Weekly Menu 1 - Chicken and Steak

So this round of monthly grocery shopping, the husband and I decided to prep for a week at a time instead of changing the menu out daily throughout the week. See last month's meal plan HERE

So we bought for 4 different weeks but the meals within the week stay the same, although 1 day each week I take a maintenance day at 1900 cals.

We thought this would be a good experiment to try out, and would make prep time a snap.

You see, we have two kids who are involved in sports, church, and music. Every night of the week (almost) one or the other has an practice or meeting. I usually have time to cook, but sometimes it gets a bit hectic.  The idea of getting it all ready to go ahead of time and then just grabbing to eat together sounded really nice!

So here is week #1's menu from the monthly shopping trip:

Breakfast	VenusCrossing PB&J Protein Oats 313 cals – 25 g carbs – 10 g fat – 31 g protein
Lunch	6 oz chicken breast ½ cup rice, cooked ¾ cup green beans 291 cals – 28 g carbs – 4 g fat – 39 g protein
Snack	Quest Coconut Cashew Protein Bar 170 cals – 23g carbs – 7 g fat – 20 g protein
Dinner	6 oz eye of round steak, cubed 1 cup sweet potato, roasted 1 cup baby kale 420 cals – 31 g carbs – 15 g fat – 38 g protein
Dessert	½ cup strawberries, sliced ½ cup 2% cottage cheese, unpacked 126 cals – 10 g carbs – 2 g fat – 16 g protein
TOTALS	1320 cals – 117 g carbs – 38 g fat – 144 g protein

We just picked a few meals we really like and are going to rotate through them for the month. Basically 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 snacks, 4 dinner, and 4 dessert options. We spent $503.37 for everything this month including extra options for our kids and household items like dog treats.

Breakfast: VenusCrossing PB&J Protein Oats

313 cals – 25 g carbs – 10 g fat – 31 g protein

Recipe HERE

I blended the oat water with spinach before cooking in the picture above. We buy the big containers of fresh spinach at Sam's Club. I freeze the spinach before it turns bad and continue using it frozen.

Lunch: 6 oz chicken breast

½ cup rice, cooked

¾ cup green beans

291 cals – 28 g carbs – 4 g fat – 39 g protein

What we did was cube up the chicken breast and sautee it with a bit of ancho chile seasoning that we picked up from Sam's Club. I made some white rice in the rice cooker, and steamed some french green beans. In the picture, I swirled a dab of Sriracha on top!

I freeze my lunches in the freezer in tupperwares. I just grab them and put them in my lunch bags in the morning before work.

Snack: Quest Coconut Cashew Protein Bar

170 cals – 23g carbs – 7 g fat – 20 g protein

I guy Quest bars from GNC. I have a little secret to getting them cheaper with couponing, find it HERE

You could also easily sub any 160-200 cal protein bar. My husband prefers Pure Protein bars which we can buy in bulk from Sam's Club. I really like those too!

Dinner: 6 oz eye of round steak, cubed

1 cup or 1 medium sweet potato, roasted

1 cup baby kale

420 cals – 31 g carbs – 15 g fat – 38 g protein

  What we did was roast sweet potatos in the oven at 400*F for an hour. While those were roasting, we cubed up beef eye of round steak (or roast depending on how the store labels it). We let the beef marinate in a ziploc for an hour with some all purpose meat marinade. (We used Plum Creek Marinade, but there are many other low calorie options.) We quickly seared the steak over high heat until just the outside was browned. We topped the meat with fresh baby kale to wilt over the heat of the steak. We buy the large container of fresh baby kale and the big bags of sweet potatoes at Sam's. The kale lasts in the fridge all month, the potatoes last on the counter all month.

Dessert: ½ cup strawberries, sliced

½ cup 2% cottage cheese, unpacked

126 cals – 10 g carbs – 2 g fat – 16 g protein

We buy the large tubs of cottage cheese, and buy frozen sliced strawberries. I defrost them in the microwave for about 30 seconds before mixing with my cottage cheese.

Next week, I will share weekly meal plan #2 for the month!

