My whole life I was skinny fat. I didn’t work out or exercise so I didn’t have abs or anything like that 😂 but I was thin. My Sis on the other hand was a jock. She was super athletic but she always felt she had to watch everything she ate, even from a very young age 😞. She has always had to work hard to maintain her figure. Throughout the years she has fluctuated. Sometimes she has a rocking fit body and other times she has extra weight she is unhappy about.
Honestly, I was pretty oblivious to the the reality of our situation.
Until I had kids.
I noticed right away that whatever I put into my body… stayed there. In order not to start gaining serious weight I had to change my eating habits and I needed to be more active. I very quickly became aware of the struggle to maintain my goal weight and my Sis was almost cheerful that I could finally relate to her life long battle 🤗.
Moving here to Penticton really helped with becoming more active. So did a few other things. Things like, my Sis began Step Challenges with me… which led to running… which led to Beachbody! Now we often talk about exercise and of course… healthy eating 😊 So on date night the other day, Sis and I figured something out!
Our Generation’s “midlife crisis” is health. whether it is physical health, mental health or a healthy environment… Health is on everyone’s mind. Our “thing” is being healthier. We are the generation that quit smoking, quit soda, quit corn syrup and red dye, made organic cool, started biking to work, invented pilates/boot camp/spin class and Zumba, created FitBits, began knitting for stress relief, made yoga wear casual wear, we drink water like we think it will be here forever, and we recycle everything.
We coined terms and began using words like: aromatherapy, gluten free, planking, meditating, composting, simplicity, kale, iFitness, vitamin D, P90X, Paleo diet, non-GMO, kefir, kombucha, low-carb, eat local, sustainable, quinoa, core training, step goals, CrossFit, taking a mental health day, wellness coaching, mindful, self help, BPA-free, reusable water bottles, and coconut oil.
My Sis gave me the idea to start thinking about a post that featured a weeklong menu of healthy recipes. I am a firm believer in balance. Not all these ingredients are healthy. Sugar and chicken fingers are certainly not on the list of best health foods 😂 but I believe everything in moderation and making food that my Kids will like and eat. I tried to use as many fresh ingredients as I could and I kept the meals under 800 calories. So here it is! 7 days of yummy dinners that are easy and delicious! We LOVED every single one of these recipes! Ninja was skeptical about a few of them but he quickly came around because every single dinner was fantastic! Now that September is here our Step Challenge is ramping up again and we are in full swing! Now we just have to set a goal to beat HBear!
***Disclaimer *** I tried really hard to figure out the calories for each dinner but I am new to this. I used an online calorie counter so I hope they are correct!!
Monday:
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa Salad
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Apple of My Eye
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving: 2 lettuce wraps (not including toppings) and 1 cup quinoa salad
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1-inch piece of ginger, shredded
1 can water chestnuts, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Boston lettuce (I love this lettuce because it is easy to rip off a perfect leaf to hold all the delicious filling)
Optional toppings:
shredded carrots
roughly chopped peanuts
toasted sesame seeds
chopped green onion
Heat 1
tablespoon oil in a large pan. Add in the ground turkey and break it apart. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook till no longer pink. Set aside on a separate plate.
In the same pan, cook the onion, garlic, and ginger for 3-4 minutes.
To serve, place the meat mixture in the lettuce cups and top with shredded carrots, tomatoes, peanuts, sesame seeds, and green onion.
Oven Baked Pork Chops with Rice & Kale Salad
Adapted from Bunny’s Warm Oven
Serving size: 1 pork chop, 1/2 cup rice, 1 cup kale salad Calories: 516
4 pork chops
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup oil (I used grapeseed)
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
Preheat your oven to 425.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together.
Place your pork chops in a baking dish, pour 1/2 the sauce over the pork chops, cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, drain the liquid from the pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the pork chops and bake uncovered for 30 more minutes (turn the chops once to get both sides evenly browned.)
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from Spend With Pennies
Serving size: 1 full stuffed pepper and 1 cob of corn (not including toppings)
4 bell peppers
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis
1 bottle enchilada sauce, divided
1 cup rice,
1 cup cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Wash and seed bell peppers and cut in half from top to bottom. Place in a greased baking dish and set aside.
Brown ground beef, onion and garlic. Drain any fat.
Divide beef mixture into the pepper halves. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until peppers are cooked and cheese is melted.
Top with your favorite taco toppings and serve.
The next day I used the leftovers to make a delicious Taco Salad for lunch!
Thursday:
Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Pineapple Sesame Dressing
Adapted form Carlsbad Cravings
Serving size: Makes 5 equal servings (1/4 cup chicken *I added more to mine as you will see in the picture)
Calories: 554
Teriyaki Marinade/Sauce
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup Asian sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salad
1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup pineapple, chopped (rest will be used in dressing)
1/2 bag Broccoli Slaw
1 red bell pepper, julienned then cut into thirds
1 cup snow peas, julienned then cut into thirds
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple from whole pineapple above
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Teriyaki Sauce: Whisk together all of the Teriyaki Marinade/Sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Chicken: Prepare chicken according to directions. Chop chicken. Toss in Teriyaki Sauce.
Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to Ultimate Chopper except canola oil and sesame seeds. Blend until smooth. Add sesame seeds and canola oil and pulse until combined. Refrigerate. Shake or stir when ready to serve to recombine.
Salad: Toss lettuce, slaw, peppers, peas and green onions. Top with coconut, nuts and diced pineapple. Drizzle with dressing.
Friday:
Corn Chowder with Focaccia Bread
Adapted from Little Broken
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
1 tablespoon margarine
2 thick strips bacon, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium potatoes, peeled, diced into ½-inch cubes
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
4 ears of corn, husk + silk removed and kernels cut from cob
1 cup half and half
salt and fresh ground black pepper
chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish
In a large heavy-duty bottom dutch oven, melt margarine over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon renders its fat and begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and thyme; cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring couple times, about 5 minutes.
Add potatoes, water, and bay leaf.
Add corn; season with salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for additional 8-12 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf and then transfer 2 cups of chowder to a food processor or blender; puree until smooth.
Serve garnished with fresh chopped cilantro.
Saturday:
Grilled Chicken Breast, Cauliflower “Fried Rice” and Coleslaw
Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny
Serving size: 1 1/4 cup “rice”, chicken breast with BBQ sauce (1 tablespoon/per breast), 1/2 cup coleslaw with calorie wise Kraft dressing
1 bag of cauliflower “rice”
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoons light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
2 green onions, chopped
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle in sesame oil. Add onion, veggies and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger; set aside.
Slide veggie mixture to one side of the wok and add in the beaten eggs, scrambling until cooked through and then incorporate with the veggies.
Stir in cauliflower “rice” and pour the soy sauce over top, mixing well.
Top with green onions, serve and enjoy!
Sunday:
Hamburger Foil Packets
Serving size: 1 packet (not including condiment toppings) Calories: 433
1.5 lb. lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup potatoes, cubed
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Hamburger toppings for serving
Lay 4 pieces of foil out on a flat surface and spray with cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, and garlic powder in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, combine broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, oil, and Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper.
Grill until hamburgers are fully cooked and veggies are tender, 10 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with hamburger toppings.
