REAL MEALS – WEEK 6

NUTRITION ADVICE This week provides a meal planning strategy to apply when you have a busy week. Cooking food items on a day that is less busy and using those foods throughout the week in different ways is a great way to save time. This strategy can also assist you in planning meals using leftover foods.

There are many benefits. It is economical because you may be able to buy food items in bulk. This strategy also decreases waste because you use all purchased ingredients before spoilage occurs. You may want to portion the food items in single servings to avoid overeating.

The most important thing about using precooked staples or leftover foods is to keep those foods from becoming dry during the reheating process. To prevent this, leftover foods should either be eaten cold or incorporated with healthy sauces. Check out Your Menu for information on precooked food items and the tasty entrees you can make from them.

YOUR MENU: WEEK 6 Serve each of these entrées with a fruit or vegetable, a whole grain and a healthy fat if these are not already included in the entrée.

Baked Chicken  Mix with taco seasoning and salsa to make chicken tacos or nachos.  Chop into small pieces and mix with light mayo and celery for chicken salad.  Slice into strips; add them either cold or warm to a mixed green salad.  Shred chicken and mix with healthy BBQ sauce.  Add to cooked noodles and light cream of mushroom soup as a sauce.  Add to low-sodium broth or chicken stock to make chicken and rice soup.  Add to corn and low-sodium broth or chicken stock to make chicken corn soup.

Ground Beef  Mix with tomato paste and seasonings to make Sloppy Joes.  Add to a healthy beef gravy and serve with vegetables over noodles or rice.  Layer ground beef, cooked mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes for Shepherd’s Pie.  Mix with taco seasoning and salsa to make tacos or nachos.

Baked Fish  Shred and mix with light mayo and celery. Place on wheat bread or a pita.  Cut into strips and mix with cooked couscous and grilled peppers to create a casserole.  Mix with red cabbage, avocado, lime juice and salsa wrapped in a tortilla to make fish tacos.

Beans  Grind for hummus or bean dip. Serve with a pita or multigrain tortilla chips.  Add to ground turkey and tomatoes for turkey chili.  Put on salad. See Breakfast Salad recipe in Recipes section.  Mix with garlic, peppers and hot sauce for beans and rice.  Add to soups.  Grind and form into patties for use in veggie burgers.

Ham or Pork  Add to canned cannellini beans for ham and bean soup.  Add to macaroni and light cheese.  Slice thinly and toast with light cheese on wheat bread.  Chop and add to scrambled eggs. Serve with or without a wheat English muffin.

Noodles, Rice or Quinoa  Mixed with canned beans and veggies. See recipe in Recipes section for Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf.  Mix with beef or chicken, salsa and light cheese.

 Mix with fish and veggies and a healthy sauce. See recipe in Recipes section.

Vegetables and Fruits  Tear lettuce into small pieces and use for salad during the week.  Wash and cut your fruit to make a big fruit salad for the week.  Cut fruit into slices and put in refrigerator to grab when time is short.  Incorporate vegetables into soups or make vegetable stock.  Mix into egg whites for a quiche.  For pumpkin and other squash – peel, steam and puree – for use in sauces, soups, lasagna, etc.  Slice peppers, cucumbers, celery, carrots for use in recipes or for lunches.

SAMPLE MEAL PLAN

Last night’s dinner remade Grilled chicken Brown rice Steamed broccoli Mixed green salad with peppers, cucumbers, celery, carrots and olive oil vinaigrette

Meal Breakfast Lunch Dinner Fruit/Vegetable Fruit salad Mixed greens salad Sliced peppers, cucumbers, celery and carrots Lean Protein Egg white broccoli quiche Grilled chicken Vegetable and Bean Chili Whole Grain Rye toast Wheat crackers Brown rice Healthy Fat Olive oil spray Slivered almonds Guacamole as topping for chili Olive oil vinaigrette

WEEK 6 RECIPES

Pre-Workout Breakfast Salad Makes 4 servings

Ingredients 2 cups cooked chickpeas 2 cups cantaloupe, cubed 1 cup celery, diced 4 cups fresh baby spinach ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted 1 cup fresh blueberries Pepper to taste ⅓ cup agave syrup or nectar ⅓ cup white rice vinegar 6-10 medium strawberries Extra strawberries for garnish

Blend agave, vinegar and 6-10 medium strawberries until smooth. Combine the chickpeas, cantaloupe, blueberries and celery in a large bowl. Gently toss with strawberry mixture.

Place 1 cup of spinach on each of 4 plates, then divide salad mixture onto each bed of spinach. Sprinkle with almonds, salt and pepper. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Per Serving: 330 calories, 9.3g fat, 0.6g saturated fat, 66mg sodium, 11g fiber, 12g protein

Healthy Sauce for Fish, Vegetables and Noodles Makes 4 servings

Ingredients 1 cup crushed pineapple in juice ¼ cup finely chopped onion 1 TB rice vinegar 1 tsp finely chopped ginger 1 clove garlic, minced ½ TB cornstarch mixed with 1 TB cold water 2 scallions, sliced into thin rounds

Combine pineapple, onion, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and simmer for 1 minute, or until the pineapple mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the scallions.

52 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 2mg sodium, 1g fiber, 1g protein

Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf Makes 4 servings

Ingredients 3 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 small to medium yellow bell pepper, finely diced 1 small to medium green bell pepper, finely diced 2 cups sliced mushrooms 2 TB chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp basil 2 scallions, sliced, white and light green sections 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste Toasted pine nuts (optional)

Sauté a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and yellow and green peppers; stir over medium heat until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms. Season the mixture with sea salt and ground pepper, to taste. Add basil. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are tender.

Add quinoa to the mushroom/pepper mixture. Add the sliced scallions. Stir to combine. Squeeze fresh lemon juice all over the quinoa and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat the quinoa. Taste test and add more pepper, if needed. Sprinkle with parsley and toasted pine nuts, if desired. Serve immediately; or allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate.

Per Serving: 200 calories, 2.7g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 12mg sodium, 5g fiber, 6g protein

WEEKLY GROCERY LIST

Produce Canned Goods Condiments / Spices Dry Goods Chickpeas Crushed pineapple Pepper Slivered almonds Cantaloupe Agave syrup/nectar Quinoa or brown rice Fresh blueberries White rice vinegar Cornstarch Celery Extra virgin olive oil Fresh baby spinach Toasted pine nuts Medium strawberries Garlic Yellow bell pepper Green bell pepper Mushrooms Fresh parsley Basil Scallions Lemon Onion Ginger root

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK Eat a salad at the beginning of one meal each day.