X- Liss

Taco Salad and Menu for Monthly Shopping

This recipe is the FINAL one (YAY!) in a series on "A Month of Meal Plans and Groceries in 30 Minutes." - link HERE

We shop for a month at a time, for more explanation on how we do this see the above blog post link. It saves a ton of time, money, and calories from buying off plan items. The shopping list in the link above as well. Today I am going to share just what my weekly menu looks like; we repeat this menu four times for the month. We spend $500 a month and that includes extra of the food to feed both of our growing children as well as household items such as detergent.

	MON	TUES	WED
Breakfast	PB Cup Shake 245 Cal – 12 F – 9 C – 28.5 P	Loaded Oatmeal 313 cal – 10 F – 25 C – 31 P	PB Cup Shake 245 Cal – 12 F – 9 C – 28.5 P
Lunch	Apple Turkey Salad 505 cal – 14 F – 41 C – 33 P	6 oz chicken 1/2 cup rice 1 cup green beans 297 cal – 4 F – 30 C – 39 P	Burrito Bowl 519 cals – 4 F - 41 C  - 47 P
Snack	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P
Dinner	6 oz chicken 1/2 cup rice 1 cup green beans 297 cal – 4 F – 30 C – 39 P	Burrito Bowl 519 cals – 4 F - 41 C  - 47 P	Chicken Tacos 355 cals – 5 F – 39 C – 38 P
Dessert	1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup strawberries 228 cal – 4 F – 14 C – 32 P	1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup strawberries 228 cal – 4 F – 14 C – 32 P	1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup strawberries 228 cal – 4 F – 14 C – 32 P
DAY TOTAL	1455 cal – 39 F – 111 C – 152.5 P	1537 cal – 27 F -127 C – 169 P	1527 cals – 30 F – 120 C -  165.5 P

	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN – Maintenance Day
Breakfast	Loaded Oatmeal 313 cal – 10 F – 25 C – 31 P	PB Cup Shake 245 Cal – 12 F – 9 C – 28.5 P	Hashbrown Omlet 379 cal – 11 F – 23 C – 41 P	Hashbrown Omlet 379 cal – 11 F – 23 C – 41 P
Lunch	Chicken Tacos 355 cals – 5 F – 39 C – 38 P	Taco Salad 523 cals – 27 F – 24 C – 57 P	Lean Tuna Salad  365 cals – 4 F – 40 C – 47 P	Red Chili with Chicken and Beans  428 cal - 5 F  52 C -  41 P
Snack	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P	Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Bar 180 cal – 5 F – 17 C – 20 P
Dinner	Taco Salad 523 cals – 27 F – 24 C – 57 P	Lean Tuna Salad  365 cals – 4 F – 40 C – 47 P	Red Chili with Chicken and Beans  428 cal - 5 F  52 C -  41 P	Apple Turkey Salad 505 cal – 14 F – 41 C – 33 P
Dessert	1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt 1/2 cup strawberries Stevia as needed 169 cal – 0 F – 21 C – 24 P	1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup strawberries 228 cal – 4 F – 14 C – 32 P	1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt 1/2 cup strawberries Stevia as needed 169 cal – 0 F – 21 C – 24 P	1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup strawberries 228 cal – 4 F – 14 C – 32 P
DAY TOTAL	1540 cals – 47 F – 126 C – 170 P	1541 cals – 52 F – 104 C – 184.5 P	1521 cals – 25 F – 153 C – 173 P	1720 cal – 39 F – 147 C – 167 P

Shopping List and Recipes HERE

Are these macros for everyone? No way. I am 5'9" and active,, If I were shorter, I would lighten up or eliminate the snacks and dessert options on all the days. My husband is 6'0" so he needs more calories even while dieting so he adds in a snack between breakfast and lunch along with more at his afternoon snack time. His macros are pretty much just increased by 25% to 2000 cals a day on a deficit day.

