Healthy Dinner Menus for the Whole Family 2014

I make breakfast and dinner for my family most every day. I have a full time job, and work another half time job. Both of my littles play sports and my husband works a crazy shift which means he is only there to help about 25% of the time. If I can cook most of the time, I bet anyone can if they plan accordingly.

Why do I cook most nights? There are actually several reasons for this:

• My husband is in law enforcement, so when you go out to eat in a small town- chances are the he has arrested someone along the food line... trust no person. Sad but true.
• I can control what goes into what I am eating so it is easier to manage calories and contents.
• It is cheaper than eating out, and actually faster most of the time.

I have two littles that are somewhat picky- but the older they are getting, the more accustomed they are to eating what my husband and I eat.

Get ready for a tangent here....I think that is a HUGE mistake that many parents do- thinking young children need to eat something different that the rest of the family because they will not eat what you serve. I will admit that I am guilty in the past! My husband and I would have chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, and broccoli at dinner for example, and I would cook my kids chicken nuggets and fries. WHY DID I DO THAT?! They need to eat healthy too! But instead of getting their palates accustomed to what we were eating- nutritious whole foods, I got their palates used to eating junk! And now it has taken several years to get them accustomed to a better diet. Kids will come around though, just continue having them take a "no, thank you" bite and eating what they like on their plate. They do not have to eat it all. Rant over.

I plan out my menu for the week, then shop on Sunday afternoon for the whole week.

Breakfast

Most mornings the kids have-

• a frozen breakfast sandwich or
• a PB sandwich

I have my morning coffee and a protein pancake topped with nut butter. Recipe HERE. I cook enough for the week on Sunday afternoon so that all I have to do is warm them up and go.

Lunch

Lunch is leftovers from the night before. The kids eat at school or take a lunch.

Snack

The kids usually have a granola bar and fruit of some type. My husband and I usually have a Pure Protein Bar (I like Chocolate Deluxe and he likes the Chocolate Peanut Butter). I also like Quest bars a lot. My favorite flavors are coconut cashew, banana nut, or white chocolate raspberry.

Dinner

Here are some ideas of what I cook on a weekly rotating basis for dinner.

Monday: Healthified hamburgers and sweet potato fries - Recipe HERE

Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup - Recipe HERE

Wednesday:  Spaghetti 

I make mine with broccoli slaw - Recipe HERE  or with zucchini (sauce in the crockpot) - Recipe HERE

I make regular spaghetti noodles for the fam :)

Thursday: Crockpot shredded pork and pineapple coleslaw - Recipe HERE

Friday: Southwestern Slowcooker Chicken Cups - Recipe HERE

Saturday: Cabbage and Turkey Stir Fry - Recipe HERE

Sunday: Texas Oven Brisket - Recipe HERE with a side of Bacon Broccoli Salad - Recipe HERE

Other meals that rotate in:

• Mango Chicken Avocado Cups - Recipe HERE
  
• Jenny's Asian Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry - Recipe HERE
  
• Jenny's Tex Mex Beefy Broccoli Slaw - Recipe HERE

Dessert

Yep I have it almost every night. The key for me is to choose something that is sweet, high in protein, and moderate calorie-wise. I try to keep it below 200 calories which is how much I allocate in my daily calorie budget.

I have two current go to recipes that I keep the stuff for on hand.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Fluff (or another flavor variation)  - Recipe HERE

Greek Cheesecake with strawberries (sometimes I sub cocoa powder for the pudding) - Recipe HERE

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Fluff

I have been on a Greek yogurt mixed with a little stevia and cocoa powder topped with fresh berries kick for a WHILE now. It is a high protein and simple dessert.

My friend Naomi mentioned on Facebook that I need to give protein fluff a try. I admit that I had heard of it before, but thought the name alone sounded gross haha! Then I got to looking up the macros and they were about the same as my Greek yogurt, FANTASTIC.

So I gave it a go. And I am glad I did, it is YUMMY! My new go-to high protein dessert.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Fluff

Makes 1 serving

The Stuff:

*1/4 cup whey of choice (I used Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey in Milk Chocolate)
*1/4 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
*1 cup frozen fruit of choice (I used frozen strawberries)

What you do:

In a food processor (or Magic Bullet, or Vitamix, or Ninja), whip all the ingredients until mixed and fluffy. Took about 1 minute for me. Enjoy!

