This week, I really wasn't feeling doing a huge grocery store run so I used 90% of what I already had at home. However, if you're looking to make a grocery trip "from scratch", here's what I used for 4 breakfasts and 5 lunches!
Breakfast
- Rolled Oats (3 cups)
- Apple Sauce (1 cup)
- Eggs (2)
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- Canola Oil
- Baking Powder
- 2 Golden Delicious apples
- Brown Sugar (OPTIONAL)
- Cinnamon
- Yogurt (4) They were out of my usual Yoplait, so I tried the vanilla Chobani from locally sourced milk. It's a Greek yogurt which made me nervous, but I LOVED it!
- Cupcake Liners
Lunch
- Vegetable enriched pasta (this is my FAVORITE- You'll get 3 servings of veggies per 3.5 oz. serving! Woo!)
- Fresh broccoli (I used 2 large heads of broccoli just for myself - but I do love broccoli with all of my heart so I'm a little biased and you may want to use less.)
- 1 lb. lean, white-meat, ground turkey breast (This is my favorite and I use to 93% lean.)
- Alfredo Sauce (I use 1/3 cup per lunch.) Here is my favorite sauce to use.
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic Powder
- Ground Chia Seeds (Optional, but read about all the cool things these babies do HERE.)
- Olive Oil
- Salt + Pepper
Snacks
- Baby carrots
- LARA bars
Like I said, my husband can literally do a keg stand on a jar of Alfredo, so I've learned to make it a staple in our household. We LOVE it so I've tried to make a semi-healthier version of our favorite pasta dish!
Now, on to the important stuff!
1. I decided to make some baked apple oatmeal muffins to have with my yogurt this week. I followed this recipe that I found here: To-Go Baked Oatmeal Cups with your Favorite Toppings.
I really don't love sweets, so I totally left out all of the brown sugar that the recipe calls for. Instead, I peeled and diced 2 Golden Delicious apples. I decided to mix the apples into the batter and see what happened.
These things were freakin' DELICIOUS. If you like super sweet things, then you'll definitely want to add the sugar. You'll probably think they're bland if you're expecting an apple pie flavor. I'm sure the sugar would spice it up quite a bit! You could also always go by the suggestions in the recipe, as well: chocolate chips, blueberries, nuts, etc.!
Side note: These muffins baking made my house smell like God's kitchen.
Here they are fresh out of the oven!
2. While the muffins were baking, I prepped my lunch. First, I washed and chopped 2 heads of broccoli into bite-size pieces. You'll want to chop your broccoli before you do anything else because I have a secret for cooking it! You'll need it prepped and ready before you cook your pasta.
3. Next, I LOVE THIS PASTA! I cannot say it enough. It doesn't taste like veggies AT ALL BUT LOOK AT ALL OF THAT VEGGIE GOODNESS IN EACH SERVING. I literally just follow the instructions on the box to cook my pasta al dente (8-ish min.).
4. Now, here's when my favorite trick comes in. When your pasta finishes cooking, pour the excess water off. I don't use a pasta "drainer". I simply place the lid a little "off center" on the pot and get rid of the water. Then, while the pasta is still steaming, I add all of my broccoli to the pot of pasta, give it a good stir, and place the lid back on the pot. I literally just let it sit (lid on) while I cook my meat. This steams the broccoli PERFECTLY. It doesn't get too mushy (since you'll be cooking the broccoli a little more when you reheat it during the week), and yet it's still not crispy like fresh broccoli. It's broccoli perfection.
5. While my broccoli is steaming, I grab my ground turkey breast from the fridge. I add a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) to my cast-iron skillet. I saute' the turkey breast with about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a teaspoon of garlic powder. I add in a dash of salt and pepper just to bring out all the flavor. I make sure to crumble the meat as it cooks.
6. Assembly is my favorite part because I get to see everything come together! When my broccoli has been steaming for about 10 minutes in the pasta bowl, I set up 5 containers for my 5 lunches.
I add the pasta + broccoli mixture, then I pile on the ground turkey breast! I top it all off with a drizzle of Alfredo sauce. A little bit goes A LONG way so I use a 1/3 cup measuring spoon to make sure I'm not drowning my pasta with sauce. I also like to sprinkle some Chia seeds on top of my sauce. I've totally hopped on the magical chia seed bandwagon. This is completely optional, but I've convinced myself I'm doing my body a favor by adding them.
That's it! All I had to do was pack my breakfast muffins in individual bags (I saved 12 for the week and froze 12 for next week!) and grab my carrot sticks.
Let me know what you think about this week's menu! What are ya'll making and prepping?! I need ideas for next week...I'm thinking about a nice, warm crockpot soup since it's basically ALASKA in North Carolina this week. ha!
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