March 31 weekly menu

This week is nice. I have to week nights off from cooking and weekend night off! Hooray!  I'm really going to make an attempt to clean my pantry too. 

So let's see what's to eat?

Breakfast:

Shakes (one thing I have learned this year is I have zero time to sit and eat, good thing I plan ahead and make stuff.)

Protein bars

Lunch

Pinwheels

Chicken Greek salad

Tuna salad sandwich

Tostadas

Chickpea patties

Dinner

Monday:sick so whatever someone makes 

Tuesday:pulled pork roasted sweet potatoes and homemade coleslaw 

Wednesday: chicken soup

Thursday: dinner with friends

Friday: dinner playmate (pizza and salad)

Saturday: friend's birthday party (yummy tacos!!!!)

Sunday: hot dogs and baked sweet potatoes  

What meal are you most excited about this week?

Just keep truckin along...

What a week! It was filled with new meals, dad's night, colds, dirt under my nails from gardening and overall fun. Let's see what the highlights were:

- lost another 2.6 lbs and happy to see it go! 

- started week four again of T25 and then got sick, maybe three times a charm, week 4 here I come... Again!

- my garden is getting HUGE! I just need to cut a shrub tonight so the tomatoes have full sun as well as the sunflowers.

- I ran this week to go pick up the car. Felt great to just let it go and run.

- I snagged a slot for the Disney Avenger half marathon! So so excited! I am already thinking of what cape to make! 

- started planning K1's fourth birthday! Where did the time go? Wasn't she just a baby?

- happy hour with my friends! Could have eaten the entire bowl of ceveche but I was good and I shared. 😜

That pretty much sums up my super exciting life here. How was your week? 

A hodge-podge week

I'm so excited for this week. So many things to note I just had to share with you all:

- week 2 of WW. Week 1 was great and really made me see what I was eating or not eating.

- redoing week 4 for of T25. I just didn't have the energy for it.

- finally back at my boxing club. Only took fitness classes but this week will finally lace up my gloves. Well that is after I scrape the dust off them.

- happy hour with my gal pals! It really should be called happiest hour! Two glorious hours away from kids.

- I'm really going to book a room for our little mini holiday. Really this time! Nootr dreaming!

- planting more stuff. Must blog about how the garden is looking. I finally have an asparagus shoot coming up. Only took 5 flipping years!!!!!

- brunch on Sunday! No more soccer games for k1. It will be bittersweet not to lace up her cleats but man oh man, coaching can suck sometimes. If it wasn't for a few kids on that team that made it worthwhile I'd say it was a pretty gnarly experience. 

- signing up for Disney's Avenger half!!! My excitement can barely be contained!!!!!

Any fun things planned for this week?

March 24 weekly menu

I know I'm late posting but I figure if it's on here by midnight it counts right?  This week is all about making new recipes inspired by Pinterest photos. I'm quite excited about it. We used one tonight and wow was it easy and so tasty. 

Breakfast:

Protein shakes 

Special K cereal

Lunch:

Subway

Turkey dogs

Tostadas

Chicken salad

Chickpea patties

Dinner:

Ham and cheese pinwheels * with cinnamon & paprika sweet potatoes

Mustard chicken * broiled garlic green beans

Creamy tortellini soup *

 Turkey Parmesan meatballs* with grilled asparagus 

Homemade fish sticks * with stuffed button mushroom bites

*notes never made meals before.

Double yum!!!! 

Maple glazed pork loin and roasted Brussel sprout salad

I don't think words can describe how good this dinner was! Easier than I thought too!

Maple glazed Pork Loin 

Created by Little Miss Planner

1 pork loin sliced 1 inch thick 

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp mustard

1 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper for taste

1. Toss all ingredients together and let marinade for an hour.

2. In a medium-high pan spray oil and place slices. Flip mid cook to get a good sear on each side. Cook until done (takes 20 or so minutes). 

Roasted Brussel sprouts

Created by Little Miss Planner

Sliced Brussel sprouts

Paprika

Garlic (3 cloves minced)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Preheat oven 400*

2. Toss all ingredients in a bowl and place on sheet. 

3. Cook for 25 minutes.

For my salad I cut up the pork loin and laid them on a bed of spinach along with the Brussel sprouts and grape tomatoes. For my dressing, I just drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. 

So filling and so good! Enjoy!

March 17 Weekly menu

Breakfast

Protein shakes

Lunch

Chicken salad

Salmon salad

Shrimp skewers

Leftovers

Play date lunch

Dinner

Taco pizza

Grilled maple salmon and salad

Homemade tostadas (new meal)

Spaghetti and salad

Breaded cod and cauliflower bites

Snacks

Hard broiled eggs

Grapes and other fruit

Nuts

Baked Prosciutto and date bites (new recipe)

Goal this week: EAT MORE VEGGIES AND FRUIT!

