Menu Plan Sunday/Monday and Anti-Inflammatory Eating

Yep I hardly EVER blog any more. Lessons to plan, choices to make - school wins almost all the time. That said, since November, I've had a goal to lose down to my 1998 weight. I'm still making time to meal plan and eat healthfully, but rarely taking time to write about it. 

I've gotten 60% of the way there -- and been idling there for weeks and weeks. My goal was to hit that weight by April 10 and I clearly am not going to make it as I am 16 pounds away. I recently had blood work done and it was really all good news so . . . what to do? 

I've decided to do nothing. Well, nothing drastic, anyway. My health plan pays for consults with a dietician so I set an appointment and will keep a food log for the next two weeks to get some feedback from her on my eating.  

In the meantime, I am going to eat a strict anti-inflammatory diet and see if I can break something loose that way. If not, I'll still win because when I eat this way, it helps my joints SO much. Therefore, if you want to have a little less pain in your life, maybe try this plan for a week or two. 

Here are the basics of how my menus work in case you don't know:

• I eat the same breakfast most weekdays (and I make it portable for school). 
• Ditto lunch. And both of these meals are only for me. Dad and the kids do their own thing! 
• Supper/Dinner - I cook for me and sometimes the kids (and maybe Dad) get a different meal because I am the only person who eats this particular way. To this I say, you do you.  I'm just listing both for clarity and to possibly help you out to make the process seamless for others.
• I try to provide calorie counts if I  can't provide the actual recipe so that if you internet search it, you'll know when you're close.
• I don't have a store. If I link a cookbook, it's for your convenience. I have no stake in you spending money (or not) anywhere in the world. 
• In general, I try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, more protein, less carbs, and whole foods. 

• Finally, most importantly, I'm a mom and a teacher. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. Don't look to me for medical advice. I'm doing what works for me. If it works for you and makes your life better, I'm happy!

Here is this week's menu.

Independence and Menu Plan Monday!

 Happy 4th of July and Menu Plan Monday.

Does it seem like "Menu Plan Monday" would be antithetical to the theme of independence? Au contaire!  Menu Plan Monday is what has brought  me independence all these years. I've written previously about my themed week days but here are some other things I love about Menu Plan Monday.

• We hear a lot about decision fatigue; menu plans eliminate decision fatigue. You've decided. This is what we're having and that is what you fix. Problem One, solved. 
• It saves so much money. Instead of buying a handful of meats, various veg and starches and then pulling together meals from my larder, which inevitably results in me having to run out and buy the things missing for that meal, I have exactly what I need on my list and I buy only those things. It also keeps me from buying a lot of "just in case" food we do not need. 
• It saves time. Trying to decide day by day what to cook, having to stop and pick up last minute things needed for that particular meal, or look up a recipe is time consuming. By spending an hour on the weekend to plan, it's all done at once and all the plans are made ahead of time. 
• But here's the real beauty of Menu Plan Monday: It eliminates all the wrangling with the kids. "Mom, can we please order pizza tonight?" Oh, no, sorry, I already have spaghetti in the works. "Oh, great, I LOVE spaghetti!" See? it's a lifesaver.  

I often make my shopping list for the whole week but I don't always shop for the whole week. I sometimes do a mid week shop, depending on what Fishy Friday holds. If it's freezer fish, I can shop ahead, and do. Otherwise, a Thursday shop will be needed. 

If I'm standing around for 5 minutes waiting for something to finish cooking, I'll start on tomorrow's dinner, since I know what it is! See how that works out?  Maybe I will chop a bell pepper or grate cheese, just some little thing to give me a head start. The next day, when I start cooking, it's like a little gift I've given myself.

This week, I'm eating citrusy yogurt parfaits for breakfast. I love these so much and starting with homemade Greek yogurt is a great way to get those extra servings of protein and dairy that I'm working for.  

