Sunday Food Prep – what went down in my kitchen (12)

Hello!

Happy (dreary) Monday!

Are you in an area that got slammed with ice and sleet last night and this morning? Ugh. All we have here is rain. Rain, rain, and more rain. It’s a little disgusting.

But, it’s not freezing so … it could be so much worse. I’m not complaining.

Since I’ve been feeling better, I’ve gotten my motivation back.

Boy, did it really tank last week!

That’s why there was no Weekly Workout post on Saturday. I only went to CrossFit twice and I wasn’t really thrilled about either time. That’s so not me. You know I love CrossFit. It was just way more fun to come home and drink bourbon. 🙂

Okay, seriously, I only drank a little bourbon last week.  I had too much school work to do. Lots and lots of reading!! And, unfortunately, passing out into a book or my computer certainly wouldn’t help me get As in all my classes (see 2015 goals).

But, this week, I’m raring and ready to go and I totally got my food prep on yesterday.

In case you’re new and/or wonder where I found my inspiration to start food prepping on the weekend, you should totally check out Lindsay’s blog over at the Lean Green Bean. She food preps like a mad woman – it’s really pretty impressive all that she gets accomplished!  She’s even shared tips here on how to get started, foods that freeze well, and how to eat healthy during the week. Just imagine how much money you could save without all those trips out to lunch or to the snack machine during the week! Plus, if you’re eating food you’ve made, chances are it’s going to be much better for you than anything you could get at a fast food joint so you’ll definitely be doing your body a favor, too. 🙂

All it takes is just getting started. Make a plan and start small. See what works for you and your family. You can do it!

Okay, so here’s what happened in my house yesterday.

I made some of Lindsay’s Quinoa Breakfast Bars.  Seriously, I cannot get enough of them. I didn’t make them last week because I didn’t food prep and boy, was I bummed during the week! So delicious!

I also made 2 Overnight Quinoa and Blueberry Oatmeals (ugh, that’s a strange word) for grab-n-go breakfasts/mid-morning snacks.

I haven’t done overnight oats in a while (and I LOVE them) and when I saw that recipe (on Pinterest, of course!) that included quinoa, I figured since I was cooking quinoa for the breakfast bars, I would give them a shot. So, that’s what in those 2 mason jars.

I had one today as my post-spin class meal and, well, the jury is still out.  It’s pretty good but I think I need to tweak it some. Like, maybe add some almond butter or something. I’m not sure. It needs something. I added roasted almonds and blueberries to the jar when I was ready to eat. Still needs something.

I picked up an organic whole cut-up chicken at Harris Teeter and cooked it in my crockpot. I sliced up some red onion and put that in the crockpot first. Then, I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder and into the crockpot it went. Cook on high for 5 hours and, ta-da! Beautifully cooked chicken to be used in sandwiches, in salads, eaten whole, etc!

Finally, I made a huge batch of chili!  It served as dinner last night and will provide some nice leftovers during the week. For an extra protein punch (because 2 pounds of meat and 2 cans of beans doesn’t give enough – #sarcasm), I tossed in the remaining cup of cooked quinoa I had. Shh….don’t tell. 🙂

Not pictured are the veggies I chopped/sliced/etc – red bell peppers, cucumbers, and carrots.

That should get us through the week. Now, if I could just get my sailor to remember to actually TAKE the lunch that’s been made for him. *sigh*

Talk to me: Do you have a family member that forgets to take his lunch? What’s your favorite way to use a mason jar?

– jennifer

Friday five – waffles and more!

Hello, hello!

It’s Friday!

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And it’s time for my Friday five!

or Friday favorites – or Five things on Friday – or 5 food things I think you should try because I say they’re good. 🙂

So, I’ve mentioned that I’ve eliminated gluten from my diet to see how that affects my tummy issues. Again, I know I don’t have celiac but gluten sensitivity is a real thing and the only way to know if that’s what’s eating you is to stop eating it.

So far, I’ve learned two things: 1. Amazingly enough, I didn’t really eat a ton of gluten before (unless you count the nights where I would eat an entire baguette but there was wine and cheese involved and that counteracts the gluten. obviously.) 😉 and 2. I’ve noticed a little (positive) difference already but the jury is still out. I need to give it some more time to see.

