Menu Planning and Recipes

We are trying to eat a processed-food-free diet.  This has been a recent revelation of ours.  We've transitioned our boys (5,4, and 2) and are now enjoying some wonderful food!  Since overhauling our diet, we have seen many wonderful changes in our energy levels, moods, and overall health.  It's much easier than one might think.  Here's a sample of what we've been eating!

Breakfast
  • Oatmeal: Jazz it up any way you like.  Here are some of our favorites:
    • Make with coconut milk, add unsweetened coconut flakes and carob chips
    • Add peanut butter and berries
    • Add pure maple syrup and some diced apples with a dash of cinnamon
  • Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies:  Blend some ice, add some fruit and yogurt (Greek yogurt gives you an uber dose of protein!), and a splash of juice...I also add a tablespoon of chia seeds to mine!
  • Whole Wheat Toast with Eggs
  • Whole Wheat Homemade French Toast Sticks
  • Banana Pancakes (just mash a banana in the batter!  How easy!)
  • Yogurt parfaits: just add granola and berries

Lunch
  • Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies:  yes, for lunch too...sometimes for an afternoon snack...we love the smoothies around here!
  • Grilled Chicken in a Whole Wheat or Spinach Wrap: Add some hummus and sliced peppers...mmmm...
  • Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese
  • Homemade chicken fingers
  • Gnocchi
  • Whole Wheat Pizza: top it anyway you like!
  • Anything else from the Breakfast menu!
Snacks/Sides
  • You guessed it! Smoothies!
  • Kale Chips: Wash and tear kale in bite size pieces (eliminate the stems!), toss in olive oil, sprinkle with season salt and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes
  • Veggies and Hummus
  • Veggies and a Homemade Bean Dip
  • Fruit, Fruit, and More Fruit!
  • Sweet Potato fries or medallions
  • Air Popped Popcorn
  • Cheese (yes, here it's a snack!)
  • Sauteed Swiss Chard
  • Zucchini Fries
Dinner
  • Burrito Bowls: Think Chipotle!  Use dried (cooked) black beans and fresh corn on the cob, mixed with some cumin, add a whole grain, cilantro, lime rice, and top with green onions, avocado, tomatoes, and some sour cream.  You can even add chicken or beef!
  • Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza
  • Whole Wheat or Veggie Pasta with fresh pesto
    • We have a nut allergy around here, so our pesto is literally just basil, parmesan, a clove of garlic and olive oil...we blend it up in about 2 minutes-delish!
  • Whole Wheat or Veggie Pasta with Alfredo Sauce:  Just mix some butter with heavy whipping cream, and voila! I didn't say this was all fat free, just not processed!
  • Turkey Burgers
  • Black Bean Burgers
  • Chili (my kids' fave!)
  • Homemade Pierogies with Chicken Sausage (admittedly minimally processed here!)
  • Homemade Chicken Fingers
  • Chicken Fajitas
  • Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
  • Eggplant Parmesan


This is just a sampling!  There is so much more that we discovered!  We recently signed up for a share of produce from a sampling of local farms.  Every week, we get a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, most we are familiar with, but some we get to experiment with!
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)