I also linked this Roy Choi spaghetti recipe that I adore. This is not a recipe for weight loss at all but it is worth every precious calorie. It's a treat and we only eat it once a month for that reason. This recipe makes twice what you need so you just put half in the freezer for next month before you add the pasta to the sauce. Don't tell my mom, but we'll never make her spaghetti sauce again. This is the only one I make now. When I saw Chef Choi make this on TV, he said you could add meat to it, but I don't care about the meat so I haven't. It takes some time to make the mushroom roux but the investment is worth it, trust me!

Happy Independence Day. 

Juneteenth and Menu Plan Monday

 More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865, to tell enslaved people they had been freed. If you've never heard of Juneteenth, you aren't from Texas! It's been celebrated here for a long, long time, but it's only been a federal holiday since Biden signed it into law in 2021.  

That said, I've planned a Juneteenth menu for the family. It's still well balanced and lower fat, except the macaroni salad, because we had to have a nod to Mac and Cheese, but has all the yummy flavors of celebration. Yesterday was Father's Day and hubby and the kids went to bed moaning after eating Chef Allison's delicious repast at Hamilton Pool Vineyards so moderation is called for!

For breakfast, it's Smoothie Week. When you click on the picture of the menu or link to the menu, you'll see a "notes" column on the right. The "formula" for the Freezer Smoothies is there. I make 2 or 3 varieties through the week and I make them all ahead of time in baggies on Monday and then just dump them in the blender each morning, along with "milk" (or nut-milk, oat-milk etc.) and 2 bananas. Voila! Smoothies for 2! The bananas are sweet enough so no sweetener is required. 

Lunches around here are up to the individual so I eat the same lunch every day. It makes my life easier! My lunch this is a big green salad with deviled egg, italian dressing and green apple slices. It's cool, crisp and delicious and ticks all the boxes!

Hope this week's menu gives you a head start on a great week of celebrating family and freedom. If you want to learn more about Juneteenth, today's Google Doodle is a fun place to start!

Here's a preview of the menu but to get to the recipe links, you'll have to click through to the actual menu link first, either by clicking here or clicking on the jpg below. Happy planning and eating. 

Hot June! Menu Plan Monday

 

Wow. I just walked into the house and I think I melted my shoes a little! I'm trying to get back into the swing of posting these menus since I do plan my menu every single week without fail. I got a couple emails last week about recipes from last summer so let's see if I can get better at posting! I have a lot of ideas so I am excited to get back on it!

I have overnight oats on the menu for breakfast but I've decided to switch up to something more like chia pudding with oats. I'm trying to increase both my servings of daily dairy and protein and this little adjustment allows for that, plus a half serving of whole grains. I wish I could eat my yogurt "unsweet" but I'm not there yet. It would be healthier if I could let the carbs go. I'm keeping my regular recipe on the menu but here is what I'm eating this week:

Overnight Chia Oat Pudding

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
1 Tablespoon Honey, Maple Syrup or Jam (I like Smuckers Strawberry Preserves)
1 Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt, Plain
1/4 Cup Blueberries (or strawberries, half a banana, peaches, orange segments etc.)

Instructions:

Layer into pint jar. Stir it all together.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Eat and enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Tablespoon
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories	320
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5.8g	7%
Saturated Fat 0.7g	3%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 75mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 45.5g	17%
Dietary Fiber 8g	28%
Total Sugars 20.5g
Protein 23.3g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 304mg	23%
Iron 3mg	15%
Potassium 413mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Enjoy this week's menu.  Let me know what you like!

Meal Plan Monday

Meal Plan Mondays . . . A million years ago I used to participate in a group of blogs that posted meal plans and/or menu plans on Mondays. Ever since, I've planned my menus and shopped on Sundays and prepped some of my meals then too. Since returning to "outside" work a decade or so ago, this habit has saved me. When we return to school each fall, you can see the shift in the menu.

 

My lunches and breakfasts are either the same each day or built on the same day (because I kind of like that and it saves SO much time and effort). As well, our evening meals are quick or pre-prepped most nights. Tonight is Mac and Cheese. A while back, I switched to my version of a WW recipe because it's faster, simpler and much better for us and no one knows the difference. I encourage you to try is and see if you like it. SO much healthier and easier than the version I made for years, without heating up the oven!

