Happy Monday! It’s a brand new week! How cute is this heart graphic? My daughter Brooke loves playing around with different apps and I totally thought it was perfect for today’s blog!
I decided to continue with my “Shelf Cooking” as I am trying to truly utilize all of the items in my pantry, refrigerator, freezer etc. I hate wasting food and if I don’t take the time to “Shop my house” I easily get caught up in the idea of needing to buy more. I am on a roll with it! This time instead of cooking for everyone else, I focused on moi. I do best with a lower carb (Not ZERO carbs!) diet. I find that when I fill up on veggies/greens, fruits, lean proteins and complex carbs I feel my best.
Sunday I took some time and went through and took inventory and then just went to work. That’s the hardest part, right? I find that I can plan, but it’s the actual PREP work that I may not totally get to. Most of these will be for lunches/snacks.
Roasted Carrots:
Easy starter: Open that veggie drawer. C’mon. We all have something sitting there just a little too long! For me it was a bunch of carrots. I just peeled and chopped them up, drizzled some EVOO and some seasoned salt, baked at 375 for about 45 minutes or so. Now I have a salad topper OR easy side for any meal.
These were actually a pretty big hit. The hint of cinnamon got everyone’s nose interested! Brooke & Joe liked them, and I am excited to enjoy one with my tea or when I get a sweet tooth craving. Low in carb, high in fat FYI.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole With Cauli Rice
I adapted the recipe from here, but I didn’t have my coconut cream sorted, I am not on whole 30 and I didn’t have the fancy mayo (I used Kraft olive oil). When it comes to my health, I try to be aware, but I have loosened up a bit as I am tired of spending ALL THE MONEY ON FOOD. But for real, I think it’s good to make smart healthy choices, but sometimes you just can’t spend $1000 for food in one month.
2 chicken breasts shredded (I dropped mine in a slow cooker for 2 hours w/ some broth then used my forks to shred)
1 package of frozen Cauliflower Rice
3/4 bottle of Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup of Hot sauce (I used Tastefully Simple’s as it never bothers me!)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup mayo

It’s not pretty, but it’s tasty!!
Shakeology Energy Bars/Bites
I have some leftover Shakeology packets and now that it’s cold, I’m not loving cold shakes!
Recipe:
1/2 cup of organic oats
1 packet of Shakeology
2 tbl almond butter (or pb)
1 tbl coconut oil
a few dried cranberries tossed in
Simple:
Melt pb & oil in pan, stir in everything and roll into balls and chill!
*I didn’t feel like getting my fingers sticky and rolling these, so I just poured the batter into a bowl with parchment paper. I’ll cut/divide once it’s cooled.
I also have a ton of shredded pork tenderloin, so I plan on using some of these awesome recipes to help get us through the week!
11/18-11/24
Monday- Cubans (leftover pork using link above) *wrap in lettuce if not wanting carbs
Tuesday- Chicken Alfredo (w/ Spaghetti Squash for me, pasta kids)
Wednesday- Better than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice
Thursday- Date Night (kids Dino Nuggets/Mac & Cheese)
Friday – Bacon Pasta (use a different pasta if looking for lower carb?)
Weekend – Venison Roast, Fish, Takeout — I’m already craving sushi!
Did you do any meal prepping this weekend?