<p>I'm watching the Grammy's while trying to meal plan. It's terrible, because the acts go between artists that I don't care about and acts that I sort-of-kind-of want to enjoy. And then there are the performances that demand I stop what I'm doing and pay attention. These are the singers who pour their heart and soul into every word and it shows. Lady Gaga, P!nk, Bruno Mars, K$sha, Patti Lupone &#x26;ndash you can't help but be enraptured by their time on the screen. But enough about music, it's time for putting together this week's meal plan.</p>
<h2>What's In The Refrigerator</h2>
<p>Last week I started planning with a "what's in the refrigerator" and I found it really helped with putting together meals. Knowing what I needed to use informed me for what I needed to cook.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>½; bags of broccoli - good for three or four meals</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>1 bag of carrots medley - there are my new favorite way to get variety into vegetables.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>6 bell peppers (whole)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>¼ bell peppers (diced) - these are great for adding to salad</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Brussels sprouts - I have two bags uncut, and six meals worth chopped and in deli containers</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Salad greens - these expire quickly, so I need to used them all by Tuesday's dinner</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Tortillas</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Hamburger buns</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>English muffins</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Naan</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Salmon (in the refrigerator)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Shrimp (in the freezer)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Chicken thighs (frozen, 4 thighs per bag)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Steak (frozen), probably filet mignons, individually wrapped</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>|Day of Week| Breakfast       | Lunch                         | Dinner                      |
|-----------|-----------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|Monday     | Std. Breakfast  | <em>work lunch out of office</em>    | Chicken Fajitas             |
|Tuesday   *| Katie's Oatmeal | <em>vendor provided lunch</em>       | Steak, Veggies, and Salad   |
|Wednesday  | Std. Breakfast  | <em>leftovers from last week</em>    | Salmon, Veggies, and Salad  |
|Thursday  *| Katie's Oatmeal | English Muffin &#x26; Turkey       | <a href="/posts/2018/shrimp-stir-fry-with-coconut-rice/">Shrimp Stir-fry</a> and Salad   |
|Friday     | <em>Petro's</em>       | <em>leftover Shrimp Stir-fry</em>    | M.Y.O. Mini Pizzas          |
|Saturday  *| Std. Breakfast  |                               | Meatballs and Veggies       |
|Sunday     | Std. Breakfast  |                               | <em>Super Bowl Pizza and Wings</em> |</p>
<h2>Breakfast Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Standard Breakfast - 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 75 grams potatoes, 64 grams Brussels sprouts</li>
<li>Katie's Oatmeal - 1 serving oatmeal, 1 serving almond milk, ½ serving organic peanut butter</li>
<li><em>Petro's</em> - We don't get out very often, so we've found that we really enjoy making Friday morning breakfast a little treat for ourselves. We're going back and for between <a href="https://chefpetros.business.site/">Petro's</a> and IHOP.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Snack Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>HBO Eggs + Carrots - 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered; 16 oz. deli container filled with baby carrots</li>
<li>Yogurt - individual serving-sized portions of lite Greek yogurt</li>
</ul>
<h2>Lunch Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Chicken Salad - chicken breast with celery, Dijon, lemon juice, salt, sour cream, and mayo</li>
<li>Turkey and English Muffin sandwich</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dinner Plans (also, leftovers as lunch)</h2>
<ul>
<li>Chicken Fajitas - bell peppers, onions, sauce, cheese, fajitas</li>
<li>Stir-fry shrimp, bell peppers, onions, celery with paprika and cayenne sauce over plain rice</li>
<li>Make Your Own Pizza (on English muffins)</li>
</ul>


