21 Day Healthy Eating Challenge: Week 2 Meal plan and recipes

Welcome to week 2 of the Healthy Eating Challenge. 
This week you may eat anything off of last week's menu OR

Breakfast: Egg Cups plus 1 orange or
Smoothie

Snacks: celery plus 1 wedge laughing cow cheese or
homemade snack bar

Lunch: Kale salad or
Chicken salad with spinach

Dinner: Chicken stir fry
Meatloaf with a twist
Kidney Bean burgers


Before you go to the grocery store, you may find you have many of the needed ingredients left over from last week.  Hopefully, if you did not eat all of the food you prepared last week, you put it into the freezer.  You can use that this week as well.


Here are the recipes:

Egg Muffins

Ingredients

·         6 Eggs plus 6 Egg whites

·         1 Sweet potato

·         1 ½ cups spinach

·         12 ounces Canadian bacon

·         Olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Thinly slice sweet potato and drizzle with olive oil.  Place on baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.  Then spray a jumbo muffin tin with cooking spray.  Place 2 slices of Canadian bacon on bottom of tin.  Next layer 2-3 slices of sweet potato.  Add about ½ cup spinach.  Crack 1 egg plus 1 egg white onto the top of each.  Bake for 20 minutes or until set.

Serves 6

Total calories: 188

Carbohydrate: 6.5 grams

Protein: 22 grams

Fat: 9 grams

Serve with small piece of fruit

Basic Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

1 scoop protein powder (should have <5 grams carbohydrate and 15 to20 grams protein)

1 Tablespoon nut butter (ingredients should be nuts and salt- no other additives)

1 Cup Almond Milk

1 small serving fruit 

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a blender along with some ice; Blend and enjoy.

Protein Bar- Basic Recipe for meal replacement

Ingredients:

·         2 scoops protein powder

·         1 ½ cups dried oats

·         1 cup nut butter (should be all natural)

·         ½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, blueberries, dates, etc)

·         1 cup nuts

·         ½ cup seeds

·         1/3 cup ground flax seed

·         1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

·         ½ cup apple sauce

Directions: Mix all ingredients together.  Press into a baking dish (8x11).  Freeze for 1 hour.  Cut into 12 squares (or 24 for snack sized) and store in refrigerator or freezer.

 

Kale Salad with Turkey

Ingredients:

·         3 cups Kale

·         2 Tablespoons Almonds, chopped

·         1 granny smith apple, chopped

·         1 Tablespoon dried cranberries

·         4 ounces cooked turkey breast

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients and add 2 Tablespoons Cashew Mayonnaise (see recipe). 

Serves: 2

Total Calories: 320

Carbohydrate: 27.5 grams

Protein: 23 grams

Fat: 12.5 grams

 

Meatloaf with a twist

Ingredients

·         1.25 pounds ground beef (should be no more than 20% fat)

·         8 ounces mushrooms

·         1 zucchini

·         ¼ onion

·         1/2 cup tomato sauce

·         1 Tablespoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon oregano

·         1 teaspoon basil

·         ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop the mushrooms and zucchini in a food processor.  Dice the onion.  Then add all ingredients (except ¼ cup sauce) to a bowl and mix well.  Place in a loaf pan; pour ¼ cup tomato sauce on top and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.

Serves 6

Total Calories: 224 

Carbohydrate: 4 grams

Protein: 19 grams

Fat: 15 grams

 

Chicken and veggie stirfry

Ingredients

·         1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

·         1 onion, diced

·         1 bell pepper, diced

·         3 cups green beans

·         1 cup mushrooms

·         2 cloves garlic

·         3 Tablespoons soy sauce

·         1 Tablespoon sesame oil

·         1 Tablespoon ginger

·         1 Tablespoon Worchester sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken.  When almost cooked, add remaining ingredients.  Continue cooking until veggies are tender.  You may need to add ½ cup water.

Serves: 4

Total Calories: 195

Carbohydrate: 10 grams

Protein: 26 grams

Fat: 7 grams

Kidney Bean Burgers

Ingredients                                                                  

·         1 ½ cups kidney beans

·         ½ cup ground flax seed

·         ¼ cup water (may adjust as needed)

·         3 Tablespoons mustard

·         ¼ cup diced onion

·         ½ cup cooked quinoa

·         2 scoops plain protein powder

·         3 cloves garlic

·         Salt and pepper to tasts

Directions: Mash kidney beans.  Then add remaining ingredients.  Shape mixture into 4 patties.  Wrap each patty in saran wrap and place wrapped patties into a freezer bag.  Freeze patties prior to cooking.  When ready, cook patties on grill or in frying pan until cooked through.

