Beth Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "clean-eating"
How to lose weight and eat more
Okay...here is the post that was requested by several of you about "clean eating". I didn't need to lose weight, except for a little around the middle. It's gone now and my husband is down 33 pounds. We eat all the time and I have never felt better. Here you go!
Some things I have learned eating “clean”
First, I am not paleo or vegan or anything in particular but I do follow a lot of recipes that are from these areas and adapt them if needed. For me, it is about getting the bad stuff out of my life. The obvious things are processed foods, fast foods, and fried foods. These are not too hard to avoid and you will find that doing so is just something you have to choose to do. Of course, you must check with your doctor before you make major changes to your diet or your kids’ diets; but if you were to talk to my doctor or my husband’s doctor, they would tell you that they cannot believe our blood chemistry and how it has changed. At 50, my husband has a total cholesterol of 125 now and his HDLs outnumber his LDLs. Mine is similar but I haven’t been doing this as long as him.
Here is what I have learned to avoid:
First, understand the science: Simple starches break down almost immediately into sugar, which spikes your glucose level and then your insulin levels—this sends your body into “fat storage mode”. You then feel hungry sooner because your body has now stored all that lovely starch in your fat cells. That is the simplest way to explain it all. The yucky chemicals in the food need to be avoided as well, so stick to terms like “organic”, “free-range”, and “grass fed”. If you read a label on something and you cannot pronounce the chemical, don’t eat it, unless you know exactly what it is and if it will help you in some way.
Sugar: This is the simplest form of food and will cause an immediate spike to your insulin production. Obviously this is good to avoid, but you really have to look for it sometimes. Stay away from the fake sugars especially. Those are not recognized by your body as food and sometimes spike your hunger. I eat natural sugars like Agave and honey but avoid the processed types.
Wheat: Some say whole grains are good but we stay away from it almost completely. I say almost, because sometimes we may be at an event and eat it without knowing. The GMO in wheat today is over the top. There are some “heart helping properties” of wheat but those are long gone in the newer varieties that pervade our food. The fiber you miss in grains will easily be replaced in whole organic veggies. I love starches and breads so I substitute a variety of “breads” and I have not missed them at all. I eat Paleo sandwich bread every day and it is amazing with almond butter and honey as well as a little fruit (my favorite is blueberries). This makes a great breakfast; but it could be a dessert.
Corn: The corn we are now fed is the GMO corn that was created to increase weight in livestock so guess what it does to us? You got it! Corn is full of starch too.
Potatoes: Oh my! I love these, but they are full of starch as well. Did any of you do that crazy test in Biology class where you test for starch in food and the potatoes were dark purple? Yes, there is some fiber there, but you can get fiber in the good foods. We eat sweet potatoes, which have much less starch and a ton of vitamins and nutrients your body can use, including fiber.
Dairy: OKAY, this was a hard one and we don’t completely eliminate it at our home. If we make something that needs cheese, we use a little sparingly and try to find organic cheeses. Same for cream cheese and sour cream. Milk, though, we stay away from and use either homemade almond milk (see the great trick for that below) or buy it—the store bought types have calcium and vitamin D added for you too. There are so many hormones in your milk today—you might be able to find a dairy farmer who doesn’t feed his cows the GMO laden corn etc but I suggest finding alternatives. Some people like cashew milk, etc. I only use this or coconut milk in recipes and haven't tried it to actually drink..
The next step is adding in the good stuff and learning to substitute and is more complicated but still not too bad. It is all about planning ahead and I mean don’t let yourself get caught in the last minute starving phase before you decide what to make. That being said, we can now do that because we have cleaned out our cupboards and have perfected some easy and good recipes.
Now, the most wonderful substitutions in the world are fairly easy. I will say that having a high speed blender (like Blendtec or VitaMix) is helpful but a good food processor might work. I am a VitaMix girl and love love love mine. I would jump in my car and race to the store for a new one if mine died.
Here are some interesting and good substitutions that have helped me be able to transform some of my own recipes as well as experiment with others.
