Get Ready for Week 2!

Ok, here is the shopping list for week 2, and a reminder of what week 2's meals are:

Week 2

Breakfast: Oatmeal (I found this amazing instant oatmeal called Oat Fit. I found it at Harmon's on sale for 50¢ a box, with 5 packets per box.)
Snack: Apple (I used apples for Week 1's breakfast, so I might switch to oranges or something.)
Lunch: Gardenburger on Orrowheat bread
Snack: Carrots
Dinner: Spinach & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Make a bunch, separate into containers for each night's meal.)
So here's your shopping list!

• Oat Fit (If you want to just buy a thing of oatmeal and cook it everyday, go for it. Just stick to the serving sizes. When I do this, I add a little bit of brown sugar for flavor.)
• Apples (or another fruit)
• Gardenburgers (The black bean chipotle are AMAZING)
• Orrowheat bread (I love the oatnut. SO good!)
• Carrots
• 2 Cans Chickpeas (I doubled the recipe from The Kind Life blog, since it says it makes 4 servings, that should give the perfect amount for a week when doubled.)
• 2 Cans Diced Tomatoes
• 4 Medium Potatoes
• Spinach (you'll need 6 cups worth)
• Cloves
• Tumeric
• Curry Powder
• Garlic Cloves
• 2 Cans Coconut Milk

With the spices, if you already have them then awesome! I have no idea if I do or not. . . There are so many spices in the cupboard I haven't a clue what's in there anymore. LOL So on Wednesday, I'll be hitting the grocery store with this list.

Here's a pic of the Spinach & Chickpea Coconut Curry. Doesn't it look amazing? I'm excited to try it! I won't be having it with rice, just to cut carbs. But if you need a little extra oomph with it, go with brown rice.

So far. . . So good!

I'm on day 3 of Week 1. Doing good so far! I haven't been able to get much cardio in, it's been a pretty crazy busy week. :S I met with a trainer on Friday, and I'm really excited to work with him!

Even though April 1st was on a Friday, and it felt odd starting on a Friday as opposed to the beginning of the week, I wanted to start at the beginning of the month. So I did my grocery shopping for week 1 on Wednesday. I put together my meals for the week Thursday evening.

Grocery List:
• Greek Yogurt
• Light String Cheese
• Apples
• Raw Almonds
• Spinach
• Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
• Eggs (14 total. 2 per day)
• Kashi 7 Grain Crackers
• Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese Wedges
• Spaghetti Squash
• Marinara Sauce

All these groceries cost me about $25 at Winco.

So pretty much the only "cooking' to do this week is boiling the eggs and preparing the spaghetti squash. Which I found out you do by cutting in half and baking it, then scraping out the insides. SO good.

Here is what it looks like all separated out into containers and baggies, so it's just grab and go.

So I just boiled the eggs, then put two per baggie. I shell them when I'm getting my lunch out, cut them up and put them in with the spinach and drizzle a little bit of the poppy seed dressing over them. Do not drench it with dressing, it'll taste super gross. You really only need a little bit of the dressing, and it's heaven. :) Separate the almonds out into 2oz servings. We have a food scale here, which everyone should have! It's so helpful in getting correct portion sizes for so many things. The serving size of the Kashi crackers is 15 crackers. Which, if you don't put huge piles of cheese on them, gets you through the cheese wedge perfectly. Then for the spaghetti squash, I just separated it out into the containers. When I pull them out for dinner, I pour a little bit of the marinara sauce from the jar onto it and heat it up. One squash should give enough for one week. (You could use two as well. Being a vegetable, it won't hurt. I'm just going with one for myself.)

Here are some artsy food shots of breakfast and lunch. ;) hahaha

AND My sister and I have started a garden. I've never attempted to garden before, so this is entirely new to me. But I'm so excited to be able to walk into the backyard and pick my own veggies!! We planted them a week ago, and they've grown SOO much already! It's amazing to me. We either have that good of a green thumb, or they just have an innately STRONG will to live, knowing who it is caring for them. LOL!!