink milk as adults. I've heard different things about dairy throughout researching and that it will cause this sort of disease, but then hear another argument to contradict that one. And it's all a bit of confusing. Who the heck do you believe?! We decided to believe the one that makes the most sense to us. A friend let me borrow a book The Beauty Detox Solution. (I would recommend this book-gives some great tips and good research) I've been reading it and along with my husband's research we came to this decision. It wont be easy at first, but I think it will be beneficial long term. Along with the fact that dairy already makes me sick, here are a few other reasons why we've decided to stop:

-All mammals drink milk from their mothers. We are all weaned off from our Mothers within the first few years of our life and move to other foods that provide the nutrition needed. This is natural. What is not natural is that we've moved to cow's milk. Baby cows don't even drink their mother's milk anymore yet we do. Sick...

-Dangerous protein in dariy-Casein. This is very difficult for our bodies to break down. This is the one animal protein that seems to promote cancer. Dairy also produces too much mucus for our bodies that can harden and line the walls of our intestines making it super hard to digest. 

-There are other foods that can give us the needed calcium and they all have other great nutrients in them as well.  

-Much of our dairy today is packed with hormones and drugs because of the demands of producing it commercially. Dairy products are also heated to kill any potential bacteria which is also killing any natural enzymes making digesting even more difficult.

-The mass production of dairy cows is awful and sicking if you were to see it firsthand. 

I've been kind and vague with these reasons, but if you do any research yourself you will be surprised and what you find. I promise you will question yourself whether or not you should be taking it out of your diet. And no wonder my body has such a hard time digesting it-it just makes sense! 

Good Day

I felt I did rather well with eating healthier today...

Breakfast: Green Smoothie

Snack: Whole Wheat toast with a little coconut butter

Lunch: Vegetable Beef Soup and Wheat Crackers

Snack: Craisins & Energy Bites

*It was all tasty to eat and I actually feel full, so I will probably eat something very lite for dinner.

(http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html)

I just wish that I didn't have to sit on my bum all day at work. Good thing I'm going to Zumba tonight!

Day 3: Fruits and Veggies

Day 3: Last Day


Today wasn't a bad start either. I started out with a green smoothie. Ate some fruit through out the day and left over spaghetti squash for lunch, but I had pretty much already decided in my mind that was going to be as far as I was going to go with the diet. I just decided it wasn't for me. I really couldn't go through this whole week feeling lethargic. I feel this may be a better diet for someone that doesn't have kids and can take a whole week to relax and detox. I still think some kind of detox is good, so I will be looking for another one that maybe only lasts a day or two. However, I do feel like I benefited even from the 2 1/2 days I did. 


*I'm eating way more fruits and veggies then I originally was.
*I feel a lot better and even smaller.
*I've learned to control my appetite and eat smaller portions.
*I'm down to 145lbs!


My husband made some pork burritos last night that were delicious and I made sure to still eat a small amount. Then we walked to the park and jogged about a mile back. Then before I went to bed I weighed 145! That right there made it all worth it.


Good Luck to those who decide to try it and can make it all the way through!

Day 2: Veggies

Day 2: Veggies

 

Today started off good. I didn't wake up starving like I thought I would. We cooked a potato with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. It was so nice to have something substantial and gave us some energy to get through the first part of the day. Towards the afternoon we were really wanting some fruit or pretty much anything besides veggies. We ate some cucumber and olives, but I really felt so weak and couldn't do much. Dinner was great with a spaghetti squash and sauce (tomato, garlic, mushroom, Italian seasoning). However, this lack of energy and constant hunger is killing us. I realize you probably have to keep sticking with it to really get the results, but when I think a head of what is to come I kind of want to cry. I really thought this was doable for us, but it doesn't seem to fit what we'd like to accomplish. I have no energy to work out, which is something I'd like to do before our trip as well. So for now I will take one day at a time, but I don't think I will make it past tomorrow :)

Today's Weight:

Shaun-194

Me-147 

PS: Shaun's out

Day 1: Fruit

Day 1: Fruit:

Today started off rather well. I had a bowl of strawberries and blueberries that tasted so good. Of course as time went on I was really really wishing I could eat something with more substance. (Didn't help that my husband was complaining about this "stupid" diet all day and trying to get out of it!) But we stuck with it and ate watermelon, peaches, nectarines, kiwis, cantaloupe, plums, cherries, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, and apples. My all time favorite was that last night we froze some of the blueberries, so I would let them thaw a lil and then snack on them throughout the day. And then as it got really hard this evening I boiled an apple and put cinnamon on it. It was so nice to have something warm with a lil spice. I am very proud of us making it this far especially when we were at a birthday party this evening and turned down all the pizza, cake, and ice cream no matter how good it looked! I'm actually looking forward to Veggies :)

Start off Weight:                                    End of Today Weight:
Shaun-197lbs                                               Shaun-193lbs
Me-149lbs                                                      Me-147lbs

Eat Your Heart Out 7 Day Diet

I'm looking forward to starting this diet tomorrow! I think it will be a great way to cleanse my body and jump start my healthier eating. I know it will be tough, but I really feel like it's what my body needs right now. I'm starting tomorrow, so that we end the day before we go to New Orleans!


(http://www.justinandashleyrefresh.com/2012/03/eat-your-heat-out-diet-aka-satan-diet.html?m=0)


(MY7DAYDIET.COM)

Green Smoothie

I think these "green smoothies" are a great way to get your fruits and veggies in. I wish I started drinking them sooner. Here is the one that I'm pretty obsessed with lately.