1.) Zoodles: These are zucchini noodles made with a $10 spiral vegetable tool you can get at a store or on Amazon. The “noodles” can be made from zucchini, squash, carrots or anything you want. For me, the zucchini is the best! You have to know how, though. The secret is in the cooking. Making them is super fast and easy. I can use one medium zucchini and it makes plenty of zoodles for me and my husband. Once you make them, place them between two paper towels and squeeze out the water. Some people salt them and let the salt draw the water out but squeezing is great. Next, you saute them over low heat with a little olive oil or coconut oil for about 5 minutes and then serve. You can make them any length or cut them up slightly; but either way, use them for any of your favorite pasta recipes. We use them with grass fed beef spaghetti sauces or with roasted veggies etc.
2.) Pasta: I love pasta so I had to find the best ways to substitute for it. There are recipes for making pasta without wheat etc, but I like the following better. First, zoodles but you can also roast a spaghetti squash and gently pull out the center for noodles as well. Zucchini, eggplant, and even large mushrooms can substitute in your lasagna recipes. For mac and cheese, try some of the paleo mac and cheese recipes online. They use cauliflower for the “noodles”.
3.) Cauliflower: I cannot tell you enough great things about this vegetable. For rice, put a few pieces at a time in your food processor or blender and pulse to make small pieces. Just cook in the microwave and serve as a rice substitute. Now, that is just the beginning. It can be blended to become “mashed potatoes” or used to make cauliflower breads and pizza crusts. This is an amazing use of a great vegetable. I make the rice all the time and just throw in leftover veggies from the night before and sometimes meat for a great lunch.
4.) Almonds, almonds, almonds: Get used to buying them in bulk. You can make almond flour in your high speed blender or food processor —just place about a cup at a time in there and pulse to make it a coarse or fine flour, whichever you need. It can be substituted for all purpose flour in any recipe. If you want homemade almond butter, toast them on parchment paper for 10 minutes place in the blender or food processor and keep blending —eventually it will become almond butter. Mix in honey or coconut for interesting flavors.
5.) Coconut oil and flour. These are in so many recipes and are amazing. We use them so much and even make our own coconut flour sometimes. The oil is great on skin and hair too!
So, the above is the basic idea of re-thinking your cooking. Below is my favorite bread in the world. I eat a slice with honey and almond butter every morning, along with a handful of blueberries. It is a terrific breakfast. This bread is good for sandwiches; but I use it as a treat.
Almond Flour, Almond Butter, and Almond Milk
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread out the almonds. Toast on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let them cool and then process them until they turn to butter. The first stage, when you start turning up your VitaMix or processor, the almonds will turn to Almond Meal and then to a finer Almond Flour. I make this all the time to substitute in for all purpose flour. I don’t toast the almonds for this but you can. If you keep processing, though, the almonds will become almond butter. Sometimes I have to stop and scrap it down some. After you scoop it all out, leave about a tablespoon in the VitaMix or processor. Usually this is what is stuck to everything. Add one cup of water and process again. Now you have homemade almond milk and you have cleaned your processor at the same time. I sometimes add vanilla or agave to sweeten it; but it is wonderful just as it is.
Paleo Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
3/4 cup almond butter
5 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, blend the almond butter, eggs, coconut oil, honey, and apple cider vinegar together with a hand blender.
2 In a separate bowl, mix together the flaxseed meal, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
3 Pour the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until browned and completely set. Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one week.
Notes
Servings: 1 loaf
Difficulty: Medium
By Rebecca Bohl (PaleoGrubs.com)
Paleo Pancakes
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs (cage free)
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix well and add more almond flour if too thin or almond milk if too thick. Cook on a griddle and enjoy. I use a little coconut oil to grease the griddle.
We eat these with maple syrup or make them thin to use a wraps. If I am making them for wraps, I omit the vanilla.
Hope this helps! We have learned so much and have a great stash of recipes now! I can post more later if you guys like it!
ONE LAST THING...
