Meal Prepping for Me!

I used to think meal prepping was only for hardcore workout people. Silly I know, but true. I pictured chicken breast and veggies day in and day out. Then I started noticing more people posting pictures of their meal prep on Instagram and realized how very wrong I was and it got me thinking about my weeks. Sure I eat healthy and cook majority of my meals but I felt like I was constantly unorganized and running to the grocery store; and then there were other weeks when I would cook too much and end up having to throw away food or freeze it if I could.  

So I decided to give meal prepping a try. I wrote down the meals I wanted to eat for the week. Went food shopping. Spent the next day cooking and sorting the foods. I learned a very valuable lesson that first week...make sure to switch up the dishes. Pork shoulder was on sale so I got myself a giant one and based dinner and lunch around it. BIG mistake!! I was so over pork by the end of week I ran to Shoprite and picked up a rotisserie chicken to avoid eating my meal prep. The good news is I learn quickly. After that week I had a better understanding of what I needed and how much I would need for the week.

It was delicious,
but there is just so much pulled pork you can eat in one week

I tend to food shop Friday after work or Saturday mornings, or if I am really tight on time I order my groceries to be delivered. Sunday for the most part is my cooking day. I actually really enjoy it. It's what I call cooking therapy.

Some weeks there are not enough hours in the day, spent not at work.
Peapod delivery to the rescue. 

I absolutely love knowing that at least the food portion of my week is taken care of, one less thing I have to worry about. The weeks are busy enough, if there is a way to make it even just a little less stressful you can bet I will figure out a way! Also, a huge added bonus is how much MONEY I am saving. I am buying what I need. I try and plan my meals around what proteins are on sale so that helps, and way less food gets thrown away at the end of the week due to spoilage.

I highly recommend giving meal prepping a try!  Save on time, money, stress, and even just having less extra food in the house to munch on has helped.

Here are some of the meals I have made...

Trader Joe's Chili Lime Burger, caulirice and broccoli

Same as above just separated

One of my favorites...
baked salmon and asparagus with caulirice

All done. Meals for lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks.
Not pictures is my breakfast shake and apple

I just put everything in my cooler bag before work and off I go.
So easy!!

Mini paleo meatloaf (recipe to come), sweet potato, and mixed veggies

Crockpot chicken thighs with string beans

Pulled Pork Deliciousness

Playing in the kitchen has really become fun for me. I used to be so afraid. What if something comes out bad? What I have learned is sometimes things come out bad and that's not fun, but then you try again and make adjustments and it could turn out to be your favorite meal!

My mom recently cleaned out her extra freezer and had some pork shoulder she wasn't going to make, she donated it to the feed the Cindy fund and I happily cooked it up. I did some research first online..the usual places..google and pinterest. I wasn't really sure what to do, but the crockpot seemed like the best option. I found a couple of different recipes, took what I liked about each one and made my own recipe hoping for success. I can tell you I was not disappointed! Hello melt in my mouth and happy belly food pork shoulder.

Recipe time...

This is just one of many many ways to cook the pork shoulder

** I forgot to add 1/2 cup of water to the above recipe. **

Done and shredded. Ready to be eaten!

I couldn't believe how juicy and tender it was when it was cooked and the flavor blew me away. I made that! And my condo smelled delicious for days.

In the past I didn't really share my cooked food, especially if I made up the recipe. I was afraid no one else would like it, but then I realized I wanted to know. I wanted other people's opinions and I wanted to know if there are tweaks I could make to make it even better.  Thankfully my dad and a few coworkers are brave and have been my go to testers. They all approved and asked for this dish again!

Happy dad, happy daughter!
He loved it and trust me he is not an easy sell.

I had plenty for the week and loved mixing it up with different sides.

Broccoli and zucchini 

String beans and caulirice,
I also added a little balsamic dressing to this dish

Enjoy!  If you make it I would love to hear your thoughts.

Adventure with Travel and Food

I did it!  I not only flew on a plane for the first time in over 12 years, I not only went to my first big business trip, but I managed to stay true to myself and make choices to benefit my health. With everything I went through last month I was so nervous traveling, especially on a plane and to a location I had never been before. Now that it is over I can say from the bottom of my heart it was amazing!!

View from the plane going to Las Vegas

The meeting that I attended went smoothly and was very informative, in fact, I'm more excited about the future of my company than ever before. The meeting took place in Las Vegas and I am so thankful my boss invited me to attend. From the moment he asked, I thought oh no there will be food. I had barely eaten anything other than my soup, greek yogurt, and caulimash for a month and now I would not only be eating other foods I would not have my own food. I am sure there are plenty of people who travel and what they eat is not on their list of high concerns, but I have a feeling anyone who suffers from health issues related to the digestive system can relate to my fears.

My coworker asked if I wanted a picture,
a few months ago I would have said no thank you,
but now I said absolutely!

Another plane view. I love looking at the clouds

I spoke to the women planning the meeting and she was very understanding, told me everything that would be in the meeting room for breakfast and lunch and gave me the restaurant names so I could plan ahead. I called the restaurants and both seemed okay with my request of plain grilled chicken and a side of veggies.

