2nd Half of November Meal Plan

You will notice that I never assign days to the actual meal plan.  Instead, I buy ingredients for the entire plan and cook at random choosing meals from within the plan depending on what we are in the mood for.  Freedom within the plan helps me to stick to the plan!

Breakfast

Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (3 breakfasts first week/ 3 breakfasts 2nd week)

(my mama)
makes 12 muffins

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp. baking powder (aluminum-free)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp.salt

1 cup milk

1 large egg (or 1/3 cup water and 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed)

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1/2 cup mashed bananas

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin and set aside.

In large bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nuts.

In smaller bowl, mix together the milk, egg (or flaxseed/water), vanilla, maple syrup and mashed banana.

Add liquid ingredients to the dry and mix well. 

Stir in the blueberries.

Fill each of 12 muffin cups to almost the top.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the tops of muffins are set.

Note: You can play around with different ingredients, such as using applesauce or canned pumpkin instead of banana, as well as adding dried fruit (craisins, raisins, etc.) 

Chunky Monkey Smoothie (2 breakfasts first week/ 2 breakfasts second week)

Jenna Oljinek

2-3 frozen bananas (this is the key to the recipe) - any kind of milk (3 cups) - 2-3 heaping spoonful of peanut butter - 1 ts cocoa powder - could add a scoop of oats ...I also added some local honey since I used unsweetened coconut milk. 
*If you like more chocolate flavor, sprinkle in more cocoa... if you're a big fan of PB, add another scoop.
*With smoothies- always do a taste test to see if need to add more...I always err on adding little and then add more till I have it just the way I like!

Fruity Greens (2 breakfasts first week/ 2 breakfasts second week)

2 bananas
2 tbsp Very Green Trador Joes
2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk Unsweetened
1 cup Frozen Fruit
4 tsp Ginger Root 
5 tbsp anutra grain 
1 cup Simply Orange, Calcium Fortified Orange Juice
Makes 5 cups/ 5 servings 3 WW points

*With smoothies- always do a taste test to see if need to add more...I always err on adding little and then add more till I have it just the way I like!

Lunch

That Good Salad (1st week lunches)

Carrie Watson

romaine lettuce

bacon

tomato

toasted almonds

swiss cheese

parmesan cheese

shredded chicken

Dressing: olive oil and lemon juice, garlic and salt

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa (2nd week lunches)

http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/11/hearty-chicken-stew-with-butternut-squash-quinoa-recipe/

Dinner

Sweet and Sour Meatballs with cabbage and sweet potato fries (3 dinners)

http://againstallgrain.com/2014/01/23/game-day-sweet-sour-meatballs/ 

For the sweet potato fries, I cut them up to look like French fries and soak in coconut oil and bake at 350 until crispy.

http://wellnessmama.com/5909/roasted-cabbage-slices/

Potato soup (3 dinners)

http://www.betondinner.com/nanas-potato-soup/

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (3 dinners)

^{Mercola website}

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a mix
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 6 whole green chili peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons natural salt
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups bone broth or chicken stock
• 1.5 cups cooked cannellini or navy beans
• 1 cup frozen or fresh corn
• To serve: shredded raw Monterey Jack cheese, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, raw sour cream, and hot sauce

Method:

1. Combine the chicken, onions, celery, green chili peppers, garlic, cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, coriander, oregano, and bay leaf in a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Stir to make sure the spices coat everything, and nestle the chicken into the vegetables. Pour the chicken stock over top, covering the chicken and vegetables by an inch or so.
2. Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. (It's fine to cook for 8 hours on low, if needed, but the chicken tends to fall apart a bit more when you shred after cooking, rather than staying in pieces.)
3. About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the lid of the slow cooker and add the beans and corn. Taste and add another ½ teaspoon of salt or other seasonings as desired. Add the lid back on and cook for the remaining time.
4. Lift the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it into large, bite-sized pieces with two forks. Stir the chicken back into the chili and remove the bay leaf.
5. Serve with shredded cheese, wedges of lime, chopped cilantro, and sour cream.

Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas (3 dinners)

http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2013/02/08/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-enchiladas/

Suggestions to save time: Bake the diced sweet potatoes and then mix the filling to save time.

Absolutely DELICIOUS Dessert that I will be serving over the holidays

Eggless Edible Cookie Dough

Camp Greystone

4 tbsp. butter

scant 1/3 c. white sugar

heaping 1/3 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. milk

1 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Mix in vanilla and milk. Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix. Add in chocolate chips and mix. EAT.