Lentil soup for the soul...

It was a balmy 50 degrees last week for New Years, by Sunday it was back in the 20's and snowy- gotta love 30 degree drops in temperature! Anyways now that the temperatures are back to normal and there is snow on the ground once again, I decided it was time for some soup.

I had veggies left over from New Years and lentils in the cupboard so I decide to whip up some soup last night. I chopped up some carrots, celery (don't tell my husband), red onion, and garlic then sauteed them in a little olive oil to soften them.

(Yes that onion is sprouting!! Must be too hot in my cupboard.)

While the veggies cooked down a bit and filled the house with their tasty aroma, I measured out some some lentils. I decided to go with part green and part red for a bit of variety.

After adding the 1.5 cups of lentils to the pot, I added about 5 cups of liquid. I used about 2 cups of stock and 3 cups of water. Next time I'd use just stock, but I ran out so I had to be flexible. For purposes of seasoning you can add a bay leaf or two, and anything else that you like. I added some hot sauce because I wanted a bit of kick in my lentils.

Then let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the lentils are tender and tasty, serve up with a dollop of Greek yogurt.




Lentil Soup

1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups lentils, any type
5 cups of stock and/or water
2 bay leaves (don't eat)
Hot Sauce to Taste

Saute the first four ingredients in a little olive oil in the bottom of your stock pot until soften, and be careful not to burn. Then add in your lentils, stock and/or water, and bay leaves. This would also be the time to add any additional seasonings you'd like. Simmer approximately 60 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils are softened. Serve and enjoy!

What is your favorite meal to warm up with?

This land is your land and this land is my land,
From California to the New York Island,
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters,
This land was made for you and me.
-This Land is Your Land, Woody Guthrie

(Yeah I know totally random song that reminds me of elementary school, but it's been stuck in my head all day!)

Green machine...

So this week it is time to get back on track with my eating, so I've started to have green smoothies for breakfast. Basically you get your fruit and veggies all in one drink. It sounds not so good, but trust me it has a sweet taste. If you don't trust me, trust the movement- The Green Monster Movement, which gives you recipes used by many different people. The great thing about a green smoothie is you can change it up to what you like.

Last night before bed I gathered my ingredients together, so I could easily put them in the blender in the morning.

I used the following in my smoothie:
1 cup almond milk (I will probably use half water next time.)
2 cups baby spinach (approximately)
1/2 banana
Frozen mixed berries
Flax Seed Meal

The results:

It turned out super tasty, but a little bit thick. I added some water to thin it out. It was very much like a milkshake, and wasn't bright green. I guess I can try to use more spinach next time.

After a great gym workout tonight, which included running to the gym to meet Matt. I thought we should start off dinner with a green smoothie. He loves them and recommends them too!


Consider trying it out! Another option is to pick one up at the store, but just be careful that the only sugar is from the natural fruits. Some brands to look for are Bolthouse Farms and Odwalla. Once you get past the green you be able to really enjoy and you're body with benefit!

Ready, Set, Eat....

First up my dinner....

I had a veggies burger with the fixings, wheat berry salad, and a pickle. Yum!

Onto Dallas planning:
The main question is how to handle meals? I will be in a new city, living out of a hotel room, and most likely working longer than normal days. Here's how I am going about tackling all these challenges:

New City: Thankfully the Internet provides access to maps and searches, so I've been able to locate stores and restaurants. Nearby stores include the basic CVS Pharmacy that will give me access to come general products, but then there is also a grocery store just two blocks away. It looks like the grocery store is not a chain store and might just offer some of the more health-oriented products. I'd like to be able to get some Ezekiel cereal, Ezekiel bread, unsweetened dried fruit, almond milk, oranges, bananas, apples, salad, and oatmeal just to start. I also noticed they have a prepared food restaurant that has many healthy options and allows you to replace the fries with fresh fruit at no charge! I'm packing one of our reusable shopping bags too!

Hotel Room: Well the good news is I won't just have a simple hotel room, I'm getting upgraded to a suite because I'm staying so long. Yeah! It's got a full-size kitchen that is stocked with all the necessary dishes and cooking tools I will need. It probably won't have an oven or a food processor, but I can work around that. It will feel a little like home with the kitchen and living room- although Matt won't be there.

Long Days: Being that I'm part of the instructor team I will have to arrive early and probably stay later each day, and I think some evenings will be spent reviewing tests and cases studies. It is important to me to eat smart meals throughout the day. I plan to bring along sandwich bags and Tupperware bowls to make lunch packing easier. I plan to eat breakfast at the hotel, then pack snacks and lunch for during the day. Some evenings I will go out to dinner with my co-workers, and I plan to take home half my meal for lunch the next day. Then some nights I will stay in and make something for myself using my hotel kitchen. My co-workers know I'm health-conscious so they know I won't be planning to eat out for every meal, so I won't feel any pressure to conform.

Anyone have any other ways to handle these challenges? What would you do if you were away from home for a whole month?