We have been doing this for several weeks now. We originally decided to incorporate "cheat meals" one time a week but no longer do this because we feel so bad afterward. We tried to "cheat" this past week and I became sick for several hours afterward with terrible heartburn and bloating. I talked with some other people who follow our type eating and they said that I was like a drug addict who cleans up in rehab and then tries to take a hit. Scary, isn't it? I
Some things I have learned eating “clean”
First, I am not paleo or vegan or anything in particular but I do follow a lot of recipes that are from these areas and adapt them if needed. For me, it is about getting the bad stuff out of my life. The obvious things are processed foods, fast foods, and fried foods. These are not too hard to avoid and you will find that doing so is just something you have to choose to do. Of course, you must check with your doctor before you make major changes to your diet or your kids’ diets; but if you were to talk to my doctor or my husband’s doctor, they would tell you that they cannot believe our blood chemistry and how it has changed. At 50, my husband has a total cholesterol of 125 now and his HDLs outnumber his LDLs. Mine is similar but I haven’t been doing this as long as him.
Here is what I have learned to avoid:
First, understand the science: Simple starches break down almost immediately into sugar, which spikes your glucose level and then your insulin levels—this sends your body into “fat storage mode”. You then feel hungry sooner because your body has now stored all that lovely starch in your fat cells. That is the simplest way to explain it all. The yucky chemicals in the food need to be avoided as well, so stick to terms like “organic”, “free-range”, and “grass fed”. If you read a label on something and you cannot pronounce the chemical, don’t eat it, unless you know exactly what it is and if it will help you in some way.
Sugar: This is the simplest form of food and will cause an immediate spike to your insulin production. Obviously this is good to avoid, but you really have to look for it sometimes. Stay away from the fake sugars especially. Those are not recognized by your body as food and sometimes spike your hunger. I eat natural sugars like Agave and honey but avoid the processed types.
Wheat: Some say whole grains are good but we stay away from it almost completely. I say almost, because sometimes we may be at an event and eat it without knowing. The GMO in wheat today is over the top. There are some “heart helping properties” of wheat but those are long gone in the newer varieties that pervade our food. The fiber you miss in grains will easily be replaced in whole organic veggies. I love starches and breads so I substitute a variety of “breads” and I have not missed them at all. I eat Paleo sandwich bread every day and it is amazing with almond butter and honey as well as a little fruit (my favorite is blueberries). This makes a great breakfast; but it could be a dessert.
Corn: The corn we are now fed is the GMO corn that was created to increase weight in livestock so guess what it does to us? You got it! Corn is full of starch too.
Potatoes: Oh my! I love these, but they are full of starch as well. Did any of you do that crazy test in Biology class where you test for starch in food and the potatoes were dark purple? Yes, there is some fiber there, but you can get fiber in the good foods. We eat sweet potatoes, which have much less starch and a ton of vitamins and nutrients your body can use, including fiber.
Dairy: OKAY, this was a hard one and we don’t completely eliminate it at our home. If we make something that needs cheese, we use a little sparingly and try to find organic cheeses. Same for cream cheese and sour cream. Milk, though, we stay away from and use either homemade almond milk (see the great trick for that below) or buy it—the store bought types have calcium and vitamin D added for you too. There are so many hormones in your milk today—you might be able to find a dairy farmer who doesn’t feed his cows the GMO laden corn etc but I suggest finding alternatives. Some people like cashew milk, etc. I only use this or coconut milk in recipes and haven't tried it to actually drink..
The next step is adding in the good stuff and learning to substitute and is more complicated but still not too bad. It is all about planning ahead and I mean don’t let yourself get caught in the last minute starving phase before you decide what to make. That being said, we can now do that because we have cleaned out our cupboards and have perfected some easy and good recipes.
Now, the most wonderful substitutions in the world are fairly easy. I will say that having a high speed blender (like Blendtec or VitaMix) is helpful but a good food processor might work. I am a VitaMix girl and love love love mine. I would jump in my car and race to the store for a new one if mine died.
Here are some interesting and good substitutions that have helped me be able to transform some of my own recipes as well as experiment with others.
