Time...I could use another hundred hours or so in my week, couldn't you? As a matter of fact I have talked to a number of you who have either been to Fitness Ridge with me or apart from me and every single one of you said time was the major hinderance. We work, have kids, families, animals, boy or girl friends, hobbies, friends, or melt downs in any given day. Where do all those hours go? Not into a black hole my friend - oh no! But once they are gone, they are gone.
Let's say you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you sleep 7 hours a night then that leaves you 9 hours in your day to do everything else. Laundry, dishes, cleaning house, paying bills, cooking, exercising, playing with animals or kids or both, homework or working from home, going out with friends, church, and let's face it, just sitting down and reading a good book because we can't be running every minute can we? Are you stressed out yet? I am! I sat down yesterday morning and wrote down everything I do in a day and figured out, I don't have near enough hours to get it all done. This causes stress and the pile gets bigger.
So I came up with a plan. My husband is a marvel when it comes to solutions. We talked about what could easily be eliminated from my list, not much, but every little bit helps. I have decided that my Thankful Goat soap business has gotten so big I won't be able to do special orders anymore. I love doing it, but I just can't. I also won't be cooking every day. I have chosen three days to cook for two hours each day and the other four we will eat leftovers, because I will fix enough. I will only work on my business three days a week leaving two days to do sewing and art, things that I rarely get to work on. The plan came together quite nicely and I got up early this morning to walk for an hour:) Check.
I loved the food that was prepared at Fitness Ridge, but I learned the best thing about it is that I DIDN'T have to prepare it:) It just magically appeared in front of me and I ate it and went on about my day. When I got home preparing it like Chef and the crew did was almost impossible unless you are independantly wealthy and don't have anything else to do all day. And if you know me, you know how much I LOVE to cook. So here's what I have done. I have made it so we can get dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less every night. Fitness Ridge Style:) We ate a lot of 93% lean ground turkey and it usually came in two forms: skillet prepared or molded into some shape and cooked, ie. burgers, meatballs, stuffed peppers, etc. The skillet prepared was just like you would fix meat for spaghetti sauce or chili. What I am proposing is making this stuff up and doing enough for the whole week. You cook one time then you can get supper or lunch going a lot faster.
I know what you are thinking "Ground turkey every single night! I might barf." Believe me you won't even know you are eating the same thing! In order to make this work you will probably have to order Chef's cookbooks at www.biggestloserresort.com You can just get their number and give them a call and they will send them right to your door. But believe me, you don't even need that.
A package of ground turkey has 16 oz. in it. That's two dinner sized portions or four lunch sized portions. Figure out how many meals you need for your family size, and buy that many packages of 97% fat free ground turkey. Sometimes I have to get 93% if there isn't 97% at the store. Here is the skillet recipe:
2 packages ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can, drained and chopped, roasted red bell pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper, optional
Cook everything in a skillet until all the meat is browned and the juices are evaporated.
This is the base for spaghetti, chili, greek pitas, turkey soup, tacos, enchiladas, pizza, burritos, taco salads, oriental salads, and the list goes on. Remember you have to cook enough at the time to make for the whole week so get a big pot. You will thank me later:)
The other ground turkey concoction is the patty kind. You will mix it up and leave it in a covered bowl raw, until you are ready to cook something with it.
2 packages ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can drained and chopped, roasted red pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper, optional
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 egg
Put everything in a food processor, again making sure that you have enough for the week. I do half skillet style and have this recipe. You process everything til it's ground up. This stuff has amazing flavor and all you have to do is ball it up. 1/4 cup is a serving for lunch and 1/2 cup is good for dinner. You can make burgers, meatballs, stuffed red peppers, salisbury steak and gravy, again, the limit is up to you. I also make extra brown rice so I will have some for some of the meals as my carb side.
Two other things that would be helpful is to prechop a salad bar and make a gallon of soup base.
For the salad veggies only! Spinach (never iceburg lettuce!), spring mix, tomatos, carrots, broccoili, cauliflower, onions, bell pepper, frozen thawed peas, etc. Put them in ziplock baggies and get them out when you need a snack or want a salad with your meal.
We had soup every lunch at the Ridge, but who has time to stop and make soup AND lunch. So I make the base and have it on hand so I can make whatever kind of soup I want. The soup base:
3 cans of chicken broth
2 Tbls Tone's Chicken
2 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper, optional
Cook in pot until onion is soft, puree in blender and store in fridge.
This is the base. To make the soup, pick a veggie: beets, carrots, butternut squash, jerusalem artichoke, red bell pepper, parsnips, etc. I use a big handful of chopped veggies to 32 oz of broth (4 servings) and bring to a boil. It's done when the veggies are soft. I pruee the whole thing and serve up 8 oz to begin lunch. This helps you to feel full and gives you flavor and fiber.
So...if you have your meat ready, and your salad ready, and your soup stock ready, then you are more than half way there. Also you don't have to stick to a schedule. If you come home and want a burger, it's ready to fix, burrito, no problem:) This is so easy and I hope it takes hours off your busy schedule. I also hope it inspires you to eat healthier, and gives you more time to exercise or be with those important people in your lives. Being prepared is all it takes! No more wondering what's for dinner.
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