It has been a little bit of an adjustment getting back into the swing of things after having such a nice, relaxing holiday break. Now back to practices, games, driving everywhere, work schedule, etc!
I went to my first Working Women's Forum event and loved it. The guest speaker spoke about the importance of nutrition and teaching our young children how to eat healthily. She said something that really saddened me. According to studies, today's generation will have a shorter life expectancy than my generation. Sedentary life styles and intake of processed foods are the culprits! Even more important to get kids moving and realizing what they are putting into their bodies!! Two important things we can all do is to eat more fruits and vegetables with every meal--yes, even at breakfast! My goal for this week's meal planning is to incorporate many vegetables into my meals as possible. I always have a bowl of fresh fruit on the table with every meal, now I also add fresh cut veggies too, in addition to the vegetables cooked in our meal.
The week ahead looks like this:
Monday-tacos. Ingredients: 2 lbs. lean ground turkey, whole grain taco shells and tortillas, cheddar cheese, taco sauce, fresh salsa, avocados, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, romaine lettuce, cilantro, black beans, chili powder, cayenne pepper, & kosher salt. Brown the ground turkey and season with the spices. Cut all the fresh veggies and put in separate bowls. Make a toppings bar as well with the cheese, salsa, sauce, cilantro, and beans. When the meat is done cooking, I let my family fill their shell or tortilla with the meat and toppings. Enjoy!
Tuesday- Pad Thai Stir Fry. Ingredients: rice sticks (noodles), 3T. vegetable oil, 1 garlic clove minced, 3 eggs, 4 T. fish sauce, 1 green onion, 2 T. sugar, 1 cup bean sprouts ( I use 2 cups broccoli slaw instead), 1/2 c ground peanuts. Soak the rice sticks in warm water for 30-45 minutes until tender but firm. Heat oil in large pan, then add garlic. Add egg and scramble until done. reduce heat, drain rice sticks, and add to egg mixture. Increase temp and stir fry noodles until they are translucent, adding up to 1/4 c water if needed. When noodles begin to stick together, add fish sauce, sugar, and green onion. Continue to cook mixture. Garnish with sprouts or slaw and peanuts. You can add chicken, beef , tofu or shrimp. Yum!
Wednesday-Fast Chicken Chicken from Cooking Light 3- Step Express. I have made this before and posted it on a previous blog. So simple and delicious! My kids love it so it was requested again. A big tossed salad will accompany the chili with some baked corn chips as well! Can't find the recipe from previous blog post-contact me!
Thursday-risotto with zucchini, mushrooms, scallions and shrimp. Ingredients: arborio rice, vegetables, low sodium chicken broth, parm cheese. I buy Italian Arborio rice and follow the instructions on the package. Before cook the rice I begin with olive oil in a large pot and saute the scallions and i add in minced garlic. when softened i add the zucchini and mushrooms. Then follow the directions on the bag. The shrimp go in last. This recipe is a little time consuming because you need to stir the risotto while adding the broth a little at a time. The rice absorbs the liquid and then you add a little more until it is soft and creamy. When done, I sprinkle a little cheese and fresh parsley on top.
Friday- homemade sushi rolls and dumplings for appetizers and baked salmon or cod with quinoa and roasted vegetables. We now have a sushi kit and make yummy vegetable rolls with seaweed, carrots, cucumbers, avocados, and sushi rice. Follow the instructions on the kit and it's not to hard to do! takes practice. We now make one long roll, refrigerate, and then cut into small rolls. They stay together much better. Unfortunately, we will not be making homemade dumplings tonight, hoping to get together with our friends and make them from scratch again! I bought a fairly healthy brand at Whole Foods in the freezer department to try. I also will wait and see what fish is on sale on Friday. My family loves wild salmon and any kind of white fish. I will just bake in the oven with some whole wheat panko sprinkled on top and some lemon and olive oil for a little crispy texture. While we're eating the appetizers the brussel sprouts, butternut squash and cauliflower will be in the oven roasting and when done will toss veggies over quinoa. Happy weekend!
Saturday- individual homemade pizzas with lots of toppings!
Sunday- spaghetti and meat sauce. Recipe from Chop, chop cookbook by Sally Sampson. ingredients: 2 t. olive oil, 1 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves chopped, 1 T. dried basil, 1 t. dried oregano, 1 lb. ground turkey or lean beef, 2 (28 oz. cans) diced tomatoes, including the liquid, 1/4 c water, 1/4 c chopped fresh basil, grated Parmesan cheese. Heat pan to medium-low. When it is hot add the oil, then add the onion, garlic, basil, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ground turkey or beef and cook, breaking up with spoon, about 10-12 minutes. add tomatoes and water and cook until it starts to come together, about 1 hour. serve with the basil and cheese. can refrigerate up to 3 days and makes 6 cups.
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