For now how about I share how I plan to get back on track this week?  I started off the morning with a major bootcamp butt-kicking session and have been chugging water and eating clean all day.  I sat down and used my new fun meal planning notepad to get organized for the week…cute right?  See what’s on the bottom there?  That’s right we are off to Vermont for almost 2 weeks and I definitely need to hold tight to some of my favorite clean eating recipes to prepare while staying with my family.  Here are some good ones that I have on this week’s lineup before we head out of town.

Monday Meal Plan for the week of 2/16:

Sunday- Thai coconut curry turkey chili over brown rice

Monday- Ground turkey marinara over Mung Bean Pasta <—-have you bought this yet?!?!  If not, get on it…there may be a shortage because my Advocare Facebook group of 500+ people are ON IT!!  We are all in love with it.  I was joking that I should have bought stock in Mung Beans lol.

Tuesday- Buffalo chicken quinoa salad.  Of course without the stinky blue cheese.

Wednesday- Thai peanut chicken in the crockpot.  If you haven’t tried this one yet you are SO missing out.  This is our very favorite meal and you will be seeing this recipe posted every week.

Thursday- Balsamic crockpot chicken with brussels sprouts and brown rice.

Friday- We are flying out on the redeye and making dinner will be the last thing on my mind.  Planning on a organic beet salad with blackened chicken from our local Mexican restaurant.

Lastly I wanted to leave you with a super simple recipe I whipped up for Valentine’s Day.  Greg and I celebrated at home with wine and chocolate covered strawberries…but at least our meal was clean right?  It felt like we were dining out…and just like all clean recipes it was so easy and quick to make.  Enjoy!!

Clean eating Lemon and Garlic Shrimp Scampi 

Ingredients:

3/4 pound cleaned and uncooked shrimp

juice and zest from 2 lemons

2 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup chicken broth

Mung bean pasta

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Prepare Mung Bean pasta per instructions on package

Heat oil in a large skillet and add all the ingredients but the shrimp.  Let them simmer for a little so some of the liquid boils down.  Add shrimp and cook until pink.  Drain mung bean pasta and toss into skillet with all the other ingredients.  Serve with parmesan cheese and asparagus.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

I don’t even like shrimp but I LOVED this!  Greg totally gave it two thumbs up and felt like it was a special meal since I normally don’t make seafood.  I will definitely be making this one more often and hope you give it a try too!

I hope you all have a happy and healthy week!!

Monday- Shredded zucchini turkey burgers topped with grilled onions and jalapeños.  Side of baked seasoned sweet potato wedges.  I am so excited to use a new clean ketchup I bought at Whole Foods!

Tuesday- Roasted veggie quinoa salad with a garlic vinaigrette (new favorite meal, a must make!)

Wednesday- Crockpot Thai Peanut chicken over brown rice (use Braggs liquid aminos in place of soy sauce)

Thursday- Ground turkey lettuce wrap tacos with fresh guacamole

Friday- Balsamic crockpot chicken with Brussels sprouts and brown rice

Saturday- Sweet potato hash topped with a poached egg

Sunday- Ground turkey marina over Mung bean pasta

Let me tell you a little more about Mung Bean pasta.  Someone on our Advocare Facebook group board said she found this amazing pasta substitute at Whole Foods.  While we do use brown rice or quinoa pasta quite often, I still keep my portions very low since it is still high in carbohydrates.  It’s great for a night before I have a long run, but otherwise I don’t want to have a high carb dinner before I head to bed.  In comes Mung bean pasta!  25 grams of protein, 6 net carbs, 11 grams of fiber and only two ingredients.  Mung beans and water!  The texture feels just like a hearty fettucine, the flavor is mild and doesn’t taste like beans at all.  I can’t keep going to Whole Paycheck every week so I am happy to find I can order Mung Bean Pasta in bulk Amazon Prime style!  LOVE it!!

That’s all for today!  Make sure you swing by tomorrow for a special surprise on my “Treat Yourself Tuesday” post, you won’t want to miss it!

***Side note:  Tomorrow is the last day to get the sale pricing for the 24 Day Challenge before it goes back to regular price for the rest of the year.  We have group members still joining every single day, so it’s never too late to hop on board.

Monday- Turkey meatloaf muffins & streamed broccoli

Tuesday- Whole roasted crockpot chicken w/ brussells sprouts & sweet potato mash

Wednesday- Hummus crusted chicken over seasoned zucchini

Thursday- Coconut curry turkey chili w/ brown rice

Friday- Date night- True Food Kitchen (Love having an option for a clean eating night out)

Saturday- Shredded Salsa chicken salad w/ pico de gallo & guacamole

Sunday- Shredded chicken marinara over quinoa pasta

Greg has been doing the Challenge with me this time and is doing so great.  I’m pretty sure he’s lost 10 lbs (which includes holiday weight) just in these last 8 days.  We have both been feeling awesome but for some reason are struggling with our sweet tooth this go around.  I don’t even really have a sweet tooth normally, but I have a feeling I got used to all the treats of Christmas that my body is just looking wondering where they went.  There are so many great options out there for clean eaters when they want the occasional treat so I found THIS recipe, swapped out a few ingredients and here you have it: Clean-eating banana pecan muffins….they definitely hit the guilt-free spot!  ENJOY

