Meal Plan

Breakfast:
Breakfast pizza - tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, my sausage (crumbled, not patties), cheddar
Grilled chicken/rice/butter/parsley
Bacon (turkey), hash browns
Sausage hash (new recipe)
Smoked sausage, biscuits

Lunch:
Greek-seasoned ground beef salad
Turkey, cream spinach, pumpkin mashed potatoes
Burgers, fries, veggies
Mac & cheese w/turkey, veggies
Red bell pepper pasta
Turkey stew

Supper:
Aromatic chicken breasts, Lemon Linguine (new recipe), veggies
Tuna salad
Stir-fry (veggies, leftover turkey), rice
Cheesy biscuit (beef) wienies, veggies
Baked fish, Pesto Pasta (new recipe), veggies
Cheesy chicken, cheesy mashed potatoes, veggies

Eating Plan

I decided to ditch the low carb suppers and see how I'd do. I'm concentrating on:
1. Lots of protein. Definitely protein at every meal.
2. Making sure I'm eating my veggies.
3. Eating "real" food. The less ingredients on the label, the better!
4. Not eating a lot of carbs.

So basically I'm going for healthy meals. So far I feel pretty good! Once I start working out again (planning on this week sometime!), I'll see how I feel and adjust accordingly.

Last Night

I had a bit of trouble getting to sleep. Then I woke up a few hours later for seemingly no reason. And I was about to have a panic attack. I wasn't having a bad dream or anything. There was no reason for it.

But I seem to remember that happening back when I did my big detox last year...

I'm feeling better today. Able to do more each day. Not getting as tired during the day and not as tired at night.

Pretty happy about that :)

Rainy Day

Since it wasn't as hot, I spent a lot of the day cooking! Cooked the roasts and sides. Plus I've been wanting black forest cake but the cherries are always so sweet. And tart pie filling has funky ingredients in it. So I bought canned Montmorency cherries (packed in water) and made my own! It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Yummy!

Breakfast - grilled chicken (Tyson frozen) in brown rice w/ butter and parsley

Lunch - tarragon chicken salad on bread; cookies

Supper - roast (cooked in beef broth w/garlic); roasted red potatoes; buttered carrots; black forest cake

I also licked the beaters and bowl after I mixed up the cake ;)

Cranberry Candy

I threw this together for Jesse as a Father's Day treat using a few of his favorite ingredients. It couldn't be easier!

CRANBERRY CANDY

12 oz chocolate chips
8 oz cream cheese
6 oz bag Craisins

Melt together chips and cream cheese. Mix well. Spread into a thin layer on a lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle evenly with Craisins. Lightly press Craisins into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate to set. Cut into small pieces. Store in refrigerator.

These are very rich! A little piece is very satisfying!

Imitation Calzone

There was a pizza place here years ago that made a yummy chicken Florentine calzone. This is my approximation of it.

IMITATION CALZONE

~2 tbsp each butter and olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
12 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt to taste
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
Cooked spinach
4 slices bread

Heat olive oil and butter over medium-low until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic just starts to brown. Remove garlic and set aside. Turn heat to medium and cook chicken. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Mix chicken and cheese in a large bowl until cheese is melted (microwave if necessary to melt). Salt to taste and set aside.

Brown bread in olive oil/butter left in skillet.

You can eat all the ingredients separately or build an imitation calzone. To build, place 1 piece of bread on a plate. Top with chicken/cheese. Place a good bit of spinach on chicken/cheese. Sprinkle with reserved garlic if desired.

Tuesday

Brunch - turkey bacon, biscuits w/butter
Sipped 1/2 cup of coffee w/usual throughout day
Before supper - 1 Reese's PB cup
Supper - Imitation Calzone; Cranberry Candy

Long Few Days...