1.) Zoodles: These are zucchini noodles made with a $10 spiral vegetable tool you can get at a store or on Amazon. The “noodles” can be made from zucchini, squash, carrots or anything you want. For me, the zucchini is the best! You have to know how, though. The secret is in the cooking. Making them is super fast and easy. I can use one medium zucchini and it makes plenty of zoodles for me and my husband. Once you make them, place them between two paper towels and squeeze out the water. Some people salt them and let the salt draw the water out but squeezing is great. Next, you saute them over low heat with a little olive oil or coconut oil for about 5 minutes and then serve. You can make them any length or cut them up slightly; but either way, use them for any of your favorite pasta recipes. We use them with grass fed beef spaghetti sauces or with roasted veggies etc.
2.) Pasta: I love pasta so I had to find the best ways to substitute for it. There are recipes for making pasta without wheat etc, but I like the following better. First, zoodles but you can also roast a spaghetti squash and gently pull out the center for noodles as well. Zucchini, eggplant, and even large mushrooms can substitute in your lasagna recipes. For mac and cheese, try some of the paleo mac and cheese recipes online. They use cauliflower for the “noodles”.
3.) Cauliflower: I cannot tell you enough great things about this vegetable. For rice, put a few pieces at a time in your food processor or blender and pulse to make small pieces. Just cook in the microwave and serve as a rice substitute. Now, that is just the beginning. It can be blended to become “mashed potatoes” or used to make cauliflower breads and pizza crusts. This is an amazing use of a great vegetable. I make the rice all the time and just throw in leftover veggies from the night before and sometimes meat for a great lunch.
4.) Almonds, almonds, almonds: Get used to buying them in bulk. You can make almond flour in your high speed blender or food processor —just place about a cup at a time in there and pulse to make it a coarse or fine flour, whichever you need. It can be substituted for all purpose flour in any recipe. If you want homemade almond butter, toast them on parchment paper for 10 minutes place in the blender or food processor and keep blending —eventually it will become almond butter. Mix in honey or coconut for interesting flavors.
5.) Coconut oil and flour. These are in so many recipes and are amazing. We use them so much and even make our own coconut flour sometimes. The oil is great on skin and hair too!
So, the above is the basic idea of re-thinking your cooking. Below is my favorite bread in the world. I eat a slice with honey and almond butter every morning, along with a handful of blueberries. It is a terrific breakfast. This bread is good for sandwiches; but I use it as a treat.
Almond Flour, Almond Butter, and Almond Milk
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread out the almonds. Toast on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let them cool and then process them until they turn to butter. The first stage, when you start turning up your VitaMix or processor, the almonds will turn to Almond Meal and then to a finer Almond Flour. I make this all the time to substitute in for all purpose flour. I don’t toast the almonds for this but you can. If you keep processing, though, the almonds will become almond butter. Sometimes I have to stop and scrap it down some. After you scoop it all out, leave about a tablespoon in the VitaMix or processor. Usually this is what is stuck to everything. Add one cup of water and process again. Now you have homemade almond milk and you have cleaned your processor at the same time. I sometimes add vanilla or agave to sweeten it; but it is wonderful just as it is.
Paleo Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
3/4 cup almond butter
5 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, blend the almond butter, eggs, coconut oil, honey, and apple cider vinegar together with a hand blender.
2 In a separate bowl, mix together the flaxseed meal, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
3 Pour the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until browned and completely set. Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one week.
Notes
Servings: 1 loaf
Difficulty: Medium
By Rebecca Bohl (PaleoGrubs.com)
Paleo Pancakes
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs (cage free)
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix well and add more almond flour if too thin or almond milk if too thick. Cook on a griddle and enjoy. I use a little coconut oil to grease the griddle.
We eat these with maple syrup or make them thin to use a wraps. If I am making them for wraps, I omit the vanilla.
Hope this helps! We have learned so much and have a great stash of recipes now! I can post more later if you guys like it!
ONE LAST THING...