Serves 4

Total Calories:  275

Carbohydrate: 31 grams

Protein: 20 grams

Fat: 8.5 grams

 

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

·         1 Tablespoon Cashew Mayonnaise

·         2 ounces cooked chicken breast, cubed

·         1 stalk celery, chopped

·         1 Tablespoon dried cranberries

·         1 Tablespoon walnuts

·         1 slice Ezekiel bread

Directions: combine all ingredients and serve open faced over bread.

Serves: 1

Total Calories: 288.5

Carbohydrate: 26 grams

Protein: 18 grams

Fat: 13 grams

Cashew Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

·         ¼ cup water

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         1 cup raw cashews (soak in water overnight)

·         ¼ cup cauliflower

·         1 ¼ teaspoon mustard

·         1 teaspoon honey

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 teaspoon apple cider

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Put all ingredients into food processor or high speed blender.  Blend until creamy.

Servings: 16 (1 Tablespoon servings)

Total Calories: 74

Carbohydrates: 2.5 grams

Protein: 1 gram

Fat: 7 grams

 

21 day healthy eating challenge: Meal Preparation Week 1

Menu: February 15^th

Breakfast:

1)      Egg Casserole

2)      1 egg plus 2 egg whites; 1 cup spinach; 1 orange

Snacks:

1) Veggies and Hummus

2) Snack-sized bars

Lunch:

1) Turkey and Barley Soup with 3 crackers

2) Kale Salad

Dinners:

1)Meatloaf with a twist; ½ sweet potato; 1-2 cups veggies

2) Chicken and veggie stir-fry; ½ cup brown rice

3) Pork loin with ½ cup brown rice; 1-2 cups veggies

 

 

Meal planning and preparation are most important for staying on track with your healthy eating plan.  Before you go to the grocery store, decide what you will eat for the week.  Make a list and buy only the things on that list.  Some people like to cook every day.  If this is your preference and you have the time to do this, carry on.  However, most people cite TIME as the biggest barrier to health and wellness.  We’re busy!  It’s important to acknowledge this and plan for success.  One way to free up time on weeknights  (when most families are crazy busy) is to pre-make your meals.

When possible, I prepare most of my meals for the week on Sunday afternoon.  Many of these recipes can be doubled and stored in the freezer.  The only meal that will not freeze well is the kale salad. 

This amount of meal prep usually takes about 3 hours.  Once you have a stock of frozen items, you will not have to make as many meals.  Try to set aside time for this process.  The benefits are that you only dirty your kitchen once so you’ll save time on cleaning during the week.  Also, you’re more likely to stay on track because everything is already done. 

 

Designate an area for vegetable preparation.  Have a cutting board and knife only for produce.  I also place a large bowl nearby for the peels and scraps.  This is much easier and more sanitary than going into the garbage can every few minutes.  I will put all of the vegetables I want to use as well as anything extra I find in the produce drawer that needs to be used.

Have another area for meat preparation.  When you handle the raw meat, wash your hands with soap and water before you return to your vegetable station.

 

Now we’re ready to cook.

Start by setting up your crock pot in an out of the way place, not near your veggies.  Place the pork loin into the crock pot.  Mix up the marinade.  Pour on top of the pork and cook on low for 4 hours.

Figure out how much rice you will need this week.  The serving size is ½ cup.  I have decided to have rice two times this week (I’ll also make some extra for the family).  Place the amount of rice you want into the rice cooker (I put 1 cup) and add twice as much water.  Press start.

Next we’re going to make the egg casserole.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.   Cook the chicken sausage on the stovetop until it’s done.  Place it into the casserole dish.  Next cut up the vegetables ( I used ½ onion, 1 cup broccoli and 1 cup mushrooms along with 2 cloves of garlic).  You can substitute any vegetable based on availability, cost and personal preference.  I usually check out my produce drawer to see if anything needs to be used up as well.  Saute your chosen vegetables for a minute and then add then to the dish.  Add the spinach and mix everything up.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and ½ cup almond milk along with salt and pepper.  You can experiment with different spices.  I added a sprig of thyme from my garden.  Pour the eggs over the top of the sausage and veggie mixture.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until set.

While the casserole is baking prepare the turkey soup.  In your meat preparation area, cut the turkey into bite sized pieces.  If the turkey is not already cooked, use your saucepan and cook it until no longer pink.   Add the onion and garlic along with the remaining vegetables (except for the spinach).  Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes.