CLEAN EATING BANANA PECAN MUFFINS

Makes approximately 12

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 tsp coconut flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp honey
• 2 banana mashed
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp flax seed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tin with coconut oil
2. In one bowl combine almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda, flax seed and salt
3. In a separate bowl combine egg, coconut oil, honey, and banana – mash and mix well.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients and spoon into muffin tin
5. Bake for about 20 minutes

Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

1 part chia seeds {for my individual morning serving I used 1/4 cup}

2 parts almond milk {1/2 cup in this case}

dash of vanilla extract

sprinkle of cinnamon

Put all ingredients into a bowl and stir.  Put right into the refridgerator.  Let refridgerate {make the kids their breakfast in this time} then go back and stir.  Let sit for another 10 minutes in the refridgerator {clean up after the kids} and stir some more.  You can of course make a large batch ahead of time and keep chilled overnight too.  Serve with sliced fruit and ENJOY!

]]> http://heylaurenrene.com/health-and-fitness/chia-seed-pudding-recipe/feed/ 7 http://heylaurenrene.com/recipes/weekly-meal-plan-clean-eating-pancake-recipe/ http://heylaurenrene.com/recipes/weekly-meal-plan-clean-eating-pancake-recipe/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 13:12:27 +0000 http://heylaurenrene.com/?p=963 [...] ]]> While on the Advocare 24 Day Challenge I find breakfast to be my favorite meal of the day.  I love making different kinds of omelets, having all kinds of fruits. drinking a smoothie…there seem to be a lot of choices when it comes to clean eating breakfast options.  I also follow the philosophy that it’s best to have your carbohydrates in the morning and decrease them as the day goes on.  I like having the extra energy in the morning, and I also like knowing that they serve as fuel that I can burn off throughout the day.  This is why I’ve been wanting to find a way to make some guilt-free pancakes.

I have seen recipes floating around on Pinterest for Paleo Pancakes or Clean Eating Pancakes.  After pinning a few different ones, I looked around the house for what I had on hand, and what I thought would taste good and made my own version.  Here is what I came up with:

CLEAN EATING PANCAKES

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 ripe banana

2 tbsp Chia seeds

1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup egg whites

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cinnamon – added to your preference

Add all ingredients into a blender, Vitamix or food processor and blend to make “batter”.  Pour into a greased pan (I use coconut oil spray) and cook on medium heat just like you would regular pancakes.  Serve with fresh fruit, organic maple syrup or organic honey.  I must say they turned out really well. They had great flavor, were really filling, are good for you, and the kids liked them!  Hope you enjoy!

Well now that you know what we have been eating for breakfast these days, here is a line up of this week’s clean eating dinner meal plan.  I have my in-laws in town, so I hope they enjoy eating clean with us this week.  Hopefully they won’t even notice that I’m putting “health food” in front of them every night, and they just feel like they are sitting down to a good home-cooked meal (which of course we know it is!)

Monday- Chopped Vegetable Quinoa salad with a fresh basil dressing (my mother-in-law loved it)

Tuesday- Shredded salsa chicken taco salads

Wednesday- Homemade ground turkey chili

Thursday- Olive hummus crusted chicken and baked vegetables

Friday- Mushroom and chicken marinara over brown rice pasta

Saturday- BBQ- kabobs and turkey burgers

Sunday- Chicken boy choy

That’s all for today….have a happy & healthy Tuesday! xo

Here are the clean eating meals we enjoyed last week:

MEAL PLAN {4/15-4/21}

Via 

 Monday- Chicken Summer Wraps {Shown in above photo- omitted mayonnaise and used natural PB}

Tuesday- Turkey chili

Wednesday- Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

Thursday- Breakfast for dinner {made a veggie quiche}

Friday-Homemade turkey meatballs with brown rice pasta

Saturday- BBQ {We did carne asada.  Not the cleanest of meals but had some low carb sides- minus all beer & margaritas oops!}

Sunday- Went out to eat at El Torito and had delicious chicken salads.

via

MEAL PLAN { 4/22-4/28 }

Monday- Chicken & Veggie kabobs on the grill

Tuesday- Zuchini Buffalo turkey burgers with sweet potato wedges

Wednesday- Crockpot Southwestern 2 bean & chicken chili {Shown in above photo}

Thursday- White bean, kale and quinoa soup 

Friday- Crockpot salsa chicken taco salads

Saturday- Cucumber California rolls {no rice}

Sunday- Hosting a girly party at our house….aka….cheat day!  Hoping to make some fun apps!

As always, I would love to see what your recipe line-up is for the week.  Also if you ever want further details on something we ate just let me know and I will be happy to post a recipe if I haven’t already.  Hope you all have a tasty and healthy week ahead!

