Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message Bible)

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Game Plan-Week 2

So, last week I posted about what I was planning to eat and what workouts I was going to do. I also mentioned that I would do this every Sunday evening for those of you who were interested in following along with me.
Well, I've realized 2 things already. #1: Doing this really helps me stay on track, workout more and harder and there is WAY less thinking involved when it comes to meal time! Yay!
#2: I'm already stressing about coming up with new recipes and ideas to share with you all. That was not the purpose of this. I was just going to simply post what I am planning for my family--and truth be told, we don't always eat a big variety. So...I'm sorry if this weeks meals look a lot like last weeks, but it's been a crazy last couple of days and I just didn't have a lot of time to get creative. Plus, Brooklyn's birthday is tomorrow and I'll be eating out for 2 meals! This week, I have something going on every single evening from now until next Sunday! Whew!
Anyway, here is what I'm gonna do/eat this week:

Monday:
Breakfast-1 c. Kashi cereal with skim milk
Snack-banana
Lunch-Taking Brooklyn out for lunch, probably Subway.
Snack-celery & 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
Dinner-Going to Applebees for her birthday dinner. I will do my best to order light, but I'll probably have a piece of birthday cake.
Workout: Insanity or P90X--not sure.

Tuesday:
Breakfast-Veggie omelet, turkey bacon, 1 c. skim milk
Snack-Protein bar
Lunch-Chef Salad
Snack-celery & 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
Dinner: Broccoli soup*
Optional snack: Small protein shake*
Workout-1 hr. weight-lifting at gym, 30 minutes boot camp

Wednesday:
Breakfast-spinach scramble, turkey link sausage, 1 c. OJ
Snack-2 prunes, 6 almonds
Lunch-chicken Ranch Wrap*, apple
Snack-string cheese
Dinner-Baked fish, grilled asparagus, brown rice*
Workout-P90X or Insanity or both!?!

Thursday:
Breakfast-Tortilla roll up*
Snack-protein bar
Lunch-Turkey burger w/ slice of light cheddar (no bun), salad greens, green beans
Snack-Banana
Dinner-Chicken Pot Pie*
Workout-45 minutes weight lifting, 45 minutes boot camp at gym

Friday:
Breakfast-Protein Packed Oatmeal*
Snack-celery & 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
Lunch-left over chicken pot pie
Snack-baby carrots w/ 1 tbsp. light ranch
Dinner-Grilled Chicken Burritos*
Workout-P90X or Insanity

Saturday:
Will probably make pancakes or french toast w/ turkey sausage for breakfast. Hopefully will make it to the gym for kickboxing, zumba and abs before I get all dolled up for the gala ball that night!

Recipes/Explanations:

Chef Salad-look at last weeks description

Broccoli Soup-1 lb. frozen cut broccoli, 1/3 chopped onion, 2 c. chicken broth, 1/2 c. half and half (optional), 2 tbsp. flour, salt and pepper to taste. Boil broccoli and onion in chicken broth until broccoli is hot and tender. Transfer mixture to blender and puree. Mix flour with a bit of water (enough to make it though but pourable). Add that to blender and mix with broccoli for a few seconds. Put mixture back in pot and simmer for about 10 min. Add half and half and serve immediately. Try without the half and half first and see if you like it without! Thanks to my girl Kirsty for this recipe!!

Chicken Ranch Wrap-3 oz. grilled chicken, tomato, lettuce, 1 tbsp. lt. ranch, whole wheat tortilla. (I grill everything on the George Foreman grill-LOVE that thing!)

Baked Fish, Asparagus, Brown Rice: I buy crusted cod, tilapia and flounder from Sams and just bake. I grill the asparagus in just tiny bit of olive oil with some sea salt. Make brown rice according to pkg. Spray with 0 cal. spray butter and salt & pepper. I also like to saute some onions & carrots up and mix into the rice.