While the casserole and soup are still cooking, prepare the meatloaf.  I decided to double this recipe and make 2 loaves.  I froze 1 for another time.  Use a food processor to finely chop the zucchini.   You want to wring out the excess water from the zucchini.  Then use the food processor to finely chop the mushrooms. Dice the onion on the cutting board.  Place the vegetables into a large bowl and bring to the area designated for handling meat.  Add the meat into the bowl.  I used lean ground turkey.  You can use lean ground beef if desired.  Add ¼ cup tomato sauce and seasonings and mix it all up.  Place the mixture into a meatloaf pan.  Top with ¼ cup tomato sauce and put aside.  Wash your hands.

By now, the egg casserole should be about done.   Remove it from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.  When the oven is ready, bake the meatloaf for about 30 minutes or until set.

Stir the soup and let it continue to simmer.

Next we’re going to make the protein bars.  This is really easy.  Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  I used nuts (almonds and walnuts) and seeds (pumpkin and sunflower) I had on hand.  My favorite protein powder is Warrior Blend.  It uses vegetable based proteins and is low in carbohydrate.  You can use any protein powder you like, but make sure the carbohydrate content is less than 5 grams.  When mixed, put it into a glass baking dish.  I used an 8x11 dish.  Place in the refrigerator for an hour. 

Your soup should be done.  Remove it from the heat and let it cool.

 

Almost there… We’re going to prep the ingredients for the stirfry.  Take a large ziplock bag and combine all the marinade ingredients.   Cut up the chicken in the meat preparation area.  Add it to the bag and mix really well.  After washing your hands, return to the veggie prep area.  Cut up the vegetables you planned to use.  Do you have anything else that needs to be used up?  This is a good place to put your veggies that would otherwise go bad.  Place the veggies in a separate ziplock bag and put both bags into the refrigerator (You can use airtight sealed containers if you prefer.  I like the baggies because if I do not end up cooking this meal, I will throw the bags in the freezer.  They will stay fresh for months.) 

On the day you want the stir fry, heat up a small amount of olive oil in a large stir fry pan.  Cook the meat first and add the veggies and good until done.  You may need to add water or chicken broth during this process. 

The last meal is the kale salad.  Combine all ingredients for the salad in a medium bowl and cover in the refrigerator until you want to eat it (You can also divide this into large mason jars and it will stay fresh a bit longer.  For dressing, you can use an oil and vinegar combination or try the cashew mayonnaise.  I made the mayonnaise and it really wasn’t difficult.  When it was time to eat the salad, I combined 1 Tablespoon of mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of lemon juice.  Do not put the dressing on the salad until you are ready to eat it.

Now everything is made.  Remove the bars from the fridge.  Cut them into squares.  If you’re planning on using these as a meal, make 12 squares.  If they are a snack make 24 squares.  I made 6 meal replacements for emergencies and cut the rest into snack size portions.  I always have bars in my freezer.  Any time I do not have time for a meal, I can eat a bar on the run.

Prepare the remaining food for storage.   Add the spinach to the soup.  Portion out the soup into 4 containers.  I use mason jars which freeze very well.  I also always have soup in my freezer for a quick meal.  Cover the meatloaf and refrigerate.  I made an extra loaf, so I put that into a freezer bag and froze that as well.  Cover the egg casserole and put into the refrigerator.  This makes 8 servings so if you’re not sharing it with someone else in the household, cut individual portions, wrap in a paper towel and put into a freezer bag.  Store in the freezer.  The rice should be done by now.  Place it into a covered container then store in the fridge.  Check on the pork loin.  If it is mostly cooked through, let it cool, the store it in the fridge.  Your meals are ready for the whole week!  Most of the meals just need to be heated up.  You’ll notice we did not make the sweet potatoes.  You can either put these in the oven on days you plan to eat them.  You can microwave them in a pinch as well.  I usually, check my stock around day 4.  Sometimes life happens and I don’t eat everything I expected to eat.  When that happens I put anything freezable into the freezer.   Most of the meals just need to be heated up.  You’ll notice we did not make the sweet potatoes.  You can either put these in the oven on days you plan to eat them.  You can microwave them in a pinch as well. 

I hope you enjoy your meals this week.
Here's to your health!

Healthy Eating Challenge:Recipes for week 1

Here are the recipes for those who want to get started.  Stay tuned for details on meal prep.

 

 

 

 

 

Pork Loin in the slow cooker

Ingredients

·         2 to 3 pounds pork loin

·         1 cup water

·         ¼ cup soy sauce

·         2 Tablespoons onion flakes

·         3 gloves garlic

·         ½ cup red wine

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Place pork loin into slow cooking.  Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and cook on low to 4-6 hours.

Servings: 6

Total calories: 180

Carbohydrate: 6 grams

Protein: 25 grams

Fat: 4 grams

Serve with 1/2 cup brown rice and 1-2 cups vegetables.

