Meal Ideas

I had a friend ask me for some meal ideas.  I though I would share them here also.  One thing about eating the way I have been is there's not as much variety.  So I am always looking for new ideas.  Here's what I have so far.  I learned a lot of this from my sister.  

Basic Tips:

My main carbs are oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and brown rice.  I occasionally do whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread or cheerios.  The minimal carbs is for weight loss.  I will add in more carbs once I reach my goal weight. Foods I avoid on a regular basis due to high fat or carbs: avocado, olives, corn, salmon, red meat, sugar. 

We try to eat as much from the garden as possible. When I say fresh vegetables here are some of the options I do:

sauteed  (with fat free cooking spray only) zucchini, squash, and onion

sauteed or boiled green beans with fresh garlic

fresh- tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, spinach

sauteed okra

Other vegetables, steamed broccoli, brussel sprouts, sugar snap peas

Breakfast:

* English Muffin sandwhich.  English muffin (whole wheat if possible), 3 egg whites (cooked kind of like an omlet), turkey bacon. 

* Oatmeal (unsweetened) egg white omlet (options: spinach, mushrooms, salsa, fat free cheese, peppers, onions)

*Plain cheerios with skim milk and fruit or turkey bacon or 2 boiled egg whites

pretty much every morning I do eggs. It adds good protein first thing in the morning

Lunch:

*Sweet Potato with fresh vegetables (raw when possible)

*salad with black beans, boiled egg whites, and fresh vegetables

*Tuna (with mustard and sometimes onion), sometimes with one slice of bread, fresh vegetables

*Pasta salad made with fat free cheese and dressing with fresh veggies added.  

*Brown Rice with Pinto Beans and fresh vegetables 

If i'm going to have additional carbs, I try to eat it here and avoid it for dinner. Same goes for fruits.

Dinner:

*Salad (always dark green lettuce, no iceberg with spinach) with Grilled Chicken Breasts (pat breasts with fresh basil and pepper) with fat free dressing

*Grilled/ sauteed tilapia (or any other white fish that's low in fat and high in protein) cooked with garlic powder and fresh lemon squeeze

*When I fix spaghetti for the family, I do a small amount of spaghetti sauce with a large portion of lean ground turkey and green beans and spinach. 

*Turkey Burgers without the bun (lean ground turkey, chopped onion, garlic powder), with fresh tomatoes and onion, and salad

*Lean Pork tenderloin with salad or fresh vegetables

*Salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, fat free cheese, and vinaigrette dressing

*Shepherds Pie: cooked Ground turkey, mixed vegetables, Mashed cauliflower (boil, drain, mash, add pepper, garlic powder, and fat free cheese), topped with fat free cheddar cheese. 

*stir Fry- Sauteed sugar snap peas, green onion whites and greens, carrots, edamame, bell pepper, and fresh garlic and herbs, chicken. (cook chicken in pan, set aside, saute vegetables, add chicken back)

Snacks:

*1/2 scoop of EAS chocolate soy protein shake made with skim milk.   First thing in the morning before exercise

*fat free cottage cheese with fresh tomato

*fruit 

*celery and homemade salsa

*fat free yogurt and fruit

*raw broccoli, cauliflower

Weight Loss:  I am down 21 lbs and two sizes.  This has been great so far.  Please pray for continued perseverance and motivation.  I am up to running 17 minutes, with 5  1/2 min. intervals.