In case ya’ll missed Wednesday’s post, I confessed my major struggles with balancing eating out and cooking – aka I eat hummus and pita chips WAY too often. And I also talked about how I hate the grocery store because (well for a number of reasons but mainly because) I don’t now what to buy and don’t take the time to plan out my week. So I typically end up trying to buy stuff I think “think” is healthy (aka chicken and veggies) that I don’t even end up eating and I spend way too much money on random things that don’t really add up to much. Oh, and wasting leftover ingredients because of the lack of planning and cooking for one issue (#single). I know, I’m a train wreck in that department.

You know what they say – change comes when the pain/problem gets bad enough. I think I’m there – at the “bad enough” place. So that’s why I’ve decided to partner with my friend Taylor (a registered dietician) to work on an easy meal plan that can be used throughout the week. The most important part to me was the grocery list. I wanted to be able to shop confidently, knowing that I would be getting the MOST out of just about every single item on the list and that there was as much overlap of ingredients (between recipes and meal options/ideas) as possible.

I’ve learned so much this week and want to share all the great recipes with you all. Each Friday at noon (central) for the next 6 weeks (starting today), I’ll be posting a meal plan consisting of 5 recipes and a grocery shopping list for you to try out in the following week. I’m so excited about this plan because not only does is give me a set grocery list, it also helps me plan my whole week of meals.

I’m still trying to figure out the exact format of how to best deliver this to you in a way that will be MOST helpful – so please let me know if you have any suggestions! But for now, I’ve included an overview of the week with images of each recipe, but if you plan on doing it next week with me then you’ll want to download/save (so you can print!) the actual Week 1 Meal Plan with the grocery list and recipes all spelled out nice and neat!

WINTER ARGULA SALAD

Note:  Salad is great served with warm hearty whole grain bread 🙂

INGREDIENTS for salad:

• 1  1/2 cups fresh arugula – spinach mix
• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced pear (about 1/8 – inch thick)
• 1/8 cup very thinly sliced radishes (about 1/16 to 1/8 – inch thick)
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts
• 2 tablespoons Champagne Vinaigrette dressing
• 2 eggs

INGREDIENTS for dressing:

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons Champagne Vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make dressing by adding Dijon mustard, minced garlic, Champagne vinegar, and olive oil to a dressing emulsifier or small bowl.  Emulsify or whisk all ingredients until well incorporated and set aside.
2. Add eggs to a medium pot and fill with water until the water covers the top of the eggs.
3. Transfer the pot with water and eggs to the stove, placing on burner on high heat.
4. Allow the eggs to cook in the uncovered pot until the water begins to boil.
5. Once boiling, remove from the heat, cover and let sit about 15 minutes.
6. While the eggs continue to cook in the covered pot, assemble the salad.
7. To assemble the salad, place spinach – arugula mix on a medium dinner plate followed by the sliced mushrooms, pears, radishes, feta cheese and toasted walnuts.
8. Once eggs have rested in covered pot for 15 minutes drain the water, pour into colander, allowing the water to drain and the eggs to cool.
9. Once the eggs are cooled, slice each into about 5 – 6 slices and place on top of salad.
10. Vigorously whisk the salad dressing again to emulsify all of the ingredients and drizzle about 2 tablespoons over the prepared salad.
11. Serve and enjoy!

ROASTED TOMATO & BALSAMIC RICOTTA TOAST

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 slice rustic whole – wheat bread ( I love Central Market’s Chia & Flax Seed bread)
• 2 tablespoons low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
• 1 egg
• salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven broiler to High.
2. In a small bowl add the pint of tomatoes, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and mix until tomatoes well coated.
3. Pour the seasoned tomatoes onto a medium baking sheet (lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup) and let roast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften and burst.  Then remove from the oven and set aside until toast is ready to assemble.
4. While the tomatoes are cooking, toast the bread in a toaster to its desired doneness.
5. In a medium skillet add about 1 teaspoon of olive oil (or enough to coat the pan) and heat to medium heat.
6. Add the eggs to the skillet and scramble for about 3 minutes, until reaching desired doneness (whites are cooked through).  Once cooked, take skillet off the heat and set aside to assemble toast.
7. Begin assembling toast by:

• Spreading the toast with 2 tablespoons ricotta
• Drizzling 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar over ricotta
• Even topping the balsamic ricotta with the scrambled egg
• Topping the egg layer with 1/4 cup of the roasted tomato mixture
• Drizzle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar over the roasted tomatoes.
• Enjoy!

EGG & CHEESE MINI BREAKFAST BURRITOS

Note:  If eating these for dinner, they pair with with the arugula salad.  Can also make the night before, roll up in plastic wrap and store in the fridge to have ready for breakfast the next morning.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 whole – wheat tortillas
• 2 tablespoons grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar ok too)
• 1/8 tsp. salt + pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl whisk together the two eggs.
2. Coat a skillet with about 1 tsp. olive or canola oil (or enough to coat the pan) and heat on medium heat.
3. Add the eggs to the skillet and scramble, cooking to desired doneness (at least until egg whites are cooked through), adding the shredded cheese halfway through to incorporate the cheese throughout the eggs.
4. If desired, sprinkle the cumin into the eggs and mix well to incorporate.
5. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 5 seconds to heat up.
6. To assemble the wraps:

• A.   Place tortilla flat on a dinner plate.
• B.   Add the egg & cheese mixture to the center of the tortilla in a line from one side of the circle to the opposite side.
• C.  Top eggs with the 2 tablespoons of salsa
• D.  Fold edges of tortilla over the eggs and roll up, sealing in the eggs to create a mini wrap / burrito.

Serve with additional salsa if desired and enjoy!

EGG & AVOCADO BOWL WITH ROASTED TOMATO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 of a large avocado, peeled, cored & diced (about 1/4 cup?)
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the broiler on high (500 degrees F).
2. Combine the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper in a medium mixing bowl and toss well to combine.
3. Pour tomatoes onto a bang sheet lined with aluminum foil.
4. Add pan of tomatoes to the preheated oven and broil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften, char and burst.
5. While the tomatoes are cooking, heat the 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium heat.
6. In a small bowl add 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper to your 2 combined eggs and whisk together.
7. Scramble eggs in the heated skillet.
8. Once done, remove eggs from the burner and the tomatoes from the oven.
9. In an individual serving bowl (like a shallow soup bowl), in their own sections, add the scrambled eggs and broiled tomatoes.  In the third section, add the sliced avocado.
10. Serve warm and enjoy!

PESTO, EGG & GARDEN SCRAMBLE

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup quartered baby bella mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon jarred pesto
• 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, crack the eggs and whisk together with the salt and pepper.  Set bowl aside while cooking the vegetables.
2. In a medium skillet heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add the bell peppers and cook about 4 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften.
3. Add the onions and allow to cook about 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook about 4 to 5 more minutes until soften and release their water.
5. Once all vegetables have softened add in the eggs and scramble together with the vegetables, stirring and incorporating all ingredients together for about 2 minutes.
6. Add the pesto and 1/2 tablespoon of the feta cheese to the eggs & vegetables and stir well to combine.
7. Transfer the egg scramble into a small dinner bowl, top with the remainder feta cheese, serve and enjoy!

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Outfit Details: Lush Hi/Low Tee // Baublebar Lariat Choker // Citizens of Humanity ‘Rocket’ Black Jeans