Anyhoo, I’ve got 5 new things I’ve tried that just happen to be gluten-free.

And delicious. Even for eaters of gluten. 🙂

Waffles!

These Nature’s Path Organic waffles are da bomb!

They’re nutty and kinda sweet (but not sugary sweet) and thicker than an Eggo and they’re perfect. They toast up beautifully (I set my toaster to a little over medium) and aren’t soggy in the least.

A serving is 2 waffles and gives you 210 calories, 7 grams of fat (1 saturated), 5 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. A perfect addition to an egg breakfast or even slathered with almond butter and topped with a banana. YUM!

The only downside I’ve discovered is there’s only 6 in a box so…once your family tries them, they’re gone just like that. #hidethemnow

Crackers!

These crackers crispbreads (ooh la la!) are AMAZING.

They are light and airy with just the right amount of crispy crunch and go so very well with hummus. Yes, they do.

And cheese. And eating. 🙂

I forgot to get all the calorie details but 4 crispbreads is a serving and nets only 60 calories.

Oatmeal!

Okay, so this is a big deal for me because you know I love my oatmeal.

What I need to find is a tub of gluten-free oats so I can go about my normal business with oatmeal in the mornings, baking oatmeal type things, etc.

I’m okay with the pouches sometimes but they’re flavored and usually have more sugar than I want.

But, this Chex Oatmeal was all I could find (haven’t been to Fresh Market yet) and I had a coupon.

Luckily, I liked it! 🙂

I’ve had the Maple & Brown Sugar (I know, I know. It was cold and I was in a maple-y kind of mood) made with milk and I added some almond butter and blueberries. NOM!

The Maple & Brown Sugar and the Apple Cinnamon are both 170 calories whereas the original rings in at 130 calories. The main difference is in the sugar. 12 grams in the Maple & Brown Sugar, 13 grams in the Apple Cinnamon, and 0 grams in the original.

Granola!

I really didn’t expect to find gluten-free granola so I was totally stoked when I did!

I love my Greek Yogurt as a morning snack and I was really trying to figure out what I was going to top it with (besides fruit, of course). These KIND granolas are so delicious!

As you can see, I really like the Maple Quinoa Clusters. 🙂

Jerky!

Who doesn’t love beef, or pork, jerky?!

Well, that used to be me but I’ve changed my ways. What I don’t prefer is MSG and other crap in my jerky so I’m always on the lookout for really good jerky.

Found these two Krave jerkies at my Harris Teeter and I was intrigued by the flavors.

Holy. YUM.

I have bags of these in my desk for added protein in my afternoon snack before I head to CrossFit. 🙂

I also really like these because I don’t feel like my teeth are going to come out just trying to eat a piece of jerky. Gah, that’s the worst!

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Talk to me: What new things have you tried lately?

– jennifer

Weekly eats!

Hi there!

So, sometimes I get questions about what I eat or how I can even eat as much as I do!

Well, for starters, my muscles are HUNGRY! And, once I get back to running, I’m might even need to ADD a little. I’ll be RUNGRY. *tee hee*

It’s weird – some of the people I work with at my day job have these huge misconceptions about my diet. Some think I’m vegan (make vegan muffins ONCE for a colleague who actually IS vegan and suddenly, they’re glaring at me when I’m heating up chicken or meat sauce or whatever in the kitchen), others think I’m only organic (which is not too far off base but I’m not quite there yet), and some think I never eat sweets or junk food. Um, hello, have you even MET me?

Anyway, I decided it might be a good idea to do a weekly eats post for a couple of reasons: one – to give you an idea of what I really eat outside of all those healthy recipes I like to create and/or share; two – to show you that I actually do eat what I’ve prepped on Sundays; and three– to kinda keep track of what I’m doing so maybe I can figure out what’s been bugging my tummy lately.

