Meals at a glance....

Life has just become a little crazier...we decided to adopt a 5 month old puppy as an early birthday/Christmas gift!  I am still feeling overwhelmed and having second thoughts about our decision, but am giving it my all to make it work for me and for my 14 year old lab.  So, that being said, meals have been altered a bit and simplified a tad more!

The family favorite this week was definitely the baked potato bar.  My oldest son's creation was potato with cheddar cheese and bacon, then a sunny- side up egg on top.  It looked beautiful, and once all the other kids had a glimpse they wanted the same!  Broccoli of course was on the side!

The second favorite that was not planned but happened because of time and convenience was pumpkin soup.  An old recipe from years ago, but one of my favorites as well.  These two meals have been requested again for this week.  I'm relieved to have it be easy!  I also received the October Fitness magazine and found some great breakfast- for -dinner ideas.

Meals for the week ahead look like this...

Monday: Back by popular demand---Baked potato bar with bacon, eggs, cheese, broccoli and whatever else we can think of as toppings!

Tuesday:  Pumpkin soup, tossed green salad, whole grain loaf of bread

Wednesday:  Loaded sweet-potato breakfast burritos (Fitness magazine)

Thursday:  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and salad

Friday:  Roasted brussel sprouts, parsnips, carrots, and red onions as a side and homemade pizzas

Saturday:  Rib eye steaks and Gorgonzola salad

Sunday:  Grilled salmon and haddock with sauteed zucchini, onions, mushrooms and garlic


We are making Apple Cider Doughnut- Muffins for school morning breakfasts today.  Seems to be an easy and for the most part healthier option than store bought muffins.  I'll let you know if they're a hit!

Please share what you're cooking in your kitchens...as always if something strikes your interest and you'd like the recipe be in touch with me.

Enjoy the week!

Donna

3-ingredient meat loaf and mashed potato-cauliflower

This week a few people have asked for these 2 recipes, so I thought I'd post them rather then send them out individually!

The meat loaf is a Biggest Loser recipe and the cauliflower mashed potatoes is my own that I have played around with over the past few months.  For the veggie dish I use one whole head of cauliflower, rinsed and stem removed and 6 nice size potatoes, peeled and cut in half.  I boil a pot of salted water and add the potatoes and cauliflower.  Keep at a boil for a few minutes then lower heat to simmer for at least 45 minutes.  Make sure a fork pierces the potato and the center is soft.  Drain the water, reserving a little.  Add a tablespoon butter, pour a small amount of milk ( I use skim), sprinkle a good dose of garlic powder and beat with a mixer until thick & smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!  These 2 recipes are my kids favorites.  I hope they become yours too.  Let me know.

 Recipe: Three-ingredient meat loaf

Devin Alexander, "The Biggest Loser Quick and Easy Cookbook"

Ingredients

• Olive oil spray (propellant free)
• 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup all-natural barbecue sauce, preferably sweetened with agave nectar or honey (I used OrganicVille Original BBQ Sauce)
• 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

We've all heard that, in life, some things are greater than the sum of their parts. Here is an example: This meat loaf only uses three ingredients and can be put together in minutes, yet it yields a decadent dish that you would never guess is low in calories.

I wouldn't recommend making this in a loaf pan. The end result will be tastier if you use a baking dish or cake pan.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line an 8" x 8" square or round nonstick baking dish or cake pan with nonstick foil. Lightly mist the foil with the olive oil spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the turkey, 5 tablespoons of the sauce, and the goat cheese until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, shaping it into an 8" x 3" log that stretches from one side of the pan to the other and is an even thickness. Using a pastry brush, spread the remaining sauce evenly over the top and sides, making sure it does not run onto the pan.

Bake for 23 to 27 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. Let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, cut into 8 slices, and serve immediately.

