My menu’s are really a template for you to follow when you plan your own menu. The four previous posts to this one include menu’s for Sun - Tuesday and also the Grocery List and On-Hand list that goes with the recipes. All recipes are posted on this site so you can look them up and find out the Calories, Fat, Fiber and Carbs of each individual dish.

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cinnamon Toast

Lunch - BLT

Dinner - New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice

(Look at each recipe and add up your calories then calculate how much you can spend on Snacks and fill out your calories with your Snacks)

Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with cinnamon and fruit

Lunch - Swiss Cheese and Bean Burrito

Dinner - Taco Chicken Salad

(Same thing here with your Calories and Snacks - see previous posts for amount of calories recommended - I’m NOT a nutritionist - these are only suggestions)

Friday

Breakfast - 1 Slice of my Whole Wheat Batter Bread with sugar free jam

Lunch - Swiss Cheese and Bean Burrito (remember to make 5 of these at a time so that your lunch is pre-made)

Dinner - Lasagna Ligera and small green salad

(look up recipes and calculate your calories and what you have left over for extra fruit and snacks!)

Saturday

Breakfast - French Toast a la Kittie’

Lunch - N.O. Style Red Beans and Rice

Dinner - Grilled Fish and Jo JO Potatoes (NOTE: I like to cook my fish the day I purchase it, so I’ll go to the grocery today for this fish - my fav is salmon but most any fish will do that you can grill)

Beginning this past Friday I have been posting a possible weekly meal plan. And so below will be Tuesday.

Breakfast - Frozen Fruit Smoothie - take your strawberries that you purchased and wash them, cut off the tops and cut them in half and then put them in a baggie and freeze them in your freezer. You cannot make this dish in the morning if the strawberries are not frozen.

Lunch - Swiss Cheese and Bean Burrito - and I make five of these at once so that I have made at the least three more of my lunches for this week.

Dinner - Chunky Chicken Pizza - remember the chicken breasts that you baked on Sunday - here’s another time you’ll use them.

And the calories total 765, so for a woman who is following a 1,200 calorie plan you’ll have 435 left for snacks and for a man who is following a 1,500 calorie plan you’ll have 735 left for snacks. Don’t forget your snacks!

All recipes are on this site so look at them today - before tomorrow gets here and plan your day!

Happy eating from the Happy Dieter - ME!

Breakfast - bran cereal and fruit with skim milk and coffee

Lunch - BLT

Dinner - New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice

All recipes are on this site. Today’s menu has 660 Calories which means you’ll have 540 left for snacks if you’re a woman and 840 left for snacks if you’re a man. Snacks are an important part of any meal plan. They can be a deal breaker, so never forget them.

And as you know I’m NOT a nutritionist. This is a suggested way to eat and it’s the very way I lost weight and am keeping it off.

Before you go to work or start your day, take your package of beans and wash them in a colander and then place them in a large pot (the one you intend to cook them in) and fill it with 8 cups of water. Cover and leave until you come home. The beans should be moist and plump and ready to make your recipe.

When making your lunch be sure and cook 4-6 pieces of turkey bacon so you don’t have to do this again this week either. I’ll eat another BLT later in the week and if the turkey bacon is already cooked then it’s done.

The red beans make 10 servings and you’ll be eating it again this week as well.

Do you see where I’m going with this? By the end of the week there will be very little - if any - cooking. My way of cooking and eating is like I’m making my very own “delivered to your door” meals. I always make more than I need to cut out future steps.

Be sure and see the previous posts for the Grocery List and the On-Hand list and also the menu for Sunday, if you are following this.

ALL recipes - even for the toast - are on this web site - just go to recipes and click. And the recipes list all the calories, fat, fiber and carbs

Breakfast - Cinnamon Toast

Lunch - Taco Chicken Salad

Dinner - Lasagna Ligera - HINT: Once you make this dish, it makes 12 portions, so you’ll freeze them for later. I’ll eat this again on Friday night so once this is made dinner is made for Friday too!

My snacks will fill out my calories for the day.

In my reading and research it is generally understood that women should never eat less than 1200 calories a day and men 1500 calories a day.

As you know I am NOT a nutritionist - this is just a suggestion of what to eat and it is how I eat everyday now. On this day the total calories will come to 830 which means I’ll have 370 left for snacks. If you’re a man you’ll have 670 calories left for snacks, which means if you’re really hungry at dinner you could have seconds of the Lasagna!