Other fun combos I will be trying ASAP:

• Chocolate PB Banana - frozen banana with chocolate PB whey
• Pina colada- tropical frozen fruit with vanilla whey
• Chocolate covered cherry - frozen cherries with chocolate whey
• Peaches and cream - frozen peaches with vanilla whey
• Dreamsicle - frozen oranges with vanilla whey
• Pumpkin spice - frozen pumpkin with vanilla whey

P,S. I think some frozen spinach could be added and you would never know, going to try that soon too!

Nutrition Stats:

(as made in recipe)

• 204 cals
• 1.9 g fat
• 15.9 g carbs
• 30.9 g protein
• 275 g sodium
• 2.2 g fiber
• 9.2 g sugars

The BEST Sweet Potato Fries EVER

I have discovered the secret to the best sweet potato fries of your life. Yep.


I like to serve them along side a burger, re-made in a bit more healthy way. I do a turkey burger patty (200 cals) with melted extra thin provolone cheese (40 cals) with mustard and veggies on a sandwich thin (100 cals). So you can do a burger and large helping of these fries for 440 cals!

The Best Sweet Potato Fries Ever

Serves 3

The stuff

3 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into fries
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

What you do

Preheat oven to 400*F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Toss fries in corn starch and spices in a Ziploc baggy or bowl. Spread out into a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, tossing them halfway though.

Nutrition Stats

Per serving

• Cals- 119
• Carbs- 27g
• Fiber- 5 g
• Fat- 0g
• Protein- 3g

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

My sister-in-law/running partner has been making this soup for our family dinner nights for a few years now. The whole family loves it and I enjoy making it at home for my family as well. It is SO easy! And the macros are pretty sweet too. So I realized when I was telling a co-worker about it the other day that I have never shared it here.

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Serves 8

The Stuff:

• 2 lbs of chicken breasts, fresh or frozen (approx 3-4 frozen breasts)
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can enchilada sauce, I prefer mild
• 1 can Rotel (tomatoes with green chilis)
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning, optional
• optional toppings: sliced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, lime

What you do:

In a large crockpot, place the chicken breasts. Then pour the corn, enchilada sauce, rotel, and black beans on top, along with the taco seasoning, if desired. Cook on low for approx 8 hours, break apart chicken before serving. Top as desired (I like all the things!)

Nutrition Stats

(per 1/8th serving without toppings)

Cals: 226
Carbs: 19 g
Fat: 4 g
Protein: 26 g

Protein Pancakes and Almond Butter

I have been on a kick lately with the nut butters. Been making my own from scratch, saves a little money and you can pick what goes into it. Bad thing is that nut butters can get really high cal, really fast!

My nut butter calling to me

Tasty little nut butters, and they do keep me full for a long time. So I was trying to think of a vehicle to carry them with a little bit more protein to aid satiety and volume.

And one day last week, the heavens sang, "protein pancakes!" And I made them. And it was good.



On a side note, I got in some new workout gear from Fabletics (by Kate Hudson)... soooo cute! I am so impressed. Ran in them Saturday morning, and they wore like a champ! I am so in love with this seamless Oula top in cobalt- so soft and gorgeous color. The Salar leggings (in blue lava) have such an eye catching pattern, and are THICK.

So if you have never tried Fabletic's stuff, you might do so with caution! Haha! It is an addiction. They put you on a monthly membership. You can skip the month, but invariably there is something I find that I need!


So back to the recipe this week. One batch of protein pancakes makes 3 soft taco sized pancakes. So I double the batch to make enough for the week which is what I did below. I like 1 pancake with a tbsp of nut butter each morning for breakfast.

Protein Pancakes

(makes 6 soft taco sized pancakes)

The Stuff
-1 banana (I freeze bananas, peels removed, once over ripe in baggies; thaw in microwave to use)
-2 scoops of Vanilla whey protein powder (used GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme in Vanilla)
-2/3 cup egg whites

What you do
Blend in a blender until smooth. In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, cook 1-2 minutes each size until done.

Cool and freeze extras in Ziploc baggies. Defrost 30 sec to reheat.

Dollop with 1 tbsp of nut butter. Might I suggest my homemade almond butter recipe below. But peanut butter, cashew butter, Nutella, or any nut butter is amazing.

