Menu for August 13-19

For those of you who know me, I like to keep things simple. When you’ve cooked for 10 little people, you learn that your sanity depends on easy. My goal is to make my meal plans easy, but also healthy and budget friendly. Repeating meals throughout the course of one week is a great way to accomplish both goals. So, as long as you don’t mind the repetition, I think you’ll enjoy this plan.

As a side note, you will want to add some snacks along the way. One of my favorites is hard boiled eggs. They help to stabilize blood sugar and keep you satiated.

Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

Breakfast- Protein Smoothie

Lunch – Big Salad with Protein of Choice (4-5 oz)

Supper – Baked Chicken with Brussel Sprouts

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Breakfast – 2 Eggs Scrambled with Veggies and Avocado

Lunch – Waldorf Apple Walnut Salad

Supper – Sweet Potato Chicken Kale Skillet

Recipes

Protein Smoothie: 1-2 scoops of clean protein powder, 1 cup of frozen berries, enough water to blend. Blend on high until well mixed and enjoy. (1 serving/@130-280 calories – depending on what protein powder you choose and how many scoops you add)

Big Salad with Protein: 4 cups greens/purple cabbage chopped, chopped multi colored peppers, chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, diced organic beets, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds. 4-5 ounces protein of choice. 1 TBS of olive oil. (1 serving @ 350 – 500 calories – depending on protein choice)

Baked Chicken with Brussel Sprouts: 6 chicken thighs, 6 bacon strips (chopped), 3 cups Brussels sprouts (cut in half) 2 garlic cloves minced, 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1 TBSP lemon juice, salt and pepper. Instructions: In a large bowl mix all the ingredients except the bacon and brussels sprouts and stir well. Cover and marinate overnight. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large cast iron skillet or baking sheet place the chicken and brussels sprouts. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile cook the bacon and once the chicken is done, top with bacon pieces. (Serves 6/@ 240 calories)

Scrambled Eggs – 2 eggs scrambled, add veggies of choice/1/4 avocado on side (1 serving/@210 calories)

Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad – 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1 medium apple- diced, 1/4 cup of walnuts. Layer all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy. (1 Serving/@390 calories)

Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet – 2 cups frozen and diced sweet potato, 2 cups shrimp, 3 cups trimmed and chopped kale, 2 TBS avocado oil, 1/2 cup onion, 2 cloves garlic minced, salt and pepper to taste. Instructions – In a cast iron skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions start to brown. Add the sweet potatoes and shrimp and cook through. Lastly, add the kale and stir until it wilts. (Serves 4/@265 calories)