Menu Plan Monday!

So here it is...another Monday, another Menu plan! I've been participating in Orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday and it's been a huge lifesaver! There is nothing better than knowing that you have everything you need in the pantry/freezer/fridge and you don't have to stress about dinner! I may not always post my menu, but you can depend on there being a menu posted on the fridge every Sunday night. If you are looking for some fantastic new recipes and great inspiration head over and check it out!

Starting with the new year Hubby and I are on the healthy eating plan from now on. That's not to say we don't still indulge in our favorites (we had curry from our favorite Indian place on Friday....oh MY was it delicious!) but we are making a serious effort to eat more mindfully. You won't notice a huge change in our menu items, but you would definitely see a change in the ingredients. I've become a huge fan of Skinny Mom's Kitchen. She does a fabulous job of making your favorite foods more healthy...we LOVE it! The black bean and rice burritos are my new best friend..I've been keeping it in the fridge for quick lunches for the past 2 weeks now....LOVE!! I eat them as a rice and black bean bowl..no tortilla needed! Add some fresh salsa and I'm good to go!

Here's our plan for the week:

• Monday-Burgers on lite wheat buns with all the fixin's, Italian roasted red potatoes, roasted asparagus (who am I kidding, I'm the only one eating this!) and tossed salad.

• Tuesday-Pasta with Trader Joe's organic Tuscan sauce, tossed salad and whole wheat baguette bread

• Wednesday-BBQ baked chicken, crock pot baked potatoes (lifesaver!), green beans

• Thursday-homemade chicken noodle soup, sandwiches

• Friday-"cheat" night (We decided that in order to make healthy living a permanent change we needed to allow ourselves the freedom of an occasional "cheat"...curry from the Indian place, ordering pizza, etc. The thing is, we promise to make it the healthiest cheat we can and in order to qualify we need to eat healthy the rest of the week. Knowing that nothing is off limits is going to be the key to my own weight loss....I can not stand being told I cannot do something, I get stubborn...and that's not good in this case!)

I'm using Sparkpeople.com as a tool to my weight loss/new lifestyle. I'm trying really hard not to look at this like a diet....it's a change that needs to be made. Sharing the goals here will hopefully make me accountable for my actions. I'm not ready to post any "big numbers" yet, but I can at least post my goals. Keep me honest folks...I need a drill sergeant here!!

• Goal #1-Track every bite of food that goes into my body. I catch myself eating little stuff throughout the day as I make meals for my family...that potato chip that fell off the plate onto the counter, one taste too many of the soup I'm making for dinner (after 5 or 6 bites you have to call that a half a cup of soup folks, not "a taste"...who am I kidding?).

• Goal #2-exercise for at least 10 minutes a day. No, this doesn't seem like much right now, but to someone who has completely fallen off of the exercise wagon, bounced into the ditch and rolled over and gone to sleep this is a BIG step! It means I have to be mindful of moving my body at least once a day. Once I get the shoes on, mp3 player ready and get myself out the door am I only going to walk for 10 minutes? Maybe I will....or maybe I'll think "well, I'm out here, I may as well make it worth it!"

• Goal #3-Drink. That. Water. Hello, my name is Amy and I'm a Coke Zero addict. Oops, did some bourbon fall into my glass! Oh noes! Guess I better drink it, wouldn't want it to fall into someone else's! I do drink a goodly amount of water, but honestly I could do better. This is probably the easiest thing any of us can do to improve our health. I had to give myself at least ONE easy goal!! C'mon people!

So there you have it. Call me on it...leave me comments saying "Yo, get your hiney in gear and out the door!" Ask me where my water cup is...oh, and did you track those 14 potato chip pieces that fell into your mouth while you were packing lunches?? I need someone to smack me around a little!!

As a way of saying "thank you" for your encouragement I'll continue to do awesome giveaways like the Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales giveaway that I have going right now! It ends at Noon on Friday....get those entries in!!! I have MORE great giveaways coming up soon...so stay tuned!