(I cut up bananas and strawberries when they are on sale and freeze them)

I toss in bananas, strawberries, carrots, flax seed, and spinach. Then some Apple Juice and Almond Milk.

Spaghetti Squash

I never used to eat squash, but since I've been married I've learned to like it and now I LOVE spaghetti squash. We made it the other night with just spaghetti sauce on top and it was sooo good. I seriously prefer it over noodles at times. And whats best is that it's so easy to make!

Cut squash open, take out seeds, and then put in some butter and wrap in foil. Bake at 400 for 1 hour. 

Father's Day BK

We finally made our Blueberry Pancakes for Father's Day morning. Yum!

Week of 6/11

Hmmm....last week seems like it was so far away. I barely remember it. Monday and Tuesday we stayed on track. Wednesday we celebrated my Dad's Birthday and in his memory we went to KFC. Haha...so my Dad. Thursday ended up at my sister's house and she always spoils me and since we stayed so long let us eat with her. (Tacos=Yum) Friday we finally did our fish. And Sunday we ate at my In Laws where I pigged out horribly and now feel fat, but it was soooo good. However, I can not eat like that again for at least another month. Now to a new week.

Monday: Mexican- Tortilla Soup (I'm still at work-it was out of a can)
Tuesday: Crockpot- Crock Pot Chicken a la Criolla

(http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/crock-pot-chicken-la-criolla.html)

Wednesday: Italian- Spaghetti, Green Beans, Fruit
Thursday: New Dish- Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches

(http://becomingbetty.blogspot.com/2011/09/avocado-chicken-salad.html)

Friday: Seafood/Leftovers- Most likely leftovers
Saturday: Out
Sunday: Breakfast-Blueberry Pancakes

*For some reason I've been stuck on Chicken as the meat we eat, not sure why*

Just Say No

I could not stop eating these on Sunday. Like Seriously could not stop. There are some things I have a hard time saying No to...and these are them:

Caramel Rice Krispie Bars

(http://stellabskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/caramel-rice-krispies-bars.html)

*These aren't the actual ones, but I think this may be the same recipe as the ones my Mother In Law made. It's all her fault :)

Pirate's Booty

Fruit Salad

I made this fruit salad for a party on Saturday. I really really liked it. I was looking for something that had like a sauce to it, but without cream cheese or sour cream and I was so happy when I found this one because it was super easy.

I got the recipe from here:

http://realmomkitchen.com/7394/quick-summer-fruit-salad/

Quick Summer Fruit Salad
1 (5.1 oz) pkg vanilla instant pudding
1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits with juice
1 lb. fresh strawberries, quartered
1 cup fresh blueberries (optional, I think marshmallows would be a yummy substitution)
3 bananas, sliced

1. In a bowl combine the pudding mix and canned pineapple with the juice.  Stir until well blended and all the pudding mixture has dissolved.
2. Fold in the strawberries and blueberries if desired.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Just before serving, fold in the sliced bananas.
Adapted from Meals 4 Moms

Week of 6/4

So last weeks menu went okay. We pretty much only ate the taco soup at home though. Wednesday we went out to eat with family. Thursday my husband ended up cooking, so he made this beef noodle thing with steamed asparagus. It was actually really good and my kids asked for more asparagus. Friday we got home late and my girls were already asleep by the time we got to dinner (Yes it was one of those weeks), so Shaun and I threw together stack dinners-an all time fav. Super easy: chips, chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and salsa. I didn't have the discipline to leave off the cheese, but I did exclude the sour cream (baby steps). And Sunday we were invited over last minute to eat lasagna. So here is to a new week:


Monday: Mexican- BBQ with Friends
Tuesday: Crockpot- Chicken Tacos
http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html
Wednesday: Italian- Spaghetti, Green Beans, Fruit
Thursday: New Dish- Santa Fe Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=94061
Friday: Seafood- Fish, Rice, Veggie
Saturday: Out
Sunday: Breakfast-Blueberry Pancakes

Week of 5/28

So last week I'd say went rather well. We had a few adjustments since Friday we ended up going to a friends house for dinner for Pork Burritos, which were amazing and Saturday we went out to eat at Olive Garden, also delicious. Sunday our chorizo y huevos was of course awesome. Now to this week:


Monday: Mexican- (Holiday, so we BBQed)
Tuesday: Crockpot- Taco Soup (Recipe and picture below)
Wednesday: Italian- Pasta Roni, Asparagus, fruit
Thursday: New Dish- Santa Fe Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=94061
Friday: Seafood- Fish, Rice, Veggie
Saturday: Out
Sunday: Breakfast- Pancakes & Strawberries

Crockpot Taco Soup:

(You can pretty much put in whatever you feel like, but here's what I put in this time)

1 can Chili Beans

1 can Black Beans

1 can Corn

1 can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

1/4 of an onion chopped

1/4 Packet Taco Seasoning

1 frozen Chicken Breast

All you do is mix everything together in the crock pot and then put in the chicken. Cook on low for at least 4 hours or until chicken is done, but really you can cook much longer if needed. Once it's cooked you can shred the chicken and continue to cook until ready to eat. Ours was a little on the spicy side because of the chili beans and green chilies, but my girls still ate it. We also usually put in chopped bell peppers.