Southern (healthy) Style
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...
Wednesday Pancake Ensemble Breakfast:
(No, the nice picture above is not this dish.)
I like adding some nutritional value to my favorite breakfast goodie, Aunt Jemima Complete Pancake Mix. (Yes, I know. How processed can I get, right? But it's worked so far.) So, following the directions of your favorite pancake mix, here's what to add:
-----2 tablespoons of chia seeds (pre-soaked overnight in either water or low fat milk).
This is what I use this in place of water for my batter. In an original pancake recipe or mix, I'd simply use this in place of milk.
-----100% maple syrup (One of my favorites is Trader Joe's brand.)
-----A sprinkle of a few berries (and even sliced nuts, which I've never tried with pancakes) like the nice Wix stock picture above shows.
Wednesday Lunch:
-----2-piece lean chicken - baked, roasted, or grilled
[Don't feel like cooking it? There are places that serve good lean chicken without the high cost. My favorite places are where the chicken are just clean chicken and inexpensive (no antibiotics, no hormone injections, no preservatives - just clean). They include Sprouts whole rotisserie chicken for less than $8 in Texas , H-E-B Natural Rotisserie Chicken (as I am only aware of the Natural Rotisserie being completely clean in addition to their raw fresh chicken with the labels they typically display as being non-injected), and Pollo Loco restaurants.]
Mashed Cauliflower:
Finely cut the crowns of fresh cauliflower.
Lightly coat them in extra virgin olive or avocado oil.
Lightly salt them with a desired amount inside a pot that is suitable in size and add water.
For 5-plus minutes, boil the cut cauliflower crowns along with a desired amount of grated onions. (If you coated the cauliflower crowns with olive oil, allow them to cook for 25-plus minutes covered over medium-to-medium-low heat until they are completely softened.)
Otherwise, using avocado oil, reduce the boil to a medium simmer for another 15+ minutes (or for longer when cooking a large portion that will feed 7+ people). Stir frequently through both boil and simmer. You may have to cook longer to get a soft texture in †he crowns.
Drain.
While mashing with a fork or other potato-mashing utensil, add butter or ghee along with a small amount of olive oil - little by little until the desired taste and texture are reached.
Green beans cooked in lightly salted chicken broth, seasoned with oregano along with cayenne pepper, and touched with 3-5 drops of honey.
Wednesday Dinner:
One baked breast or wing
Riced Cauliflower:
Boil the cut cauliflower with grated onions. Salt to taste.
After about 5+ minutes, reduce the boil to a medium simmer for another 15+ minutes (or for longer when cooking a large portion that will feed 7+ people). Stir frequently through the boil and simmer.
OR
If baking chicken in the oven, add uncooked riced cauliflower to the cooking broth of the chicken inside the covered pan for the last 10+ minutes of its baking time.
Some more of those green beans from lunch
And some collards. Here's my favorite way to cook them on Saturdays for Sunday dinner:
Cook raw chicken (8 pieces) or 1 or 2 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
Simmer for 5-6 hours (the poultry will fall from the bones)
With a straining spoon, pull all the poultry 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 collards and cook in a high to medium simmer for another 45 to 60 minutes. (If you are adding frozen collards, follow instructions on the package with the broth used in place of the water that it will call for.)
Wednesday Snack: