Planning menus for the week can seem like a good idea but who really does it? Well, we've started and it's made a grave difference in not only our grocery budget, but our time management as well!
Below is a list of potential meal items, and some tips of grocery shopping and planning your meals throughout the week. Buying certain things in bulk such as quinoa, amaranth, nuts and seeds can save time and money - especially when you can add something to several dishes throughout the week!
Mornings: Start each morning with hot lemon water - 1/2 lemon each morning
Breakfast:
Smoothies:
• Protein Powder (Vega or Manitoba Harvest Hemp Seed Powder) or Greens Superfood Powder (Amazing Grass brand)
• Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk (1 cup)
• Almond Butter (1 large scoop)
• 1/2 banana
• 1 tsbp cinnamon
• 1 tsp of maca root powder
Amaranth Porridge: (bulk barn) Amaranth, water, cinnamon and once cooked add walnuts, cinnamon and apples or bananas or sliced almonds
Quinoa Porridge: Quinoa made with cinnamon (add in beginning so cooks with it) top with trail mix or nuts of your choice, apples, maple syrup
Coffee: If you love coffee and don't RELY on it to wake up, please try to consume Organic Coffee. I used Newman's Kerig cups which are the same price as all the others at Metro or Loblaws.
*Better idea: herbal tea...cutting down on caffeine will really help your body, energy levels and take you out of the caffeine reliance. If you're really looking to make changes try juicing!
Juice: carrot, grapefruit, ginger or spinach, lemon, cucumber, celery, ginger, apple
Snacks:
• Sliced apple with almond butter
• Celery, peppers and cucumber sticks with hummus
• Trail Mix: almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins
• Toast with almond butter or Ezekiel English Muffin (GF freezer section of grocery store) with almond butter or coconut oil and cinnamon
• Quinoa Muffins - recipe from my blog
• Spicy Chick Peas - recipe from blog
• Sweet potato cubes - cut sweet potatoes into little squares, drizzle with Olive Oil or Coconut Oil, Salt and pepper and bake for 40 min at 375°
Lunch:
• Soup: Broccoli, spinach, onion, garlic soup from my blog
• Tomato Minestrone Soup from my blog
• Butternut Squash, Carrot, Ginger soup from my blog
• Kale Salad: Raw kale shredded, whatever veggies you like chopped up, pumpkin seeds, goat cheese if you like cheese in your salads and cooked chicken or salmon
• Veggie Sandwich: Deli fresh bread with hummus, sliced avocado, peppers, sprouts, arugula
• Add quinoa (I cook a huge pot on Sundays for the week) and add to any salad or dish - even if you just have organic spinach, quinoa, avocado, carrots and onions with pumpkin seeds it's still delicious and nutritious!
Dinner:
• Mexican Quinoa bowls - Quinoa, Pulled chicken sauteed in lime, garlic and pepper, black beans, corn, tomatoes or salsa, onions, white cheddar cheese if you must - Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with the quinoa as the base OR add to a Brown Rice or Ezekiel Tortilla and make a wrap!
• Grilled salmon with quinoa bowl - broccoli, snow peas, carrots, onions, tomatoes, chick peas
• Homemade pizza with gluten-free crust (you can make it on the weekend or the day before) with homemade pesto and veggies - recipe on blog this weekend we're making it tonight and it's SOOOO easy.
• Soups like above and add healthy veggie sandwiches or tortilla wraps with veggies
• Spicy Cumin Quinoa bowl - can add chicken to it and serve as a hot dish and then have it cold for lunch the next day - recipe on blog
• Portobella mushroom burgers with side salad - dress with tomatoes, avocado, whole grain mustard
• Black bean/sweet potato burgers with sprouts, arugula, tomatoes, onions etc.
• Pasta but serve it with a large amount of sautéed kale/spinach or swiss chard as the base, and then add 1 cup of cooked pasta and the rest of your toppings like sauce and veggies....this way you're still full, but portions are reversed and much healthier!!!
The key is to make what you can store for a week on the weekends, like quinoa, amaranth etc and then add it to a bunch of dishes throughout the week. Also, I do a lot of my cooking after yoga before bed at like 8-9pm so it's ready for lunch, and dinner the next day!
Try to grocery shop like this: condiments = sugar (except healthy mustard) and sugar = disease, fat, sick and tired. Same with juice...make your own juice, or try to buy organic juice with like 3 ingredients...Tropicana etc all have added sugar no matter what they say. Try goat cheese and feta once in awhile....and limit dairy for longterm health reasons...if you don't react to it no problem but it can still lead to disease in the long run. Try almond milk in your smoothies and coffee or get a hand frother and make mini-lattes every morning.
Quinoa is your friend because you can make any dish better by adding it: salad, veggies with salmon or chicken, breakfast - even making quinoa-flour muffins is so easy! Wheat is also not great....and creates major reactions in a lot of people they don't even know exist like allergies, dark circles, skin rashes etc. It's the one of the most highly GMO'd product next to corn and coffee so if you buy breads/wraps etc try really hard to get them from a bakery at least...or a small deli instead of famous brands or loaves at the grocery store. Gluten-free options for everything are out there: brown rice or quinoa pasta, sweet potatoes, brown rice wraps etc.
If you have any questions or concerns, or specific goals you need help with please comment on my facebook page and I'd love to help!!!
xoxo
