My week in food

Between carpooling, volunteering for PTO, grocery shopping, play dates, exercising, house cleaning, laundry, and soaking up the wonderful early autumn weather we've been having here in eastern, WA, it feels like I've hardly had time to breathe this week!  Despite my schedule, I have felt confident in what I've been fueling my body with this week.  I'm determined to have as healthy a diet as I possibly can this autumn and winter to give myself a head start in fending off attacking viruses!  With school back in session, the kidlets are sure to bring home many nasty bugs.  Moms must stay strong!

The key to my meals this week was the preparation of some key proteins that resurfaced as various leftovers throughout the week.  Early in the week I grilled a London Broil that had been seasoned on the outside with McCormick's Far East Ginger Spice Blend and had grilled some turkey breast strips seasoned with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle.  These were repurposed as several lunches and dinners in the form of wraps.  I also bought a package of chicken mango sausages at Costco last week that were a quick, low-fat protein for several lunches and dinners as well.  This week, I also figured out that my rice cooker will make wild rice.  The resulting pot of rice reheated well and supplemented a few meals this week too.

Breakfasts

Whole grain waffles made from Lorna Sass' Whole Grains:  Every day, every way cookbook.  These were phenomenal and filling, but they were phenomenal because there was 5 Tbls. butter in the batter!  I practiced moderation and only had one, but these were a good lesson, when you cook things yourself, you know what is in them, when you are at a restaurant, you never know what is hidden inside.

Miracle Breakfast Cream from French Women Don't Get Fat cookbook by Mireille Guiliano.  Basically, it is yogurt, ground almonds, flax oil, lemon juice and oatmeal.  On the side, I had a peach and coffee with cream.

1 egg fried in 2 tsp. olive oil, a peach and a piece of whole wheat toast spread with 1 Tbls. apricot jelly.  Coffee and cream.

Again, I had Miracle Breakfast Cream but this time added 1/2 of a banana smashed up with a fork.  It was yummy!  Mireille says in the French Women Don't Get Fat cookbook that Miracle Breakfast Cream is addicting.  I would have to agree with her!

1 egg fried in 2 tsp. olive oil, a peach, coffee with cream, and a piece of whole wheat toast spread with Marmite.

Miracle Breakfast Cream with a peach, coffee and cream.

Oatmeal with 1 tsp. flax oil mixed in, a peach, 1 c. nonfat milk, coffee.



Lunches

3 oz. turkey breast strips on a Flat Out Original flatbread, 1 Tbls. salsa, 1/2 c. lowfat cottage cheese, 1 peach.

 Chicken Mango sausage, 1 c. plain wild rice, 1 peach and some cucumber and celery sticks.

1 can sardines packed in water, 8 whole grain crackers, 1/2 c. whole milk yogurt, 1 peach.  This was a super quick and healthy lunch, but you definitely need time to brush your teeth afterwards!

Chicken Mango sausage, 1 c. wild rice, 1/2 c. lowfat cottage cheese, 1/2 banana, carrot sticks

 3 oz. London Broil strips on a Flat Out Original Flatbread, 1 c. (?) spinach, 1 Tbls, salsa, 1/2 c. whole milk yogurt with 1 tsp. flax oil mixed in.


Dinners

Chicken Mango sausage, 1 c. wild rice, 1 c. steamed cauliflower seasoned with butter and salt, 1/2 c. lowfat cottage cheese

Octopus and rice and bean salad.  I will post about my experience cooking the octopus, which turned out to be okay, but it was such a tiny portion for everyone at the table, that we all ended up having hot dogs as well!

Tandoori Tilapia from Devin Alexander's cookbook, I Can't Believe it's not Fattening.  This was AMAZING, even the kids gobbled it down.  It's going to make a reappearance on our menu in the near future.  I served this with 1/2 c. of my rice and bean salad, steamed summer squash seasoned with salt and butter, and 1/2 c. lowfat cottage cheese.

3 oz. London Broil strips served on a Flat Out Original Flatbread, lettuce, salsa.

1 c. rice and bean salad, Babybel cheese.

Homemade chicken and pesto pizza, peach.  I ended up having 3 pieces of pizza, but the glory of making it myself, I was able to point out (on the Weight Watcher point system) all of the ingredients for the pizza and it was only 8 points for 1/3 of the pizza.  Thank goodness for cooking and being able to control your ingredients!


Saturday is my meal planning day so the cycle starts again today.  I'll share with you this week my story of cooking the octopus and recipes for the pizza and the rice and bean salad, but until then, have a fabulous and healthy week!

These are the cookbooks I used to inspire this week's meals.  You may find them interesting!