Well . . . meals didn't go according to plan. and I don't have the photos to share either. The product that has been featured in both yesterday's recipes and today's is the Cinnamon Spice Seasoning pictured above. I am enjoying using it.
For Breakfast I had the same thing as I had yesterday - the Overnight Chia Breakfast. I didn't have the time to make the item that was originally planned. Hopefully, another day.
Morning Snack - Cinnamon Berry Smoothie Snack. It was interesting. Unfortunately, the ice cubes didn't break up like they should have. I have a very old blender. Again, I used peanut butter instead of the almond butter. Found that it seemed to overpower the berries. I used spinach leaves - never even noticed them. The berries I used included raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
Lunch was leftovers from last night's dinner - the Roasted Chicken & Veggies.
Afternoon Snack - Cinnamon Nut Energy Bars. I made the item but didn't have it until after dinner. Ate almonds instead. I used egg substitute instead of egg whites. I don't know if that made a difference or not. I didn't add the salt, either. I think the blender made it too smooth, it was more like a batter than something you would press into shape. It was still good.
Dinner was leftovers that was found in the freezer from a few months ago - Skillet Chicken & Mushrooms. It was good and actually does fit in the program.
We were going on a cruise later this month and I was going to do the 14-Day Reset before going to see if I could drop a few pounds (goal is 5 lbs over the two weeks).
Well, COVID-19 put a kabash on those plans. Cruise got cancelled. Now working from home. Oh dear, not good. Stress eating time.
So, decided to go ahead and do the 14-Day reset now. Here's how Day 1 went . . .
Breakfast - Overnight Chia Breakfast Pudding
This was delicious! I wasn't sure if I would like it or that it would keep me satisfied for several hours. Well, it did . . . 3 hours and it was creamy and smooth.
I didn't add salt and I didn't have the walnuts toasted. Oh, I didn't bother chopping the berries either (blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries). I used real vanilla (actually came from Mexico).
Morning Snack - Cinnamon Almond Butter Apples
A yummy, sweet snack. The apple I used was called Cripps Pink. It was crispy and sweet. I used Adams Unsalted Crunchy Peanut butter instead of the almond butter as it was what I had on hand. Worked great. I did dip the apples in lemon juice to prevent browning.
Didn't quite make it lunch time so had about an ounce of unsalted whole almonds. (not on the menu).
Lunch - Mediterranean Tuna Salad
I did a lot of substitutions. It was still a delicious salad. I left out the red onion and tomatoes, although I did sprinkle some Onion Onion Seasoning to get the onion flavor. I used regular black olives instead of the Kalamata olives; Avocado Oil instead of olive oil; and red leaf lettuce instead of the avocados.
Oh, I had some more almonds to round out the meal.
Afternoon Snack - Cucumber Hummus Bites
Well . . . I really didn't do the complete recipe. I just had cucumber slices without the toppings and seasonings. I'm not fond of cauliflower or roasted red pepper and couldn't quite decide how to do substitutions.
Dinner - Roasted Chicken & Veggies
One of our favorite meals. I'm always fixing something like this. I did do several substitutions. (Love that flexibility!) I used regular carrots rather than baby carrots; mushrooms instead of Brussels sprouts; broccoli instead of cauliflower; Avocado Oil instead of olive oil; and breasts instead of thighs (we don't care for dark meat). I used about a cup more on the carrots to make up for the sprouts and not having onion.
Throughout the day I was drinking flavored water.
I've joined Tastefully Simple's 14-Day Reset again. I've had success and the holidays just did a number on me - started gaining weight.
Yesterday we did the grocery shopping for Days 1-5 (it will get me through Saturday). Yes, I can count. This Tuesday (tomorrow) is a day off schedule but not off plan.
Today, being Day 1, I followed the scheduled Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Haven't had snacks. May eat one of the snacks later this evening before going to bed. With today being a holiday, I got up late. Fixed the Simply Salsa Egg Cups along with a cup of mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries). When I got home from a Celebration of Life, I then had my lunch, a Big Sexy Salad with 4 ounces of chicken breast and 2 Tablespoons of Citrus Herb Vinaigrette. Dinner was the Spinach & Herb Shrimp over Zoodles.
I also spent this afternoon prepping future meals, including Spinach Apricot Breakfast Meatballs, Make-Ahead Lunchtime Chicken Soup, Citrus Herb Turkey Lettuce Wraps, and Coconut Curry Pork Tenderloin.
Recipes can be found either here in my blog or on my Tastefully Simple website. You can order your own kit at my website, as well.
This is so easy to make (about 25 minutes) and very tasty. I could see making these for other meals as well. Only substitutions I did was egg substitute instead of yolk and Seasoned Pepper for the black pepper. Oh, and I used 99% fat free ground turkey.