I usually eat at least one 100 calorie pac of popcorn a day, I’ll have some fruit in there somewhere and I might have a glass (4 oz = 100 calories) of red wine with my Lasagna.

This is day one.

And then I’ll post the First Week of meals tomorrow and how to prepare them. I have people ask me all the time what they should be eating and I send them to my site to get recipes all the time, but this will make it even one step easier. This is everything for the week - all meals.

So here are the lists. You can copy and paste them into a Word Doc and print them out and take them with you to the store. The meals, which I’ll post tomorrow, will have all the calories, fat, fiber and carbs listed so you don’t have to figure that out either!

Week #1

GROCERY LIST

CANNED GOODS

2   14-Ounce cans artichoke hearts packed in water

3   6-Ounce cans tomato paste

3   14.5-Ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1   20-Ounce can pineapple chunks  (packed in pineapple juice with no added sugar)

1   13-Ounce can fat free refried beans

1   Jar sugar free jam or jelly  (your favorite flavor)

WHOLE GRAINS

1   Loaf whole wheat bread (50 calories or less per slice)

1   Package whole wheat lasagna noodles  (you’ll need at least 12 noodles)

1   Box 100% bran cereal  (with NO added sugar)

1   Container of oatmeal  (Old Fashioned or Steel Cut ONLY)

1   16-Ounce package brown rice

1   Bag low fat whole-wheat tortillas  (130 calories each or less)

MISCELLANEOUS

1   16-Ounce package dried red kidney beans

1   Bag reduced fat tortilla chips  (there are many choices so read your labels)

1   Smuckers sugar free pancake syrup  (optional – see French Toast)

FRESH PRODUCE

2   Apples

1   Head Romaine lettuce   (or your favorite lettuce. I buy what’s on sale)

3   Onions (I get what’s on sale, but if you love Vidalia or purple, that’s your choice)

1   Bunch asparagus  (if the price is sky high then get broccoli)

1   Pint strawberries

4   Large tomatoes

2   Red bell peppers

2   Green bell peppers

1   Pint fresh salsa  (the kind that’s refrigerated)

1   Yam or sweet potato  (Keep this in the fridge so it will last till the end of the week.)

DAIRY

1   Tub Smart Balance margarine  (the only non-hydrogenated margarine I can find)

1   2-Cup package fat free shredded cheddar cheese  (If you can’t find fat free, get 2%

     and adjust your calories.)

1   2-Cup package reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1   Package reduced fat Swiss cheese (80 calories per slice)

1   2-Pound container reduced fat ricotta cheese

1   Pint egg substitute  (or 1 pint pure egg whites)

½  Dozen eggs  (a dozen if it’s cheaper)

1   Half gallon skim milk  (or SILK, Almond or Whole Grain non-dairy drink if you’re lactose intolerant)

1   Sour cream, fat free  (optional – see Taco Chicken Salad)

MEAT – POULTRY – FISH

1   Package boneless skinless chicken breasts  (usually a package has 5-6 breasts)

1   20-Ounce package Jennie-O Italian Flavored ground turkey

1   Package Jennie-O turkey bacon

1   14-Ounce package low fat turkey sausage

6   Ounces your favorite fish to grill  (mine is salmon) (See NOTE below)

(NOTE:  I like to cook fresh fish the day I buy it. For Saturday I’ve scheduled Grilled Fish. If you don’t plan to shop again and buy your fish today, be sure to freeze it!)

Week #1

HAVE ON HAND LIST

(NOTE: If these items are not already in your fridge or pantry, don’t forget to add them to your grocery shopping list!)

CONDIMENTS, DRESSINGS & RELISHES

Balsamic vinegar  (my “go to” for a quick side salad)

Dill pickles  (or your favorite low calorie pickles)

Hidden Valley Original ranch dressing mix  (I always buy the double envelope)

Horseradish  (small jar)

Ketchup  (sugar free or regular is okay here, unless you plan to drink the bottle!)

Mayonnaise, fat free

Mustard, brown

Mustard, yellow

Zesty Italian Dressing, fat free

KITCHEN AIDS & UTENSILS

1   10 x 14 x 2 Pyrex  (or equivalent) casserole dish

Aluminum foil  (whatever is on sale)

Baggies  (sandwich, quart and gallon size)

Food storage containers (Invest in small, medium and large microwave safe food containers to freeze leftovers in. Containers with ounce markings on the side are helpful.) 

