Hodgepodge Menu Post

After the Thanksgiving holiday and an impromptu Christmas get together Friday night, I've experienced my first 2 lbs. of weight gain. Boo! Both the Bear and I are still fighting some sort of lingering cold that is leaving us feeling zapped, so the lack of activity is not helping either. There's no stopping the amount of goodies that will be around work, parties to attend, and family gatherings. That's all fine until I looked at the calender and realized we still have 23 days left till New Year's. That could totally ruin what I've lost or even worse add to my original starting weight. Yikes! Oh well. All one can do is plan, plan, plan and practice portion control. I knew starting Weight Watcher's this time of year was going to be a challenge, but I'm not giving up! Just wait till you see what I have in store for this week. It is a bit of a hodgepodge, but carefully selected recipe ideas that have some secret little helpers. Sort of like those elves that help Santa.

Secret helper number one is no surprise, lean boneless skinless chicken breast. We purchased a big bag at Sam's Club to insure that we have chicken on hand. Chicken will be used in two lovely recipes. First in my Sunday Sandwich this evening. Second in a lovely Indian tikki masala Crock Pot recipe that I already have prepped and stored in the freezer. All I will have to do is thaw it a little before sticking it in the Crock Pot. My second little helpers are also not a big surprise; lots and lots of fruit and veg. I've bulked up my breakfast scramble this week with some chopped spinach. Serve with a banana and clementine on the side. Bam, three servings of fruit and veg already tallied in the a.m. For lunch, I've already cut and bagged veggie sticks for the Bear and I to grab on our way out the door. Finally, for dinners there will be roasted root vegetables which I've already roasted for Monday and plenty of veg on the side to accompany main dishes. My final secret helper is probably what may surprise you; spices. Yes, spices! There are all sorts of magic metabolism boosting powers with cayenne pepper, ginger, turmeric, even regular old black pepper. It may be cold outside, but if I can make it out a couple days to walk this week I think these added little helpers will help bring the scale back down! Here is the rundown:

Sunday 12/8            Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Monday 12/9          Quinoa with Roasted Root Vegetables and Sauteed Kale

Tuesday 12/10         Leftovers

Wednesday 12/11    Slow Cooker Tikki Masala with Steamed Broccoli

Thursday 12/12        Leftovers

No weekend meal plans for now as we will have two potential parties to attend next weekend. The list is short and sweet. While this is subject to change based on what I forget or may add to make things more alluring, here are some of the items you will need:

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bulb fennel
1 bag already chopped butternut squash (I purchased Green Giant)
2 parsnips
2 small sweet potatoes
1 bunch kale
1 bunch romaine
1 lemon
1 bunch cilantro
1 inch knob ginger root
1 onion
1 bulb garlic (if you do not have any from previous shopping excursions)
1 package gluten-free wraps (such as Sandwich Petals or Udi's)
1 box quinoa or 1 cup from the bulk section (I buy mine in bulk from Costco)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 container light or fat-free sour cream
1 bag shredded Parmesan cheese

Pantry items you will need:

Extra virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
Mayonnaise (only a small, small portion for some omega-3's)
Dijon mustard
Ground cumin
Garam masala
Garlic powder
Dried minced onion
Herbs Provence or dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper

Have a great week! I look forward to sharing these recipes with you!