Week One Shopping List and Meals

I often get asked for a shopping list for the food challenges. It seems as though a shopping list by itself is not particularly helpful, but a shopping list that accompanies a meal plan might be. Each week I will publish our weekend shopping list and the meals that we made or are making for the week. Having easy-to-grab meals and snacks early in the week will help to keep you clean, so often, I like to prepare several vegetables and a bulk meal like a casserole, stew, or chili on Sunday so that I may use them as fast snacks or meals. Vegatables should comprise the bulk of what you eat, not in calories but actual pounds. Getting good or enough vegatables at restaurants is often difficult, and vegatables are time consuming to prep and cook. I usually spend anywhere from 3-4 hours prepping and making part of our weekly meals on Sunday. It is during this block of time that I really like to get some vegatables out of the way to be certain that I will have plenty well into the week.
I usually cook breakfast for myself and Max daily (when I am the night-time coach), and Chuck or I cook two to three dinners a week and perhaps another bulk meal.

This Sunday I made:

Roasted Cauliflower with Peanut Sauce: cauliflower, peanut butter, and coconut aminos
Roasted Brussel Sprouts: brussel sprouts, bacon
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Roasted Asparagus
Steamed Broccoli
Pureed Vegatables: cauliflower, rutabaga, parsnip, coconut milk, butter
Breakfast Casserole: eggs, turkey breast, broccoli, red peppers and mushrooms
Sweet Potato Chili: hamburger, pinto beans, tomato sauce, dice tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes
Fruit Salad: pineapple, pears, blueberries, strawberries, apples, kiwi, coconut milk, and shredded coconut

Later this week we will make:
Chef Salad: boiled egg, turkey, totatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, bacon, broccoli and artichoke hearts
Liver
Chicken Salad: chicken, grapes, pecans and mayo
Stuffed Eggplant: hamburger, mushrooms, red pepper, coconut milk
Hamburgers
Sauteed Cabbage
Vegetable Salad: cauliflower, broccoli, mayo

Since this is the first week of the challenge, we have stayed very basic.  Roasting vegatables is easy and a great way to make tasty, reheatable veggies.  I use them as snacks or throw a fried egg on them.  I will also cover them with chili to get some extra veggies in my meal.  Chilis and stews are also easy to make and reheat well.  Having some fruit salad around during the week keeps you from craving bad-for-you sweets, and the breakfast casserole is great for Chuck as he heads out the door at 5 am.   Of the later items, only liver and stuffed eggplant really take any time.

Planning ahead and setting aside a block of time to cook some basic meals, staples and snacks for the week are keys to success.  If you do not have clean food easily available, you will reach for a poorer choice.   I hope these glimpses into our weekly meal planning and prep gives you some good ideas.  If you want a copy of this week’s shopping list, you may download the PDF.