Winding down

What a crazy week! After expo west, I literally didn't have energy to do much other than survive the week. Let's see what we were up to:

 - colds and growth spurts

 - finally went to my boxing gym and worked out. Highlight of the week!!!!

 - apparently you cannot find halibut this time if year... Or at least this time of the month

 - garden is officially planted. This year we hope to have artichokes, tomatoes, lettuce, squash, onions , eggplant, and more.  

 - multiple ikea trips. This has resulted in impromptu backyard dining area makeover and multiple craigslist listings of old stuff to pay for it.

 - back on weight watchers as of Sunday night. I need something to keep me in check so I can get past this block I'm. Summer is coming and I have 3 pairs of shorts I can wear as of now. All my other ones are sitting there waiting. 

 - starting week 4 of T25 workouts. It's pretty good but need to start running and walking again. 

  That's about it. Nothing earth shattering. How was your week?

Banana Oatmeal Protein muffins

I'm been so lazy lately getting a healthy breakfast in. I either have been skipping it all together or drinking coffee and a piece of toast and calling it a day. I finally broke down and realized if I wanted to eat better throughout the day I probably should start with breakfast.  This is for every person on the go who needed that extra 5 minutes of shut eye (especially post day light savings) in the morning.

Banana Oatmeal Protein Muffins 

Makes 12

By LMP

Ingredients 

2 medium bananas (extra ripe)

2/3 of a container of ff Greek yogurt

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 container of applesauce (or 2/3 cup)

1 2/3 cup oats 

1/3 cup almond or cashew meal

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Optional

Raisins

Walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Mix wet ingredients then add dry ingredients

3. Let sit for 3 minutes 

4. Pour batter into muffin tins (if needed, don't forget to spray so muffins don't stick)

5. Bake for 13-16 minutes (or until brown, use toothpick to test )

6. Take out and let sit then take muffins out and let cook on a rack

Enjoy!

March 10 weekly menu

Breakfast

~ smoothies

Lunch

~ chickpea patties

~ chicken salad

~ quesadillas

~ grilled avocado with hard boil egg 

Dinner

~ taco salad

~ pasta casserole (make ahead meal) with sautéed squash

~ macadamia crusted halibut with green beans

~ roast chicken with fennel, carrots, and potatoes

~ pork tenderloin with maple roasted Brussel sprouts (new meal)

What's on your plate this week?

Weekly roundup

What a week this has been. After all the rain we got in our neck of the woods the sun decided to come out again and it's been quite lovely. Life's been filled with play dates, house cleaning, and half written recipe posts. We topped off the weekend with our annual trip to the Natural Products Expo West. It's the biggest expo of natural living products and showcases fabulous new products. We went with the intention to pick up a few new products for our store but we always keep an eye out for new and fabulous things. We found so many new brands I can't wait to show you some of our new favorites.

Now off to menu plan for the week!

K2 feeding the ducks after dance class

March 3 weekly menu

Another week another menu list. I love spending the week pulling out recipes to test out and drool over. This week's test run is seared scallops with lemon risotto. It's one our favorite tapas at Blue Stove, our Nordstrom restaurant. The hubby and I always fight out the last bite. This will also be my first time to cooking scallops. If all goes well I will be sharing the meal with you. 

Now onto what is going to get in my belly this week:

Breakfast:

Banana berry oatmeal

Breakfast sandwiches 

Lunch:

Greek chicken salad

Chickpea patties

Cheese quesadillas 

Tuna sandwiches 

Dinner:

Jambalaya  (will post recipe)

Homemade tortillas and beans

Girls happy hour (tapas!!)

Seared scallops with lemon Risotto

Taco salad 

Snacks:

Protein bites

Nuts in shells (pistachios and peanuts)

Recovery food:

Banana Vanilla Protein shakes

In love....

Since I haven't blogged on a normal basis, I figure for the time being I'll start a weekly recap.

1. Started T25 program. Muscles sore and I love it!

2. It rained cats and dogs. We're talking lions and St. Bernards.

3. Stuck to the menu I planned to.

4. Got the hang of watching all the kids without help. Everyone survived. Only a few tears were shed.

5. Downton Abbey! I rewatched the finale 3 times! 

6. Baby smiles. K3 is smiling more and more every day. Makes my heart melt every single time! 

7. Got notice that Disneyland is having a superhero half marathon. Beyond excited and will be at the computer to register the moment it opens up!!!

