Meal Plan Week 1/11

Every once in a while I'll sit down to meal plan and just completely draw a blank. As in I cannot remember a single thing that I ate the prior week. I sit there and think, "What the heck do I eat?!" I can't be the only one... can I??

Either way, this post is for all of us who can use a little inspiration in the meal planning area. A few weeks ago I thought about what was working for me and what wasn't working for me when it comes to meals and snacks that I bring to work. I realized a few key points:

1. Snacks have to be easy to pack and eat. For example, if I'm going to bring boiled eggs, peel them at home! By the end of the week I hadn't eaten a single egg.
2. Lunch has to be easy to pack and assemble.
3. I am much more likely to eat a healthy dinner if it's already made. As quick and easy as it is to cook shrimp and broccoli, after putting the girls to bed I am STARVING and just want to get food in my stomach. If I have to get a pan or turn the oven on, it's probably not happening!

Ok, on to the food.

Yesterday for lunch I had a can of tuna with a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt, sliced red onion, tons of black pepper, celery seed and (random) sliced cabbage. I had a bag of coleslaw mix and needed some crunch so I threw a handful in-- it was actually delicious!

Last week I made three big batches of food for the week.

• I made a batch of roasted veggies that had zucchini, red peppers and portobello mushrooms. After roasting them I put them in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and chopped fresh garlic. I ate them with a whole wheat pita and some goat cheese and it was freaking delicious. You could throw them in some pasta or just eat it as a side. It tasted better the longer that it marinated in the fridge.
• I made bean salad with black beans, corn, green bell pepper and cilantro. I topped it with those 90 calorie guacamole packets and it was a lunch that I looked forward to every day! You could also eat it as a side dish or with a whole wheat tortilla or brown rice. 
• I made a batch of no-mayo coleslaw which turned out to be a great thing to have on hand. I bought a bag of coleslaw mix which just has shredded cabbage and carrots in it. I made a dressing with lots of vinegar, some mustard, celery salt and a little bit of olive oil. I also put in lots of black pepper. It was an easy way to get veggies in throughout the week and something that I made again this week.

This week I made a batch of Greek brown rice salad with grilled shrimp. I originally wanted to make it with orzo but forgot to buy it. I had brown rice at home so I used that instead.

I made the brown rice and then while it was still warm added lemon juice and some olive oil. I added chopped parsley, dried oregano, green bell pepper, red onion and feta. I grilled the shrimp with some garlic and black pepper. Next time I'd definitely add more veggies like artichoke hearts or chopped tomatoes.

I also made a batch of veggies and beans that I didn't take a picture of yet. I sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper and a yellow onion with garlic and olive oil. I added some fire roasted chopped tomatoes, black beans and a ton of chili spices. The recipe called for a cornbread topping which I nixed at the last minute. I took some of the mixture out before I added the spices and the girls loved it! I haven't eaten it yet but I'm hoping that it's a keeper.

For snacks this week I got plain Greek yogurt to eat with almonds, packs of plain oatmeal, oranges and bananas. Breakfast has been either eggs with steamed broccoli or cottage cheese with pineapple. I will post my meal plan for next week too. I know that my meals may not be the most exciting but it works for me! I hope that it might give you some new ideas of what to make.