Tortilla Roll-Ups-Whole wheat tortilla, scrambled egg whites, pepper, tomato, onion, light cheese

Protein Bar-I buy Pure Protein Bars from Wal-Mart or Sams. They have 20 g. protein and 180 cal. I like the Chocolate Peanut Butter ones.

Turkey Burger-I buy the pre-made lean turkey burger patties that Jenni-o sells. They are soooo quick and easy for lunch!

Protein Packed Oatmeal-1/2 cup old fashioned oats, cooked as directed. Mix in a dash of cinnamon, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter.

Grilled Chicken Burrito -Grilled chicken, sauteed peppers and onions. Place into a whole wheat tortilla and top with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, salsa, 1 tsp. light sour cream, sliced avocado.

Chicken Pot Pie-
Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp. chopped onion
3 c. chicken broth
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 potatoes, cubed
3 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. peas
2 tbsp. butter
3 c. cooked, diced chicken
Pastry to cover 3-Qt casserole or Frozen Puff Pastry

Directions:
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and onion. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Add carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook until fork tender. In a small frying pan, cook the mushrooms in butter. Add mushrooms, peas and chicken to veggie mixture. Mix well and pour into large casserole dish. Cover with rolled pastry and slash (watch for steam!) to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated oven at 400* for about 45 minutes or until pastry is golden. If pastry becomes too brown, cover loosely with foil.

I also wanted to share this recipe with you guys because it is one of our favorites. I will probably make it next week. It comes from the Thin Kitchens Cookbook from Beachbody.

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken
Ingredients:
8 6-8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 c. plain bread crumbs (or I use Italian bread crumbs sometimes)
1-2 tbsp. oil
1-3 tbsp. hot pepper sauce (however hot you like it. I don't use NEARLY this much)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt (optional)
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt. dd the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours (the longer the better).
Preheat oven to 425*. Remove chicken from marinade, add bread crumbs to the marinade and mix well. Coat chicken thoroughly with mixture.
Spread oil over the bottom of a shallow 9"x13" baking dish. Arrange chicken in the dish and bake for 15-20 min. Turn chicken over; reduce heat to 325* and cook for an additional 15-20 min or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. (8 servings)

I hope you are all still doing well and keeping motivated to reach your goals! If you are struggling and need some motivation...TELL ME! I will get on your case and kick your butt into gear! :o)

6 comments:

Lori Allberry said...

Jen, ♥THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU♥ for all the work you do in posting your progress and recipes. I can't imagine how time consuming it is, but it sure is greatly appreciated! My husband, 18 year old daughter and I are on our 9th day today. We have had a HECK of a time with the eating, but love the workouts. We ate horrible before, and are enjoying the food, but just feeling hungry most of the time, I think we are not eating enough of what we are suppose to. And I know that I myself, am really, really missing carbs! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how VERY MUCH I appreciate all the work you do!
♥Lori

Kate said...

whoa! that made me really tired - lol. Good for you for meal planning! I love doing that too! Makes the week nights go soo much smoother when there's a plan!

Rene' said...

glad u are doing well-I'm proud of you! I'm finally there with you (mentally) so we are going to KICK SOME BUTT tomorrow at the gym! yea! ;)
recipes look awesome, I'm going to print them and try some.
Your menus look yummy but I have to admit I wish I could come by your house and just eat what YOU make, (ha ha) so I don't have to cook it LOL (you know its me lol!)

Lori Allberry said...

Hi Jen,

I'm trying to get in touch with you - I'm not able to send you an email through Team Beachbody at this point. Any suggestions on how we can do this, without my posting my email addy here for all to see? ;o)

Thanks so much!
Lori

Charlene said...

Wow - what a great update. Love the recipes and looking forward to trying the broccoli soup.

On day 46 of P90X here and loving it!

Thanks!!
Charlene
www.beamingbalance.com

Rene' said...

I made the crispy oven baked chicken tonight. Dan and I both loved it. thanks. I made a plain breast for the girls (they did both take a bite though and thought it was too spicy) it was very good!