Egg and Veggie Casserole with Chicken Sausage

Ingredients

·         10 eggs

·         ½ cup unsweetened almond milk

·         ¾ pound chicken sausage

·         3 cups spinach

·         1 onion

·         1 cup mushrooms

·         1 cup chopped broccoli

·         1 clove garlic

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute chicken sausage until cooked.  Pour into casserole dish; saute vegetables until slightly tender.  Add to casserole.  Mix up ingredients.  In separate bowl, whisk eggs, almond milk and salt and pepper.  Pour over sausage mix.  Bake for 30 minutes or until set.

Serves: 8

Total calories: 269

Carbohydrate: 5 grams

Protein: 18 grams

Fat: 9 grams

Serve with 1 orange

Protein Bar- Basic Recipe for meal replacement

Ingredients:

·         2 scoops protein powder

·         1 ½ cups dried oats

·         1 cup nut butter (should be all natural)

·         ½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, blueberries, dates, etc)

·         1 cup nuts

·         ½ cup seeds

·         1/3 cup ground flax seed

·         1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

·         ½ cup apple sauce

Directions: Mix all ingredients together.  Press into a baking dish (8x11).  Freeze for 1 hour.  Cut into 12 squares and store in refrigerator or freezer.

 

Serves 12

Exact nutritional values will vary slightly based on ingredients used.

Total Calories: 325

Carbohydrate: 20 grams

Protein: 15 grams

Fat: 20 grams

 

Store in the freezer.  If using for a snack, cut into 24 pieces.

Chicken and veggie stirfry

Ingredients

·         1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

·         1 onion, diced

·         1 bell pepper, diced

·         3 cups green beans

·         1 cup mushrooms

·         2 cloves garlic

·         3 Tablespoons soy sauce

·         1 Tablespoon sesame oil

·         1 Tablespoon ginger

·         1 Tablespoon Worchester sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken.  When almost cooked, add remaining ingredients.  Continue cooking until veggies are tender.  You may need to add ½ cup water.

Serves: 4

Total Calories: 195

Carbohydrate: 10 grams

Protein: 26 grams

Fat: 7 grams

Serve with 1/2 cup brown rice.

 

 

 

Meatloaf with a twist

Ingredients

·         1.25 pounds ground beef (should be no more than 20% fat)

·         8 ounces mushrooms

·         1 zucchini

·         ¼ onion

·         1/2 cup tomato sauce

·         1 Tablespoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon oregano

·         1 teaspoon basil

·         ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop the mushrooms and zucchini in a food processor.  Dice the onion.  Then add all ingredients (except ¼ cup sauce) to a bowl and mix well.  Place in a loaf pan; pour ¼ cup tomato sauce on top and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.

Serves 6

Total Calories: 224

Carbohydrate: 4 grams

Protein: 19 grams

Fat: 15 grams
 

 

Serve with 1/2 sweet potato and 1-2 cups vegetables

 

 

Turkey and Barley Soup

Ingredients

·         ½ pound ground turkey

·         1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

·         1 Onion

·         1 carrot

·         1 Stalk Celery

·         6 Cups Chicken Broth

·         ½ Cup Barley

·         3 Cups Spinach

Directions

Use a large saucepan and cook the turkey in the olive oil.  When almost cooked, drain any excess oil or fat and add the onion, carrot and celery, all chopped.  After 5 minutes add the Broth and Barley.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.  Add spinach at the end and serve.

 

Serves: 4

Total Calories: 210

Carbohydrate: 23 grams

Protein: 16 grams

Fat: 8 grams

Serve with 3-5 whole grain crackers.

 

 

 

Kale Salad with Turkey

Ingredients:

·         3 cups Kale

·         2 Tablespoons Almonds, chopped

·         1 granny smith apple, chopped

·         1 Tablespoon dried cranberries

·         4 ounces cooked turkey breast

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients and add 2 Tablespoons Cashew Mayonnaise (see recipe).

 

Serves: 2

Total Calories: 320 (with 1 tablespoon "mayo")

Carbohydrate: 27.5 grams

Protein: 23 grams

Fat: 12.5 grams

 

 

Cashew Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

·         ¼ cup water

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         1 cup raw cashews (soak in water overnight)

·         ¼ cup cauliflower

·         1 ¼ teaspoon mustard

·         1 teaspoon honey

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 teaspoon apple cider

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Put all ingredients into food processor or high speed blender.  Blend until creamy.

Servings: 16 (1 Tablespoon servings)

Total Calories: 74

Carbohydrates: 2.5 grams

Protein: 1 gram

Fat: 7 grams