Happy 2015 Menu Post

Good morning A Nickel's Worth of News readers! And, Happy New Year to you all! To update you, since my last post in October, life in the Nickel house is going well. We are finally settled into our new home, re-establishing our routines, and learning how to balance our new career lives with home life. It has been a little bit of a journey. I quickly realized that trying to get back into blogging even after moving into our house would be quite challenging with my new responsibilities and roles. I have been grappling since October as to how to make my personal hobby more manageable. I did not want to give up.

What will be different? The good news, not much will change. I still want to bring you healthy, gluten-free recipes that are easy to put together and taste good. The last three months have been an experiment for me in relying on past recipes and discovering new recipes that are manageable to put together on a weeknight. I feel that I have finally achieved a balance! So, what you will see are some recipe repeats and one or two new recipes per week.

I don't know about you, but I am not one for New Year's resolutions. I am more of a goal setter. Goal setting has always been a part of my everyday life. Last year, my goal was to run a 10k by May. This year, I plan to continue my running endeavors. Thursday, I signed up for the Leprechaun Chase again. I loved this race last year! It was such a huge accomplishment for me and encouraged me to not fall off the running bandwagon throughout the winter months. To help support my efforts, this year I've been more focused on my nutrition and cross training with whole body toning. I've been participating in the Love Your Body Challenge with my favorite trainers Karina and Katrina from Tone it Up. This particular challenge runs until Valentines Day. I joined their program back in April with their Bikini Body Challenge, but experienced an epic fail when I had to have my gall bladder removed. Shortly after that, we moved back to the great state of Iowa, started our new jobs, and the rest is history. Now that I've struck the balance in my new life, I've been able to commit! I am 3 weeks in and feeling great. The hard work I've been putting into the challenge has helped my training and I am up to running a solid 3 miles without too much of a struggle.

To supplement my efforts, I know nutrition is key. With that in mind, however, I do not believe in giving up satisfaction. This week's menu, as always, is packed with lean proteins and veggies recipes that nourish your body, but don't give up flavor. Sunday is soup night. Remember my Sunday Soups? I'm bringing back an old satisfying favorite with My Veggie Chili. I know, I know, I had a chili recipe from my last post in October, but we love our chili here in Iowa ;). Next up, I have a new recipe to share with you. Stay tuned for Monday's meal, Chicken and Pepper Saute with Goat Cheese. This meal can be thrown together quickly and rounded out with some fantastic sides such as green beans and cauliflower puree. Later in the week, we will enjoy another meal that can be put together in a flash, Turkey and White Bean Salsa Salads. It will be a great week of eats! Here is the rundown:

Sun. 1/18         My Veggie Chili

Mon. 1/19       Chicken and Pepper Saute with Goat Cheese, Green Beans, and Cauliflower Puree

Tues. 1/20       Leftovers

Wed. 1/21       Turkey and White Bean Salsa Salads

Thurs. 1/22      Leftovers

Items you will need include:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb. lean ground turkey
2 yellow or white onions
1 bunch green onions
1 bulb garlic
1 green pepper
1 bunch celery
1 bag baby carrots
1 bag of your favorite lettuce or salad blend
1 14.5 oz. can kidney beans
1 14.5 oz. can chili beans in chili gravy
1 14.5 oz. can white beans (navy or cannelini)
1 14.5 oz. can diced chili ready tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic
1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted salsa style tomatoes
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 jar  roasted red peppers
1 32 oz. box low sodium chicken broth
1 container grated Parmesan cheese
1 bag frozen green beans
1 bag frozen cauliflower
1 container light sour cream
1 bag shredded 2% cheddar cheese
4 oz. goat cheese

Some pantry items you will need include:

Chili powder
Ground cumin
Dried oregano
Herbs de Provence or dried Italian herbs
Salt
Black pepper

I hope you enjoy your weekend! I look forward to sharing with you :).