Sunday, September 21, 2014

Whole30 Recap and Weekly Meal Plan

So...Whole30 was way harder than I expected it to be. We ended up cheating toward the end and not really finishing :(. I wish we could have done better but no one tells you how dang expensive it is. We doubled our grocery budget for the month and managed to put ourselves in the hole right before I wasn't paid for a whole month. Yikes.

That being said, I'm glad we did it. I lost right around 7 lbs and about 7ish inches. I learned how I respond to food and better ways to give myself energy i.e. eating protein instead of carbs when I feel like snacking, finding creative ways to get the protein, etc. Also, Larabars are the best and we continue to buy them. They're great snacks, easy to take along, and high in protein. Win win! We also learned that full on Paleo is not for us. We both love diary and legumes way too much. So we're trying to eat healthy and still low carb but with diary and legumes cause I need my sour cream y'all. Sour cream makes everything taste better.

We've gotten a bit off track though. School starting back and me teaching two different classes, plus starting my CDA and leading small group really made it hard for me to want to sit down and meal plan. We've been getting off budget though as well, so I need to get back to planning. Especially with the holidays coming up soon. I also need to find time to do my CDA lessons as well. And plan chapel for school. So much to do!

This week our meal plan is:

Meatless Monday: Mujadara
It's a great, cheap meal packed with protein and flavor. I make mine with brown rice and more onion than she calls for. We also saw a recipe that tops it with sour cream, so of course we do that too :).

Taco Tuesday!
We'll probably make tacos or some variation of Mexican food. I feel downright incomplete if I go more than a week without black or pinto beans on my plate. It's a main source of comfort food for me and the hubs so we probably eat it more often than we should :).

No cook Wednesday: I love to cook but because we are hosting small group on Wednesdays, it's easier for me and hubs if there is minimal cooking and clean up on these days. We'll probably be eating grilled cheese, more mexican, frozen tacos (also mexican), etc. Did I mention we LOVE mexican food? Because we do. A lot.

Lo Carb Thursday: Smothered Chicken
This is one of our all time favorite meals. I only make the chicken from this link but the rest of the meal sounds just as tasty! I serve it with canned green beans (which I doctor up so they taste much better than they sound). It's low carb and a bit labor intensive but oh-so-good and oh-so-worth-it. Savory and creamy and super delicious, we love this chicken!

Friday: Chili with beans over rice
I know there are those of you that will condemn my use of beans in my chili but I don't care. I love beans in homemade chili and it's how I grew up eating it. Served over rice with some cheese on top and a few saltines nearby is the way to do it.

Saturday: Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes and English peas
I have my own recipe for Roasted Chicken that I'll post later. It's easy and yummy and one of my favorite things to make.

Sunday: As a kid, Sundays were the day when we ate lunch out or mom had something in the crockpot for when we got home from church. We were largely on our own for dinner. This quickly translated into me and mom eating cheese dip with tortilla chips and dad making some microwave popcorn while we all sat and watched America's Funniest Home Videos followed up by Star Trek: The Next Generation (I blame my dad for my love of sci/fi). Brett and I haven't decided if we'll continue this food tradition exactly or if we'll change it up a bit. One of our favorite no-cook meals is fruit, good cheese, nuts and some really good Moscato. It's easy, (relatively) low carb and feels just a bit decadent.

I'm hoping that we can stick to a basic meal plan and that having some kind of a "theme" night will help me come up with good ideas.

What are some ways that you meal plan? Do you meal plan for the week, two weeks, the month? Let me know what works for you!

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