I serve the same exact dinners to my kids, we eat dinners every night together. They make some tweaks like they would have nachos instead of a taco salad, for example. The kids eat different things that they like at breakfast like a PB sandwich or frozen breakfast sandwich. They eat lunch at school or pack a tuna sandwich. But on the weekend, they like the omelets or oats that we eat, again we like to sit down to breakfast as a family.

Taco Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients

Baby Spinach , 2 Cups (or kale/romaine as desired)

Hamburger - 90% Lean Beef Burger, 8 ounces   

Black Beans, 0.5 cup  

Salsa, 2 TBSP

Cheddar, 0.25 cup, shredded  

Greek Nonfat Yogurt Plain, 2 TBSP

Taco Seasoning

Directions

Brown the beef as directed with taco seasoning. (I usually cook this up in bulk for the week!) Pile your lettuce of choice on your dish. Top with beef, beans, cheese, salsa, and Plain Greek yogurt. (Note- in the picture I left off the cheese to save 114 cals (and 0g Carbs - 9g F - 7g Protein))

Nutritional stats per serving

523 cals

24 g carbs

27 g fat

57 g protein

Lean Tuna Salad

This recipe is the sixth in a series on "A Month of Meal Plans and Groceries in 30 Minutes." - link HERE

We shop for a month at a time, for more explanation on how we do this see the above blog post link. It saves a ton of time, money, and calories from buying off plan items. I will also be sharing with you a week of my eating and how I plan these recipes into my diet.



I love this simple recipe, and it is something you can whip together in a flash when you don't have much time. My kids like tuna sandwiches made with mayo or tuna salad with crackers, so the whole family can enjoy some variation.

Lean Tuna Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients
5 oz can tuna in water
1 tbsp pickle relish
2 tbsp mustard
1 cup baby kale
1 thin sandwich bread roll
10 baby carrots

Directions
Drain tuna and mix with relish and mustard. Salt and pepper as desired. (Zero calorie seasonings are great here, try lemon pepper or Greek seasoning in your tuna salad!)

On a plate, lay each half of the thin sandwich roll, top with kale leaves and then split the tuna between the rolls. Serve carrots alongside. Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts per Serving

310 cals
40 g carbs
3 g fat
34 g protein
954 mg sodium
11 g sugars

PB Cup Protein Shake

I am back on a protein shake kick because my brother got me a Nutribullet for Christmas. Lucky for me, this protein shake also happens to be on my monthly grocery shopping list. You can take a look at it here - http://venuscrossing.blogspot.com/2015/11/a-month-of-meal-plans-and-groceries-in.html


Man, this blender is AMAZING! I thought my Kitchenaid blender was fantastic, or even my Ninja. But this machine grinds spinach into bits of nothing and makes ice into snowcone-style shaved ice. I have been so impressed. It is also made to be one cup sized, the top flips off and you can put a handle lid on. It is also super easy to clean. Pretty much perfect for anyone who makes shakes and smoothies.

So this protein shake is just about my favorite one ever. If you like chocolate and peanut butter, you will love it. It takes like a milkshake, no way shape or form healthy LOL

PB Cup Protein Shake

Serves 1

Ingredients
1 scoop chocolate whey powder (I used Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 handful ice
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter (I used Jif) * you can also sub 2 tbsp PB2 powder to saved cals
*optional but not shown* 1 handful or 1 cup fresh spinach (or you can use frozen) - promise you cannot taste it!

Directions
Place all the ingredients into blender and enjoy!

Nutritional Facts per Serving

(as made as pictured with regular PB and no spinach)

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 245
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12 g	18 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	11 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 40 mg	13 %
Sodium 350 mg	15 %
Potassium 60 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 9 g	3 %
Dietary Fiber 27 g	108 %
Sugars 4 g
Protein 29 g	57 %
Vitamin A	10 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	53 %
Iron	8 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Nutritional Facts per Serving

(as made with PB2 and spinach)

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 205
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	9 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	5 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 40 mg	13 %
Sodium 398 mg	17 %
Potassium 227 mg	6 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 29 g	115 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 31 g	62 %
Vitamin A	66 %
Vitamin C	14 %
Calcium	56 %
Iron	10 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.