This Week's Plan

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail," said Benjamin Franklin all those years ago. I couldn't agree more!

I use Dr Stephen R. Covey's method of planning from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book make sure I fit everything in. What a godsend!

Habit 1- Be Proactive. Making my plan at the start of the week
Habit 2- Begin with the End in Mind. My short term and long term goals from the intro.
Habit 3- Put First Things First. Identifying what's most important to accomplish each day of this week to ensure my energy focuses on those "Big Rocks" and then if there's time left over for the extras then great! (Today's "First Thing" was making my menu, going shopping, and checking the gym class calendar).
Habit 7- Sharpen the Saw. You've got to be running on all 4 cylinders. If you let one part of your being be neglected then you won't be able to function and give as your whole self. The four parts this Habit encompasses is Physical (obviously hitting the gym), Social/ Emotional (if I exercise with friends), Mental (studying up on Paleo, cooking- yes it's THAT hard for me, blogging), and Spiritual (mommy gets time to clear her head at the gym!).

On a sad note, Dr Covey passed on around midday today. I was a little surprised as to how heartbroken I became when I heard the news. I am a facilitator for some FranklinCovey courses and I got the opportunity to hear his sons speak about the Education Summit last year regarding The Leader in Me program. Dr. Covey was supposed to speak last year but was ill. I had always hoped I would get the chance to hear him speak again. Luckily, he has left his thoughtful footprint for us to enjoy and be inspired by in the years to come. His family and his company continue to further develop upon his enlightening ideas. Moving on...


This Week
Meals:
Salisbury Steak with Whipped Cauliflower (tastes like mashed potatoes)- you need to do some swaps and mind your ingredients with this recipe.  Swap flour for almond flour, check ingredients of tomato paste for no added sugar (Publix brand works for me), swap rice for riced cauliflower, and check the label of the Worcestershire sauce for any HFCS (Lea & Parrins has one- just get the right one!)

Southwestern Frittata - I like to use sausage to add some heat without the jalapenos (my boys aren't fans), I use Ortega brand Salsa Verde, and I add in some other veggies (this week is broccoli).

Ribeye Steak and Steamed Asparagus- We grill and also found that fresh rosemary from the garden works best, but if you have store-bought sprigs, you might want to mortar & pestle it first and rub on the steaks for more flavor. A word about steaming veggies- you don't want to steam all the vitamins right out of them!  Steam for just a few minutes.  They're done when it's a vibrant color and still have a slight firmness to them.

Shepherd's Pie  - I really need to save the recipe I make somewhere because I can never remember which one I like the best.  Trying this one again this week.  Reminder- watch your Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and chicken stock (check ingredients for non-paleo items).

Avocado and Egg Salad for lunches - skip if you're not doing dairy as it's got yogurt in it.  Also there's a Paleo mayo recipe that's yummy but time-consuming to make.  I'm willing to fudge for just 1 TBSP and use regular mayo (check ingredients for most paleo-like).

Baked Chicken (salt and pepper boneless, skinless and put in a buttered glass dish for 45 mins at 350F) and various veggies or fruit sides for lunches

Leftovers for all other lunches and dinners! I try to plan the meals so there's alternating easy and hard recipes so I don't feel like I'm chained to the kitchen. 


Breakfasts usually include eggs in some kind of form, bacon (baking it in the oven makes it so easy and mess-free!), avocado, fruit, etc. I'm still desperately looking for a viable pancake recipe. For concoctions to pass inspection in this house, it can't taste "healthy". :) 


Almond Flour Pancakes - tried these today and they're "ok". Liam and I ate them but hubs and Riley never would I don't think.  It helped when I put a pat of butter (I'm talking real butter, not margarine), and some cinnamon on it.  I also found that whipped heavy whipping cream (again, only if you do dairy) and some crushed up raspberries made it better too.  Some people do real maple syrup but that should be in limited quantities- same with honey.

LOVE THIS FOR DESSERT!!!  Coconut Milk Chocolate Mousse - using just the thick part of the milk made it most like mousse.  I tried it with all the water and milk last time and it was more like pudding and not as yumola, but it worked.  I add agave to mine.  I want to try the Vanilla recipe she links too so I can cut out the agave and cocoa.


Exercise: 
Trying to do Power Lift, Pilates, Spin, Power Yoga, and Elliptical sessions this week. We'll see how I manage working around Liam's nap schedule!