Per serving: 209 calories, 31 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates (11 g sugar), 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 52 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 317 mg sodium

Tips

Tip: Extra lean ground turkey doesn't have to be dry if you add moisture to it like I do here with the addition of BBQ Sauce. This recipe uses extra lean ground turkey where only 15 of the 120 calories are from fat. If you opt for the lean, which is 7% fat, 70 of the 170 calories for the same sized serving are from fat.

Look for an all-natural barbeque sauce, preferably sweetened with agave nectar or honey. Many have tons of high fructose corn syrup.

I love using goat cheese because it packs a punch of flavor so you only need a little bit

If you aren't part of a family of 4, proportion the additional servings BEFORE you sit down to eat. You're less likely to overeat if they're already placed in a resealable bags or resealable plastic containers.

Serving Size

Makes 4 (2-slice) servings

Happy Cooking!

Donna

Meals at a glance...

I'm planning a little ahead this week because I have a barefoot training workshop all weekend.  Really excited about meeting Stacey Lei Krauss, the founder of the willPower & grace method.  Perfect opportunity for me to refine my skills and learn from the best!

Fridge is stocked with meals while I'm away.  I froze some lasagna that I had made a few weeks ago for one night and some salad & chicken for Scott to grill the other night.  Now on to the following week...

I'm loving the cooler weather because of all the nice fall dishes we can choose from and create.   Fall vegetables are some of my favorites and my families too.  I love all the different squashes, especially butternut, acorn and pumpkin.  We will incorporate many different kinds of fall vegetables in our meals.  I love to roast them with chicken or separately and use them in soups.

Fall sports are in full spring as is my after school youth fitness classes, so the more I can plan ahead the better.  This week's meals are conducive to the busy schedules and I can prep and make ahead of time which is great.  Some feel good dinners are on the menu for this week...

Monday:  Baked Potato/Sweet potato bar.  A great way to present lots of different vegetables in your meal.   Some of the ones we use are avocados, scallions, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, spaghetti squash and peppers.

Tuesday:  3-Ingredient Turkey Meatloaf with mashed cauliflower. So easy to make and healthy for you too!

Wednesday:  Vegetarian Chili and homemade cornbread

Thursday:  Roasted chicken with roasted fall vegetables

Friday: homemade pizzas, another great way to introduce a variety of vegetables

Saturday:  sesame spinach salad, our imitation of seaweed salad, and soba noodles, vegetable & shrimp stir fry

Sunday:  spaghetti & meatballs, perfect after spending the day on different fields watching soccer!

As always, please share what's on your table!  If you'd like a recipe from this week's meal selections please do not hesitate to be in touch with me.

Enjoy!

Donna

Welcome September....

It's been hard for me to find my groove now that the kids are back in school and my work hours are increasing.  Still feel like it should be summer and I'm enjoying trips to the Creamery for ice cream (new favorite flavor is Oh Snap-pumpkin ice cream with homemade ginger snaps blended throughout!), and indulging in some summer time drinks.  I can tell by the way I feel I need to do a little reboot to my system!


I have found some nice "Detox" recipes from the website Oh She Glows and will be enjoying them this week!

Here is one recipe that I am excited to make.

The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Eat Your Greens Detox Soup

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

1½ teaspoons (7 mL) coconut oil or olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups (750 mL) sliced cremini or white button mushrooms (about 8 ounces)

1 cup (250 mL) chopped carrots

2 cups (500 mL) chopped broccoli florets

Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1½ to 3 teaspoons (7 to 15 mL) grated peeled fresh ginger

½ teaspoon (2 mL) ground turmeric

2 teaspoons (10 mL) ground cumin

⅛ teaspoon (0.5 mL) ground cinnamon

5 cups (1.25 L) vegetable broth

2 large nori seaweed sheets , cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) strips (optional)

2 cups (500 mL) torn kale leaves

Fresh lemon juice, for serving (optional)

Method

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms, carrots and broccoli and stir to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes more.
3. Stir in the ginger, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add the broth and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 20 minutes.
5. Just before serving, stir in the nori (if using) and kale and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired.