Jesse's getting over an eye infection that came on quick and got bad fast :(

Friday I ran errands. I got a bit overheated, came home and cooled off, and got back out again. I was in the grocery store, almost done with the few things I needed, when I got really weak. I made it to the pharmacy area where I knew there was a chair. At that point my legs were so shaky I couldn't stand up. My hands were shaking so bad I barely could type a text to Jesse about what was going on. It felt like I had gotten overheated again, but with a delayed reaction. I sat for a while (poor boys were ready to get moving!) then made it to the checkout and home. The rest of the day I couldn't walk without leaning heavily on a wall because my legs were still so shaky. I figured I'd feel better after a good night's sleep. Well... I woke up Saturday and only felt marginally better :( I was still having trouble walking, lightheaded etc.

Today is Tuesday and I'm still not back to normal! I'm short of breath easily, and worn out after very little exertion.

I've been trying to figure out what's going on. I even took a pregnancy test yesterday just to be sure (it was negative, as I expected). I do have a theory...

We ate out a LOT while we were moving. And even in the weeks after. I think my body is detoxing all the chemicals in the food we ate. In a lot of ways this does feel like my big detox last year. I suspected my body was starting a detox last week. Now that we're eating healthier again, I think the better food triggered it. Not that we've been eating totally healthy, but definitely better than we did while we were moving! So I think the heat affected me a lot more.

So that's my theory...

Meal Plan Change

I got a good deal on rump roasts today (B1G1F - ended up being $2.50/lb!) so I'm replacing my ground beef patties meal and Florentine meatball meal with roast instead. Yum!

Meal Plan

Breakfast:
Bacon, blueberry pancakes
Sausage hash
Smoked sausage, biscuits
Chicken, muffins
Chicken/rice/butter/parsley
Sausage patties/cheddar, carb

Lunch:
Dilly chicken sandwiches, tomatoes
Roasted red bell pepper pasta
Turkey stew
Cheesy chicken, cheesy potatoes, veggies
Roast, brown rice, broth or gravy, veggies (was spinach parmesan linguine, ground beef patties)
Roast leftovers (was florentine meatballs, pasta)

Supper
Tarragon chicken salad
Chicken/spinach/mozzarella/garlic
Tuna salad salad
Chicken usual salad
Steak salad
Chicken with tarragon mustaise, veggies

Tuesday

Breakfast - nothing (slept in a bit)

Lunch - Connie's Ultimate Baked Potato; few chocolate-covered almonds

Two of my mini-muffins

Supper - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square

Connie's Ultimate Potato

CONNIE'S ULTIMATE POTATO

1 small red potato, baked and cubed or mashed
5 oz chicken breast, cooked (I did mine w/Essence in olive oil), cut in bite-sized pieces
1 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed
6 oz frozen broccoli, cooked, w/butter and salt
Salt if needed
Sour cream

Mix together potato, chicken, cheese, and broccoli. Microwave if needed to melt cheese. Salt to taste. Dip bites in sour cream.

Perfect proportions of everything... Yum yum!

Monday - Yummy New Recipe!

Breakfast - turkey bacon; homemade wild blueberry oat muffins

Lunch - Dilly Chicken Sandwiches; coconut cake

Tablespoon of chocolate chips

1/2 cup coffee w/vanilla Torani, Stevia, cream

Supper - 93/7 ground beef (Greek seasoned) in usual salad; Ghirardelli square

Dilly Chicken Sandwiches

DILLY CHICKEN SANDWICHES
(adapted from Quick Cooking)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6 tbsp butter, softened, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dill weed, divided
4 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1-2 tsp lemon juice
Bread

Pound chicken breasts to flatten. In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter. Add garlic and 1/2 tsp dill. Cook chicken until done. Remove from skillet.

Spread bread on one side with butter. Brown buttered side of bread in skillet until golden brown.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, lemon juice, and remaining 1/4 tsp dill.

Spread unbuttered side of bread with cream cheese mixture. Top with chicken.

* We ate these open-faced. You can put lettuce and tomato on them too. I had planned on having fresh Creole tomatoes on the side but didn't make it to the grocery store that has them.

