Weekly Meal Planning

Last week was the first week in a very long time that I have planned any meals and gone grocery shopping for anything. I loved it. I forgot how mice it is to have plenty of food in the house and be able to make whatever, whenever. It also meant that we ate out way less than most any other week in the past year and we spent far less on food. Honestly, I think it also saved us time in the end. We were not having to worry about who was going to go get lunch or what was for dinner and who would get it, we just ate what was on the menu and in the house.

There were, of course, a few things that did not get prepared, so those have been jumped to this week's list. There were also a few things that I loved- these balls being one of them. They were so good and ridiculously easy to make and kept my sweet tooth in check just fine! I did make a few changes to them and will have the recipe up soon!

As for other meals, here is what we will be eating this week!

Monday

• Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs and Fruit
• Tuesday: Spinach and Strawberry Smoothie
• Dinner: Creamy Tortellini Soup with Shrimp
• Snack: Kale Chips (I did not get to make them last week)

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
• Lunch: Caprese Salad (it was so yummy last week and easy to make!)
• Dinner: Blue Apron Meal
• Snack: Yogurt

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
• Lunch: Meal Replacement Shake
• Dinner: Caesar Salad with Shrimp
• Snack: Fruits and Vegetables

Thursday

• Breakfast: Meal Replacement Shake
• Lunch: Egg Sandwich
• Dinner: Kale and Salmon
• Snack: apples with almond butter

Friday

• Breakfast: Salmon Omelet
• Lunch: Eggplant Pizza
• Dinner: Big night out!
• Snack: Bar

Saturday

• Breakfast: Flaxseed Smoothie 
• Lunch: Meal Replacement Shake
• Dinner: Raw Kale Pesto over Linguine 
• Snack: Small Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

Sunday

• Breakfast: Meal Replacement Bar
• Lunch: Egg Sandwich
• Dinner: Blue Apron
• Snack: Bars

App Review: Daily Green Smoothie Challenge

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Sometimes, life is just easier when we can revert to our childhood days and have someone decide what we should eat for us. That is where dieticians, nutritionists, meal plans, and handy-dandy apps can come in quite useful- especially if you do not have the extra dough laying around to hire a private chef.

I have been using a few smoothie and juicing apps to get on a healthier habit pattern. One of these is the Daily Green Smoothie Challenge. This smoothie app has plenty of great smoothie recipes along with all the nutritional information your heart could desire. Another great perk is that you can easily add all ingredients to a shopping list that will place all items on a categorized list according to where they are in the grocery store.

The smoothie recipes for this challenge are meant for mornings and are filled with fruits, honey, flax seeds, yogurt, and a few other knick knacks from here and there. I opted to add fresh baby spinach or baby kale to most of my smoothies to increase the vitamins, minerals, and proteins. It did not make them taste worse and the only one that tasted bad at all was the first Orange Creamsicle Smoothie. Be weary though, not all smoothies are created equal. Some are ridiculously low in calories and sugar while others are (what seems) like the equivalent of a Chipotle burrito.

Now to the app... Once you get into it, the app is quite clean and easy to navigate. There is plenty of information available about each smoothie and plenty of smoothies to choose from. It's also free, which is pretty great too. Unfortunately, like my Dad has always told me, "nothing is ever free, not even the prize in the Cracker Jack box." What this app lacks in price, it makes up for in advertisements. Any time you open the app or your phone goes to sleep, a new advertisement pops up and must be exited out of then a pop up will appear confirming you want to exit out. NOT FUN.

Other than the ridiculous free-not-free side of this app, it is pretty good. If you are looking for a price happy way to reboot your diet, I would suggest trying this one out. The app is free and there are no ridiculous ingredients that cost more than the mixer you are putting them in. A pretty good thing the way I see it :)

3 GREAT SMOOTHIES WITH CHIA

Chia seeds are a pretty incredible and tiny food. Not only do you get to sing the ch-ch-ch-chia song while making/buying/looking at them, they are also a great source of protein, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids. Chia seeds have 4.4 grams of complete protein per ounce and over 6,000 milligrams omega-3! Overnight oats are a great way to add chia into breakfast, but do take some pre-planning. As much as I try to pre-plan meals, I am more of a "what's left-over in the fridge" kind of girl. 

