Egg, Chicken, and Broth
Having lost 30 pounds in my 30's, 30 pounds in my 40's (after the weight gain of childbirth #4), and 17 pounds plus (during the toughest journey yet through perimenopause), I have received several suggestions of providing meal ideas that have helped me - especially in the past. I did not follow the sequence of these meals nor any meal plan per se. I just consumed mostly healthy foods, drank a lot of water, and drank sugarless herbal teas plus kept a regular exercise routine. Nevertheless, as I present the meals as ideas that have helped me, I pull them from old email files, scribbled notes, current home-cooking practice, and good ole-fashioned memory.
So, here goes...
Tuesday Breakfast:
-----2 boiled eggs with 1/2 small avocado (to optimize calorie intake)
-----1/4 - 1/3 cup of blueberries (pretty addictive when frozen and okay to get seconds on this one.)
-----Small apple or 1/2 large apple (as an addition or alternative to avocado)
-----1/2% - 1% milk (1 cup)
Tuesday Lunch:
-----Grilled chicken (2-piece white or dark) with 1/2 small avocado
-----Kale and spinach salad (any size): salted kale and baby spinach leaves coated in 1-2 tbs of olive or avocado oil, roma tomatoes (without the core), 1/4 cup of sliced almonds
Tuesday Dinner:
Collards, mustards, or kale greens cooked in fresh bone broth:
(There's an ongoing demand for collards in my household.)
Cook raw chicken (8 pieces) or 2-3 raw turkey wings in a large pot of water:
Salt.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of avocado oil if desired
Add dried oregano flakes
Add 1-2 chopped yellow onions
Add 3-5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Boil for 1 1/5 hours, while keeping an eye on a need to adjust to prevent any boil-overs or inadvertent burns.
Simmer for 5-6 hours (The poultry will fall from the bones)
With a straining spoon, pull all chicken and bones from the broth and separate on the side during a long process until boneless tender chicken can be added back to the pot.
Add fresh greens and cook in a high to medium simmer for another 45 to 60 minutes. (If you are adding frozen greens, follow instructions on the package with the broth used in place of the water that it will call for.)
Shredded chicken quinoa (a serving portion of 1/2 - 2/3 cup):
Follow the cooking instructions of the quinoa package using broth in place of water:
Bring some chicken broth to a boil (the delicious homemade fresh or the secondary option of pre-made), with 1/2 grated onion, and about 2 tbs of olive oil.
Add dried oregano flakes and salt it to taste if it's not already salted
Add rinsed quinoa to the boiling broth. (Use the measurements on the package)
Stir frequently through about 5 minutes of slight boil and through additional 10-15 minutes of simmer. (Keep in mind that cooking time will vary based on size of the quinoa pot.)
Through the simmer, add lean shredded chicken to your liking.
Tuesday Snacks:
Handful of sliced almonds or any nuts except cashews
3-4 slices of melon in the spring and summer; up to 1 cup of pomegranate in the fall and winter.