8. Contemplating on planning a mini holiday for memorial weekend. Perhaps Arizona? 

9. Found the easiest meal on the planet to make. Can't wait to post. 

10. Mardi Gras this week!! Look for that post coming up this week!

And picture of the week:

K1&K2 watching their scones bake

How was your week?

Feb 23 weekly menu

Sunday afternoon means time to prep and plan for the week:

Breakfast:

Banana berry oatmeal 

Oatmeal banana protein shakes

Lunch:

Chickpea patty with Marsala sauce

Chicken salad

Egg salad sandwich

PB & J sandwich 

Chicken salad

Dinner:

Chicken tikka Marsala with brown rice

Grilled mahi mahi tacos with salad

Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup

Ribs with corn on the cob 

Sloppy joes with garlic roasted potatoes

 

Snacks:

- Protein bites

- fruit cut up and prepared

- chocolate almond milk 

Is it too late? (aka things to do before 2015)

Its almost in the February and I still haven't made my things to do list yet for 2014. Is it too late? I think not! It's never too late to make a list of things to do. 

Things to do before 2015

1. Get back into shape. (Going to measure myself tonight and make some realistic goals on weightloss since I gave birth 6 weeks ago.)

2.  Take a family vacation (terrified of this since we are a family of 5 (three kids under 3.5) 

3.  Run 2 half marathons 

4. Cook 14 meals a week. Breakfast/lunch/dinner --could be any of them for 3 months

5.  Complete t25 program

6. Prepare 1 new recipe a week and blog about it.

7. Blog more

8. Walk 10 miles with the kids

9.  Make it a point to see my friends at least once a month without kids. Hello! Happy hour!!!

10. Finish the backyard remodel.

11. Keep the garden growing and plant more!

12. Date night with Mr. Planner at least once a month.

13. Enjoy life!

I think this is all doable. No out of country trips. No massive overhauling life plans. Just making a point to enjoy this moment in like plans. Sometimes you just need to stop and look around and be thankful for the life you've been given. 

Hemp & Flax seed Banana Waffles

Can you believe another school year is here?! My oldest is finally venturing into the world of preschool and our schedules are beyond chaotic. With gymnastics, golf, horseback riding, and soccer for extracurricular activities, we don't have much time worrying about what to eat. I resort to scheduling every meal at the start of the week and try to prep as much as possible so when it is time to cook, I can do it quickly and not resort to just ordering pizza. This includes breakfasts too.  Today's recipe is a favorite here and is asked for at least 3 times a week. When you find a healthy meal kids like you go with it!

Hemp & Flax Seed Banana Waffles

Makes 12-16

Dry:

2 cups flour ( we use 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup kumut/almond/flax meal)

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp flax seed

2 tbsp hemp seed 

Wet:

2 ultra ripe bananas smashed

1.5 cups almond or coconut milk -warm

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs (to make vegan you can use chia seed mixture)

Instructions

1. Heat up waffle maker

2. Mix wet ingredients well

3. Add dry on to and slowly mix them together

4. Wipe down waffle iron with extra coconut oil so waffles done stick.

5. Place mixture in waffle iron and cook.  Mine takes 3-4.5 minutes 

We enjoy ours with a little butter, homemade peach jam, fresh berries smashed up, and if its a special day, a little whip cream.

To save for later, we package up 4 waffle squares in a bag with a piece of parchment in between so they don't stick. When needed we take out one package and the night before and place in fridge or if we forget, microwave for 10 seconds, and then place in toaster oven to heat up and crisp up (because that's how I like it). Yum!!!

Enjoy!

Chocolate peanut butter protein donuts

You need these in your life!!!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 egg room temp
1 small banana mashed up
1/2 small avocado -extra ripe
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1 tsp vanilla
3 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp PB2
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Directions
1.Mix wet ingredients first
2. Mix in dry ingredients in
3.Place spoonful in mini donut baking sheet or donut maker (we use a donut maker, takes 4 minutes).

Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon/sugar mix on top or powder sugar. You can mix in chocolate chips for a little extra decadence.

Health fats:
1 mini donut: 76 calories, 2.4g fat, 10.7g net carbs, 4.5g protein

Enjoy!

Lil miss planner

And then they asked for more...

Today I wanted to do a quick and easy dinner since we had boxing (ended up doing conditioning) tonight. Pasta was on the mind so I started to rummage through the cupboards and found a box of gluten-free penne and tossed it on the stove. It was perfect start to what turned into the perfect dinner.

