Pages

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Husband’s meal plan



My husband, probably for the first time in his life, made a meal plan for our dinners this week.  He recently purchased a magazine-cookbook with diabetic-friendly recipes and picked five dinners for this week.  Monday night we had baked sweet potato, asparagus with almonds and chicken with a light ginger orange sauce.  I put a little butter, cinnamon and black pepper on the sweet potato.  There wasn’t a lot of sauce on the chicken, but it was flavorful.  This was an interesting pick because my husband doesn’t usually eat sweet potatoes and had never had orange marmalade before.  He’s kind of a picky eater.  Last night's dinner was baked chicken, zucchini, and summer squash all with balsamic /oil vinaigrette.  We also had garlic toast.  Balsamic vinegar is another item my husband usually doesn’t come near.  Tonight, we’ll have wraps that include chicken, bacon, lettuce and mashed avocado.  Avocado?  My husband is going to eat avocado?  Who is this man? 

The meals have all been better than I thought they would be and is allowing me to have lunches from the leftovers.  I’m not sure how long this act will continue, but I will enjoy it while it lasts.  He asked me to look through the book last night and pick out five meals.  It was challenging.  I saw lots of meals that I would like, but turned some down because I know he doesn’t like some of the ingredients, like cucumbers, olives and cherries.  The meals I picked include two nights of fish, one steak, one pork and one chicken.   The portions are smaller than I am used to and are better balanced with half to three-fourths of the plate being veggies, one-fourth protein and sometimes one-fourth starch.  If we continue eating this way, I should lose some weight by Sunday. Okay, I will also need to keep snacks to a minimum and lay off the saltwater taffy.

Work this week continues to be busy and tiring.  Eating healthier has given me more energy which helps lessen the exhaustion.  I’ve been drinking way less soda and more water.  Still I would like to drink more water than I am and just one of the things I am working on. 

We made it through the first part of the week, let’s finish strong.  Have a great Thursday.

28 comments:

  1. You brought back some memories for me as I grew up eating saltwater taffy. It is addictive!

    You and hubby have made a big turnaround!! You are doing wonderfully!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Linda, I am having trouble staying away from the taffy. I talked with hubby tonight and I will start limiting my intake.

      Delete
  2. I love sweet potatoes and I end up baking one at least a couple of times a week. I also think it's so awesome that your husband is choosing healthy meals to prepare. You're doing so great, Roly and yes... I can definitely see you finishing strong this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rachael. I only started eating sweet potatoes/yams a couple of months ago. My husband would eat white potatoes while I did so, but this week he switched to sweet potato.

      Delete
  3. Major kudos for your husband!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gwen. My husband and I are so much alike and I've mentioned before that we totally enable each other. He has stepped up this week in an effort to help us eat more at home. I am working on doing more too, but he is definitely the catalyst this week.

      Delete
  4. What's that sound I hear while reading your blog? Oh...it's motivation;) Sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You guys are totally kicking butt! I'm so impressed with your husband taking the initiative to plan ahead, and the food you guys are making sounds delicious! There's no doubt in my mind you're going to see a big loss this week. Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm impressed too Lydia. I'm hoping for a loss of any size.

      Delete
  6. Your husband is fantastic!!! I wish I could get my husband on board with me. I want to have meals with you. The food sounds delicious. If you keep eating that way the pounds should start to melt away.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You know, some of those meals you can adjust too. Leave out the olives, etc. :) They sound great, though! yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's true Kyra, I will take a second look at them.

      Delete
  8. Take a look at this recipe which includes sweet potato. I saw it recommended on Chubby McGee's blog and we love it. We do not make flautas. Instead, we eat the mixture cold and without cheese over romaine lettuce. Or, sometimes we warm the mixture in the microwave then add a topping of cheese and get that melted and eat it as a dip with tortilla chips. Excellent recipe. http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2012/09/baked-black-bean-sweet-potato-flautas.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are very lucky to have a man that is taking the initiative. Good for him! The meals sound yummy, too! You guys are making such great progress and I can't wait to hear about a nice loss on the scale. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a slip tonight (Thursday) and stopped for Mexican. We'll finish Friday and Saturday strong though.

      Delete
  10. How wonderful is that? This is awesome, it means so much to have our spouses join the effort on this new journey. Support is a major key. I can just feel it that you will be posting a good loss because of all of this.

    Major KUDOS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He is trying. It may not be the giant step that I want (eliminate grains and most starches), but it is still a big step in the right direction. Anything to get us eating at home is an improvement.

      Delete
  11. Hi Roly! Your food and husband's attitude sound great!

    I suggest to bag that taffy up--not just double-bag and knot, but 4 bags and 4 knots--so it's super annoying to get to it. It will give you time to make a good decision. Otherwise, throw the trigger food on a 9 foot high shelf, like I have to do. Oh, the things we do! :D

    :-) Marion

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quadruple-bagging the taffy is a very good idea. I will do that or ask my husband to monitor my intake. Arrgh.

      Delete
  12. My husband brought home salt water taffy last night and I can't stay out of them. I've been letting my kids eat them today in hopes to get them gone and away from my mouth. Your meals sound absolutely delicious! You and your husband are making big strides in changing your habits, good for you both!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Erica. You have taffy in the house too? Best of luck.

      Delete
  13. Wow! I hope you are giving your man extra love and praise for his attention to meals! Good for him! It's so nice when your family is on board and they are willing to try new foods so you can broaden your healthy choices. Congrats on decreasing the soda!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kaki, yes I have been sure to thank him and often. I want him to know how much I appreciate the work he is doing. I know it isn't easy for him to stand and prep the meals, so I am sure to let him know I'm thankful.

      Delete
  14. That's a fantastic meal plan! I especially like the chicken bacon avocado wrap - that sounds very tasty. I just came across your blog today - it seems like you are doing great!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great meal plan!!!
    And awesome that it was your husbands idea this time!!
    Keep moving in the right direction!!

    ReplyDelete