Need to Change up Our Meals!

Check out http://savingdinner.com/ It's very inexpensive and they electronically send you a menu every week with a shopping list, so all you have to do is print it and go shopping then prepare your meals that week, no thinking involved. They are very healthy and involve fresh ingredients. Some of the meals are funky, but I am not a picky eater and I have enjoyed everything I've eaten from them. You can download several different sample weekly menus for free to try it out. They also have freezer meals where you buy the ingredients for several meals and assemble them all at one time and freeze them with the instructions, which I did right before I had my baby. Here are the different categories of menus: Body Clutter
Low Carb
Frugal
Low Fat, Low Sodium
Heart Healthy
Gluten Free
Diabetics
Crockpot Cooker
Vegetarian

You can get recipies & menu ideas from www.eatingwell.com (used by the National Body Challenge as well). I've started using some of their ideas and have been pleased so far.

Hi C.-

My husband and I are doing that as well, and thankfully, our kids are not picky eaters either! One book that is awesome for this type of "diet" is the SouthBeach Diet Cookbook. It gives you a great guideline to go by and really distinguishes which foods are good for you and why. The recipes are good, simple and healthy.

Also, Dr. Phil's book The Ultimate Weightloss Challenge Cookbook and Weight Watchers both are good healthy meals that aren't filled with ingredients you don't normally have on hand.

Good luck and Congrats on starting off to a healthy 2008!
C.
Proud wife of Mike and Mom to 4!

Hi C.-

I have a website full of organic meals, including many healthful and delicious entrees. You can find it here:

http://www.elanaspantry.com/2007/09/23/peach-chicken/

I've linked you straight to a recipe for peach chicken, one of my favorites. When you are ready for desserts again, the site is full of nutritionally dense desserts that are super healthy and tasty too.

I hope this helps and good luck.

E.

This isn't horrible but probably not the healthiest thing you could eat either but it's one of my favorite because it's so "fresh"

Burrito Bowls

I don't have the recipe for the rice on hand but go you can go to copykat.com and get the recipe for chipotle rice. It's Basmati rice, with lime juice and cilantro.

You can make the meat of your choosing but I do chicken and buy a package of fajita mix and follow the directions but without adding peppers/onions etc.

Pico
Dice tomatoes and onions, add to a bowl
Chopped cilantro
Jalepenos if you choose
Add lemon juice, enough to let most of the pico "soak"
Garlic salt/powder to taste

Sorry I don't have measurements for this as a friend taught me to make it and she doesn't measure either.

To make the burrito bowl, you will also need:
Black Beans
Monteray Jack Cheese
Sour cream and/or guacamole

Layer in a bowl
Rice
Beans
Pico
Meat
Cheese
Sour cream/guac

Another good alternative is to wrap it as a burrito ;)

If you're comfortable with it, I had a lot of fun with the Joy of Cooking and learning what flavors work together and why. I branched out with a lot of new spices and really enjoy simple meals with spices and herbs for flavoring instead of sauces and butter, etc. We lost weight just eating less of the more flavorful, and therefore more satisfying food. GL!

Well, being a mom of 3 kids under the age of 3, i can relate to SIMPLE meals!!! Not to mention, healthy. I usually try to make crock pot meals, or stews. Chicken soup is really easy, just a few breasts of chicken w/some chicken broth, veggies, garlic, other seasonings, and let it cook!

Another good one, is beef stew...pretty much the same thing. You can also do meatball subs, but buy the 90% lean ground beef. Just add italian breadcrumbs, grated parmeasian cheese, 1 egg, and parsly to the meat. Pan fry them just until they are lightly browned, and then stick them in a crock pot with canned crushed tomatoes, 1-2 cups of water, fresh sprigs of oregano, salt and pepper, garlic cloves (1-2 minced). Cook until the sauce gets real frothy. Then put the meatballs/sauce in a italian sub!