Summer Meal Planning -- Week 1

About 3 months ago, I hired a trainer to come and help me develop a 30 minute full body workout. While I have been regularly exercising, I still was not losing much weight. About six weeks ago, I looked at a photo of myself and couldn't believe the weight I had gained. I am not usually over critical of myself, but found that really, I needed to do something about it before it spiraled out of control. My pants weren't fitting, I was getting headaches, I was (more) moody than usual and I even more so tired. 

After hours of research, I decided I would try to meal plan - again, but this time, for 21 days. I did more restrictive than I usually do, with no dairy, no sugar added, no salt added, and no grains. The first thing I found was that I had to calculate the calories that I could consume, then calculate the amount of calories I could consume while losing weight. I used Calorie Calculator and found that I fell under the 1200-1500 bracket. 

Armed with this, I found a notepad and decided to not only plan my snacks and meals, but to write down everything that I've eaten for 21 days straight. The other tips I found were: drinks lots of water and not to worry too much about the calories. My goal is to be able to get a meal plan, eat proportionally without having to write everything out. 

*To calculate calories I have used Receipt Calorie Calculator

Sunday

Breakfast: Egg Scramble with Spinach, Tomato and Onion (180 cal)

Snack: 1/2 banana with almonds (213 cal)

Snack:1 Cup Cantaloupe (60 Calories)

Snack: 32 grapes - 120

Lunch: Steak with Brocolli, Sweet Potatoes and Cherries -- 429 Calories

Dinner: Shrimp with Tri Color Coleslaw and baked sweet potatoes -- 484 

Total Calories: 1561 

Monday

Breakfast: Overnight Oats (232 calories)

Snack: 12 baby carrots with 1 tbsp of hummus (75 calories)

Lunch: Grilled Chicken with cantaloupe, spinach, tomatoes and avocado (441 calories)

Snack: 1/2 banana with almonds (213 cal)

Snack: 2 hard boiled eggs -- 156 calories

Dinner: Steak with Potatoes (1 cup) and Green beans (1 cup) -- 543 calorioes

Total: 1660 Calories

Tuesday

Breakfast: Two Eggs with 1 cup of potatoes (297 calories)

Snack: 1/2 banana with almonds (163 calories)

Lunch: Beef Noodle Soup (Thai Restaraunt) (500 calories) *

Snack: Cantaloupe -- 60 calories

Snack: 1/2 avocado

Dinner: Chicken Wrap with Hummus and Carrots (307 calories)

Total Calories: 1538

*I estimated high to try to be as conservative as possible

Wednesday

Breakfast: Two eggs with hot sauce (176 cal)

Snack: Coffee with 1 tbsp of coconut milk (10 cal)

Snack: Carrots with 1 tsp of hummus (57 calories)

Lunch: Two cups of Mexican Chicken Soup with Avocado (506 calories) *

Snack: Almonds with a 1/2 banana (163)

Dinner: Salmon with Grilled Zucchini and Watermelon (450)

Total: 1412 Calories

*This soup wasn't very good, I won't try it again

Thursday

Breakfast: 2 eggs with Grilled Zucchini (188 cal)

Snack: Almonds with a 1/2 banana (163)

Lunch: 1/4 cup steak, 1 cup of potatoes, 1/2 avocado (458 cal)

Snack: Grapes (32) ( 120 calories)

Dinner: Salad in a jar and 1 cup of watermelon - (357 calories)

Total: 1336 calories

Friday

Breakfast: 2 eggs with Grilled Zucchini (188 cal)

Snack: (32) grapes (120 Calories)

Lunch: Salad in a jar (352 cal)

Snack: Watermelon, almonds, 1/2 avocado (46,163, 161)

Dinner: Caldo de Res

Total: 1582

Saturday

Breakfast: 2 eggs with Grilled Zucchini (188 cal)

Snack: Almonds

Lunch: Chipotle Salad (Beef, Lettuce, Grilled Veggies, Black Beans, and Guac) 510 calories

Snack: 2  cups of fruit (164 calories)

Dinner: Steak, Brussell Sprouts and potatoes (377 calories)

Total Calories: 1493 

Looking back, I can tell that if I eliminate fruit that I could easily cut some sugar. Planning ahead helped, and two days, I even went to the pool and ate poolside (Tuesday and Thursday). I am no expert, and have just tried to do my best to meal plan, calorie count and maintain a healthy balance. 

Coupons, Meal Planning, and Groceries

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out different ways to meal plan. I have used Sticky Notes, I have used biweekly plans, you name it.. I have at least read about it. I have finally gotten into a routine where I go to the grocery store, buy what is on sale and adjust accordingly. So, I put a meal plan together after I go to the store. I read some article about how if you go to the grocery store with a list, you can spend more money because you aren't basing it on the current sales. So, I have a general rule of thumb list, coupons, and seem to be spending less than I usually do.