It’s not an allergy, I’m fairly certain. There’s just something with my diet that, well, makes my tummy a little disagreeable at times. Or mostly every day. I will spare you the gory details. You’re welcome. J Back when I was running, I attributed it to the dreaded “runner’s tummy.” But, um, yeah, haven’t been doing that running thing for like 9 weeks now so you think that would have righted itself. It hasn’t. *sigh*

Additionally, I don’t have a gall bladder so I have to be really careful about the fat I consume – both good and bad. I could literally eat nut butters all day long but that’s not really a good thing for me to do. No matter how much I want to. Makes my tummy angry in a whole different way. Ugh. So, I have to be smart and not eat too much nut butter and avocado on the same day. Where’s the fun in that? Gah! Separately, in my own private journal, I’m keeping track of how my tummy reacts to the foods I’ve eaten. Again, you’re welcome.  🙂

Breakfasts:

Monday – 2 egg white omelet with mozzarella cheese, 2 Al Fresco maple apple chicken sausages, 1 sliced tomato (from the Farmer’s Market!), 2 pieces bakery Brioche toast with grass-fed butter and low-sugar grape jam and orange juice

Tuesday – oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, chia seeds, almond butter, banana and blueberries & orange juice

Wednesday – 2 egg white omelet with mozzarella cheese, 2 maple apple chicken sausages, 1 sliced tomato, 2 pieces bakery Brioche toast with avocado mash (sorta) and orange juice

Thursday – same as Tuesday – oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, chia seeds, almond butter, banana and blueberries & orange juice

Friday – see Tuesday and Thursday. Nope, not boring at all.

Morning snacks:

Monday – Banana oatmeal bread, pecan butter, strawberries

Tuesday – Chobani nonfat plain Greek yogurt with ¾ cup Kashi Toasted Berry Crumble and strawberries

Wednesday – Banana oatmeal bread, almond butter, banana

Thursday – Chobani nonfat plain Greek yogurt with ¼ cup Love Crunch granola. Totally BUMMED that I forgot my strawberries!!

Friday – Chobani peach Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup Love Crunch granola, and blueberries. I don’t normally do flavored yogurt because of the extra added sugar but something made me want to try it. It wasn’t bad. I still prefer the plain.

Lunches:

Monday – roast chicken, roasted sweet potato, ½ avocado, 2 mini cucumbers

Tuesday – Ginormous salad with roast chicken, ½ cup black beans, mini bell peppers, sliced cucumber, and feta cheese.

Wednesday – roasted sweet potato topped with roast chicken and ½ cup black beans, red bell pepper, and sliced cucumbers and a Clementine for dessert

Thursday – sandwich – roast chicken on Bakery Brioche bread slathered with hummus and topped with mozzarella cheese, field greens, farmer’s market tomato and cucumber, some baby bell peppers, Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil kettle cooked chips, and a clementine for dessert. 🙂

Friday – sandwich – pretty much the same as yesterday except the bread is homemade whole wheat (thank you bread machine!), red bell pepper strips, blue corn tortilla chips and Wholly Guacamole.

PM snacks:

Monday – Laughing Cow cheese, pretzel chips, seedless red grapes

Tuesday – Bacon jerky and 2 Clementines

Wednesday – Bacon jerky and red seedless grapes

Thursday – Carob Chip Perfect Bar – HOLY. YUM!

Friday – my office closed early so I went to the 4pm CrossFit class. Snack is in the next category.

Pre-CrossFit eats

Monday – Think Thin Brownie Crunch High Protein Bar

Tuesday – GoMacro Protein Paradise cashew caramel bar

Wednesday – GoMacro Protein Purity sunflower butter + chocolate bar

Thursday – no CrossFit today so no pre-CrossFit eats

Friday – Think Thin Brownie Crunch High Protein Bar

Dinners:

Monday – Gilbert’s Beef & Blue Sausage, leftover roasted acorn squash & Asian pear

Tuesday – a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal with some blueberries. #dontjudgeme

Wednesday – 2 slices Pizza Hut ham and pineapple pizza (hey, it was waiting for me when I got home!), a piece of pumpkin pie, and a bourbon. Yes, a bourbon.

Thursday – 2 taco boats: Ortega Fiesta Flats taco shells, black beans, farmer’s market ground beef with taco seasoning, cheddar cheese, field greens, fresh farmer’s market tomato, and sliced avocado. Green beans on the side. Om nom nom!

Friday – Gilbert’s “The Froman” beef frank with spicy mustard and sweet relish and Maple Bacon kettle chips

The weekend kinda got away from me what with our social life and food prep and all so I didn’t document anything. Next week, I promise!!

Although, I’m definitely not as strict and focused on the weekends.

Talk to me: Do you tend to eat the same things every day? What do you like to eat after a workout?

– jennifer