Some other great recipes are Detox Tabbouleh, by Angela Liddon and Thai-Inspired Cucumber Salad with Roasted Spiced Chickpeas.

You can find the recipes on http://www.ohsheglows.com  and search Detox Tabbouleh and Thai-Inspired hydrating cucumber salad with roasted spiced chickpeas.  

Would love to hear how you like these recipes.  I have made all 3 before and they are truly delicious and also have the power of cleansing the system!  

Please share if you have a favorite healthy recipe or if you are familiar with Oh She Glows, either the cookbook or the site.

Welcome September by storm by feeling good!

Yours,

Donna

Meals at a glance....

Back to the grind is never easy, but things around here are beginning to feel like "normal" again.  This week is a little tricky with all the back to school nights to attend, so we're keeping it fairly manageable with our meals this week.  I do really try to keep things healthy yet within a budget for my family.  People often ask me if I only buy organic.   I wish I could, however definitely not in the budget!  I buy organic where I can and I pick and choose what is eaten most.  My kids love apples, pears, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, carrots, celery, broccoli, peanut butter and yogurt. (to name a few).  I cant buy organic milk so I choose Garelick Farms.  I try and buy organic chicken and grass fed beef and wild fish.  I don't buy much "junk", the stuff on the inside aisles of the market, but I do buy potato chips made with just potatoes and salt.   I bake most treats so I know what's in them.  I do okay...not perfect, but who is????  I don't want people to think I'm "holier than tho healthy", because I'm not.  I try to live by example for my kids and hope it pays off!

I thought I'd share with you what was a hit last week and what didn't go over as well as I'd expected.  The skirt steak was I think the favorite of the week.  I marinated it in Dijon mustard, vinegar and a little olive oil. I barely ate a 1/4 of a piece because my oldest ate 2 full skirt steaks (and asked for more) and my 6 year old ate an entire one too.  Not much left for the others so I gave up mine!  Shopping for good quality meats is getting very expensive for me with my 4 growing kids, so I am doing lots of veggies and whole grains on the side.  Would love to hear where you do your shopping for the best deals.  Runner up favorite was the soba noodle stir fry.  Everyone here likes a good noodle dish!  Least favorite was the quinoa-turkey patties, although they were my favorite.  a great dish if you like felafel's.  Everyone ate them...that's my rule here...have to give it a fair try.  Heard lots of ,"this looks funny", and I don't like the sauce (tahini).  I gave them ketchup instead!   There are always veggies, salad, and some cut up fruit if you don't love the main dish.  I do not make more than one meal, so if you're still hungry fruit and veggies are your choices.  It is a rare occasion that someone is miserable at the table, but it does happen!

Meals for the upcoming week...

Monday:  tacos with ground turkey, all the fixins' like beans, corn, avocados, lettuce, etc.  I like the brand of shells that is GMO free, I believe it is Garden of Eden.

Tuesday:  baked ziti made with brown rice pasta, sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses and edamame salad (no one here knows the difference that it's brown rice pasta & I  feel better eating it rather than the white flour kind)

Wednesday:  homemade chicken tenders, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and sauteed chick peas

Thursday:  ribollita soup (keeping fingers crossed that it cools off for this--it's Teddy, my youngest son's pick of the week, and he most always chooses something hot!)  a nice loaf of some good whole grain bread to accompany.

Friday:  homemade calzones with lots of veggies and some Applegate bacon and salad

Saturday:  grilled chicken and zucchini and corn on the cob with tomato salad

Sunday:  whatever wild fish is on sale!

I would love this blog to turn into a sharing page where we can all share ideas, stores we go to, cookbooks, etc.  Please give me some feedback.  I'd love to know what you find helpful and what you rather not read.  I'm all about being honest but not hurting feelings!

enjoy the week all....Donna