Pot  (large enough to boil lasagna noodles)

Sauce pan  (4-quart size is a minimum)

MISCELLANEOUS

Garlic,  fresh cloves or pre-chopped in a jar  (I use whichever I have at the time.)

Vanilla extract

OIL & COOKING SPRAY

Butter flavor cooking spray

Olive oil cooking spray

Olive oil  (small bottle of whatever is on sale or your favorite)

SEASONINGS

Basil, dried  (Fresh is great, but have this, too.)

Black pepper, ground

Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s brand.)

Chicken bouillon, powered  (I use Maggi brand.)

Cinnamon, ground

Garlic salt  (The cheapest store brand is fine.)

Oregano, dried   (Fresh is great but have this around, too.)

Parsley, dried  (Again, fresh is great but have this, too.)

Thyme, ground  (I rarely use fresh Thyme, but you can make that choice.)

Salt  (Table, Kosher or Sea Salt all work for me.)

Salt Substitute  (for people who have a salt issue)

Seasoned salt  (I ONLY use Lawry’s brand)

STAPLES

Equal packets  (or your favorite artificial sweetener for coffee and tea)

Splenda for baking

Whole Wheat flour, 5 pound bag

Later today I’ll post a grocery list and an on-hand list so you can go to the grocery and be ready to begin.

And I like to shop and begin on Sunday, but if Saturday is your best day then start Saturday. There is some cooking involved and that’s why I suggest a weekend day to begin. But once you do your weekend prep there is very little cooking until the next week.

Stay tuned!

I have been very lazy lately about posting so I’ll make no promise but I’ll try to be better. So much to say about the state of Mississippi’s health - and I mean the people who live there. I did a live radio show with Seth Kent at WONA while I was there and so I made “my” food for people to stop by and try. I had a hard time finding some things that I take completely for granted here - like low fat cheese…couldn’t find it. I needed a red bell pepper and the only way to get one was to purchase three (one yellow, one orange and one red) in a package all together.

Now I know that people don’t get fat because they are missing something like low fat cheese - but it was hard to find fat free mayonnaise and I got the very last Balsamic Vinegar. If people don’t have choices - what do they do? I can tell you that it took very little to persuade me to eat wrong. Something like - not finding pretzels would send me straight to the potato chips. I could rationalize that “at least I tried” to find the right food.

I hope anyone reading this will go to your super market and request that they stock the shelves with the items you need to make you more powerful. You can take the power food has over you back - but you first need the right food to do that with. So ask for it - WINONA!!

http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/b5223_losing_feargaining_understanding.html

Well, I had a victory today and I’m not sure if it was big, medium or small - but I’m still smiling about it. You see, the oil leak in the Gulf has the seafood industry and everyone who enjoys seafood very nervous about the status of getting fresh Gulf seafood in the future. The whole thing is a tragedy - just a tragedy. So sorry for so many who depend on that industry for their lively-hood and have for hundreds of years..

Not to be a pessimist, but I ordered 35 pounds of shrimp and crawfish tails last week from a place in Louisiana just to make sure I have some. Neil and I are going to the Gulf Coast for a family visit the end of July but who knows what kind of shape the Coast and the seafood industry will be in by then.

So I ordered some for us to have here in California. And sort of a way of supporting the industry, too, since people are afraid that it’s tainted now and sales may be off - which what I ordered is NOT.

I’m not a physically strong person. A few weeks ago I began lifting weights and realized I’m in such a state of weakness that I needed to step that up. I had been going to a gym for the past year but quit, trying to save the dues, so I began exercising at home and “yes” I am actually doing that 6 days a week now.

Ever since I placed the order for the seafood (I had them deliver it to my office at work) I kept thinking “Gosh 35 pounds of seafood. How will I ever get that to my car and more important how will I get it up the two flights of stairs to my condo refrigerator?” I have really been worried but thought maybe I can ask someone to help me.

So the cooler full of frozen seafood came today and as the FedEx guy sat it down and I signed for it the fear that I couldn’t lift it was all over me. So after the delivery guy left I walked over and pick it up. TO MY AMAZEMENT I COULD LIFT IT UP WITH EASE!!!!!! Don’t ever let any tell you that you won’t see results soon after you start exercising because I only started lifting weights a few weeks ago and I can lift this like it was ten pounds - not thirty-five.

This was amazing and I had to share! And because I am someone who doesn’t like to exercize, I can tell you that I will have the memory of this in the morning and many mornings to come to help me lift those weights ten more reps than what I normally do.

THIS IS A VICTORY - A HUGE VICTORY!!!!