Sunday

So the plan this weekend was to prep Sunday's breakfast Saturday night. Well, I was feeling bad, fighting a cold - lightheaded, stuffy, etc. So it didn't happen :( Then I didn't get up until the last minute Sunday morning because I still didn't feel good. The boys had leftover eggs. I was hungry and needed to eat. Trying to find healthy fast food at breakfast is impossible! I ended up getting a steak/egg/cheese bagel from McDonald's. I ate the half of bagel with the meat, cheese, and onions. The boys split the egg half. I also had a hashbrown. Had some coffee w/usual when I woke up.

Lunch was Italian buffet. Quick, close, and cheap!

Supper... Gabriel took a long, late nap on me (his second of the day). It was late when he woke up so I just ate about 2 oz of chicken (oo, Essence) and a little celery.

Saturday

We ate breakfast late so just combined lunch and supper.

Breakfast - turkey sausage w/mustaise; biscuit w/butter and strawberry Simply Fruit

Couple of chocolate-covered almonds, Espresso Escape Ghirardelli square

Lupper - onion cheese soup; fish sandwich - baked cod, mayo w/sundried tomatoes, slice of bread browned in butter; coconut cake

Banana

Friday

I had planned on eating a carb at breakfast but I felt a bit overloaded on carbs from yesterday so decided to just do protein.

Breakfast - turkey sausage dipped in mustaise
Lunch - grilled chicken (Tyson); peas w/butter; leftover fries w/mayo and ketchup; piece of coconut cake
Supper - chicken breast cooked in oo, seasoned w/Essence; romaine; my honey mustard dressing; Craisins; Ghirardelli square
Other - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual (sipped between breakfast and lunch)

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pasta

ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER PASTA

8 oz penne (I used brown rice penne)
15 oz jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
7.5 oz ricotta
8 oz Italian 6-cheese blend (I used Sargento)
Strips of grilled chicken (I used a couple handfuls but next time will use more)

Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. While pasta is cooking, puree bell peppers in food processor. Add cheeses and puree into a sauce. Drain pasta and put back in pot. Add sauce and chicken and mix together.

Ethan made sure everything was pureed REALLY well ;)

Brunch and Lupper

Weird food day... My mom and I had errands to run and she asked me to go to Shoney's breakfast buffet with her. So the boys and I did :) Then by the time we were done with our errands and made it home, it was almost 4:00. We were all hungry so we ended up going to Golden Corral for lupper :p Definitely not eating anything else today LOL

I over-ate a little but not bad. Didn't get as many veggies as I should have either. But I definitely got a lot of protein :)

Now that I have meals planned out and groceries to cook them with, I should be set!

Yummy Thrown Together Supper!

Will post the recipe after I figure out the amounts...

Breakfast - 1/2 potato, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 slice cheddar, ~2 tbsp sour cream

Lunch - rotisserie chicken breast; small bowl grits w/butter; tomato and mayo

Later - cookie

Supper - roasted red bell pepper pasta; small piece coconut cake, few bites carrot cake

Meal Plan for Next Week

I don't plan specific meals for specific days, just a list to choose from.

Breakfasts:
Sausage patties, cheddar, carb
Sausage patties, blueberry muffin
Chicken, potato, cheddar
Chicken, rice, butter, parsley
Bacon, blueberry muffin
Beef sausage sandwich

Lunches:
Turkey stew (two days)
Onion cheese soup, fish sandwich
Dilly chicken sandwiches, tomatoes
Bacon cheeseburger pasta, veggies
Stir-fry, brown rice

Suppers:
Chicken, spinach, mozzarella
Tarragon chicken salad
Greek salad
Tuna salad salad
Chicken and salad
Ground beef (onion) salad

I only planned six days of meals. Sundays we eat a big lunch out after church and eat leftovers later if we get hungry. I really needed another breakfast but I'll probably eat leftovers for it.

Wonder how close I'll stick to the meal plan... I have a few new recipes to try so we'll see how it goes!

