I just realized it's been MONTHS since I blogged! Sorry about that! As always, life is busy with 3 kiddos during the week, 2 kiddos during the weekend, baby birthday, anniversary trip, and other summer travel plans. I might update on all that later.
For now, here's a brief description of what's going on... Michael and I have decided to diet. I'm making 3 homemade meals/day. These are more than just peanut butter or turkey sandwiches or a bowl of cereal. I have new recipes for (nearly) every meal for 5 weeks straight. I have carefully calculated the number of calories in each meal, day, and snack, as well as the appropriate number of calories for Michael and I to safely lose weight (~2lbs/wk). We have set some goals for ourselves and have some substantial rewards for when we meet our goals and significant progress.
Each day I am putting LOTS of work towards these meals. So, of course, I'm taking pictures! Michael and I are also rating each meal with 0, 1 or 2 thumbs up. Anything that gets 2 thumbs up from either of us is a keeper! We'll incorporate those recipes into our regular menu. Anything that gets 0 stars from either of us is automatically out. It's hard enough to diet, much less eating food you hate. Those recipes will be thrown out and replaced with something new. Any recipe that receives 1 thumb up from each of us is given another month to grow on us, changes can be made to improve upon the recipe if need be. If we try the recipe for 3 months and it only gets 2 thumbs up each time, we'll throw it out and look for something new. Get the idea? I'll explain more later.
Day 1(ish)
We were supposed to start our diet today (May 31st) because I planned the weeks Sunday-Saturday and I didn't want to start dieting before vacation. However, we had a wedding yesterday, and spent the night in Kansas City, so we weren't going to be home for breakfast or lunch today, but we were yesterday. So I made Day 1 breakfast and lunch yesterday (Saturday) and Day 1 dinner tonight (Sunday).
Breakfast - Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomato Quiche
4 thumbs up! Awesome! The kids gobbled it up too! Connor ate more than anyone!
Lunch - Turkey, Apple, Chutney Sandwich
3 thumbs up! I was a little critical because breakfast was AMAZING and lunch was just good. ;) The kids liked this one except for the spinach.
Dinner - Smoky Pork Stir Fry
2 thumbs up. Meh. I thought the pork tasted really good. Michael doesn't really care for Asian food, so giving it one thumb up was generous. The kids weren't crazy about this meal. Avery ate her pork, but no veggies, Connor didn't eat any of it. The lack of a response from the kids made Michael and I each put a thumb down. Ya can't win them all. :\
So overall, not too bad of a day! 9/12 In case you're worried about our kids, they are not on a diet. They are given an opportunity to eat each meal, and a serving is made of each meal specifically for the kids. But if they don't like it and want something else, they can have other things to eat. I forsee this especially being an issue for salads. They'll also have ample opportunities for snacks. :) Here's to a new, healthier diet!
I have turned the titles of each meal into links to the recipes. Ifit looks good or sounds good to you and you're interested in the recipe, you'll have them right here! :) I HIGHLY recommend the quiche! :D