 

Anyway, without further ado, here's my plan for this week, week 4 of our monthly rotation(ish). I've already shopped it and remembered how much my kids love mac and cheese.

Menu Plan Monday

 

Menu Plan Monday 

Summer Week 1

Well, hello there! It seems like years since I sat in this space. Okay, it has been years. No excuses, just life. 

So here we are again, and I'm starting with "Menu Plan Monday." I have learned a few things over the last couple years and the main one is this: For me, planning is the key to success in healthy eating. Here is the short list of reasons:

• Having a plan means I have appropriate groceries in the house
• Menu planning avoids decision fatigue. "Decision fatigue" leads to impulsivity. Impulsivity leads to fast food!
• It saves money.
• It saves time because I am not duplicating my efforts.
• It helps me keep track of what's in the freezer and allows me to use those items.
• It simplifies food logging and/or calorie tracking
• Most important to me: It saves so much time! 

This week, I'm here alone with my 14 year old daughter and it's summer break for teachers, so I've made changes to my plan that incorporate her tastes and avoid overheating the kitchen in mid-day. 

In my next post, I'll talk a bit more about how I plan and my basic planning guidelines. For now, here is this week's menu; I hope it is helpful to you in your healthy eating efforts.

5 Reasons I Love Camp Gladiator

#choosechange

It's been a while. As it turns out, being a first-year teacher is an all-consuming activity. Still yet, I'm having success with my weight loss! I will write more about that next time.

Today, I want to talk about Camp Gladiator. First, the disclosure: No one asked me to write this and I am not receiving any type of compensation for doing so.

On my 57th birthday we went to a favorite restaurant that I literally only visit twice a year and when we left, there were people outside doing a promo for Camp Gladiator. They didn't actually stop me, they stopped Sunshine. She's 17, she's athletic, she's gorgeous; it made sense. In the end, I became their customer in what could only be described as a moment of temporary and complete insanity.

Camp Gladiator, "CG," is a boot-camp style fitness program. It's a total body workout in a "camp" format that runs in 4 week sessions. Each workout is 60 minutes and you can go an unlimited number of times to any location. The locations are outdoors. You bring your own equipment, water, a mat and a pair of dumbells. They recommend 2 to 3 workouts a week with 30 minutes of "activity" on the off days. These are the basic facts.

Here are 5 reasons I love Camp Gladiator:

1. The trainers are the best. They are carefully vetted in a multi-step process and they are superstars. They know their stuff and they are true professionals. My trainer, Brandy Babbs, is passionate, kind, encouraging and tough. 
2. It truly is "go-at-your-own-pace." People will be cheering you on, folks will encourage you to work hard, sometimes you'll be part of a team, but your pace is your pace. Since I'm at least 20 years older and quite a bit heavier than most of the people in my workouts, this is very valuable for me. 
3. Everyone is welcome, truly. There are beginners in every workout and there are CG enthusiasts who've been to over 200 workouts. It's an encouraging environment and judgment free.
4. It's excuse free. It's everywhere, all the time, except Sundays. Where ever I am, whatever I'm doing, there is always a workout nearby at a time I can attend. It may not be my preferred time -- I go at 5:00 AM -- but it is a time I can attend and still "do my life."
5. Finally, I love CG because of the modifications. I have terrible knees. I have had very little cartilage in my knees for over 20 years. I know what makes them worse and what makes them stronger. Because their trainers are pros (see reason #1), they are also expert at helping me make modifications so I still get a really good workout without further damaging my knees.  

Is it for everyone? No. I would not recommend it for elderly people or non-ambulatory persons. Otherwise, yes, if you are committed to fitness and really want to change your life. It's not for the "faint of heart" -- but that's a condition you can change. 

Give it a shot. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, get off the couch and do something! Let me know how it goes!