On the plane I brought some cheese sticks and water. I didn't even eat them, guess my stomach shrunk more than I thought. We checked into the hotel and went to lunch, I ordered a salad with chicken and hoped it would hold me over until dinner. After lunch my boss took us on a tour of Las Vegas, and then went back to the hotel to relax a little.

No french fries or onion rings for me.
I admit this salad was really good and way more filling than I thought it would be

Look I went to Paris too...
haha okay maybe not, but still incredible to see in Vegas

View from my room.
I loved looking out and seeing the mountains

Well I think all that walking and jet jag (I'm from the east coast) caught up to me, because while hanging out in the hotel room I realized I was starving! I checked out the little store downstairs and found some cheese, a turkey sandwich, and coconut water...jackpot! The turkey seemed to be of good quality so I gave it a shot. It was just what I needed. I was back on track and feeling good. Later I met everyone for dinner at the Mexican restaurant and absolutely LOVED the meal they made me of chicken breast, cheese, and veggies. Very healthy, very yummy, low carb, low calorie, low sugar, no bad extra ingredient stuff. I skipped the drinks and dessert and really felt very proud of myself. I also slept great that night.

Snacks I found in the little hotel store.
Thankful the cheese didn't bother my belly

Breakfast in the meeting room was greek yogurt and berries, I am very pleased the berries didn't bother me. Lunch I had some fresh turkey in a small salad. Dinner...well even though I called ahead asking for plain chicken and they assured me it was no problem, the waiter came back and said everything has been marinated and spiced. Ummm now what!?! I asked him what wasn't marinated and spiced he said salmon. Good thing I like salmon. It turned out to be really delicious with a side of asparagus. We walked back to the hotel to enjoy the city at night.

Water show at the Bellagio.
The water was dancing to "singing in the rain" 

Water show at the Bellagio
My favorite part of the walk back to the hotel

I came back from that trip so excited that I stayed true to myself. I didn't eat anything bad because it was easier. I didn't hide my health issues. I even lost a pound. And best of all I was able to wear really cute clothes (thanks to my bf for the Express gift card) and even more exciting was having the the energy I needed to keep up with the meetings, the walking, the travel, and the fun!!

Welcome back to the East Coast.
No place like home

Cauliflower Mash

Let me warn you before you read any further, this dish is addictive. You will want it all the time! Don't say I didn't warn you.

I started seeing more and more recipes for cauliflower mash aka caulimash online and would think about making them, but never did. It was actually my mom's idea to try and make it when I was sick and couldn't chew. I was looking for mushy foods that wouldn't irritate my body, you don't get any more plain than cauliflower. The first time I tried it, I knew my mom was a genius. It allowed me to eat without pain, it was delicious, and filling.

Now it's my turn to share with you. My version is very simple. You can find a ton of recipes online that will add in cheeses and spices and different techniques. Maybe someday I will try those too, but for now I am happy with my way.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower (frozen or fresh)
Garlic
Salt (I prefer sea salt)
Butter

I started making it with frozen cauliflower, but when my boyfriend made it for me using fresh cauliflower I loved the freshness and started cutting up my own. I really wasn't sure how to cut a cauliflower so I googled and got some pointers. Removing the stem is the big thing. It's actually not that hard. After you clean the head, flip it over and cut the branches like someone would cut a tree branch to separate from the trunk.

This is how I cut up my cauliflower. If you have a better technique feel free to let me know.
I made this up as I went

Once the stem was removed find all the little florets was easy, a bunch of them just fell off and the others was just quick cut at a branch or two.

See how once you remove the stem you can see all the different florest

I fill a pot with the cauliflower and then filled the pot with just enough water to cover the cauliflower add a little salt and then cover the pot.

I cut mine up into smaller pieces to make it cook a little quicker.

I then turn the heat up high and wait for it boil. When it gets really going I turn the heat down a little so the water doesn't go all over the place. Then just let it cook away.

As the cauliflower is cooking, I start chopping up fresh garlic to throw in. I love garlic so I will usually chop up a few cloves, go by what you like.

I love garlic!  Mmm the smell and taste, yum

Once the cauliflower is soft I dump it into a strainer to remove the water.

Strain out all the water.
BE CAREFUL it will be steamy and HOT!

I then dumped the cauliflower back into the original pot, because it will still be warm and makes it easier to mash the cauliflower. I scatter the garlic and a couple tablespoons of butter.

Mmm the start of something delicious. See how the butter is melting already

Another find, compliments of the man, he loves this type of butter and I have to agree.
It's delicious

Now the fun part.  Take your masher and just start mashing!!  Some people use a food processor, but I don't want to add to the cleaning pile, and let's face it, it feels good to get a little aggression out sometimes...use it to mash!

MASH MASH MASH!!

Doesn't it look like mashed potatoes?

And that's it. Now serve and enjoy.  Even when I am all better I plan on keeping this on my menu. It's healthy, low carb, easy to make, and delicious. If you try it, I hope you love it as much as I do. Now I have to go make a batch because I am drooling at my pictures.

ENJOY!