Meal Plan: Week of July 9th

We took the week off last week from meal planning and boy could you tell.  I feel like I was at the grocery store every other day.  When I wasn't at the grocery store I was at a pick up place.  It made me realize a few things; first off that meal planning is cheaper, secondly it is healthier and lastly with our office being leading to a busy lifestyle it definitely saves time.

Sunday-  Grilled Shrimp with Corn Avocado Salad

For the shrimp I don't really have a recipe just grilled any way you like it or substitute any other grilled protein

Monday - Summer Tomato Cucumber Quinoa

I am going to add some sort of bean to this recipe for protein

Tuesday- Sweet Potato Broccoli Chicken Bake

Wednesday- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Thursday- Pesto Chicken and Veggies

Meet Our New Kitchen Obsession!

We have a new awesome member of our small appliance kitchen family and we wanted to introduce you to it.  It is called an Instant Pot and it is remarkably awesome.  Why is it awesome you ask? Well, because when you are constantly going, it makes it easy to cook delicious, healthy food in very little time.  We were able to make an amazing chicken burrito bowl a few nights ago in less than 20 minutes start to finish.  That was with delicious moist chicken, long grain rice and sautéed onions and garlic all in one pot.


So what exactly is an instant pot might be the question you are thinking in your head.  Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot.  We are still experimenting with all the different functions this machine has to offer but lets just say so far everything we have used it for has impressed us.  Perfect fluffy quinoa with no effort, no problem.  One pot meals that save cooking time and decrease dishes in your sink, yeah, it does that.  Hard boiled eggs that peel easier than any other hard boiled egg I have ever seen, yep, covered.  We even baked little tiny personal mini cakes in it last night.  Next on the agenda homemade yogurt, which I can't wait for since they add so much sugar to the store bought varieties.

You might see more Instant Pot recipes in the future on our blog and social media posts.  There is no shortage of recipes out their as this appliance has a huge cult following.  This isn't your grandma's pressure cooker, you don't have to be scared of it.  It wont blow up in your kitchen, at least I should say ours hasn't yet, as long as you follow directions you should be ok.  Tune in later to see how the homemade yogurt experiment goes.

- Dr. Chris

Meal Plan March 5th

Since it is such a nice day today it just feels right to light the grill and cook a weeks worth of chicken.  We are going to grill two whole chickens and use it to make 3 dinners.  We will have it tonight with mashed cauliflower and Brussel sprouts.  Then use the left over chicken for a salad on Tuesday and chicken enchiladas on Wednesday.  Looking forward to seeing everyone in the office this week!

Sunday- Grilled Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts.

https://www.thelocalvegan.com/recipe-items/the-best-mashed-cauliflower/
http://www.slenderkitchen.com/recipe/crispy-balsamic-brussel-sprouts
Monday-Thai Chicken Soup on a cold day

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-thai-coconut-chicken-soup/7cc193b0-0b00-4ff5-9527-ae68db64039b
Tuesday-Avocado Grilled Chicken Salad

http://www.cookingclassy.com/avocado-and-grilled-chicken-chopped-salad-with-skinny-chipotle-lime-ranch/

Wednesday- Chicken Enchiladas

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/06/chicken-and-black-bean-enchilada-skillet-recipe.html

Thursday- Broiled Rockfish, with Old Bay Seasoning and Steamed Broccoli  (no recipe)

- Dr. Chris

Weekly Meal Planning Feb 5th

People have been asking for insights into how we eat in a normal week.  Our goal in our clinic is to be as helpful for people as we can on their journey in leading a more healthy lifestyle.  Our routine is not perfect by any means, however we do try a variety of healthy dinners every week.  If our weekly meal plan can inspire patients to eat one nutritious meal per week or if you choose to follow the whole week I consider either a success.

Every Sunday morning I try to plan our meals Sunday - Thursday for that week.  Why do I do this?  Multiple reasons; first planning and preparation make it easier to stick to the plan, second planning Sunday morning allows me to make a concise grocery list before going to the store.  By have a list for the week it helps me stay out of the store during the week and cuts down on buying bad foods, which we don't need in our house.  Almost all of our weekly meals are easy to prepare on a week night, and do not require elaborate cooking skills.  In the next few weeks we will try to post on certain preparations that may not be familiar to some people such as spiralizing or ricing cauliflower.

Lastly, there are cooking utensils/appliances that are handy to have for the meals we typically make.  A spiralizer, which is used to make noodles out of vegetables, is a must in our kitchen.  Another must for us are our food processor and crock pot.

Lets get started. Well kind of.

Sunday (Super Bowl Sunday) -  Lets be real its the Super Bowl I planned no meal for this day, it is a free day and I will be enjoying it for sure.

Monday - Shrimp Skewers with roasted vegetables

Shrimp Skewers
1lb Raw White Shrimp peeled (makes about 4 skewers with 5 shrimp)

1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup italian dressing

Mix all three ingredients in container and let marinate during the day.  Skewer them up and put on the grill until pink and cooked through


Tuesday - Teriyaki Tofu over brown rice with steamed brocoli

This one is simple, cut tofu into slabs about 8 per tofu brick.  Let drain on paper towel for about 30 minutes.  brush on teriyaki sauce and grill for 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat.
Cook instant brown rice.
Chop broccoli into florets and steam on the stove top.
Place the rice on bottom and top with broccoli and tofu.  Keep it healthier dont add any additional sauce.


Wednesday - Crockpot Chicken Dinner

Thursday - Cauliflower Mexican Rice

- Chris