Since I also work from home, breakfast and lunches are usually eaten in. This was not always the case, but when the hubs and I stopped getting to-go lunches, we both started feeling healthier and that feeling is way better than Moe's nachos. These smoothies are things that can be made pretty quick and have chia added to them for a yummy, easy, and ridiculously healthy meal on the go. Of course, you can always add some chia to your favorite smoothie, but these are pretty great as well! 

Spinach, Kiwi, and Chia Smoothie

New Zealand is trying to get kiwi's back on the map- and by kiwis, I mean the fruit. I am all too happy to help with this fruitful endeavor (haha, get it, get it), especially when it can be mixed with spinach and chia for a nice green morning smoothie! Yes, you had me at spinach. And yes, I am having a punny kind of day. There are a couple of other great ingredients listed in the "added" section that I would completely recommend adding to this powerhouse smoothie as well! 

Green Power Smoothie

There is something to love about a green smoothie; they are just so pretty! This green smoothie has all the health power that you would expect to find in a smoothie the color of fresh cut grass. But that is where the similarities to fresh cut grass end. The Green Power Smoothie has yummy things like cucumber (skinned), spinach, non-dairy milk, and orange juice. Yum!  

Blueberry Chia Anti-Aging Smoothie

Here is a non-green smoothie in case you do not like the green ones quite as much as me. This smoothie is also great for those who would prefer to cut as little as possible and exchange cutting for scooping. The anti-aging smoothie comes with lots of extras like olive oil, protein powder, and coconut water. It is, for sure, the easiest smoothie to make. Ever. 

Healthy Drinks for Cleansing Your Body

We had a Christmas party at our place last night. Yes, there were cookies- multiple kinds, actually, and cheese, and dips, and about 50 other things that were delicious but far from good. Now, all I want is kale juice with ginger, lemon, cucumber, and anything else wholesome that will fit in our juicer.

Thankfully, I planned ahead for this for the first time ever and have all those amazing, juicable, fruits and veggies in the fridge already. This is the first time I have ever really planned food for the day after a party and it's kinda a big deal. Here are a few of the detox drinks we will be having today and tomorrow!

This article on different types of cleanses is also pretty neat!

The Mean Green

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When it comes to juicing, this one is as common as bread and butter, but is oh so much healthier. The mean green would have to be my favorite detox juice. Juice:

• 1 cucumber
• 4 stalks celery
• 2 apples
• 8 kale leaves
• 1/2 lemon
• 1" ginger root

Autumn Gold Rush

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Just look at the ingredients and tell me it does not sound amazing. This may also be the best juice cleanse party drink ever! This site has some other incredible looking recipes for your perusal as well. Juice:

• ½ medium sweet potato
• 3 carrots
• 1 cucumber
• ½ inch of tumeric root
• Can also be served with cinnamon sprinkled on the top and sparkling water.

Popeye's Green Juice

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I cannot wait to drink this one up! It sounds great and is also the first to have parsley- a delicious and healthy juicing component. Here is a quick sum-up of why parsley is so healthy. Juice:

• 1 bag of organic baby spinach
• ½ bunch parsley
• ½ cucumber
• 1 pear
• 1 lemon
• 1” ginger root

A Green Anytime Smoothie

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These are all great options for those who have a juicer, but if you don't, do not fret. There are some fantastic smoothie recipes as well. One of my absolute faves and daily foods is a kale, banana, and strawberry smoothie. Just put this in a blender and enjoy!

• 2 cups kale
• 3 sliced strawberries
• 1/2 a banana, sliced
• 2 tablespoons water
• Ice cubes, optional