We have been doing this for several weeks now. We originally decided to incorporate "cheat meals" one time a week but no longer do this because we feel so bad afterward. We tried to "cheat" this past week and I became sick for several hours afterward with terrible heartburn and bloating. I talked with some other people who follow our type eating and they said that I was like a drug addict who cleans up in rehab and then tries to take a hit. Scary, isn't it? I
Eating Clean
As my husband and I close in on a year of pure clean eating, I can say that we have never felt better and our energy levels are incredible. We are grain, sugar, white potatoes, corn, and mostly dairy free and our health is at the best its ever been. We eat freely and more calories and our weight is at optimal levels. The reason we can eat so many more calories is that we never have the "crash" where we feel tired after eating so we are more active than ever.
Although not everyone can eat the way we do for a number of reasons and I can say that if you're happy where you are with your health and your weight, then more power to you! If not, consider the switch. We eat incredible foods--many of which are just created with simple substitutions in our old favorite recipes. As for bread, I eat it every day--but I eat my healthy grain free bread that I make myself. Don't roll your eyes and say you don't have time, it's a dump recipe with no kneading or rise time and the bread is completely made in 40 minutes (35 of which is in the oven).
Here are a few things that we eat--see if they sound familiar:
Hamburgers and fries
Pancakes and either bacon or sausage
Lasagne
Pizza
Fish tacos
Anything Mexican you can think of!
Of course, we are obsessed with our new food finds in the clean eating world:
Almond butter spinach smoothie
Wraps of all kinds
Incredible bars and bites
Reuban sandwiches (with homeade bread that's amazing)
Now that we've made it a year, I cannot imagine ever eating any of the things we did before. If you're concerned about dropping the wheat, let me say that it is the one thing that caused me the most health problems. I struggled with severe reflux and heartburn and now I have none. This is not unusual with this type of eating.
Anyway, a year is now behind us and I'm looking forward to many more. Food has never tasted so good!
Happy eating!
Although not everyone can eat the way we do for a number of reasons and I can say that if you're happy where you are with your health and your weight, then more power to you! If not, consider the switch. We eat incredible foods--many of which are just created with simple substitutions in our old favorite recipes. As for bread, I eat it every day--but I eat my healthy grain free bread that I make myself. Don't roll your eyes and say you don't have time, it's a dump recipe with no kneading or rise time and the bread is completely made in 40 minutes (35 of which is in the oven).
Here are a few things that we eat--see if they sound familiar:
Hamburgers and fries
Pancakes and either bacon or sausage
Lasagne
Pizza
Fish tacos
Anything Mexican you can think of!
Of course, we are obsessed with our new food finds in the clean eating world:
Almond butter spinach smoothie
Wraps of all kinds
Incredible bars and bites
Reuban sandwiches (with homeade bread that's amazing)
Now that we've made it a year, I cannot imagine ever eating any of the things we did before. If you're concerned about dropping the wheat, let me say that it is the one thing that caused me the most health problems. I struggled with severe reflux and heartburn and now I have none. This is not unusual with this type of eating.
Anyway, a year is now behind us and I'm looking forward to many more. Food has never tasted so good!
Happy eating!
Recipes and Menu For Eating Clean
I've had several requests for ideas and menus. Here is a sample of a week for us:
Menu for this week
Monday
Italian Eggplant Casserole
Spinach salad
Sliced Watermelon/Canteloupe
Chocolate spinach and kale smoothie (Need a VitaMix or other high speed blender—-food processor might work)
Italian Eggplant Casserole (adapted from A Girl Worth Saving)
Either Olive Oil or Coconut oil
One large eggplant (peel and set aside)
1/2 pound Chorizo or mild Italian sausage (remove casing).
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
15 oz Plus 8 oz tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1tsp garlic salt
Shortcut: use a can of prepared spaghetti sauce in the place of the last three ingredients. Check the labels and get one with as little sugar as possible. There are a few organic ones out there as well.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 8 x 10 casserole pan with the oil of your choice. Slice the eggplant into about 1/2 inch thick pieces. Line the casserole pan with the pieces—you will have extra. Set those aside for Eggplant fries later. In a frying pan (iron skillet if you have it) brown and drain the meat. In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Spoon about half the mixture over the egg plant and then sprinkle the meat evenly across. Top with half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the sauce and then the cheese. Bake for about 50 minutes and check to see if bubbly and the cheese will brown slightly.
