Delicious Recipes to Keep my Family of Four Happy and Full
I mentioned earlier this week that I was doing Whole30 for the month of January. I’m on day 4 now and feeling pretty good. My good friend Liz is actually the person who inspired me to finally try Whole30 so I’d thought I would have her share some of her thoughts on it, tips and tricks for surviving Whole30 and even her goals for this round. {Psst…at the end there is a link to 30 recipes to get your through Whole30 too}
So…meet Liz
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Hello readers of Just Us Four! My name is Tracey and I blog over at Just a Trace. I’m here taking over Shannah’s blog today to bring you one of my favourite healthy snacks. Before we get into the recipe, let me share a little bit about me. I’m a lifestyle blogger located in Canada, and I write a lot about weddings, dating and my random daily encounters with all things weird. So whether you’re looking for a DIY project, a healthy muffin recipe or you just want a good laugh, I hope you will stop by my corner of the internet and say hello. I’m a complete social media junkie, so you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and Pinterest.
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I have a good friend {amaze-ball friend, really} who recently had to go gluten free for health reasons. Now, I know that these days there are all kinds of gluten free products out there to help people make the transition but it can still come as a shock to your system. So, in an effort to help and be supportive, I decided that I would start including more gluten free options here on the blog. I find that lunch is typically the most difficult meal for me to make specialized in any way because it usually eaten at the office so I decided to focus on lunch first and made this gluten-free chicken and kale salad topped with a carrot cucumber dressing. Not only is it gluten free but it is super healthy and delicious too.
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So, we’ve made it through Valentine’s Day and probably have a few extra pounds from the delicious dinner and yummy chocolates to show for it. Me, I’m recovering from a trip to Vegas where we ate and drank so much delicious but definitely unthealthy things 😉
So, it is time to get back on the healthier food wagon stat because bathing suit season will be here before you know it {shudder}. Breakfast is definitely one of the best places to start when working to make healthier choices. I’ve shared my busy morning breakfast and my favorite green smoothie recipe and, today, I’m sharing one of my other favorites: broccoli and cheese egg muffins.
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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Jimmy Dean, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BreakfastDelight http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.
Beep…Beep…Beep. That’s my alarm. What time is it? It is 4:15am which means it is time to get up and ready for work. Yep, you read that right…4:15AM. That gives me exactly 45 minutes to get showered, dressed and out the door.
Why so early? A few years back my office moved locations and I found it was so much better for me to work earlier in the morning than go in at a more regular time of 8:00am. So, I work 6:00am – 2:30pm. That means I eat breakfast when most people are just rolling out of bed and I definitely do not have time {or even want} breakfast before I leave my house at 5:00am. So, I’ve got to find breakfast choices that
– are easy to pack in my lunch bag
– can be prepared with only a microwave
– are healthy
– are delicious
Unfortunately, that isn’t easy to find so I can usually be found eating oatmeal day in and day out. I recently found Jimmy Dean Delights though and my oatmeal consumption has dramatically decreased. There are a ton of delicious options including breakfast sandwiches and French toast. Yes, French toast…with turkey sausage…for under 300 calories. Mouth watering? 
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Remember my goal to eat at home six out of the seven days of the week? Well, we are rocking it! One reason we are doing so well is thanks to some super easy meals that I can prepare and freeze or use shortcut ingredients to throw together fast. This easy chicken and rice casserole, using Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken breasts, is one of those dishes that I know I can always get to the table even when I am short on time.
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I love Shepherd’s pie. Like seriously love it. My family tolerates it but would rather I not make it quite so much once the weather turns cold. I try to oblige but I really wanted to give a few substitutions to my normal favorite recipe a try. So, I begged the family to forgive me as I whipped up carrot cauliflower shepherd’s pie.
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When it comes to cooking portobello mushrooms don’t be intimidated, it’s easier than you think!
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Good morning! Are you having a great week? Mine has definitely been hectic. Getting back into the routine of school and sports and PTA can be really tough. I find I have less and less time to sit down and spend so much more time on the go. All the rushing about definitely makes meal planning more difficult too.
This brings me to a question I want to post to you as readers: Does What to Cook Wednesday help/interest you? Or would you rather see it replaced with a different type of content post {recipe, craft, DIY, etc.}? Let me know in the comments please!
For now, I will share with you a few things on our list for the upcoming week. This month has really brought a heavier focus on clean eating in our house. While we are far from perfect {ahem, is birthday cake clean?}, we definitely try to make most of our meals as clean as possible to focus on a healthier lifestyle with more nutritious foods. I’ve always loved quinoa but can now say that the taste/texture of brown rice is really starting to grow on me too.
Anyhoo, here are a few things you’ll find being cooked up in our kitchen.
Sunday: Green Thai Chicken Coconut Curry from Bless This Mess
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I go to work super early in the morning {like always before the sun is up!} and no one else in my house is awake. I try to squeeze every last minute of sleep I can out of the night so I don’t allow a lot of time for preparing breakfast. In fact, many mornings, I don’t even remember breakfast until I am already at work and then I turn to something super unhealthy in the cafe. Not good!
One of my missions for this year was to eat healthier. That meant bringing healthier foods into our home for myself and my children. They, like me, don’t have a lot of time to fit in breakfast either.
I’ve tried healthy cereals and similar items but without much success. Many yogurts tend to be so full of sugar that I have avoided them for the most part. One day, in the store, I saw Yopa! yogurt and decided to check it out.
My daughter was excited to see Gabby Douglas, the gold medalist, on the front because she is really into gymnastics! {At 5, she is really picky eater so anything that gets her interested is ok with me!} She was also excited that she could mix things into her yogurt too. I gave her one of the flavors to try and she polished off the whole container.
The best part…she asked for it again the next day. I felt good saying yes because I knew she was getting important stuff for her diet like:
– protein (the 3.5 oz cup has 13% of the recommended daily value)
– calcium
– 5 cultures and 3 probiotics
I grabbed one of the cups along with a slice of toast on my way to work one morning. It was the perfect size and made a super convenient option for me. Bringing my own breakfast means I have so much more control over my calories AND keeps me out of the cafe. Overall, starting off the day right with a balanced breakfast, helps me stay on track for the rest of the day!
Speaking of balance, gold medalist Gabby Douglas is an expert, and she’s challenging you to take the Yopa! Taste Challenge where you can win a variety of prizes, including $10,000! Just “like” Yopa! on Facebook for a chance to win and to grab a coupon for $.50 (or more!) off one cup of Yopa! Authentic Greek Yogurt.
I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.
