Photo Blog: Meals & Snacks This Week

Here's a simple post on some of the meals & snacks I've been eating this week:

String Beans and Tomatoes

 Poor Man's Shrimp (cauliflower/old bay/cocktail sauce)

 Big salad with veggies & Italian roasted garbanzo beans & corn on the cob:

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This is an old photo since I forgot to take one Monday night!

 Fresh Pineapple

 Cherries (which Rita always begs for)

 Almonds, my favorite snack

 Gala apple and all natural peanut butter (my go-to breakfast!)

I hope this gives you some ideas for snacks & meals! I think this will turn into a weekly post, just showing you what I've been eating since so many people ask "What do you eat other than salad?" Also, keep an eye out as I may have a surprise for you involving a trip next week. YIKES! Hopefully it works out!

-Lacey

Grocery Trip

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One of the most helpful things for me when I first started nutrient-dense eating was seeing other people's grocery list.  It gave me ideas for meals and new ways to prepare the list. The way I prepare my list is like this: I plan all of my meals for the week and look at each recipe. I run down the recipe to see what items I already have and what I need to buy. I only buy exactly what I need. So, if one recipe calls for a green bell pepper and I also know I'll need one for my salads this week, I will only buy two peppers. This way, I'm bringing home exactly what I need and it prevents me from eating too much each day (mid-day snacks) because I know if I do, I won't have enough ingredients for my dinner recipes.

Also, we always buy the same amount of lettuce for the two of us each week: 2 large heads of green leaf lettuce (it's the one with the curly ends), 1 large bag of baby spinach, and 1 head of iceberg. Sometime we finish that a day or 2 before our next trip and if that's the case, I'll make a quick run to the store and grab 1 head of green leaf to get us through the next 2 days.

Look at all of that color!! Now, there are multiples of some items not shown.
Such as, I bought an entire bag of potatoes but could only fit 3 on my island.
Also, a couple things are hidden (like the iceberg, the grapes, etc), but I promise it's all there!
If it's on the list, it's on the island!

THE LIST

Produce Aisle:

2 heads green leaf

1 bag spinach

1 head iceberg

Grapes

1 box Strawberries

Semi-green Bananas

3 apples

2 pears

1 yellow squash

2 green zucchinis

Batch of fresh parsley

1 medium eggplant

1 avocado

2 cucumbers

5 small tomatoes

Bag of russet potatoes

1 pound string beans

Medium bag of carrots

3 onions

3 green bell peppers

1 yellow "

1 red "

Shitake mushrooms

1 bag sun-dried tomatoes

Other Aisles:

Thyme leaves

2 cans kidney beans

1 can black beans

2 cans corn

1 jar of natural tomato sauce (for chili)

1 box natural vegetable broth

Nayonaise (soy based & vegan Mayo used as a base for some of my salad dressings)

1 cup walnuts

1 box Quinoa
Dozen brown eggs (for mike)

(Notice, I only go to three other aisles other than the produce aisle.)

Our meals for this week:

Breakfast: Lacey- oatmeal & piece of fruit and fruit smoothie, Mike- eggs

Lunch: Salad, Soup, Quinoa Tabbouleh, or String Bean & Squash Medley

Dinners: Veggie Pot Pie

            Veggie Chili

            Sushi

            Eggplant Ravioli with Zucchini 'pasta'

            Macadamia nut & Sun-dried Tomato Pesto on Spinach Wrap & veggies

            Leftovers

Happy healthy shopping!

-Lacey

Veggie Chili

Fall is here and you can't do without a good,  hearty, warm chili for the cool evenings.  This is Lacey's own recipe! Change it to your liking though. Wanna add mushrooms? Go for it. Hate peppers? Take them out.  Add some tasty winter squash for added flavor. It's all about throwing what you love into the Crockpot for an easy meal ready  by dinner.

Ingredients
1 Green Pepper chopped
1 Orange Pepper chopped
1/4 c. Diced onion
2 chopped stalks of celery
2 c. corn
2 diced tomatoes
1 c. kidney beans
1 c. black beans
3 c. All natural or homemade tomato sauce
3 chopped carrots
1/2 c. Quinoa**
2 gloves garlic (pressed/chopped finely)
1 tsp. chili seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp. cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp. onion powder (or to taste)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Pinch of salt

Directions
Put all ingredients in slow-cooker & stir. Cook on Low heat for 6 hours.

**Optional: Quinoa is very similar to rice. It's a small grain that looks sort of like couscous. You can either make this separately as a base underneath or add directly into the crock pot to be part of the chili.


If you're able, I challenge you not to buy your normal canned goods for this recipe (corn, kidney & black beans). Many of them are loaded with salt. If you choose to do so (which we have to resort to many times since beans must be prepped before being used in a recipe), buy no sodium or low sodium items.

