Day 4 - Salmon and salad

This really requires no explanation lol. Salmon - seasoned with dill and lemon pepper and then poached.  Tossed salad - spring mix, tomato, cucumber, boiled egg, shredded cheese and crumbled blue cheese.  I'm not a huge fan of salad dressings, so mine doesn't have any.  Russ put ranch on his :)

Day 3 - Cabbage and Italian Sausage

As if cutting out sugars wasn't challenging enough, I'm also trying to clean out our freezer.  Eating things like this is a result of that. Although, we both agreed it tasted REALLY good!  I sautéed some green onions in coconut oil, then added a small head of cabbage that I'd chopped up.  Some garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, put a lid on it and stirred every few minutes until it was done. We like our veggies still somewhat crunchy.  The sausage were just sweet Italian sausages,  cooked and sliced them up.  I like my sausages with mustard. 

Day 2 - Taco Salad

Today started with a 3 milk walk outside.  It was only 43° out, but that didn't stop us! We had a pretty low key day after that, and had a simple but delicious dinner of Taco Salad.  Lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, seasoned ground turkey, guacamole,  salsa and some crushed up tortilla shells.  600 calories, but it made a huge plate and we are both satisfied!

Day 1 - Turkey Wrap

It's Day 1 of our quest to eat healthier.  We've cut the majority of processed foods out of our diet at home, now we are concentrating on the sugar.  Russ is very addicted to sugar and I am afraid this is going to be really hard for him - but this was actually his idea. He has gone 3 days not having a Coke though, he's doing well!  Our goals this month are to try and stay under 50g of sugar a day, to eat more simple meals, and to only have alcohol one night a week.  I am going to keep a running "diary" here of our dinners.  We think it'll be good to look back at the end of the month and see how we've done.  And who knows, some of you may find some meals you'd like to try as well!

Turkey Wrap with cucumbers and avocado dip

These are the star players in my wrap - Shredded lettuce, smoked turkey breast, provolone cheese, roasted red peppers olives and ranch dressing.  I bought the stuff to make homemade Caesar dressing for these wraps, but want to use up what we have open in the fridge first.

And the wraps themselves - we love these ones! 

I apologize for the picture of my half eaten food, I was hungry and forgot to take the picture before I started eating.To go with our wraps I sliced up a cucumber and paired it with a "dip" I threw together yesterday.  I pureed an avocado with some Greek yogurt and then added a can of drained Rotel - delicious!!

Summer Vegetable Tian

We really enjoyed this.  It didn't take as long as I thought it would to put it together either.  I'll be making this again! I forgot to take an after picture, this one is from the website below that I found this recipe on :)


                                   

Summer Vegetable Tian

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 1 medium potato
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• to taste salt & pepper
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese
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• Instructions:
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• 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic.  Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes).
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• 2. While onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables. 
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• 3. Spray the inside of an 8 x 8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray.  Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and thyme. 
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• 4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.  
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• My notes:  I did not use the thyme.  I also don't recommend putting it back in the oven for that long after putting these cheese on. Ours melted so much it was almost non-existent.  Next time I will bake it for 45 minutes and then add the cheese for the last 5!
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• Original Link

Turkey and Butternut Squash Soup

Turkey and Butternut Squash Soup

1 Medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 in chunks

2 Tbsp olive oil  for divided use

Sea Salt to taste

1 lb ground turkey

2 medium Carrots, peeled and chopped

2 medium celery stalks, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 TBS chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp unsweetened cacao powder

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

3 ½ -4 cups chicken or beef broth

diced avocado and parsley for garnish

• 1.      Preheat oven to 400
• 2.      Toss squash with 1 Tbs olive oil and a big pinch of salt and place on a baking sheet.  Roast for 20-25 mins, until tender and lightly browned
• 3.      Heat remaining olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add turkey and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until cooked through about 5 mins
• 4.      Add carrots, celery, and onion (can add any other veggies you might have on hand as well).  Cook covered for 6-8 mins until veggies are bright in color and slightly tender, stirring occasionally
• 5.      Add chili powder, cumin, cacao powder and cinnamon, Cook for 1 min.
• 6.      Add 3 ½cups of broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 mins to blend flavors
• 7.      Stir in roasted squash, add remaining 1/2cup of broth if desired for thinner chili. Season to taste with sea salt
• 8.      Garnish with avocado and parsley if desired 

Original Recipe is from Paleo Magazine- serves 4
Notes:  You can buy the squash pre-cut if you're short on time.  I used closer to 5 cups of broth.  I also garnished mine with greek yogurt and cilantro.  

Homemade Energy Bites

I make up a batch of these up once a month or so and keep them in the freezer.  They make a great snack when I am craving something sweet.  We like to eat them right out of the freezer!  If you're a calorie counter you're probably gasping, but these aren't meant to be eaten in mass quantities - one here or there as a treat is fine. Not the greatest picture, check out this post to see better ones.

Homemade Energy Bites

2 cups oatmeal1 cup peanut butter or other nut butter2/3 cup honey1 cup coconut flakes1 cup wheat germ1 cup ground flaxseed1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls.

*My Notes:  I used Ghiradelli 85% dark chocolate.  I keep the big bars on hand and just break off pieces as I need them.  

To freeze: Place balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for one to two hours. Remove from cookie sheet and place in an airtight ziptop freezer bag (or other airtight container).

To serve:Remove desired number of balls and thaw at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. Can also warm for 30 seconds or so in the microwave. Or, you can be impatient like me and eat them straight from the freezer. 

Makes around 3 dozen energy bites.

Original Source