Easy Peasy Week!

We hosted a Mexican fiesta last night, and while it was fun and awesome...

 

 

...it resulted in a Sunday morning full of clean up and a Laura who is not so thrilled about messing up her pretty kitchen again today J 

 

So, this week is for those who sometimes feel the same!  I am also planning on going out to dinner at some point this week, and soups are great for freezing and reheating when you make too much!

Recipes

Protein Pancakes    

Rotisserie Chicken Salad and Rotisserie Chicken Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (I omitted the milk all together and used chicken stock in place, and took out the bouillon cubes…however, you could make this vegan by following the instructions or using veggie broth in place of milk!)

 

Meal Plan

Breakfasts

Greek yogurt with flax and banana (2 days)
Protein pancakes (3 days)

Lunches

Paleo bread sandwich with boars blackened turkey, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and onion, crudités and apple (3 days)

Rotisserie chicken salad on bed of spinach with dried cranberries, walnuts, red onion and cucumber (2 days)

Dinners

Rotisserie chicken soup (2 days)

Breakfast for dinner (1 day): 3 egg omelette made with goat cheese, red peppers, spinach, and red onion with a side of greens (also with goat cheese, red peppers, and red onion on top!)

Butternut squash and apple soup (2 days) with 4-6 ounces Boars head black forest ham rollups

Snacks (1-2 per day, depending on exercise level)

Apple with almond butter (2 days)

Smoothie with 1 scoop whey protein, 1 cup almond milk, 1-2 cups spinach, 1 cup frozen cherries (2-4 days)

Greek yogurt with flax (3 days)

Grocery List

large butternut squash (3 lbs.), 3 red onions, 9 medium apples (any cooking variety), peeled, cored and diced, nutmeg, ginger, salt, pepper, 3 leeks, 1 lb celery, 1 lb carrots (plus more celery for chicken salad and carrots for crudités), 1 red pepper (plus an extra pepper or 2 for crudités), 1 white onion, garlic, 2 bananas, 2 grapefruit, 1 lb spinach, 1 small head of lettuce for sandwiches, 2 cups cottage cheese, 10 eggs, 6 Greek yogurts (plain), ½ cup goat cheese, 1 carton liquid egg whites, 1 bag frozen cherries, whey protein, almond milk, 1 lb Boars head turkey, 1 lb boars head ham (don’t need this much for 1 person, but there is a certain husband in my house that likes to break in to the deli meat), 1 rotisserie chicken, 1 cup chicken stock, 4 cups chicken broth, almond butter, flax seed meal, gluten free oats, Julian bakery paleo bread (or other bread of your choice for sandwiches), mustard.

 

Rotisserie Chicken Recipes

I am often left with half a rotisserie chicken (I buy a whole one and eat half for dinner when I'm in a rush!) and I'm not a huge fan of reheating it.  These are two recipes I use to make the most of "the other half",  so I don't waste my pricey Whole Foods chicken!

1. For lunches: "Cleaned up" Rotisserie Chicken salad

Ingredients: 1 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 Rotisserie chicken (skin removed and chopped in to pieces), 1 cup chopped celery, 1 small red onion chopped, 2 Tbsp deli style mustard, salt and pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Makes about 4 cups (4 servings) of chicken salad.  I like to put mine on top of apple slices, on a salad, or in a sandwich for a yummy lunch!

2. For dinners or healing a cold or flu :-): Chicken and veggie soup

Ingredients: 1/2 rotisserie chicken (chopped-you can leave skin on or take it off, depending on preference), 2-3 cups chicken broth, 1/2 lb carrots, 1/2 lb celery, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves,  1-2 leeks, salt and pepper to taste, oil (just enough to saute)

Sauté veggies in olive oil or coconut oil. Add broth and chicken. Cook on low for 1 hour. Serve on its own or mix in 1/2 cup rice per bowl (makes 3 large or 5-6 small bowls)

Meal plan and shop for week of 1/20

This week is a tapering week, because I have my very first crossfit competition on Saturday! I'll be exercising a little less, so Calorie needs will be slightly lower (1800-2000 range). When Calorie needs decrease, we really need to focus on quality of food, reducing any extra solid fats and added sugars, in order to make sure we pack in the fiber, vitamins, and minerals necessary for optimal performance and health!  Therefore, I'm making a little goal for myself to make sure I have a high quality protein, plus a fruit and/or a veggie at every meal and snack.  I am also increasing my snacks to 2 per day so I don't raid the chocolate and cheese supply after dinner!

Recipes for the week will help me ensure that fruit and veggie intake is high, as well as help me keep my healthy fats and high quality protein in a good range.  I also have some extra time this week, so I don't have to prep ahead as much! If I did, I would make veggie egg white muffins (see last post) vs the scramble and prep bison chili, cauliflower, chicken, and root veggies in advance! Depending on how my workouts and recovery are feeling, I might add some jasmine rice or gluten free cornbread to the bison chili.

Recipes 

Mashed cauliflower

Mashed root veggies (I used parsnips, rutabaga, turnip, and carrots)

Bison chili (I added diced peppers and black beans)

Broiled chicken thighs (I used coconut oil in place of butter, and Braggs aminos instead of soy sauce)

Egg white scramble(I omitted the cheese)

Lemon codfish

For the green smoothie: 1 cup spinach, 1 cup frozen berries or cherries, 1 scoop whey protein, 1 cup almond milk

Grocery list

Healthy fats: coconut oil, olive oil, walnuts, flax seeds, almond milk

High quality protein: 1 lb boars head turkey breast, 1 lb bison meat, 1 lb chicken thighs, 6 eggs, whey protein powder, 1 carton liquid egg whites, 2 cups plain greek yogurt, can of black beans (12 oz cod purchased on day of)

Fruits: 5 apples, 2 grapefruit, 2 bananas, 3-4 pears, 2 cups frozen berries, 1 cups frozen cherries, 1 lemon

Vegetables: 6 cups spinach, 2 cups peppers, 4 cups celery, 2 cups carrots, 2 onion, 4 sweet potatoes, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 2 parsnips, 1 turnip, 1 rutabaga, can green chiles, jar salsa, canned tomatoes, head garlic, Brussels sprouts, head lettuce, head cauliflower

Other: Paleo bread (coconut from Julian bakery), vega protein powder, amazing grass chocolate superfood, Braggs amino acids, (bacon and parmasean cheese for Geoff's Brussels sprouts)-this is obviously optional!

Meal plan (note, grocery list includes dinners for two!)

Breakfasts (20-30g protein, 400 Calories):

1. Green smoothie (3 days)

2. Egg white scramble with a side of fruit-grapefruit (2 days)

Lunches (20-30g protein, 400-500 Calories)

1. Greek yogurt with flax seeds (2tbsp), walnuts (2tbsp), and banana (2 days)

2. Paleo turkey sandwich (4oz turkey)  with mustard, tomato and lettuce, celery sticks and piece of fruit (3 days)

Snacks (10-20g protein, 1-200 calories)

1. 2 hard boiled eggs, crudités-cucumber/peppers/carrots etc, fruit (3 days)

2.  Turkey roll ups with 2 oz turkey, lettuce, mustard and apple slices (2 days)

3. Vega protein post workout shake mixed with almond milk and chocolate superfood (every day post hard workout---run/row/crossfit)

Dinners (35-45g protein, 600 calories)

Monday: chicken thighs broiled with baked sweet potato and mashed cauliflower

Tuesday: leftovers from Monday 

Wednesday: bison chili

Thursday: leftovers from Wednesday 

Friday: (purchase fish day of): lemon codfish, mashed root veggies, roasted Brussels sprouts