Happy Labor Day weekend friends! No great motivational speech here, just ramblings of a very pregnant, stressed woman.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our long crazy weekend, but man it’s been busy. We have been waiting for the “ball to drop” and Thomas to make his appearance right in the middle of it all because after all it is 2020 and I wouldn’t expect anything less. While I was meal prepping this morning, I thought for sure I was having some decently timed contractions, but they backed off. Right now I would happily welcome Thomas a few weeks early. I am supposed to have maternity pictures this week and schedule my c-section. We will see if I make it to those appointments. I will say that in the middle of meal-prep is not when I want him to come. I would love to come home to a stocked fridge, not a pile of dishes to clean.
We planned Anderson’s birthday party almost a month in advance so he wouldn’t feel slighted by his baby brother’s birth. Dove season and Labor Day weekend weren’t ideal times for everyone, but I wanted him to be celebrated before I was completely out of commission. I literally only took one picture, but I know I will have a small family party for him on his actual birthday and will soak in every moment. Luckily, my mom always has her camera handy to snap a few pictures.
I never want him to feel like he has to share his special day and feel important. I feel like I struggled with the guilt of him not being the only child for longer and getting more time with just Josh and me, but Scarlett and Thomas will never know what that is like. I look back at videos and pictures of him, when I thought he was such a big boy and so grown, and he was really just a baby still. It’s a mom-guilt thing I guess.
No matter how much I plan and do in advance, it always feels like I’m running around with my head cut off trying to get it all finished up. Trying to get long term substitute plans ready, trying to perfect my every changing plans in my class, trying to get the necessities for my hospital bag, and trying to keep the standard birthday party for Anderson in motion. Trying, trying, trying. All this trying feels like I am burning the candle at both ends and I am welcoming maternity leave with open arms, running through a meadow, and leaping into its arms. Now that the party is behind us, I feel like I can perfect the lesson plans I left sitting out on my desk.
I am fixing to enter into a whole new season of life and as with every birth, I have no idea what is really in store. No two babies have been the same. They have looked identical and had many similarities, but their overall temperament, personality, etc. have been very different. The births themselves were different and equally special.
I am not sure what to expect giving birth with the never-ending Corona Virus around. That alone adds another level of complication and stress to giving birth and caring for a newborn for me. I know some don’t blink an eye at the virus, but if Thomas were to get it I am not sure how that would turn out. All of the unknowns are enough to make me crazy, but the beauty in that is you can’t really worry about things that are out of your control until you can control them. I can’t worry about a virus that my child might get, until it happens. I can’t let the unknown steal my happiness.
Menu
Happy LABOR Day
Crispy Chicken Tinga Taquitos + Lime Avocado Crema
Pork Chops + Roasted Vegetables
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole
Happy LABOR Day
Enjoy spending time with your friends and family! We are going to enjoy some time working out, meal prepping, cooking some new pulled pork tacos, and time by the pool with family.
Crispy Chicken Tinga Taquitos + Lime Avocado Crema
This is one of those meals I could have every week and never tire of. Enchilada Tuesday might be my favorite thing, but I could eat just about anything wrapped in a crispy tortilla with (some) cheese. I need to get some of the ground deer meat out of the freezer, so I am going to use ground deer instead of chicken or shrimp.
Do yourself a favor and make these! You won’t be sorry. For goodness sake, don’t skip putting the tortillas in the oven for supper. We are going to eat them over rice instead of in tortillas for lunch since I don’t have access to an oven at work to toast my tortillas (tortillas at supper and rice bowl for lunch).
Originally I had 28 grams of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I subtracted the weight of the peppers because I’m not going to eat those. I added them to the sauce for flavor. I only want to calculate what I’m actually going to eat. Instead of using ground chicken or pork, I used chicken breast to not add to the fat content.
To lower the macros a bit you can use one tortilla and eat the extra meat in a bowl. I did this for Josh and split his portion of cheese and avocado sauce between the tortilla and bowl. PS- wait to add the enchilada sauce to the meat until you have your meat portioned out. This makes the macros more accurate. Lots of extra little steps, but it allows me to be as accurate as possible. Most food labels round-up on the calories, so I need to make sure my method is flawless to not add more errors to the calculations.
If you are back at work and do not have access to an oven, I would opt to skip the crunchy tortilla. A crunchy tortilla in the microwave is not going to taste very good. Keep the tortilla and stuffing separate, heat the meat with the sauce, then assemble with cheese and avocado. Keep your fat intake in mind when using the avocado and cheese. It is delicious but can easily put you over on your calories.
