It’s the Clean Eating Coach here, trying to get back into rhythm after so much cooking during Thanksgiving a few weeks ago.  I cooked up a storm of healthy and delicious food but then I have to admit, it felt like I overdid it a bit and I was happy to not cook the rest of the weekend. 

Last week we started off with some of the leftovers from Thanksgiving and I made a bean casserole to supplement, but by mid-week I was a bit out of steam and just trying to get by to the weekend.

Truth be told, sometimes I just need to take a kitchen break which means finding ways to have clean eating meals that require minimal prep — whole grain pasta with organic canned tomatoes and portella mushrooms or pesto, for example, is something that takes minimal time yet is focused on clean eating.  I like to always have a back up plan for a quick, clean eating meal I can make in a jiffy.  For me, that translates into having key ingredients on hand like organic chicken broth, canned tomatoes and beans that can easily be morphed into a healthy dish.  Without a good meal plan, clean eating can be more of a challenge.

The good news is that after some down time over the weekend during which I made time for meal planning, I’m back on track in the kitchen, with some healthy meals already under my belt, and a few more lined up.

Here’s a sampling of what I’m making this week:

• Southwestern Quinoa Stew — this favorite dish is super easy and quick to make and tastes so good!  It’s perfect for lunchtime or a light dinner
• Stuffed acorn squash with shrimp, brown rice and spinach.  I don’t cook that often with acorn squash (I tend to go with my old standby butternut, which I love) but when I was flipping through the January/February issue of Clean Eating magazine, this caught my eye. 
• Curried potatoes with kale — I’m not a huge potato fan but every once in a while I like to mix things up.  I love that these potatoes have so much flavor and since kale is one of my favorite veggies, you just can’t go wrong getting more veggies in. I used Teeny Tiny Potatoes (seriously, that’s what they’re called) from Trader Joe’s.
• Multigrain pasta with sweet potatoes and leeks.  I found this recipe online at realsimple.com and it just sounded tasty. I’ll be making this later in the week but it’s quick and easy. Since I try to avoid wheat, I’ll make it with brown rice pasta instead.
• Sesame chicken with gingery bok choy.  We don’t eat a lot of meat but when we do, I like to get the highest possible quality.  I bought six organic chicken breasts from the health food store that have been sitting in my freezer for a few weeks now.  I found this recipe on realsimple.com and it sounded delicious. I can already see how I might adapt it a bit for my own taste but it’s a good point of departure. 

When I take a look at the variety of ingredients I’m getting in this week it’s pretty good – sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash, kale, bok choy, spinach,  black beans, tomatoes, brown rice, and quinoa just to name a few. And that doesn’t include the fresh cilantro and sage, garlic, leeks, onion and olive oil I’m using.  Definitely a clean eating menu with nothing processed and fresh ingredients. Yum!

What’s on your clean eating menu for the week that you’re jazzed about? What will you make for you and your family to keep you feeling your best?

Filed under: Healthy Meals, Meal Planning, clean eating