I’ve joined the Biggest Loser challenge at work. Celebrate Recovery has changed my life because I’m using it as a kickstart to make sure I’m eating healthy. It’s like I took a blue chip.
I’m teaching my students how to write narratives, so I’ve been doing a lot of model writing for them. A good narrative has a hook that makes the reader want to read your story. This is a skill that I struggle with when I’m writing my blog posts.
However, it is important for a writer to have a hook to get the reader to read what you have written.
Like a writer needs a hook, sometimes you need a beef taco. Since I’m a vegetarian, I don’t have the typical beef taco.
I’ve tried TVP, which is textured vegetable protein but usually turns into a brown soupy mess. Yuck! Not appetizing.
Then I tried the Beefless Ground Beef along with their soy chorizo. It’s just the right texture.
“Beef” tacos get into my belly.
What you need:
a third of a package of Trader Joe’s “beefless” ground beef
a third of a package of Trader Joe’s soy chorizo
a third of a jar of Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce
“Beef” Tacos
Stars of the recipe:
1/3 of a package of Trader Joe’s “beefless” ground beef
1/3 of a package of Trader Joe’s soy chorizo; make sure to take off the casing
1/3 of a jar of Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce (You may need a little more than the third.)
Tortillas (hard or soft)
Your favorite toppings
Steps:
Combine the “beetles” ground beef, soy chorizo, and enchilada sauce in a saucepan.
Cook on medium heat until heated through. Add more sauce if it’s not coated enough.)
Enjoy on a tortilla with your favorite toppings.
This recipe is vegan before you add your toppings.
While I was sick with my gallstones last year, I had one food that did not bother my stomach. Okay, it did bother me if it was greasy, but if it was cooked with no oil or grease, I had little to no problems.
Potatoes were my friend during those 4 months. I would spiralize potatoes and then cook up like hash browns on the stove.
That is until I started to cook the home fries in my oven. We love a roasted potato in the household, so this made things much easier.
Hubby might debate if these potatoes are better than the ones we get at a local breakfast place called Butter Cafe. He adores their home fries.
What you need:
2 red potatoes or 4 to 5 baby red potatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
olive oil
garlic powder or your favorite seasoning
Better than Restaurant Oven Home Fries
Stars of the recipe:
2 red potatoes, cubed or 4 to 5 baby red potatoes, quartered, or even cut into eighths
1/2 to 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 to 1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp. Extra olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic powder or your favorite seasoning
Steps:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the potatoes, bell pepper, and onion on a rimmed baking sheet.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil over the veggies. Using clean hands or a spatula, ensure the veggies are covered with the oil.
Sprinkle the seasoning over the veggies.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 425 degrees.
Enjoy!
I enjoy using the onion salt from Trader Joe’s on my potatoes.
We love to use sriracha ketchup from Red Gold on our fries and roasted potatoes.
This recipe is not only vegetarian but also vegan. Score!
Vegetarian Gluten-Free (if using gluten-free crackers) Meal Prep Quick Easy
If I don’t plan what to eat during the week, I feel out of sync.
There are some weeks that I know that all I will be able to eat is snacky food. Foods that I can eat while working at my desk or even sometimes between students.
Here’s one idea for a snacky-type snack box. I call it my Hard Boiled Egg version.
I’m a vegetarian but not a vegan. I still eat dairy and eggs.
A container to put the snack in, cupcake wrappers (silicone or paper), and small containers to put the hummus in
To assemble the Snack Box:
Place in the container. I used the cupcake wrapper for the egg to separate it from the rest of the food. You can leave the peel on or off. It really does not matter.
I put the mini croissant in a small sandwich bag to keep it fresh.
The hummus was placed in a small container I purchased at the dollar store.
Use within 4 days.
When you make hard-boiled eggs, it is best to use the eggs that have been in your fridge the longest but are not expired.
Vegetarian Gluten-free if using gluten-free pasta Easy Meal Plan
In August, I finally met some family members I had never met before. They live on the west coast, Oregon, and don’t get to Ohio very often.
My mom’s first cousin, their mother, lives in the Phoenix area. She comes into town more often than her children. She was planning to visit the family and decided her children should also come to Ohio.
Since they came into town, one of my mom’s first cousins decided we needed a family get-together with a potluck dinner.
My aunt flew into town from New York. That was an adventure in itself. (Needless to say, her maybe 4-hour trip took almost 12 hours because of plane delays and missed connections).
Any-who, on the same day as the family, get together, our church had its annual picnic. I needed to make something that could be served at the picnic and the get-together. That’s when I decided to make this Greek pasta salad. It’s quick and easy to put together.
This recipe can either be prepped for the week or eaten as a side dish. If you decide to prep it for the week, add the dressing before you eat the pasta salad, so it does not get soggy.
The dressing I used for this recipe was the Greek Feta cheese dressing from Trader Joe’s. However, you can use whatever Greek dressing you desire.
What you’ll need:
Box of farfalle pasta (bow tie pasta) – You can use any shape,o like penne, but I just like the shape of the bow ties.
My mother-in-law got each family a Ninja Air Fryer for Christmas. Oh, my goodness is that appliance a dream. Oldest and I have put it through the paces in the last week. He has made French toast, French fries, and hamburgers in the fryer. I’ve made some sheet pan meals, bacon, and toast in it.
A goal of mine was to make perfect bacon in the air fryer. If you have an oven that has a convection setting, you can certainly use that feature.
You can certainly make a big batch of bacon as part of your meal prepping for the week.
What you need:
Pork Bacon – I’ve not attempted to use turkey bacon for this recipe.
Air Fryer
What you can use the bacon for:
BLTs
Sandwiches – Youngest and Hubby both have used the bacon for one of the meats on their sandwiches.
Just eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack.
Salads – BLT salad or Cobb salad
Recipe (Click on the photo for a printable version of the recipe card.)
I’m a gluten free pescatarian who can eat some milk products but not all. So I’m going to do something different this month. A few times during the week, I’ll cook for the family; however, now they are teenagers they have started to cook for themselves. This is a good skill to have once they move out plus their tastes are different then mine. Hubby’s eating habits have become irregular. Sometimes he’ll eat one big meal in the afternoon, so he doesn’t need me to cook him a dinner.
This month I’m going to be focusing on making myself individual meals that I can warm up. Sort of like frozen meals, but I’ll be the one who is cooking them. I got myself some Souper Cubes to make it easier. The meals will be portioned. I don’t eat that much at a time, so that will help.
Believe in the Magic Traci Diary 