Spinach Salad
Bag Organic spinach
Feta Cheese
1/4 cup rough chopped Walnuts
2 rough chopped Dates
One handful of fresh spinach per person. Sprinkle Feta Cheese, chopped walnuts and dates on top.
Balsamic dressing
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Garlic salt
Put in a jar and shake. Serves about 4.
Chocolate Spinach Kale Smoothie
YOU NEED A HIGH SPEED BLENDER LIKE A VITAMIX
2 Tbsp Chia seeds
2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
6 packs of Truvia
One large handful of Spinach
One large handful of Kale
1/2 tsp Almond Butter
8 mini carrots
1 frozen banana
3/4 cup Almond Milk
Ice (about 2 cups)
Layer in order and gently process as the ingredients incorporate. Adjust thickness with ice and Almond Milk. You may like yours a little sweeter, just add a couple more packs of Truvia. This makes 4 cups approximately OR two mega glasses LOL.
Bonus for appetizer or just for fun!
Eggplant Fries
Cut the remaining eggplant pieces above into long strips. Cover a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with olive or coconut oil spray. Spread the eggplant fries across the sheet and spray them as well. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and bake at 400 for 6 minutes then turn over and cook another 8 minutes. For crispier fries, bake at 350 for up to 10 mins a side.
Tuesday
Deconstructed Beef Tacos
Strawberries/blueberries/raspberries
Smoothie again (we are addicts lol)
Deconstructed Beef Tacos
Olive oil or coconut oil spray
1 pound grass fed ground beef
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder.
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder.
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder.
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano.
1/2 tsp. Paprika.
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin.
Shortcut: use a taco seasoning packet. Find one with the best ingredients and no preservatives.
3 Sweet Potatoes peeled and cubed
3 Roma Tomatoes deseeded and cubed
1 Avocado Chopped and tossed with lime juice to keep from browning
One Egg for every person (Fried)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray with coconut oil or olive oil. Spread sweet potato cubes on cookie sheets and spray with oil. Lightly salt. Place in the oven for 10 mins and stir and repeat. Brown the meat and drain. Add seasonings and combine and simmer slow. Set aside.
To make the tacos:
Scoop some sweet potatoes into a bowl. Cover with a spoonful of meat. Add tomatoes and avocado and then place an egg on top. Enjoy!
Variations:
—Lose the egg and add a small dollop of sour cream—-not much, you won’t need it and you won’t miss the cheese!
—Add lettuce or chopped kale as well
—Add a few black beans. Again, not much. Beans are not something you want to eat a lot of at any time.
Wednesday
Weeknight Chicken
Roasted Carrots
You guessed it…another smoothie. Sometimes we get crazy and make other flavors; but we are seriously addicted.
Weeknight Chicken
Chicken Thighs (whatever number you need)
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with either olive or coconut oil spray. Lay thighs on pan with skin side up. Sprinkle both sides with all spices listed in order. Cook for 25 mins and flip and repeat.
Roasted Carrots
One handful of carrots per person
Balsamic dressing from Monday night —- if you are out, just grab the balsamic vinegar and mix it with oil in a bowl at a 1 to 1 ratio and add a little garlic salt. It will be fine that way.
Cover another cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with olive or coconut oil. Spread out the carrots and drizzle the balsamic dressing. Place this tray in the oven after you flip your chicken and they will be ready at the same time as the chicken.
This week is strange because we have plans on Thursday night but I’m including a dish here we made last weekend.
Thursday
Zoodles and meat sauce
Roasted Broccoli
Sliced Peaches (or fruit you love)
Smoothies—how did you ever guess? LOL
One Zucchini per person
1 pd of grass fed ground beef
Tomato sauce of your choice (make your own like in the Monday night recipe)
So…zoodles are Zucchini noodles. You can use a spaghetti squash here instead. I’ll explain that another day.
You will need a spiral slicer OR you can just use a potato peeler and make strips. It won’t look as much like spaghetti but I promise they will be delicious.