Dinner at the In-law's

Breakfast - grilled chicken (Tyson) in brown rice w/butter and parsley
Lunch - rotisserie chicken breast in romaine salad with dried cranberries and my honey mustard; Ghirardelli square
Supper - baked chicken, homemade spaghetti (ground beef, white pasta) w/parmesan; small piece (frozen) mozzarella bread; small piece dessert - ice cream sandwich, cool whip, Hershey's syrup, pecans

Mom's Night Out :)

Started the day with an appointment, then haircuts, then it was time for lunch so we ended up grabbing a bite nearby.

Breakfast - grilled chicken (Tyson) in brown rice w/butter and parsley; little bit of coffee w/usual later
Lunch - Italian buffet
Supper - few tortilla chips; shrimp/grilled veggie chimichanga; Mexican rice; beans; everything with queso
Later - decaf chocolate iced Americano w/whipped cream

Sunday

Breakfast - leftover minced sirloin steak with brown rice and my homemade honey mustard; 1/2 coffee with usual later
Lunch - Italian buffet (didn't eat a whole lot)
Later - small piece of cake at party
(Wasn't hungry for supper)

Well, One Thing Hasn't Changed...

White flour at breakfast makes it a lot harder to eat healthy the rest of the day! I had somewhere to be this morning and nothing at home I could grab for a quick breakfast so I ended up with fast food. I did good with lunch, then ate way too much dessert. And by suppertime I had a crying teething toddler who had a meltdown whenever I stepped out of arm's reach of him, and being up and down all night for days in a row with one or the other kid puking had taken its toll in me so we ended up ordering out. Not the healthiest, but I could've done much worse!

Breakfast - chicken biscuit from McDonald's - non-pork, non-egg protein fast food choices are very limited at breakfast :(
Lunch - 93/7 ground beef w/turkey bacon and Essence; 1/2 red potato w/butter; cheddar (all mixed together); chocolate chip cookie dough
Supper - roast beef po-boy w/mayo, lettuce, tomato (no gravy); garlic cheese bread
Dessert - strawberries and banana pureed with a drizzle of homemade dark chocolate syrup

Friday

Breakfast - no food; 1/2 cup coffee w/usual
Lunch - grilled chicken breast (Tyson frozen); 1/2 red potato w/butter, sour cream, chives; peas w/butter; 1 cookie
Supper - chicken (same as lunch) in romaine salad w/bleu cheese salad dressing; Ghirardelli square

I had planned a different supper but Gabriel took a long late nap on me...

Thursday

Breakfast - slice white bread w/almond butter (roasted whole almonds only)
Lunch - sirloin w/brown rice and bleu cheese dressing; green beans seasoned w/oo and Essence; 1 cookie
Supper - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square

The New Eating Plan... In Progress

So here is what I'm thinking:

Breakfast - protein, carb, veggie
Lunch - protein, carb, veggie
Supper - protein, veggie

Protein - 80-100 grams total
Carbs - low to moderate amount
Fats - 30-40% caloric intake
Calories - ? - not going to focus on
Veggies - lots!
Fruits - ?

Some aspects of the way I've been eating that I'm keeping:

No drinks 1/2 hour before or 1 hour after I eat
Nothing to eat after 8pm (if really hungry, fruit only)
No milk (other dairy okay)
Salad/raw veggies everyday
Minimal sugar
Minimal processed foods
Sunday free day
Avoid MSG as much as possible (including modified food starches, hydrolyzed proteins, autolyzed yeast extract)
Whole foods as much as possible
Liver/gallbladder flush twice a year

I'm looking forward to seeing how my body does with this way of eating. It definitely gives me more options. I thought about trying to go low carb but my body feels better when I eat some carbs, but not a lot of them. And always with protein.

I'm eager to try ice cream made with almond milk! And bringing back some of our old meals on a regular basis!

I'll probably need to tweak things as I go but this at least gives me a starting point and we'll see where I go from here...