Spinach and Mushroom Pasta Casserole

Ingredients
1 box of pasta
1 can of tomato sauce
1 cup of shredded mixed cheese
1 package of mushrooms (I get chopped, less work for me)
2 cups of diced spinach
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp basil
1 tsp 21 seasoning (trader joes)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

Directions
1. Boil the pasta
2. In saucepan, add tomato sauce, seasonings, and garlic and bring to a boil
3. In another pan, sauté mushrooms and a pinch of salt until tender.
4. Add mushrooms and spinach and bring down to a simmer.
5. When pasta is done, place pasta in a casserole dish and add the sauce. Miss all together.
6. Add 3/4 cup cheese and mix in.
7. Add remainder of cheese on top

When it's time to bake, preheat oven to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes.

This meal is a great make ahead and store until ready to bake. It's a hit every kids and adults. As you can see they nearly polished it off!

Enjoy!

Taco Soup Recipe

In the midst of a chilly Cinco De Mayo, my desire for a crunchy taco dissipated into wanting soup. I had everything sitting there calling for me to make tacos so changing it up for tortilla soup wasn't going to cut it and the end result came out to a resounding success in which the kupcakes (aka the kids) cried out and signed "more more" while Mr. Planner was already up getting a second bowl full.

Taco Soup

1 package of ground turkey
Taco seasoning packet
1 can of diced tomatoes with chilies
1 can of black beans
1 cup Shredded Mexican cheese (I used 2% as well as full -- half of each)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour (I use whole wheat)
1 individual container of plain Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
Water


Directions:
1. In one pan cook and season (with salt and pepper) the ground turkey.
2. In a pot, stir melted butter and flour together until smooth (no lumps).
3. Quickly add yogurt and 1/2 cup of water until all mixed together.
4. Toss in shredded cheese and stir until smooth.
5. Add tomatoes, black beans, and cooked ground turkey and stir a little more.
6. Next add taco seasoning and 1-1.5 cups of water.
7. Let simmer for 10-15 before serving stirring occasionally (this helps prevent cheese from sticking to the bottom.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a little more cheese (there can never be too much cheese) and a few crushes chips.

Enjoy!

Miss me?

Hi blogosphere!

I know it's been forever and a day but I decided I need to get back to posting. I have a billion recipes to post and even more ramblings to write about.

As my apology for being away, I'll post a new recipe everyday this week. Look out for today's creamy taco soup!

As for a random update from lil ol me: both little kupcakes are growing like weeds, our child care business has grown leaps and bounds, and I'm finally feeling like my body is returning after having two little girls 19 months apart. I ran my 21st half marathon a month ago and remodeling my backyard (Mr. Planner is oh so thrilled with the manual labor I have in store for him). That's me in a nut shell.

Missed you guys and promise you'll see me more around this corner of the interwebs!

Ttfn,

Lilmissplanner

Monday Planning for the week...

Happy Labor everyone! Hope you had a great weekend and was able to enjoy the extra day off! We spend the day low key. A little shopping, long naps and a very easy home cooked meal. This weekend we have lots planned and I know if it doesn't get written down, it doesn't get done.

Now, onto the good stuff:

Breakfasts: Greek Yogurt with seed mix, a silver dollar fig & greek yogurt pancake, and decaf coffee
Snacks:  homemade protein bars and low cal chocolate/vanilla frap protein shakes

Lunches:

•  Monday:  Snacked...
• Tuesday:  Hard boiled egg, artichoke, sun dried tomato with avocado and a sandwich thin and a peach
• Wednesday: Veggie burger with Tikka Masala sauce and veggies with a pear for dessert
• Thursday: grilled tomato, avocado, and zucchini
• Friday: play-date with kiddos and pizza!  :)
• Saturday:  eat out - Mexican perhaps?
• Sunday:  Free Birds!!!! 

Dinners: 

•  Monday: Garlic spaghetti & stuffed mozzarella sausage with garlic bread
• Tuesday:  Mahi Mahi Tacos with broc slaw and black beans
• Wednesday:  Chicken Satay with brown rice and cauliflower rice and grilled zucchini  (mixed together)
• Thursday: Tacos with homemade guacamole!
• Friday:  Dinner out
• Saturday:  Pulled Pork with baked sweet potatoes
• Sunday:  left overs

Exercise:

•  Monday: Run 3 Miles
• Tuesday: Crossfit in the morning!  EEK!!!!! walk 2/4 miles
• Wednesday: Run 5 miles
• Thursday: Crossfit at night! Run 3 miles
• Friday: Walk 2 miles,
• Saturday: Run 7 miles to Barre Control class (changing things up and trying it out)
• Sunday:  My first Duathlon!!!  YAY!!!!

 *By writing it all out, it's really helping me see where my weaknesses are, not as far as what bad stuff I'm eating but what I'm missing in my nutrition. 


This week you'll see lots of recipes pop up.  I'm finally getting around to writing them down to share with y'all!  :)  Enjoy!