January 29 - February 4 Meal Planning

<p>After two weeks of solid meal planning, the third week got skipped entirely. Katie worked on Saturday and I was home on MLK, which meant that by the time my weekend was over, I was already thrown well off of a schedule. I never made time to do the meal planning and thus it didn't get done. Let that be the lesson for that weekend – whatever isn't made a priority doesn't get done. In order to keep these meal planning sessions going, I need to make it a priority. Even if that means it is prioritized over sleep. But here I am at 20:25, already starting to put together this upcoming week's meal plan.</p>
<h2>What's In The Refrigerator</h2>
<p>Starting with "what's in the refrigerator", this week; I'm hoping that by listing out the perishables and proteins that I have on hand this week, it will inform me as to what I should cook.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>½ a bag of broccoli - good for one meal, or two if combined with carrots</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>1½ bags of carrots medley - there are my new favorite way to get variety into vegetables.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>3 bell peppers (whole)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>1½ bell peppers (diced) - I diced up three of them, but used half of that for salad tonight</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Brussels sprouts - I have two bags uncut, and four meals worth chopped and in deli containers</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Salad greens - these expire quickly, so I need to used them all by Thursday's dinner</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Tortillas</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Hamburger buns</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>English muffins</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Shrimp (in meat drawer)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Ground beef, 85% lean (frozen, 1 lb. bags)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Chicken thighs (frozen, 4 thighs per bag)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Steak (frozen), probably filet mignons, individually wrapped</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>|Day of Week| Breakfast       | Lunch                         | Dinner                      |
|-----------|-----------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|Monday     | Std. Breakfast  | <em>leftover chicken and peas</em>   | <em>on your own!</em>              |
|Tuesday   *| Katie's Oatmeal | <em>work is providing</em>           | <a href="/posts/2018/shrimp-stir-fry-with-coconut-rice/">Stir-fry Shrimp</a>        |
|Wednesday  | Std. Breakfast  | <em>leftover stir-fry shrimp</em>    | Chicken fajitas             |
|Thursday  *| Katie's Oatmeal | English Muffin &#x26; Turkey       |                             |
|Friday     | Std. Breakfast  | Chicken Salad (Dijon, etc.)   | M.Y.O. Pizza                |
|Saturday  *| Std. Breakfast  |                               | <a href="/posts/2018/hamburger-and-fries-experiment/">Hamburgers</a> and salad |
|Sunday     | Std. Breakfast  |                               | <a href="https://allrecipes.com/recipe/244715/shrimp-florentine-with-zoodles">Shrimp Florentine with Zoodles</a> |</p>
<h2>Breakfast Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Standard Breakfast - 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 75 grams potatoes, 64 grams Brussels sprouts</li>
<li>Katie's Oatmeal - 1 serving oatmeal, 1 serving almond milk, ½ serving organic peanut butter</li>
</ul>
<h2>Snack Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>HBO Eggs + Carrots - 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered; 16 oz. deli container filled with baby carrots</li>
<li>Yogurt - individual serving-sized portions of lite Greek yogurt</li>
</ul>
<h2>Lunch Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Chicken Salad - chicken breast with celery, Dijon, lemon juice, salt, sour cream, and mayo</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dinner Plans (also, leftovers as lunch)</h2>
<ul>
<li>Stir-fry chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, celery, shredded carrots with coconut aminos and tahini over cauliflower rice</li>
<li>Stir-fry shrimp, bell peppers, onions, celery with paprika and cayenne sauce over coconut rice</li>
<li>Hamburgers</li>
<li>Make Your Own Pizza (on English muffins)</li>
</ul>


January 21-27 Meal Planning

<p>This is an experimental recipe. I tried it once, and then it clearly needed some tweaking. I've made the changes in the recipe below, and if it needs more adjustments after the second time through, I'll come back and update this post.</p>
<h2>Ingredients Needed</h2>
<h3>French fries</h3>
<ul>
<li>Russet potatoes</li>
<li>3 lb. lard</li>
</ul>
<h3>Hamburgers</h3>
<ul>
<li>1 lb. ground beef (85% lean)</li>
<li>¼ cup minced onions</li>
<li>2 tbsp. BBQ sauce</li>
<li>1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce</li>
<li>1 tbsp. soy sauce</li>
<li>1 tbsp. Dijon mustard</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cooking Steps</h3>
<p><strong>An hour before serving</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Fill large pot with water and 2 tbsp. salt, starting heating</li>
<li>Peel and slice potatoes (using <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VU2HR6/">Potato French Fry Cutter</a>, largest size fries)</li>
<li>Once water is boiling, put first batch of fries into the water</li>
<li>Cook for 4-5 minutes - long enough to be soft, but not too long that they break when you hold them</li>
<li>Set cooked fries on a cookie sheet with paper towels</li>
<li>Let water return to a rolling boil, and repeat until all fries are cooked</li>
<li>Thoroughly mix all hamburgers ingredients (knead by hand)</li>
<li>Divide meat into 2 oz. portions</li>
<li>Form portions into very thin patties</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>30 minutes before serving</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Place large in large pot (can be the one previously used for boiling)</li>
<li>Turn heat on high, and bring to 380°F (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L9X2RZS/">OXO Good Grips Glass Fry Thermometer</a>)</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>10 minutes before serving</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Heat cast iron skillet on high</li>
<li>Place two or three patties on skillet at a time</li>
<li>Heat for 1-2 minutes (they cook quickly), then flip for 1-2 more minutes</li>
<li>Remove from skillet and place on warming plate or serve</li>
</ol>