Macadamia Nut Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I also use this pesto on top of my salads or on wraps. So many possibilities! Enjoy the fresh, summery taste of tomatoes and basil.

Here's my favorite pesto to make:

Ingredients:
1   3oz bag of sun dried tomatoes
1   2 . 25 oz bag of macadamia nuts (*Buy Diamond, it's in the baking aisle. So much cheaper!!!*)
1   teaspoon of lemon juice
1   garlic clove
Handful of fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt and a twist of fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Place all ingredients in food processor & process for about 30 seconds or under everything is evenly chopped.

The great thing about this recipe is you can exchange out the macadamias for walnuts, or any other hearty nut of your choice. If you want the pesto more liquidy, add more Exta Virgin Olive Oil. This pesto is so packed with flavor, you really don't need to pile it on like a tomato sauce.  Just top a plate of pasta with about 3 tablespoons of the pesto and you'll have more than enough!

Quinoa Stuffed Green Peppers

This recipe is very similar to the Quinoa Stuffed Pattypan but I did changed up some of the ingredients & flavors.  The concept is the same.

Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup Red Inca Quinoa or regular white Quinoa
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 diced onion
Cilantro
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 tbsp Earth Balance butter
chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, cayenne red pepper, all to taste
2 green bell peppers

Directions:
1. Put quinoa and veggie broth in pot & bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, add lid and turn on low. Cook for 15 minutes.
2. While quinoa is cooking, cut the tops of the bell peppers and hollow out.
3.  Add diced garlic, onion, and cilantro to quinoa.
4. Add tomato sauce, Earth Balance butter, and all seasonings to quinoa. Cook on simmer for another 5 minutes, stir occasionally.
5. Place cooked quinoa in hollowed out peppers. (Extra quinoa that cannot fit in peppers can be placed directly on pan...just be sure to stir it every 5 minutes in oven to keep it from burning.) Place on baking sheet in 375 oven for 18-23 minutes.
6. ENJOY!

Quinoa Stuffed Pattypan

This is a fabulous summer recipe I adapted from the Oh She Glows blog.  The light cucumber taste with the grainy quinoa makes for a filling but light tasting dinner. Have with a side of red wine and good company.

Ingredients:
2 pattypan
1 cup uncooked quinoa/2 cup vegetable broth
1 clove diced garlic
1 onion
1 carrot
1/2 cucumber
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 tbsp Earth Balance "butter"
Fresh parsley
Fresh ground pepper
parmesan "cheese"
lemon pepper, italian seasonings....all to taste

Directions:
1. Put quinoa & veggie broth in saucepan and bring to boil.  Once boiling, add lid and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Add garlic & stir.
2. While quinoa is cooking fill a pot of water & bring to boil.  Put in pattypan and cook for 6-7 minutes.

This, my friends, is pattypan.

3.  While pattypan is also cooking, preparing stuffing.  In food processor add onion, carrot, 1/2 peeled cucumber & process until mixed/chopped together. (Leave in food processor)

Onion, carrot, and cucumber.

4. In a small bowl, mix softened Earth Balance & tomato sauce together.  Add to quinoa when finished cooking.

5. After pattypan is finished and mostly cooled, cut the tops off and scoop out the inside.  Take what you scooped out and add to the food processor with onion, carrot, and cucumber & process together.
6. Take this vegetable mixture and add to quinoa in pan. Stir. Add in seasonings (lemon pepper, etc).
7. Stuff pattypan with vegetable/quinoa mixture. Bake in 375 oven for 25 minutes.

Whatever extra quinoa mixture you have, just place directly on the pan.

8. Top with parsley and parmesan "cheese" and add to oven for 2 more minutes to melt "cheese".

Had to adapt and use cheddar "cheese" instead.  Still good but definitely not AS good as the parmesan.

ENJOY!!

Lacey's Daily Eating Habits

With the wealth of information being thrown at you about what is healthy and not healthy to eat, it is quite difficult to put it all into practice.  The moment I tell someone that I mostly eat fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, beans & the occasional grain I get a look of confusion with the normal response..."So, what exactly do you eat then?".  Then, with a smile on my face, I respond with the same things, "I eat fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, some grains, and beans." And they still manage to respond, yet again, with a "Yeah, but what do you eat?" as if these categories of food aren't actually food at all.

So, here's what most days look like for me.  I'll give you a few example meals under each category.  Obviously, it can always vary.  We're finding new recipes & trying new meals out constantly.

Breakfast: Between 6 & 7 am
1. 1/2 cup plain oatmeal with some type of fruit jam (mixed in for flavor) & tea. This is what I have most days.
2. Fruit salad & 1 piece of whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter
3. Salad. Yes, you read that right.  If I'm going on a big morning run I need something that is going to be light in my stomach, but that will also help me get the energy I need.  I'll usually top this salad with some protein, like quinoa or nuts.  Oatmeal is way too heavy for me before a run.