Generally, my list consist of:

Eggs
Milk
Cheese
Chips
Hot Sauce
Cereal
Bread
Fruits
Veggies
Any Household Items I add to my List
1-2 Pound of 4 different kinds of meat.. Shrimp, Fish, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork*

*We don't eat Pork, so you won't find any recipes on this website with it.

With Coupons, I ordered a weekly subscription of the newspaper and cut coupons weekly. I actually cut every single coupon out, and mail them to a friend if I don't use. You can also mail them to the Military. I only keep the ones that I would legitimately buy without a coupon. Sometimes I buy frozen items, just to help myself out on those busy days.  I actually make a list of the coupons I am going to use and paperclip them to my list.

I am going to start posting my weekly meal plans.. and recipe links!

Green Chile Enchiladas

When I had a baby, a friend brought me these Enchiladas. They were wonderful.. she sent me the recipe. I have made it two or three times, but have yet to take a picture. I plan to next time! Once I do, I will change the picture.. but until then, there is the picture of the sauce to look for!

Green Chile Enchiladas:

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I make mine in the crockpot with chicken broth and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning)

1 large can Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce (I usually buy medium)
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 minced garlic cloves

1/3 cup softened cream cheese (I use Philadelphia low fat cream cheese and chive spread)
corn tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I use 2%)

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the enchilada sauce, onion, cilantro and garlic in a food processor; blend until smooth. 
In a separate bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese and ½ cup of sauce mixture. 
Warm tortilla in a frying pan.
Spoon about ¼ cup of chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up.
Place tortilla, seam-side down, in an 9x11 inch-baking dish coated with cooking spray. 
Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. 
Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with shredded cheddar cheese. 
Bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes or until heated through. 

Green Beans, Chicken Breasts, and Red Skin Potatoes

As soon as I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it! It is perfect for an easy meal, and it was perfect for me to give away for a new mom. I ended up making this dish with fresh green beans, and cut up some onion to go in the green beans.

It was so easy!

6 Chicken Thighs
1/2 Pound of Green Beans
6 red skin potatoes
2 tbspn of Seasoning (I use Angelo's Pork/Poultry Seasoning)
1 Stick of melted Butter

In a 9x13 pan,place chicken breasts in center, green beans on one side and potatoes on the other. Sprinkle Italian dressing mix over the top. Drizzle melted butter over it. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

I found the recipe here and adjusted it.Green Beans, Chicken Breasts and Red Skin Potatoes

**This is not my image.

Lamb Stew (From Leftover Leg of Lamb)

Since we had a ton of leftover lamb, I decided to use the bone to make Lamb Stew. My husband said it was "the best lamb I had ever made". I looked at several recipes, and found that a lot of them took 12 hours, or called for ingredients I didn't have. So I just went ahead and started.

I covered the leg of lamb with water, and the grease I kept from the leftover leg of lamb. I debated whether adding the fat that was on the top and opted out. I figured it would have enough fat in it to make it good, and it wouldn't be so greasy.

I ended up cooking the lamb until the meat was starting to fall off the bone, and then, I started cutting up vegetables. I added a onion, a bag of carrots, and potatoes. I had some leftover mushrooms from a pizza I had made, and rosemary from the leftover lamb. So I threw that in, and let it simmer for another hour. After that, I started tasting it and added salt as needed. Since I had added too much water, I decided to make some white rice to stir with it. Some of the recipes had called ot put rice in the stew, but I don't like the texture of rice after it has stayed in soup.

It ended up really good. Here is the recipe I used.

Easy Lamb Stew

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups cubed lamb
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 8 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cups stock (I used 3 cups stock made with the bone & 2 cups vegetable stock)
• 1 cup good red wine (I used red zin)
• 1 teaspoon good quality dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large pan or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add cubed lamb and brown for about 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic and continue cooking until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes more. Add carrots, potatoes and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes more. (This is a great way to layer the flavors and season the lamb and veggies before adding the stock)

Add the stock, red wine, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir well.

Bring to a slow boil and then reduce heat immediately and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Very simple, very basic and yet the flavor of this is rich and intense. Don’t forget to serve it with a crusty loaf of bread and either a glass of red or a hearty brew.

And, whatever you do, try and keep from dropping anything on the floor.

Lamb of Leg

I found a Leg of Lamb at Kroger for half off. I was excited, but nervous because I had never made Leg of Lamb. After scouring several recipes, I "winged" it... It turned out really good!