Prepping my pancakes for the week, got 2 skillets going to make it quick!

Cooling the protein pancakes

Stack the cooled cakes with a paper towel in between so they do not stick together, then freeze in a Ziploc for the week

Almond butter

(Makes about 1.5 cups)

The Stuff
3 cups roasted almonds (roast plain almonds in 400*F oven for 5-8 min)

What you do
In my large kitchenaide food processor bowl, put in the almonds (can be hot or room temp). Takes about 15 minutes, scrape every so often. Be patient like Mother Teresa. It will look like crumbs for minutes 1-10. Around 10-15 minutes, it will all ball up like dough. Then keep going and it will finally smooth out. I added stevia to taste- about 1 tbsp. 

Chocolate Almond butter -You can also add cocoa powder for chocolate- 1-2 TBSP. 
Crunchy Almond butter - If you like your almond butter crunchy, reserve some almonds to the side and add them once it gets smooth.

Plain almond butter, crunch style

Plain almond butter, smooth

Nutritional Stats

1/6 of protein pancake recipe *1 pancake* and 1 tbsp plain almond butter

Cals- 183
Carbs - 11 g
Fat - 8 g
Protein - 18 g
Sodium - 140 mg
Sugars - 5 g

Cabbage and Turkey Stir Fry

Well I was gone last weekend celebrating my son's birthday, enjoying time with my sweet momma, and having family pictures done; so I skipped a post on you guys. Sorry about that.

My momma and I enjoying the deck off the cabin

Here are some sneak peeks from the photographer and one shot far away on a cell phone from off camera:

Sneak peek off the back of {forever} Grace's camera 

Caught by my momma off camera

My sis-in-law and I have been upping our mileage for our upcoming half marathons so we ran in the mountains; the scenery was stunning. I am still getting in 5 days of lifting too- most important thing!

Sis-in-law and I on our run up the mountain

This recipe will make up for my skip week, I hope! My momma made a similar version growing up, so this makes me think of her when I make it.  It is super simple, and tasty. I always forget just how tasty it is honestly. Something about cabbage does not sound mouth watering. But this dish is.

Cabbage and Turkey Stir Fry

Serves 2 very generous portions

The Stuff

• 0.5 lbs extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves)
• 1 tsp salt and pepper, each

What you do

Saute up turkey in a big wok until browned, transfer to a holding plate. Add remaining ingredient and saaute for 5-8 minutes until cabbage is just turning translucent. Add turkey back into wok until heated through and mixed in. Enjoy!

Nutritional Stats

Per serving

Southwestern Slowcooker Chicken Cups

This recipe was a hit when I posted our dinner one night to my social media, so I thought I would share it here :) it is pretty fantastic (if I do say so myself!) haha

Prickly Pear Limeade

I made this limeade to accompany the southwestern chicken cups. I had some prickly pear fruit in my Bountiful Basket (produce co-op) that I needed to use. I made it with the juice of 7 prickly pears, 3 limes then filled the pitcher up to the top. I added stevia to taste. It was a hit!

Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be.Dr. George Sheehan

My sister-in-law and I have been upping our runs on the weekends. I have a half marathon in December with Jenny- Saint Jude's in Memphis! Cannot wait. Erin has one in Houston in January. So we have been running Saturdays and sometimes on Sunday. This hilly path called the Old Soncy Trail just outside of town is a great workout and 6 miles down & back.

Baby Gus

        I all got my baby needs met this past weekend. One of my dearest friends from school days came back into town with her super adorable son. Ain't he darlin?

Southwestern Chicken Cups

Serves 4

* 1 lbs chicken breasts (2-3) frozen
*1 can diced tomatoes (I like the ones with green chilis added)
*1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
*1 can corn, drained and rinsed

*Lettuce leaves

Put the chicken and tomatoes (not drained) in low in crockpot for 5-8 hours. Drain most of the liquid then shred. Add beans and corn. Serve in lettuce cups. I like to top mine with a little plain greek yogurt. My fam like avocado and cheese on theirs too!

Nutritional Stats

per serving

• 300 cals
• 5 f fat
• 311 mg sodium
• 23g carbs
• 41g protein
• 4g sugars

7.5 weight watchers plus points per serving