Hamburger and Fries Experiment

<p>The first week of meal planning went well... as well as a first week of any experiment goes. I didn't do a very good job of thinking about all of the sides and ingredients needed to accompany the main protein. Additionally, I didn't account for the time it would take to prep some of the dishes. Since I'll be back at work this next week, prepping food the night before or morning of is going to be key to successfully following the meal plan this week.</p>
<p>|Day of Week| Breakfast       | Lunch                  | Dinner                      |
|-----------|-----------------|------------------------|-----------------------------|
|Monday     | Std. Breakfast  | Chili + Rice           | Chicken Stir-fry &#x26; Veggies  |
|Tuesday   *| Katie's Oatmeal | Chili + Rice           | Chipotle (post Costco)      |
|Wednesday  | Std. Breakfast  |                        | B.N.P. &#x26; C.                 |
|Thursday  *| Katie's Oatmeal |                        | <a href="/posts/2018/shrimp-stir-fry-with-coconut-rice/">Stir-fry Shrimp</a>        |
|Friday     | Std. Breakfast  |                        | M.Y.O. Pizza                |
|Saturday  *| Std. Breakfast  | Hamburgers &#x26; French Fries | <em>kids' birthday party</em>   |
|Sunday     | Std. Breakfast  |                        |                             |</p>
<h2>Breakfast Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Standard Breakfast - 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 75 grams potatoes, 64 grams Brussels sprouts</li>
<li>Katie's Oatmeal - 1 serving oatmeal, 1 serving almond milk, ½ serving organic peanut butter</li>
</ul>
<h2>Snack Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>HBO Eggs + Carrots - 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered; eight baby carrots</li>
</ul>
<h2>Lunch Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Chicken Salad - chicken breast with celery, Dijon, lemon juice, salt, sour cream, and mayo</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dinner Plans (also, leftovers as lunch)</h2>
<ul>
<li>Stir-fry chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, celery, shredded carrots with coconut aminos and tahini over cauliflower rice</li>
<li>Stir-fry shrimp, bell peppers, onions, celery with paprika and cayenne sauce over coconut rice</li>
<li>Bacon, Noodles, Peas, and Cheese</li>
<li>Make Your Own Pizza (on English muffins)</li>
</ul>