I used this recipe:

How to Roast a Leg of Lamb

How To Roast a Leg of Lamb

10 servings, depending on size of the leg

What You Need

Ingredients
5 to 7 pounds lamb leg, bone-in
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic
3 stems fresh rosemary

Equipment
Roasting pan, with rack
Aluminum foil
Sharp chef's knife or carving knife, for carving

Instructions

1. Take the lamb out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking. Take the leg of lamb out of the refrigerator about an hour before cooking so it comes to room temperature. This promotes faster, more even cooking.
2. Rub the lamb with olive oil. Set the lamb in a rack inside a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and rub into the fat and meat.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and position a rack below so that the top of the meat is a few inches from the broiler element. Broil the lamb for 5 minutes or until the top of the lamb leg looks seared and browned.
5. Flip the lamb over and broil the other side. Flip the lamb over and put back under the broiler for 5 minutes or until the other side is seared.
6. Top with garlic and rosemary. Take the lamb out of the oven. Turn off the broiler and set the oven temperature to 325°F. Reposition the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Mince the garlic and rosemary leaves. Flip the lamb leg over again and rub the top with the chopped garlic and rosemary.
7. Cover the lamb loosely with foil. Tent the pan loosely with foil to keep the garlic and rosemary from burning. Put the lamb back in the oven and cook at 325°F for one hour.
8. Remove the foil after an hour and take the temperature. Take the lamb's temperature and remove the foil. The lamb is ready (medium-rare to medium) when the temperature is 135°F (or above). At 135°F the lamb is cooked to rare, but it will continue cooking as it rests, so we recommend taking it out of the oven at 135° for medium-rare to medium. (Refer to the cooking chart above for general roasting times)
9. If needed, continue cooking the lamb until done. Continue cooking the lamb (uncovered) until it reaches your preferred internal temperature. Check the temperature every 20 minutes until done.
10. Let the leg of lamb rest. Let the lamb rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
11. Carve the lamb: Turn the lamb so the bone is parallel to the cutting board. Make perpendicular slices to the bone, angling straight down until your knife hits the bone.
12. Carve the lamb: Cut the lamb off the bone by slicing through the bottom of the slices with your knife parallel to the bone.

Recipe Notes

• To serve: We highly recommend serving the lamb with this mint pesto.
• To store: Leftover lamb can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• Freezing tip: Jamie recommends freezing leftover rare to medium-rare lamb in slices wrapped in foil. Then, to warm them, she puts the frozen slices, still wrapped, in a 350°F oven. This will warm them and not overcook them.

Arroz Con Pollo (Mexican Chicken And Rice)

Mexican Chicken and Rice is one of my favorite simple dishes. I have been trying to get my hands on a good recipe for awhile. Last year, I found an old family recipe book and this recipe was on it! I ended up watching a video to watch how someone made it and then I added a couple of ingredients. Watch the video here:

Easy Arroz Con Pollo

It ends up taking closer to an hour, but it is so worth it. You will need Chicken , preferably with bones. I used 2 Chicken Quarters. So, put your chicken in a pot, and cover with water, and start boiling. You will use the chicken and the broth in the rice. About 10 minutes after you have put the Chicken on, start cooking the rice. Take 2 cups of rice and a 1/2 cup of Oil and put them in the a good size skillet (this will be the pan you cook everything in, so it needs to be large enough to hold 2 cups cooked rice). Cook the rice in the oil until it turns a golden brown, it usually takes about 20 minutes to do this.

After 15 minutes, take the cooked chicken out of the broth, let it cool down so you can shred it, and add 5 cups of broth, a 8oz can of tomato sauce*, the shredded chicken, spices (cumin and salt)and stir. Put a lid on it, and stir every 5-7 minutes. It should be done after cooking about 25 minutes.

*If you don't have a can of tomato sauce, you can use tomatoes and tomato buillon. Or, I have even used two tablespoons of hot sauce.

Recipe

Chicken thighs
(at least) 8 cups of water
2 cups rice
1/2 cup olive oil
8oz tomato paste
cumin
salt

Directions:

1. Cover Chicken with water and boil. Make extra if you want extra broth to freeze.
2. In another pan, heat oil and add rice. Stir, cook for 15-20 minutes.
3. Once chicken is cooked, remove chicken and let cool. Shred when cool.
4. Add broth, tomato sauce, chicken, cumin, and salt. Stir every 5-10 minutes. Cover with lid.

Additions: You can put onions, corn, carrots when adding broth. Just add a little extra broth (1/2 cup per cup of addition).
Leftovers: I usually shred some cheese and put some on the top for leftovers.