Weekly Meal Planning Made easy!

It's really easy to over indulge on the weekends...and even easier to just slip off the track and say screw it!  I know that I definitely over indulged this past weekend at my friends wedding, drinking, eating whatever I wanted and I didn't get to workout like I wanted to.  Guess what?  It's OK!  I had a blast and I didn't feel guilty about it.  Wanna know my secret?  Today is a new day, and I got back on track by doing my AM PiYo workout and eating my regular foods.  It feels great to be back to my normal schedule.  Don't beat yourself up if you slip every now and then.  We are all human, and we like to have fun.  Just get back on track the next day, or once your weekend is over!  Here are some tips! 

I know it's hard to find the time to plan your meals for the week.  I was traveling this past weekend for my best friends wedding and didn't get a chance to go grocery shopping yet.  So today, I'm taking the time to plan my meals for the week, and then heading to the grocery store to pick up anything I might need.  This took me 20 mins to put in my meal ideas for the week.  I have a ton of recipe books and online sources that I check to give me some ideas.  I'll post some of my recipes for this week at the bottom of this post. 

If you need help meal planning, let me know!  I use to find it hard and annoying, and now I look forward to planning my meals.  It's so nice to know what I'll be having after working long hours.  Next on my to-do list today is get some groceries and prep some meals for the week.  Hopefully, you'll be joining me this week with some of these ideas!  

RECIPES!

Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients:

·                  1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

·                  1 egg

·                  1/2 yellow onion, chopped

·                  1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

·                  1 teaspoon dried oregano

·                  1 teaspoon dried basil

·                  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or granules

·                  Salt and pepper to taste

·                  6 whole wheat hamburger buns

·                  6 green leaf lettuce leaves

·                  2 tomatoes, sliced

·                  1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation:

Put beans in a large bowl and mash well with a fork. Add egg, yellow onion, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix well to combine then shape into 6 patties.

Heat the grill and cook each burger until cooked through and golden brown on each side. Transfer to buns, top with lettuce, tomatoes and red onions and serve.

Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

·                  1/4 cup Homemade Breadcrumbs ( I used Ezekiel Bread)

·                  1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

·                  1/8 tsp black pepper

·                  heaping 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

·                  1 cup cold milk (I used almond milk)

·                  1 tsp apple cider vinegar

·                  2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

Preparation:

1.                Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.                In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese (if using) and black pepper.

3.                In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar.  Gently stir until combined but do not over stir.

4.                Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

5.                Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet (I line mine with non stick foil for easy clean up!) and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices over once halfway through cooking, or until browned and crisp.

Nutritional Info:
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrients per serving:  Calories: 224.5, Cal. from Fat: 33.5, Total Fat: 3.5g, Sat. Fat: 0g, Carbs: 41.5g, Fiber: 6.5g, Sugars: 12g, Protein: 9g, Sodium: 459mg, Chol: 0mg

Notes:
These chips are best eaten right out of the oven.  They don’t save well.

Tomato Basil Chicken

Ingredients:

·                  Dried Basil

·                  Garlic Powder

·                  1 small onion, finely chopped

·                  1 can diced tomatos (low sodium)

·                  Chicken Breast Cutlets (2)

·                  1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese (I use Dairy Free versions)

Preparation:
Place a piece of foil in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Place chicken cutlets on top.  Then, sprinkle with basil, garlic powder,  chopped onion, diced tomatoes and then top with mozzarella cheese.

Then, cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients:

·                  1 onion finely chopped

·                  1 lb of lean ground turkey ( I use Venison)

·                  Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

·                  1 tsp garlic powder

·                  3 or 4 small zucchini sliced lengthwise

·                  24 oz of low fat or 1% cottage cheese (I usually opt out of this because I’m Dairy free!)

·                  1 jar of no sugar added spaghetti sauce

·                  Non fat or low fat mozzarella cheese (dairy free version)

Preparation:

·                  Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

·                  Combine onion, ground turkey, salt, pepper, garlic powder in a skillet and brown turkey until no longer pink.

·                  Layer Zucchini in the bottom of your pan, then spread a layer of cottage cheese, follow that with a layer of ground turkey mixture, spread a layer of sauce on top.

·                  Repeat this over again.  Then layer one final row of zucchini on top and cover with sauce and a little sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

·                  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour.

·                  Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 more minutes then remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

  

I hope this has inspired you to try a new recipe this week!  Let me know if you have any questions about meal planning, meal prep, or clean eating.  I've love to help you with your fitness journey!

Your Friend in Fitness,
Brittany