At the start of last year we decided to make some big changes to our lifestyle and some of these including shedding some pounds and making a conscious effort to eat healthier. So far, it has been really great and we all have been enjoying the nutritious meals that are jam packed full of fruit, veggies and lots of goodness.
We are now a year into our healthier lifestyle and I have lost more than two stones and we are still kicking it with the healthier meals and lifestyle. I’m always sharing my meals over on my Instagram and because so many of you have been asking about those recipes I thought that it was time I shared my meal plan with you. Before this year, I had never planned a meal in my life (unless choosing a wedding breakfast counts) but pretty much I would always choose to free ball it than stick to any kind of plan! But it was then that I would get stuck in the day to day repeating of several recipes, over and over and I can find it really tedious and boring which is why I would always reach for the sweet treats.
So you could say that I am fairly new to the meal planning game, but I seem to have a way to meal plan like a queen and stick to it. Honestly, it saves me so much time and with our meal planning we have also been saving between £10-£20 a week. Everyone should give meal planning a go just for that reason. But not only will you save yourself a few quid meal planning can really help change the way you eat and change your food buying habits.
Our meal choices are of course slimming world friendly, so far I have lost two stones and 7 pounds by making a few swaps and focus on the slimming world plan. There have been meals that taste bloody amazing but there have been some that are so awful that even the husband wouldn’t eat out of love! So with meal planning it’s all about trial and error and figuring out what you love and what you hate. So here we are, week one of the meal plan.
Monday :: Honey Pork Burgers Tray Bake from Slimming Eats
Sounds amazing right? Who doesn't like a tray bake? Chopping and chucking a list of ingredients into a tray to cook for a little while and bam one delicious meal for the family. I love the simplicity of tray bakes and the fact I can add everything on to one tray and cook with minimal effort and less cleaning up afterwards too, just the one tray. This was one recipe that my husband wasn't too fond off due to the butternut squash, but it actually tasted amazing. Even though the original recipe uses chicken mince we decided to use pork mince, so I would imagine it alters the taste slightly, but as long as you use 5% pork mince to ensure you stay on plan, you're winning. This dish is full of speed food which will help you keep you fuller for longer, you could also pop the burgers into a wholemeal bun for a special treat and add a side salad too.
Tuesday :: Fajita Fish, Mixed Herby Potatoes, Salad and Sweetcorn.
I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate seafood into my family’s diet and this fajita fish has become a dinner time favorite! The fajita seasoned fish fillets have a crunchy top really which really takes this dish to the next level. It’s the perfect quick meal for those busy weeknights where you need to get dinner on the table quickly. This fajita fish is baked to crispy perfection and topped with a colorful and refreshing green leaf salad. Even though we are trying to not eat bread in our diet for the next few weeks but you could serve the fish fillets in a wholemeal wrap or over rice for a quick and easy dinner that the whole family will love!
Wednesday :: Lentil and Sausage Casserole, Oven Baked Asparagus and Cauliflower with Herby Potatoes from Slimming Eats
This Sausage and Lentil Casserole is such a great recipe and it's something that everyone could enjoy, even my fussy four year liked this dish. Not a lot of preparation is required for this recipe. You can simply chuck all ingredients in the slow cooker wait for a for a few hours and enjoy. It's that simple. For us this is the perfect dish for a midweek meal or for those colder days. This dish is jam packed with flavour, cooked in a slow cooker and you only use simple ingredients, no fuss with this dish. When it comes to using the sausages choose ones that are low syn to make sure you keep within your syn allowance, however you could also keep this dish meat free and add more veggies to it. Try and tweak and change the recipe to your taste and experiment with flavours.
Thursday :: Chicken Marmite Pasta with Cauliflower, Minted Garden Peas and Baked Carrots from Pinch of Nom
I know the combination of pasta and Marmite sounds odd and it us a dish that you will love it or hate. But for the lovers of Marmite you need to try this quick and simple dish. Basically for this dish cooked chicken and spaghetti is tossed into stock, along with some onions, veggies and chopped rosemary and a little of the pasta cooking water to make a flavoursome sauce for spaghetti. This meal was so quick and simple to rustle up, my favourite type of meal. We added some minted garden peas and baked carrots as a speed food and it was a great combinations. Like I said this dish is a one of twp camps; you will love it or hate it. I really enjoyed the flavoursome pasta, my husband who normally loves Marmite, but didn't like it in the slightest.
Friday :: Grilled Sausages and Bacon with Chopped Tomatoes, Beans, Sauteed Mushrooms and Dry Fried Eggs
With slimming world, you really can have what you want in moderation and seeing as we have ditched bread for two weeks there was only one thing for it a on a Friday - a grill up. We had some low syn sausages, bacon with the fat cut off, sauteed mushrooms and dry fried eggs with some beans and chopped tomatoes. It was the best way to end a week of many downs. We then followed this up with a lovely cup of tea and curly wurly because sometimes it is neccessary.
So there is our meal plan for our weekday meals, what do you think? Will you consider any of the recipes that I included?
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