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.
You brought back some memories for me as I grew up eating saltwater taffy. It is addictive!
ReplyDeleteYou and hubby have made a big turnaround!! You are doing wonderfully!! :)
Yes Linda, I am having trouble staying away from the taffy. I talked with hubby tonight and I will start limiting my intake.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
DeleteMajor kudos for your husband!
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
DeleteWhat's that sound I hear while reading your blog? Oh...it's motivation;) Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteFeels great too. Thanks Marc!
DeleteYou 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!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed too Lydia. I'm hoping for a loss of any size.
DeleteYour 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks Betty, he's a keeper.
DeleteYou know, some of those meals you can adjust too. Leave out the olives, etc. :) They sound great, though! yum!
ReplyDeleteThat's true Kyra, I will take a second look at them.
DeleteTake 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
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Caron, I will check it out.
DeleteYou 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. :)
ReplyDeleteWe had a slip tonight (Thursday) and stopped for Mexican. We'll finish Friday and Saturday strong though.
DeleteHow 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.
ReplyDeleteMajor KUDOS
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.
DeleteHi Roly! Your food and husband's attitude sound great!
ReplyDeleteI 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
Quadruple-bagging the taffy is a very good idea. I will do that or ask my husband to monitor my intake. Arrgh.
DeleteMy 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!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Erica. You have taffy in the house too? Best of luck.
DeleteWow! 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!
ReplyDeleteKaki, 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.
DeleteThat'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!!
ReplyDeleteGreat meal plan!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd awesome that it was your husbands idea this time!!
Keep moving in the right direction!!