Reset Prep and Day 1

Oh boy . . . plans didn't go so well.  The weather got in the way Sunday afternoon that we decided not to do the grocery shopping until yesterday.   And shopping wasn't easy . . . most of the shelves in the grocery store were empty.  We didn't get half the items.  So, went across the street to the other grocery store - was able to pick up a few more items.  Because we did the shopping so late in the afternoon, I didn't get the prep work done in advance.

This morning, I made the Simply Salsa Egg Cups

for today's breakfast as well as for Day 3 and 5.  However, I may switch Day 2 for Day 3 or 5 as we were not able to purchase the items needed for the Day 2 breakfast (more about that later).  Listed below are the items I used.  For the chopped items, please do it in advance before cooking.

Ingredients

8 oz 99% lean ground turkey 

1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning 

3 tsp Simply Salsa Mix

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped (I actually tore mine into small pieces)

6 large eggs plus 3/4 c egg substitute

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In large skillet over medium-high heat (I actually used medium heat), combine turkey, peppers, Onion Onion Seasoning, and Simply Salsa mix.  Cook and crumble until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.  Drain off excess liquid (I didn't have any).  Stir in spinach.  Remove from heat; let spinach wilt.
3. 
   Divide mixture among wells of greased muffin pan (12 count); set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; salt and pepper as desired (I didn't use any).  Divide among wells of muffin pan.
   
   
   
5. Bake 17-20 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean (it took mine about 23 minutes).  Let stand 5 minutes; carefully remove from pan.
   

3 "muffins" equals a serving.  Serve it with 1 cup of mixed berries.  I had blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  Once the remaining muffins have cooled completely, I stored a serving in sandwich size ziploc bags.  Two can go in the frig and the last one can go in the freezer for a later time.  To reheat, microwave on High 1-2 minutes or until heated through. 

Lunch for today is supposed to be Pistachio Chicken Salad.  However, that calls for the Magic Chicken, which wasn't made in advance.  I have prepped that this morning while my breakfast was baking.  It will be used for dinner.

    Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup water

4 Tbsp Makin'Magic Chicken Seasoning

    Directions

1. In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker combine all ingredients, sprinkling each layer of chicken with seasoning.
2. Cook on low 5-7 hours
3. 
   Chop or shred chicken; toss with liquid in slow cooker.  Divide into 1-quart freezer bags according to below seal well, label and refrigerate or freeze.
• 1/2 cup for Day 1 lunch Pistachio Chicken Salad
• 
  2 1/2 cups for Day 1 dinner Balsamic Chicken & Veggie Skillet
• 2 1/2 cups for Day 2 dinner Chopped Chicken BLT Salad
• Portion any remaining chicken as desired for later use. (the recipe makes 12 - 1/2 cup servings).
• If there is broth left over, freeze it for later use in making soups.

 

So, I'll have a regular green salad (2 cups of mixed salad greens) with 2 cups raw veggies (carrots, brocoli, celery, mushrooms, and peppers) and 5 ozs of low sodium tuna in water.  Dressing will be our Citrus Herb Vinaigrette.

Dinner is the Balsamic Chicken & Veggie Skillet (because the Magic Chicken will be available).  This is so good!  I did do some substitutions, so I will list what I used.  The link is to the original recipe.

 Ingredients

     2 Tbsp Avocado Oil

    1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed, cut in half

    1 medium zucchini, cubed

    1 cup sliced mushrooms

    1 Tbsp Citrus Herb Seasoning

    2 1/2 cups prepared and shopped Makin Magic Chicken

    2 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

    Directions

1. In large skillet, heat Avocado Oil over medium high heat.  Add next 4 ingredients.  Sauté 4-5 minutes
2. Add chicken.  Continue sautéing until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
   
3. Remove from heat.  Toss with Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Makes 5 servings.  Reserve 1 serving for Day 2 lunch.  I froze the remaining servings for later use as we are just a family of 2.

There are two snacks scheduled during the day.  Snack 1 is Prosciutto Wrapped Melon.  I'll probably have this tonight.  Snack 2 is 2 cups of assorted veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower, etc) with 1 serving of Creamy Balsamic Herb Dressing.

Time to figure out what menu I will be following for Day 2.  It will probably be Day 3 since I need to cook up the salmon that was purchased yesterday.