Happy Easter! Hope you all had a good day. I did several preps today for the upcoming week . . . well actually, only one item got cooked. Didn't get the breakfast for tomorrow done. But that's okay. I did get the meals planned for this week. And tomorrow will be the results of Week 1!
Brunch - yes, I said brunch. Had a late morning. So, I had the Blueberry Citrus Breakfast Meatballs with spinach & kale and the Citrus Herb Vinaigrette.
Snack - Cinnamon Berry Smoothie Snack. This was a lot better this time.
Dinner - well, really not supposed to have carbs, but I had a small amount of mashed potatoes rather than having the mashed cauliflower. I did have green beans to go with the meal. Wondering what I had . . . well it was Creamy Balsamic Meatballs. They were delicious.
The prep this week was for Magic Chicken to be used in several recipes.
I decided today would be a relaxing day and a treat day. Actually, I didn't do too bad . . . finally cooked the beef in the crock-pot for tonight's dinner. Pictures were taken of dinner but they will be added at a later date.
Breakfast was a small meal - 2 hard-boiled eggs, that's all.
Morning snack - hmmm . . . I think it was some almonds.
Lunch was a can of Chicken & Wild Rice soup with some added chicken.
Afternoon snack was about 4 oz of sliced turkey.
Dinner - Finally had the Salsa Beef Salad except I didn't have it as a salad . . . just the Salsa Beef with a side of steamed broccoli.
We finished off the evening with a John Wayne western movie and some popcorn.
So, I had a couple of servings of carbs today. Normally I avoid them. But like I indicated earlier, it was my relax day. Tomorrow will be another day . . . prepping for some upcoming breakfasts and dinners and planning the shopping for week 2.
Did we follow the planned menu? Nope . . . but I did have healthy meals that didn't involve carbs. I had to go into the office again today and ended up working longer than I hoped (although I was prepared!). Most of the meals & snacks were previously published.
Breakfast - Overnight Chia Breakfast Pudding. This is becoming a great favorite of mine. Something quick to put together.
Morning Snack - Cinnamon Nut Energy Bars
Lunch - Big Sexy Salad with leftover Balsamic Glazed Salmon and Citrus Herb Vinaigrette dressing.
Afternoon Snack - almonds and carrots
Dinner - was leftovers from the previous reset program - Citrus Herb Turkey.
hmmm . . . guess there won't be any pictures to attach.
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.
Dinner - well, really not supposed to have carbs, but I had a small amount of mashed potatoes rather than having the mashed cauliflower. I did have green beans to go with the meal. Wondering what I had . . . well it was Creamy Balsamic Meatballs. They were delicious.
Breakfast - Blueberry Citrus Breakfast Meatballs with 2 cups power greens (I used kale and spinach) and 1 tablespoon of the the Citrus Herb Vinaigrette Dressing. I screwed up on the dried blueberries - they were supposed to be no sugar added.
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.