Did you know Austin is actually ranked in the top 10 healthiest cities to live in?  I sure didn’t!  The food was wonderful…organic…fresh…healthy…and delicious!!  At one restaurant the bartender actually apologized for the only drink on their menu that had some syrup in it because everything else on their menu was completely fresh and natural.  I was so impressed!  It was as though all the restaurants there are trying to outdo one another by being the healthiest.  So, thank you Austin!!  I really did want to indulge this weekend, but you didn’t even allow me the opportunity to do so.

Now that I’m back, and my Austin fog is lifting, I am trying to jump right back into our Monday routine.  Although I should probably start by unpacking my suitcase, I know that our refrigerator needs some restocking first.  Here is what I have on the lineup for this week’s clean eating Meal Plan Monday menu!

Monday- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Tuesday- Ground turkey and veggie chili

Wednesday- Pineapple pork kabobs

Thursday- Zucchini Turkey burgers with sauteed onions and sweet potatos

Friday- Mushroom Chicken marinara over spaghetti squash

Saturday- Dinner out with the fam

Sunday- Shredded Salsa chicken – tacos or salad

I’m excited to try a few new recipes this week and I think the boys are too!  Happy Monday everyone and I hope your week is off to a great start!

Since changing to eating primarily clean meals, I’ve also found that planning ahead makes all the difference.  I used to buy a lot of premade foods from Trader Joes to make preparing dinner easier.  Frozen meatballs, premade stuffed peppers, frozen turkey meatloaf, etc.  At the time I thought we were eating fairly healthy (I mean isn’t everything from TJ’s healthy?), and I loved being able to throw these items together last minute with some side dishes, but now I know that dinner can be just as quick without taking the less healthy short-cuts.  The best part is Greg hasn’t noticed any difference in the taste and portion department, but he has noticed a difference in how his clothes are fitting him.  Since the new year he has lost almost 30 lbs on our diet changes alone!!! It’s truly shocking to both of us that this lifestyle change has made such a huge difference to our bodies without actually feeling like we have changed anything at all.  I’m not going to lie we have cut back on alcohol.  WAYYYYYY back!  I think I can count on 1 hand how many times we have had drinks the past 4 months in comparison to having wine/beer a few nights a week to unwind.  I’m sure as the warm weather approaches we will find ourselves outside with a drink in our hands, but for now this hasn’t been a difficult change to make.

There are so many awesome resources out there now for clean eating recipes, but like any creature of habit, I have found our favorites and just rotate them throughout the weeks.  I’d love to know what some of your favorite “go-to” meals are during the week.  Do you meal plan?  If so, what’s on this week’s lineup?  I try to do one new recipe a week and will add it to the rotation if it ends up being a hit.  I’d love to hear new ideas!

Here is what I have planned for the week:

Monday- Hummus crusted chicken with roasted veggies

Tuesday- Zucchini turkey meatballs, marinara sauce over spaghetti squash (over brown rice pasta for boys)

Wednesday- Chicken fajitas with guacamole

Thursday- Rosemary pork with a sweet potato/mixed veggie quinoa side

Friday- Southwestern chicken and bean chili

Saturday- Buffalo turkey burgers and sweet potato fries

Sunday- BBQ!!  Chicken kabobs and grilled veggies

I just realized it’s not very nice to talk about all this food without sharing a recipe too.  I made a new quinoa salad last week that was great!  I suggest making a large portion of it…I was able to stretch mine out for a dinner meal for the family and then had enough for lunch the next 2 days.  Hope you enjoy!

VEGETABLE QUINOA SALAD w/ FRESH BASIL 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa (I used Trader Joes Organic tricolor quinoa)

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

3 roma tomatoes chopped

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 1/2 cups corn

3-4 green onions thinly sliced

1 handful fresh chopped basil

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

To prepare:  Whisk together the EVOO, lemon juice and vinegar and set aside as dressing.  Prepare the quinoa as stated on the package. While quinoa is cooking prepare/cut the above listed vegetables and throw into a large mixing bowl.  Once quinoa has slightly cooled add to the cut veggies and toss together with dressing.  Enjoy right away or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

I made this easy, fairly healthy, and festive rainbow fruit platter!  Within minutes it was attacked by all the kids, and I was happy to see they went for the fruit before the “clouds” and “gold”.

I used strawberries, Cuties, pineapple, kiwi and blackberries.  You could definitely use cantaloupe, honeydew, green or purple grapes, blueberries, and mango as well.  The marshmallows were clouds but whip cream could also be fun, and I used Rolos as the pot of gold!

I hope you all have a lucky and SAFE St. Patty’s Day weekend!

INGREDIENTS:

Blend the following on high speed until smooth:

1/2 cup Trader Joe’s frozen fancy berry mix (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

1/4 cup Trader Joe’s frozen pineapple bits

1 large handful of Kale

1/4 cup Almond Smooth almond milk

1/2 ripe banana

1 T. ground flax seed

Ice & water

ENJOY!!  *Those of you on the Advocare 24 day challenge- this recipe is approved for both the cleanse and Max phase