What's For Dinner??????

Hi Fit Friends,

Lately, I have had a LOT of personal training clients and fitness class participants ask me, "What do you eat for dinner?" Most of them tell me that breakfast and lunch aren't a problem, because they eat similar meals everyday. However, it's panic mode for dinner. They don't know what they want to eat, the kids are starving, and hubby or honey wants to know when dinner will be ready. Does it sound familiar? If so, no worries - help is on the way.

I think the key to a worry free meal is PLANNING! For instance, I have a weekly plan and it looks like this:

Sunday: Home Cooked Meal
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Chinese
Wednesday: Pasta (because Shane likes it)
Thursday: Easy (because I'm busy)
Friday: Mexican
Saturday: Chef's Choice

Having this plan allows me freedom in my meals, but gives me a basis from which to start. For example, Sunday is "home cooked meal", that leaves me a lot of room to try a new recipe or rely on a good old standby.

Monday is self explanatory:)

Tuesday is Chinese food, well, that could mean an Asian Salad (recipe follows), home cooked stir fry, or maybe I'll get Tofu and Vegetables with the sauce on the side (thanks to Master Wok).

Wednesday is Pasta night, that means Shane is cooking (hopefully) and we'll have quinoa pasta with a simple marinara, or lasagna that I prepared earlier and froze, or maybe a pasta salad.

Thursday is "Easy" and there again I have a wide choice. I can grab some frozen dinners (Kashi are the BEST), or a can of Amy's Black Bean chili, or veggie burgers and frozen fries. It's a busy day so I make it as EZ as possible.

Friday is "Mexican" and one of my favorite nights. I'll make healthy bean burritos, or mushroom and cheese quesadillas, or taco salad, or veggie fajitas, or black bean soup. Whatever I make I almost always have avocado with it - YUM!

Saturday is up in the air. We might eat out, or make homemade pizza, or Greek, or we might have a nice salad, especially now that it's summer.

So there it is, my meal plan. Simple but healthy. Home cooked (most of the time), but still quick and easy. If I spend a lot of time cooking, it's usually on Sunday and I'll freeze some meals. I also make a huge salad that we can eat throughout the week. I like to have a side salad with my dinners to ensure I'm getting enough veggies. I make sure I don't put any "wet" veggies (i.e. bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc) in it until I serve it, that way it stays crisp.

So, this is what works for me and I bet it will work for you, too. Change it to suit your family. If they don't like Chinese, maybe it's Vegetarian night, or Soup night. The possibilities are endless, but don't get bogged down. Just pick 7 basic meals and find 3-5 recipes for each night and rotate. You'll have peace of mind knowing what's for dinner.

Asian Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 clove garlic -
3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
•3 take-out packets duck sauce or 2 tablespoons honey (I use honey)
•3 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
•1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
•1 can water chestnuts (8 ounces), drained and chopped or 1 small jicama, peeled and cut into small matchsticks
•1 small bunch radishes, thinly sliced
•1 small head Napa cabbage or romaine lettuce, finely shredded ( I use cabbage)
•1 seedless cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons
•4-5 ribs celery from the heart, thinly sliced
•4-5 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
•1/4 cup chopped cilantro (omit if you aren't a fan)
•1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds or whole almonds, chopped

If I don't have all of the ingredients, no big deal, I use whatever veggies I would use in a stir fry, i.e. bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.

Rub the inside of a large mixing bowl with the clove of garlic and discard whatever is left.

Add the tamari, a hearty splash of water (about 3 tablespoons), duck sauce or honey and oil to the bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the jalapeños, water chestnuts or jicama, radishes, cabbage or lettuce, cucumber, celery, scallions, and cilantro to the bowl and toss well to combine with the dressing.

Garnish with the toasted almonds and serve. If I want a little sweet, I toss in mandarin oranges. Enjoy!


Eat Really Intentionally,

Cindy