I use zucchini and squash and both are great together. Anyway, wash and cut off ends. Make your noodles and place them on a paper towel. Sprinkle lightly with salt and put another paper towel on top. After about ten minutes, place the zoodles in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Sauce for about 5 minutes. Put them in a colander to drain. DO NOT RINSE. You need to get rid of water here.
Brown your meat and drain, add sauce and you are ready. It’s just like making spaghetti the old way—you’re just replacing that fat producing pasta.
Roasted Broccoli
About one handful of broccoli florets per person
Garlic salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheet blah blah blah (like above with foil and spray—see the pattern?) Spread out your broccoli and lightly spray and sprinkle with garlic salt. Cook for about 5-7 minutes depending on how “done” you like it.
Friday
Baked Cod
Avocado salad
SMOOTHIES of course
Baked Cod
I do this a million different ways but here is an easy one
One large fillet for two people or a medium fillet per person.
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with olive or coconut oil spray. Lay fillets on cookie sheet. Lightly spray and sprinkle with garlic salt and cumin. Bake for about 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Twist: cover with spoonful of salsa instead and bake as above.
Avocado Salad
Chopped and deseeded tomatoes (there is no magic here but I generally add two roma tomatoes per avocado).
Cubed avocado lightly drizzled with lime juice
Fresh Cilantro
Lime juice
Olive Oil
Use leftover avocado and tomatoes from the taco night OR cut up some more. I mix the tomato and avocado and add lime juice and oil. Garnish with cilantro.
Saturday
LEFTOVERS and if there are none—we will be having Bacon and Eggs!
Menu for this week
Monday
Italian Eggplant Casserole
Spinach salad
Sliced Watermelon/Canteloupe
Chocolate spinach and kale smoothie (Need a VitaMix or other high speed blender—-food processor might work)
Italian Eggplant Casserole (adapted from A Girl Worth Saving)
Either Olive Oil or Coconut oil
One large eggplant (peel and set aside)
1/2 pound Chorizo or mild Italian sausage (remove casing).
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
15 oz Plus 8 oz tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1tsp garlic salt
Shortcut: use a can of prepared spaghetti sauce in the place of the last three ingredients. Check the labels and get one with as little sugar as possible. There are a few organic ones out there as well.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 8 x 10 casserole pan with the oil of your choice. Slice the eggplant into about 1/2 inch thick pieces. Line the casserole pan with the pieces—you will have extra. Set those aside for Eggplant fries later. In a frying pan (iron skillet if you have it) brown and drain the meat. In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Spoon about half the mixture over the egg plant and then sprinkle the meat evenly across. Top with half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the sauce and then the cheese. Bake for about 50 minutes and check to see if bubbly and the cheese will brown slightly.
Spinach Salad
Bag Organic spinach
Feta Cheese
1/4 cup rough chopped Walnuts
2 rough chopped Dates
One handful of fresh spinach per person. Sprinkle Feta Cheese, chopped walnuts and dates on top.
Balsamic dressing
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Garlic salt
Put in a jar and shake. Serves about 4.
Chocolate Spinach Kale Smoothie
YOU NEED A HIGH SPEED BLENDER LIKE A VITAMIX
2 Tbsp Chia seeds
2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
6 packs of Truvia
One large handful of Spinach
One large handful of Kale
1/2 tsp Almond Butter
8 mini carrots
1 frozen banana
3/4 cup Almond Milk
Ice (about 2 cups)
Layer in order and gently process as the ingredients incorporate. Adjust thickness with ice and Almond Milk. You may like yours a little sweeter, just add a couple more packs of Truvia. This makes 4 cups approximately OR two mega glasses LOL.
Bonus for appetizer or just for fun!
Eggplant Fries
Cut the remaining eggplant pieces above into long strips. Cover a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with olive or coconut oil spray. Spread the eggplant fries across the sheet and spray them as well. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and bake at 400 for 6 minutes then turn over and cook another 8 minutes. For crispier fries, bake at 350 for up to 10 mins a side.
Tuesday
Deconstructed Beef Tacos
Strawberries/blueberries/raspberries
Smoothie again (we are addicts lol)
Deconstructed Beef Tacos
Olive oil or coconut oil spray
1 pound grass fed ground beef
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder.
