I hope you all had a great weekend…it sounded like it was a cold or snowy one by a lot of you! I hope I can send some warm weather to those of you who are in need of it. If it doesn’t make it your way the door is always open for a visit to So Cal
We had a really nice weekend. It was a great mix of fun and productivity. Greg and I went out for an early date night on Friday and we seriously had such a great time…we are still talking about how much fun we had. It was one of those nights you don’t talk about work or kids and just enjoy the simple fun you have together…the reasons that brought you together in the first place. In this case it was great food, laughter, good drinks, live music, wine tasting and dancing. All that fun and we were still home before 10:00pm…it was great!
Saturday turned into a lazy day at home (thanks to Friday night) but we did finally take all those Christmas decorations down! I was going to try and make it to the gym but I needed a day off and saved my legs for the 10 mile training run I did yesterday. Felt good to burn off the couple of glasses (bottles) of wine I had from our night out. Other than that there was lots of playing and relaxing with the kiddos. Just my kind of weekend.
So that brings me to today…Monday morning and ready to kick off my third 24 Day Challenge. I have never looked forward to one as much as I have this one, but that excitement is probably triggered by the enthusiasm of the now 300 Facebook group members that are doing it too. My goal in doing another one this go around is to mainly be there to support everyone through the challenge, especially for those that are new to it. Of course I want to trim off some of those extra holiday lbs, tone up, rid my system of those Christmas cookies, and get that extra pep in my step that the challenge always gives me. Greg is doing a full one with me too which is really fun….mainly because he can’t drink wine in front of me haha. Can’t wait to report back with how great everyone does! And, as always, it’s never ever too late to join in!
Our fridge is fully stocked with freshness, so I thought I would share what we will be eating this week. Even if doing the 24DC isn’t your thing at this point in time, eating a clean diet can be so rewarding on it’s own. Start small with replacing a few meals a week to be completely clean and you will definitely see some big changes. Enjoy!
Sunday- Balsamic chicken bake (add artichokes to recipe)
Monday- Ground turkey meatloaf muffins with garlic broccoli (make double the amount for a quick and easy lunch throughout the week.
Tuesday- Warm roasted veggie and quinoa salad
Wednesday- Coconut & curry turkey chili
Thursday- Crockpot balsamic chicken with Brussels spout and brown rice
Friday- Crockpot chicken & veggie marinara over spaghetti squash (quinoa pasta for the boys)
Saturday- Shredded zucchini turkey burgers (eliminate breadcrumbs) with seasoned sweet potato wedges.
For breakfast I will be having a combo of egg white omelets, hard boiled eggs, chia seed pudding with fruit, and green smoothies. Of course my Spark, Catalyst, and Muscle Gain shakes will be part of the line up as well.
Lunches will be a combination of leftovers (I’m telling you those turkey meatloaf muffins are even better the next day), green smoothies and chicken salads.
I love the organization that comes with doing the challenge and look forward to trying new recipes each week and sharing them with you! If you have any favorite please send them my way!
Have a happy and healthy week!
Donalyn@The Creekside Cook says
Hi Lauren – thanks for including my quinoa salad in your meal plan [and blog post!]. I hope you love it as much as we do and that it helps with your healthy eating this month! cheers – Donalyn
lauren says
It was SO good. I could put that vinaigrette on everything!!! I told the clean eating Facebook group I have that it was my favorite recipe to date…THANK YOU!!
Mia @ MakeMeUpMia says
Thanks for sharing this, dinner has been my issue since starting our 24DC! We are on day 6, and I’m feeling fabulous!
lauren says
I love hearing this Mia!!! Keep up the awesome work..I will definitely post more this coming week!
Amy says
Yay! Meal plans are back!! I’m going to save a couple of these for future use
lauren says
Woo hoo!! Let me know what you think. Just had the roasted veggies and quinoa tonight…OMG, SOOOO GOOD!!!
Lindsay says
I love this meal plan! You always have the best meal ideas!
lauren says
Thanks girl! You do too!!!!
Kara says
Oooh I’ve pinned that balsamic crockpot one before – you’ve pushed me now to make it. And that turkey chili looks great too! Going to pin it now. Yum! Good luck on the challenge – though I can’t imagine you have anything to time or lose!
Kara says
That was supposed to say “tone or lose” not “time”!
lauren says
Haha thanks Kara. The 24DC is awesome even if you don’t want to lose weight…it’s just really healthy for you (plus I want to support everyone else who is doing and not be a hypocrite drinking wine on the sidelines haha). Let me know what you think of some of the clean recipes!! xo
Kara says
Hey how was the turkey chili? Have you made it before… I’m doing our (late) meal plan for the week and have those ingredients so I was going to try it if you thought it was good. I’m going to check out the roasted veggies recipe too – seems like you love that one.
lauren says
It was REALLY good Kara!! I actually made it again last night! Over a little brown rice it’s delicious. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Oh and the roasted veggie quinoa salad is one of my favorite clean eating recipes to date!! YUM
Dana says
Hey Lauren, is coconut milk “legal” for the 24 DC? TIA!
lauren says
Sorry I am just seeing this. Yes coconut milk is considered Challenge friendly.
Jillian says
How do I join the Facebook group? I just started my first 24-day challenge yesterday.
lauren says
Please send me an e-mail at heylaurenrene@gmail.com
nikki says
Can we join the facebook group if we didnt buy the 24 day from you? I love your website, thanks for all the great recipes!! i struggle to make clean meals that my whole family will eat and you have some fabulous ideas here!! Thank you so much!!
Nati says
HI LAUREN!! WOULD THIS WEEKLY PLAN BE PERMITTED FOR THE 1ST WEEK OF THE 24 DAY CHALLENGE?? (7 OUT OF 10 DAYS OF THE CLEANSE PHASE)
THANK YOU! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR BEAUTIFUL STORY IN SAN DIEGO AT LADIES ALIVE!!!
NATI
lauren says
Awww thank you so much! Hope you had an amazing time! And yes, you can definitely have these meals during your cleanse!! You will do great!