We have had this over rice and it was amazing. I skipped sauteing the onions and left them crunchy for the bowl. Rice would be a better option if you are reheating this for lunch.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for rubbing *spray olive oil 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey *ground venison 1 yellow onion, chopped *2 onions if sauteeing for 4 servings 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo finely chopped, use to your taste *30-50 grams 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce homemade or store-bought *100-120 grams 16-20 corn tortillas warmed *1-2 high fiber/low carb tortilla per serving or rice 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese *20-22 grams per serving *optional toppings- pineapple salsa, shredded lettuce, and pickled onion, for serving LIME AVOCADO CREMA 1 avocado, halved *3 ounces 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños juice from 2 limes kosher or flaky salt
Pork Chops + Roasted Vegetables
I love simple meals that can all be cooked on the grill. Josh is loving his new RecTec and doesn’t mind cooking one bit during the week on it. I don’t mind, because the mess is little to none in my kitchen and we can all be outside, instead of being cooped up in the house while I cook or me cooking alone. Cooking during the week isn’t my thing unless it involves the grill for those reasons.
For this meal we are going to throw some pork chops on and vegetables. Josh is going to reverse sear the pork chops and we will just put the vegetables on a little bit before the meat. When tracking the vegetables, try to keep them all separate so you can weigh them all out separately.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: pork loin chops, 1.5 inches thick preferred seasoning: honey hog *spray olive oil vegetables: any seasonal vegetables zucchini, corn, squash, onion, sweet potato, etc.
Chicken Salad Wrap
This chicken salad is not like your local chicken salad sandwich with mayo, pecans, and grapes. Honestly, it is boring and very healthy. You MUST season this dish like there is no tomorrow and add some hot sauce to the wrap as well. I like to drizzle sriracha on my chicken salad once I have it wrapped up in a low carb, high fiber tortilla shell. Chicken salad is a staple at the beach for us, so we will definitely have it on hand to snack on.
I always cook covered on the stovetop, just because it is easier when meal prepping. If you aren’t worried about macros or meal prepping, a whole rotisserie chicken would be much easier. If you boil the chicken it will be pretty bland from so make sure to season it a lot more than normal when you cut it up to mix with the sauce.
I love that this meal doesn’t have any actual mayo. You make your own with egg, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. I don’t use any oil in this mayo and it makes it low calorie and cut friendly. The last time I made this I had 26.8 ounces of cooked chicken breast. It made 6 servings, each at 134 calories, 27.1 grams of protein, 0.3 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.7 grams of fat, without a tortilla. Make sure to grab a low carbohydrate tortilla. The ones I use are only 50 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein. Not too bad compared to the normal 45 grams of protein that most tortillas have.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 whole roasted chicken or 2 pounds of chicken *chicken breast ½ cup finely chopped celery 1 cup matchstick carrots *5-7 ounces Juice from 1 lemon (about 2-3 Tablespoons) ⅓ - ½ cup Paleo mayonnaise (see recipe below) ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning Mayo 1 large egg, at room temperature (very important to be at room temperature) 2 teaspoons lemon juice, at room temperature 1 cup light olive oil (or 1/2 cup olive oil + 1/2 cup avocado oil) *omit oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard, optional
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole
The first time I made this, it was solely for my husband. I am NOT a casserole girl. I don’t like the idea of all the mayonnaise and cream of whatever people typically use in casseroles. This recipe has neither, so I was excited to give it a try. He is a true lover of casseroles with all mayonnaise and cream of whatever though.
I put my own spin on this and it turned out to be so great and healthy! I was so surprised. Tihs is definitely one of my top favorite meals. I usually make a lasagna for people that are going through a transitional period in their life, but now I make them this casserole. I love it that much.
This is not easy to track because it is all mixed together. There is no way that each piece will have the same amount of chicken or cheese. It will be precise on the macros as a whole, but the slices themselves won’t be 100%.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil *spray olive oil kosher salt and black pepper 1 yellow onion, chopped 3 carrots, chopped *10-20 ounces baby carrots sliced 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes 2 tablespoons salted butter *1 tablespoon 1 1/2 cups basmati or jasmine rice *1 cup jasmine rice uncooked 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta (use gluten free, if needed) *omit 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for topping 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth *2 cups 3 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped 2 bay leaves 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste zest of 1/2 a lemon 1/2 cup whole milk or canned coconut milk *non fat milk 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese *100-180 grams depending on how cheesey you want it to be