(It's not hard to leave a comment! I'd like to know who is reading, but you can comment anonymously if you really want! Just leave me a comment!)

Meal Planning...

Ever since Matt & I began our transition to a healthy lifestyle we have been meal planning. Each week I will lay out each meal for the week, which includes not only the core meals but also daily snacks.

For the last 7 weeks we have been doing things slightly different. Matt has his muscle building meal plan, which includes a higher number of calories and more protein. And I have a seperate plan that follow along with my food buddy, Sabrina.

Each week I pick at least 5 different main meals, 2 types of snacks, and a main breakfast. The main meals are then used to cover either a lunch or a dinner. And to make life even easier one of us will handle two meals and snack, while the other make the other three meals. On Sunday we meet up and swap food, and we're instantly prepared for the week. How great does that sound?

Here's a sample of what next week looks like:

Sunday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Leftovers from prior week
Snack 2: Apple w/ Peanut Butter
Dinner: Pork Tenderloin w/ Broccoli

Monday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Chicken Tex-Mex
Snack 2: Stonyfield Yogurt
Dinner: Chicken Sausage w/ Sweet Potato

Tuesday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Chili Mac & Cheese
Snack 2: Stonyfield Yogurt
Dinner: Pork Stir-Fry w/ Brown Rice

Wednesday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Pork Tenderloin w/ Broccoli
Snack 2: Stonyfield Yogurt
Dinner: Chicken Tex-Mex

Thursday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Chicken Sausage w/ Sweet Potato
Snack 2: Stonyfield Yogurt
Dinner: Chili Mac & Cheese

Friday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Pork Stir-Fry for Sabrina- Jen can't eat meat
Snack 2: Stonyfield Yogurt
Dinner: Tilapia w/ Veggies

Saturday
Breakfast: Ezekiel Cereal w/ dried fruit & almond milk
Snack 1: Breakfast Cake
Lunch: Chili Mac & Cheese
Snack 2: Stonyfield Yogurt
Dinner: Free Choice

That's the plan, don't worry pictures and recipes to come during the week after the food has been made.

Now I challenge you to plan your week of meals.

Great Start

So far today my meals have been great, I think this week's meal plan is going to be the best so far...

Breakfast: Egg Whites w/ mixed veggies(No picture)

Mid-Morning: Oatmeal Breakfast Bake


Lunch: Eggplant Parmesan

(Sorry the picture is weird...I can't figure out how to turn it.)

Afternoon Snack: 2 clementines and Almonds (no picture)

Dinner: Grilled Chicken with Squash Casserole and Side Salad



And it is so nice splitting the cooking responsibilities, it makes it easy. You can almost say it's like have your meals delivery- Meals on Wheels! Yeah!

Thanks for being patient with my picture taking, the camera isn't the best and I'm not the most skilled. I try!

Eat Frequently

So I said the other day that you should be aiming to eat every 3-4 hours. I learned this from one sources or another, but in reality it is probably something my body has been trying to tell me forever.

The reality of it is even when you are just planning for three meals a day, you probably still are having 5 to 6 meals. If I think back to when I was in school- there was breakfast before class, lunch somewhere in the middle, and then obviously dinner. Then there are those things you eat that you don't even think about because you just grab them as you go along. So I've been eating 5-6 meals for a long as I can remember.

As all through high school, college, and the few years after college I was overweight from all this eating that I wasn't even thinking about- I was just do it. Now the much wiser Jen, for the last year and a half anyways, as been purposely planning 5-6 meals for each day.

At first I used examples I found on health websites or health magazines to guide how to set up an appropriate meal plan for my goal of losing weight. Now I've gained a better idea of what to include so I do most just considering the food in the house or what I'm craving. Yes, I said it I can still incorporate cravings as part of my meals because I don't just eat a salad- actually I rarely eat just a salad.

The weekend is just one day away (Yeah!), and that's a good time to give this a try. Before you do you're grocery shopping this weekend, sit down and think about what you're going to eat. I don't just mean for dinner, think about each meal and snack. I have created a spreadsheet that is basically a blank grid that I complete listing each day of the week (Sunday- Saturday) and each meal. The meals are typically as follows: Breakfast, Mid-Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, and post-workout.

Don't be afraid to have repetitive breakfasts, snacks, or lunches- make sure it's food you enjoy and that is healthy for you. Then create a shopping list and hit the store. It actually makes life really easy during the week because you don't need to worry about whether you'll have enough food. If you need an idea of where to begin just let me know and I'd be happy to send you my plan for the week.

Tonight's Dinner

Tilapia with acorn squash. Originally I had planned to eat a sweet potato but I had to switch that to lunch because I need a stove to cook the squash. So next time I need to plan ahead and roast the squash the night before. Either way super yummy!

You might have also noticed when seeing my dinners I haven't been including the typical carb, I probably once thought was unavoidable. Well the reasoning behind that has been Cooler 1, but it also helps me to realize I don't really need a carb to complete the meal. If I am going to eat a carb it will only be on a workout night, when my body is working to repair my muscles.

Have a good night!