January 8-14 Meal Planning

<p>A simple dish with a lot of flavor and it doesn't cost too many SmartPoints. Pairs well with a salad. Recipe follows.</p>
<h2>Ingredients Needed</h2>
<ul>
<li>4 cups rice (<a href="https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/Blue-Ribbon-Long-Grain-Rice%2C-25-lbs.product.11367776.html">Blue Ribbon Long Grain rice</a>; Costco)</li>
<li>1 can unsweetened coconut milk (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thai-Kitchen-Coconut-Milk-13-66/dp/B000GZSDZI">Thai Kitchen</a>)</li>
<li>6 carrots</li>
<li>6 cups broccoli florets</li>
<li>½ cup diced onions</li>
<li>4 servings cooked shrimp (<a href="https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/Kirkland-Signature-3140-Tail-On-Cooked-Shrimp%2c-2-lbs.product.11094594.html">Kirkland Signature 31/40 Tail-On Cooked Shrimp</a>)</li>
<li>¼ cup soy sauce</li>
<li>1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar</li>
<li>1 Tbsp. minced garlic</li>
<li>1 Tbsp. tomato paste</li>
<li>olive oil</li>
<li>salt</li>
<li>pepper</li>
</ul>
<h2>Cooking Steps</h2>
<p><strong>The Night Before</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Transfer shrimp from freezer to refrigerator</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>1 hour prior to serving time</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 350° F</li>
<li>Fill <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Multi-Use-Programmable-Packaging/dp/B00FLYWNYQ"><em>Instant Pot</em></a> to 2 cup mark with water</li>
<li>Add rice and coconut milk</li>
<li>Stir briefly to evenly cover rice</li>
<li>Slice carrots (easiest done on mandolin slice)</li>
<li>Toss carrots with generous amount of olive oil, some salt, and lots of pepper</li>
<li>Spread carrots on cookie sheet</li>
<li>Place in oven on middle rack for 40 minutes (roughly 50 minutes until serving time)</li>
<li>Put (don't heat, yet) broccoli into tall skillet or wide pot (<a href="https://www.lecreuset.com/1925-original-cocotte">Le Cruset <em>original</em></a>)</li>
<li>Add light coating of olive oil, some salt, and lots of pepper</li>
<li>Combine onions, shrimp, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, tomato paste</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>20 minutes prior to serving time</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Start <em>Instant Pot</em> - "Rice" setting, High Pressure</li>
<li>Cook broccoli on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is almost consistency desired</li>
<li>Add onions, shrimp, et al. to skillet/pot</li>
<li>Remove carrots from oven and add to skillet/pot</li>
<li>Stir skillet/pot until shrimp are just starting to warm up</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Serving Time</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Transfer skillet/pot to serving bowl, add spoon, place on table</li>
<li>Remove <em>Instant Pot</em> pot from base, add spoon, place on table</li>
<li>Serve and enjoy.</li>
</ol>
<p>Looking through the list of ingredients, only the rice wine vinegar and salt weren't purchased at Costco. Go figure.</p>


Shrimp Stir-Fry with Coconut Rice

<p>In the spirit of trying new things for the new year (and being desperate to prevent injury this year), I am going to do 30 burpees every day. I stumbled on a <a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/i-did-30-burpees-for-15-days-and-heres-what-happened">Runner's World article</a> where the author talks about her progression over the course of 15 days. I will be using her description of the burpee (squat, kick-out, pushup, squat, jump). I know there are many variations, but I can do 30 pushups and I can do 30 squats, so now it's just the dreaded part of putting it with the kickouts. I like that she progressed from 3 sets of 10 burpees with a one minute rest, then dropped 15 seconds of rest every three days.</p>
<p>For reference this will be my schedule:</p>
<ul>
<li>Jan 3: 10 burpees, 1 min rest, 10 burpees, 1 min rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 4: 10 burpees, 1 min rest, 10 burpees, 1 min rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 5: 10 burpees, 1 min rest, 10 burpees, 1 min rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 6: 10 burpees, 45 sec rest, 10 burpees, 45 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 7: 10 burpees, 45 sec rest, 10 burpees, 45 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 8: 10 burpees, 45 sec rest, 10 burpees, 45 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 9: 10 burpees, 30 sec rest, 10 burpees, 30 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 10: 10 burpees, 30 sec rest, 10 burpees, 30 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 11: 10 burpees, 30 sec rest, 10 burpees, 30 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 12: 10 burpees, 15 sec rest, 10 burpees, 15 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 13: 10 burpees, 15 sec rest, 10 burpees, 15 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 14: 10 burpees, 15 sec rest, 10 burpees, 15 sec rest, 10 burpees</li>
<li>Jan 15: 30 burpees</li>
</ul>
<p>If I can continue this until the end of the month, I'll explore adding something more to this. But for now, it's day 1 of this self-imposed challenge, and we'll see how long it lasts.</p>
<p><strong><em>Update - 2018-01-21</em></strong></p>
<p>I did not complete this challenge. I got through Jan 10, and then I just stopped making the time to do them. I'm not even sure that I was doing anything for my body. I really do loathe burpees. No matter how many I do, how often I do them, or what else I mix them with... I never really feel like I make any progress at getting better with them. I always end with a massive headache, and it just doesn't make me feel good.</p>
<p>Now I'm off to find a different exercise I can attempt to do for 30 days (or so).</p>