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder.
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder.
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano.
1/2 tsp. Paprika.
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin.
Shortcut: use a taco seasoning packet. Find one with the best ingredients and no preservatives.
3 Sweet Potatoes peeled and cubed
3 Roma Tomatoes deseeded and cubed
1 Avocado Chopped and tossed with lime juice to keep from browning
One Egg for every person (Fried)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray with coconut oil or olive oil. Spread sweet potato cubes on cookie sheets and spray with oil. Lightly salt. Place in the oven for 10 mins and stir and repeat. Brown the meat and drain. Add seasonings and combine and simmer slow. Set aside.
To make the tacos:
Scoop some sweet potatoes into a bowl. Cover with a spoonful of meat. Add tomatoes and avocado and then place an egg on top. Enjoy!
Variations:
—Lose the egg and add a small dollop of sour cream—-not much, you won’t need it and you won’t miss the cheese!
—Add lettuce or chopped kale as well
—Add a few black beans. Again, not much. Beans are not something you want to eat a lot of at any time.
Wednesday
Weeknight Chicken
Roasted Carrots
You guessed it…another smoothie. Sometimes we get crazy and make other flavors; but we are seriously addicted.
Weeknight Chicken
Chicken Thighs (whatever number you need)
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with either olive or coconut oil spray. Lay thighs on pan with skin side up. Sprinkle both sides with all spices listed in order. Cook for 25 mins and flip and repeat.
Roasted Carrots
One handful of carrots per person
Balsamic dressing from Monday night —- if you are out, just grab the balsamic vinegar and mix it with oil in a bowl at a 1 to 1 ratio and add a little garlic salt. It will be fine that way.
Cover another cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with olive or coconut oil. Spread out the carrots and drizzle the balsamic dressing. Place this tray in the oven after you flip your chicken and they will be ready at the same time as the chicken.
This week is strange because we have plans on Thursday night but I’m including a dish here we made last weekend.
Thursday
Zoodles and meat sauce
Roasted Broccoli
Sliced Peaches (or fruit you love)
Smoothies—how did you ever guess? LOL
One Zucchini per person
1 pd of grass fed ground beef
Tomato sauce of your choice (make your own like in the Monday night recipe)
So…zoodles are Zucchini noodles. You can use a spaghetti squash here instead. I’ll explain that another day.
You will need a spiral slicer OR you can just use a potato peeler and make strips. It won’t look as much like spaghetti but I promise they will be delicious.
I use zucchini and squash and both are great together. Anyway, wash and cut off ends. Make your noodles and place them on a paper towel. Sprinkle lightly with salt and put another paper towel on top. After about ten minutes, place the zoodles in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Sauce for about 5 minutes. Put them in a colander to drain. DO NOT RINSE. You need to get rid of water here.
Brown your meat and drain, add sauce and you are ready. It’s just like making spaghetti the old way—you’re just replacing that fat producing pasta.
Roasted Broccoli
About one handful of broccoli florets per person
Garlic salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheet blah blah blah (like above with foil and spray—see the pattern?) Spread out your broccoli and lightly spray and sprinkle with garlic salt. Cook for about 5-7 minutes depending on how “done” you like it.
Friday
Baked Cod
Avocado salad
SMOOTHIES of course
Baked Cod
I do this a million different ways but here is an easy one
One large fillet for two people or a medium fillet per person.
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with olive or coconut oil spray. Lay fillets on cookie sheet. Lightly spray and sprinkle with garlic salt and cumin. Bake for about 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Twist: cover with spoonful of salsa instead and bake as above.
Avocado Salad
Chopped and deseeded tomatoes (there is no magic here but I generally add two roma tomatoes per avocado).
Cubed avocado lightly drizzled with lime juice
Fresh Cilantro
Lime juice
Olive Oil
Use leftover avocado and tomatoes from the taco night OR cut up some more. I mix the tomato and avocado and add lime juice and oil. Garnish with cilantro.
Saturday
LEFTOVERS and if there are none—we will be having Bacon and Eggs!
