Monday, July 11, 2011

Menu Plan Monday - July 11

Visit Organizing Junkie for lots of plans.

I wanted to tell you that I'm finished detoxing my body and I feel better than I have in years. It was a 30 day detox, eating foods as clean as I could get them (eliminating toxins like sugar and preservatives as well as the obvious chemical sprays) and eating three carbs a day max. I lost 7 pounds and am continuing to lose some weight, though that was not my goal. I now eat a max of four carbs per day, one cup of coffee in the morning (black with a dab of skim milk), and as many veggies (clean) as I can. I consume fruit too and very little meat. I will always be gluten-free and I'm learning to be okay with that. I have meat on the menu a lot because my husband is diabetic while on blood thinners. Too many of certain vegetables will counteract his medication for blood clots, so we opt for meat to be sure he gets the protein he needs. It's a balancing act.

I have a ton of recipe booklets - you know the ones. They come with every new kitchen appliance you buy. Others you might ask companies to send you because, well, they're free! Then there are the booklets that you pick up free in the grocery store, etc. This week I decided to either use the recipes or toss them. It would be more fun to use them. Recipes marked with ** are printed below.

Here's what I came up with:

Monday

** Red Beans and Rice **
Cafe au Lait Shakes (using stevia instead of sugar)

Tuesday
Mashed Potatoes
** Baked Custard **

Wednesday 
Pumpkin Pie

Thursday

** Sauteed Vegetables and Linguine with Basil - Garlic Tomato Sauce **
Smoked Sausage on the side
Garlic Toast
Salads

Friday

Pizza & Pop

Saturday

Going cherry picking and out to eat.

Sunday

On your own

** Red Beans and Rice**

1 lb. dry red beans
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Two 14 1/2 ounce cans vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
3 cups cooked rice (use brown for better health)

In a large pot, cover the beans with three times their volume of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes and then remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour and then drain. Combine all of the ingredients in the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker except the rice. Cover; cook on Low for 10 hours or on High for 6 hours. Serve over the hot cooked rice.

**Baked Custard**

2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
Dash salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Nutmeg

Combine eggs with sugar, milk, salt and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Pour into 6 buttered small custard cups and set into 4 cups water in electric skillet. Sprinkle a little nutmeg over tops. Set temperature at "simmer". Bake, covered, for 40 minutes, or just until a knife inserted one inch from edge comes out clean. Serve chilled in cup or unmolded on plate. Makes 6 servings.

**Sauteed Vegetables and Linguine with Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce**

2 sweet red peppers
2 sweet yellow peppers
2 zucchini, about 6 inches long
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pint jars Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce (purchased or home canned)
8 ounces linguine (I use brown rice noodles)
8 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Seed peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Slice zucchini 1/4 inch thick. Saute peppers and zucchini in oil until tender (keep heat fairly low because olive oil scorches at high temps). Heat tomato sauce in a medium saucepan. Cook linguine according to package instructions. Divide linguine among serving plates. Top each with an equal measure of sauteed vegetables. Ladle hot tomato sauce over vegetables. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

1 comment:

Susan said...

Amazing....7 lbs? Sounds like a good diet for me. Sounds like it would be good for me..Been feeling so sluggish lately. This could help me feel better even if I didn't lose weight.