30 Burpees Per Day Challenge

<p>As with all new years, this one will start with the best of intentions. My wife is diving into her WeightWatchers eating plan, so I am going to try and do a better job with planning out the weekly meals, weekly shopping, and hopefully allow myself more time to do any of the other myriad things throughout the week that I wish I found time for. It's all about priorities, and for these first few weeks my priorities are going to be meal planning/executing, regular exercise and recovery, and career improvement.</p>
<p>|Day of Week| Breakfast       | AM Snack           | Lunch                  | PM Snack       | Dinner               |
|-----------|-----------------|--------------------|------------------------|----------------|----------------------|
|Monday     | <em>eating out</em>    |                    | <em>leftovers</em>            |                | Stir-fry Chicken     |
|Tuesday   *| Std. Breakfast  | Yogurt             | <a href="http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weight-watchers-chicken-salad-162386">Chicken Salad</a>     | Apple + Pecans | Whole30 Chili        |
|Wednesday  | Std. Breakfast  | Yogurt             | Cheeseburger Tortilla  | Apple + Pecans | ~~Pork Chops + Veggies~~ Subway |
|Thursday  *| Katie's Oatmeal | HBO Eggs + Carrots | Leftover Chili + Chips | Apple + Pecans | <a href="/posts/2018/shrimp-stir-fry-with-coconut-rice/">Stir-fry Shrimp</a> |
|Friday     | Std. Breakfast  | Yogurt             | ~~Leftover Pork chop~~ Leftover Shrimp | Apple + Pecans | ~~Salmon~~ Pork Chops + Broccoli |
|Saturday  *| Katie's Oatmeal |                    | M.Y.O. Pizza           |                | Steak                |
|Sunday     | Std. Breakfast  |                    | Brunch at <a href="http://pinstripes.com/northbrook-illinois/bistro-menus/sunday-brunch/">Pinstripes</a> |                |                      |</p>
<h2>Breakfast Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Standard Breakfast - 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 75 grams potatoes, 64 grams Brussels sprouts</li>
<li>Katie's Oatmeal - 1 serving oatmeal, 1 serving almond milk, ½ serving organic peanut butter</li>
</ul>
<h2>Snack Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>HBO Eggs + Carrots - 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered; eight baby carrots</li>
</ul>
<h2>Lunch Plans</h2>
<ul>
<li>Cheeseburger Tortilla Pizza - ¼ lb. ground beef, chopped red onion, shredded cheddar cheese on a tortilla, side of diced tomato, pickles, lettuce, ketchup</li>
<li>Chicken Salad - chicken breast with celery, Dijon, lemon juice, salt, sour cream, and mayo</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dinner Plans (also, leftovers as lunch)</h2>
<ul>
<li>Whole 30 Chili (with Sweet Potato) + Baked Potato</li>
<li>Beef Stew + Tortilla Chips</li>
<li>Pork Chops with cinnamon apple sauce + roasted vegetables</li>
<li>Salmon + roasted broccoli</li>
<li>Stir-fry chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, celery, shredded carrots with coconut aminos and tahini over cauliflower rice</li>
<li>Stir-fry shrimp, bell peppers, onions, celery with paprika and cayenne sauce over coconut rice</li>
</ul>
<h2>Shopping List:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Container to transport Katie's oatmeal</li>
</ul>
<h3>Costco List:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Bell peppers</li>
<li>Broccoli</li>
<li>Onions</li>
<li>Stew beef</li>
<li>Pork chops</li>
<li>Salmon</li>
<li>Naan</li>
<li>Eggs</li>
<li>Rice</li>
<li>Tortilla chips</li>
</ul>
<h3>Grocery List:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Cucumbers</li>
<li>Yellow Onion</li>
<li>Red Onion</li>
<li>Celery</li>
<li>Cauliflower</li>
<li>Avocado</li>
<li>Gala apples (x3)</li>
<li>Quaker Oats Old Fashioned</li>
<li>English muffin</li>
<li>Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk</li>
<li>Danon <em>Light Fit</em> Greek yogurt vanilla - 6 pack</li>
<li>Light mayo</li>
<li>Light sour cream</li>
<li>Mozzarella</li>
<li>Pepperoni</li>
<li>Green beans (frozen)</li>
</ul>


Rovani's Sandbox

Blog Posts - Page 6