Nutritional information: 210 calories, 11g fat, 3g saturated fat, 145mg cholesterol, 540mg sodium, 5g carbs, less than 1g fiber, 4g sugar, and 22g protein.
Ingredients:
12 oz 93% lean ground turkey
2 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning
1 tsp Ultimate Steak Seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 c finely chopped no sugar added dried apricots
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; spritz with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients, then mix in apricots (your hands work best for this). Form mixture into 9 meatballs and place on baking sheet.
3. Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 13-15 minutes.
Makes 3 servings (3 meatballs per serving)
Last night's dinner . . . this is so delicious. Takes about 30 minutes to make (took longer for me as I used chicken instead of shrimp). I also used carrots instead of the bell pepper and I sprinkled Onion Onion instead of using the shallot.
Nutritional information if prepared per recipe: 250 calories, 16 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 145 mg cholesterol, 990 mg sodium, 11 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 5 g sugar, and 19 g protein.
Ingredients:
1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated several hours
1/2 c unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice (almond, cashew, coconut)
1 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning
1 Tbsp Avocado Oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large shallot, sliced
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced fresh button mushrooms
2 tsp Ultimate Steak Seasoning, divided
1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbsp cold water
2 pkgs (12 oz) zoodles, prepared as desired
Instructions:
1. Carefully remove coconut milk can from refrigerator (do not shake) and open. Scoop out the solid coconut cream into a medium bowl. Discard remaining coconut water. Whisk milk and Spinach & Herb Seasoning into bowl with solid coconut cream until a creamy consistency. Set aside.
2. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, mushrooms and 1 teaspoon Ultimate Steak Seasoning. Saute 4-5 minutes. Remove from skillet; set aside.
3. Add shrimp and remaining 1 teaspoon Ultimate Steak Seasoning to skillet; saute until opaque in color, about 4-5 minutes. Add cooked vegetables back to skillet.
4. Stir in coconut milk mixture. Reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes. In small bowl, whisk together arrowroot powder and water. Stir into pan and simmer until sauce is desired thickness. Salt and pepper as desired.
5. Serve over prepared zoodles.
Makes 6 servings
Follow my journey with Tastefully Simple's 14-Day Reset Kit. This was a great success for me back in July/August that I decided to do it again since I reached another plateau in my weight loss journey.
This breakfast recipe is simple to make - takes about 20 minutes total. Nutritional Facts per serving (per recipe): 320 calories, 18 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 475 mg cholesterol, 430 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 2 g sugar, and 31 g protein.
I did some substitutions - I used 99% fat-free ground turkey, egg substitute and Vanilla unsweetened Almond milk. I did not add the salt and pepper in the egg mixture. However, I did sprinkle Seasoned Pepper on top before baking.
Ingredients:
8 oz 93% lean ground turkey
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
2-3 tsp Simply Salsa Mix
4 c fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
9 large eggs
1 c unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice (almond, cashew, coconut).
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In large skillet over medium-high 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. Stir in spinach. Remove from heat; let spinach wilt.
2. Divide mixture among wells of greased (12-count) muffin pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; salt and pepper as desired. Divide among wells of muffin pan.
3. Bake 17-20 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes; carefully remove from pan.
Makes 4 servings (3 egg cups).
Breakfast - Make Ahead Microwave Omelets. This was delicious. And I didn't make it ahead (but did freeze two of the servings for next week). The recipe called for 93% lean but I used 99% and I used egg substitute. No change or eliminations made on the other ingredients. I recommend using at least 1 1/2 cup microwave-safe container. It was difficult to stir in a 1 cup bowl - it spilled over onto the plate. I also recommend spraying your skillet (especially if you use 99% lean meat).
Lunch - Big Sexy Salad. It's not like it sounds but it is my favorite. Almost what I have on workdays anyway. I used a 50/50 salad mix (it has spinach, kale and a few other lettuce greens) and added broccoli, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, and red pepper. My protein was tuna fish (a low sodium). My dressing was Citrus Herb Vinaigrette. This is quite filling.
Afternoon snack - I had the morning snack - Turkey Avocado Bites. Funny thing is - I had just the turkey! This girl does not like avocados or grape tomatoes. I did sprinkle some seasoning on the turkey.
Dinner - Balsamic Glazed Salmon. This was supposed to have been yesterday's dinner. We love salmon (and not that farm-raised, color added stuff!). I used a broiler pan and broiled it in the oven. I added fresh green beans covered with Bacon Bacon and Onion Onion Seasoning. I used our Avocado Oil instead of olive oil.
