Hey everyone! So, one week ago when I planned my weekly menu it was a regular old week. Except for a horrific rash on my face that had been bothering me for nearly two weeks, that is. I went to the doctor on Tuesday. She told me to essentially eat like a hunter gatherer for 1 week and that I absolutely could not eat sugar, dairy or wheat for the week. So, since Tuesday I have only eaten meats, beans, vegetables, fruits, eggs and brown rice. (I’m allowed to eat oats, too, but just haven’t yet.)
If you know meĀ at all, you know special diets are just not my thing. But I of course listened to the doctor and got on it stat. And I have good news, which is also bad news in my opinion because I love bread so much. This clean eating stuff actually worked. WHAT THE?! Here are my conclusions so far:
- This way of eating not only has cleared up the rash (which was terrible, friends…terrible), but my skin overall has never looked this good. I have always struggled with acne, so this is saying something.
- I have lost over 6 pounds already. I’m sure some of that was water retention, but every time I step on the scale the number is lower. Note: I am not actively trying to lose weight. Note #2: Don’t worry, I’m not wasting away or anything. š
- Eating this way was easier than I thought it would be and the food I have been eating has been delicious.
- Eating this way requires a lot more food prep. Which just takes a little more planning. But I am also usingĀ way more fruits and vegetables, which is fantastic. I took about 30-45 minutesĀ on grocery shoppingĀ day to prep a bunch of raw veggies so they are waiting in the fridge for a snack or for cooking.
- I AM ALSO BORED TO DEATH WITH FOOD. Really. Today the food boredom is really kicking in. This boredom is manifesting itself in two ways. First, I’m sick of thinking so hard about food. Second, I am just bored with the options. I wish I could eat more things.
I meet again with the doctor in two days to go over test results and to discuss the diet changes and next steps, including reintroducing foods slowly. The reason I am telling you all of this is because this is a food blog and this has been a pretty significant development in my daily experience with food. I won’t write about it all the time, but it was just so fascinating to me that results came so quickly with this diet shift. Crazy stuff.
Okay, so here is this week’s menu, which is one I should be able to enjoy if I have to continue with the food restrictions beyond this Tuesday.
MONDAY:
– Carnitas Rice Bowls
TUESDAY:
–Ā Boozy Beef Stew
WEDNESDAY:
– Stefania’s Braised Chicken
THURSDAY:
– Leftovers
FRIDAY:
– Grilled Chicken with Salad
SATURDAY:
– Eat out night
SUNDAY:
– Roasted Veggie Scrambles
Your turn! Share yourĀ dinner plans for the week in the comments below! (And any clean eating wisdom…I’ll take it!)
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
Sun — Halibut Parmagiana (I know, cheese isn’t supposed to be served with fish, but this recipe came out of the Legal Seafoods Cookbook, so I figured if they can do it…)
Mon — Lamb ricotta meatballs and roasted asparagus
Tues — leftovers
Wed — school fundraiser
Thurs — leftovers
Fri — school fundraiser
Sat — Smoked salmon salad
Jane — treat yourself to some pints of Carlsbad strawberries from the farmers’ market. Hoping it’ll help a bit with the boredom.
I think that you can totally trust legal sea food! how did the recipe go?
and good idea on the strawberries! š
It was a really good recipe, Jane! It reminded me of cioppino, except as a thick sauce rather than a soup. I served it over spaghetti and the family loved it. There’s a seafood purveyor out of Alaska that sells halibut as “burger”. They scrape the remnants of the halibut off of the bones after they’ve filleted and sell this at half the price of the fillets. It worked perfectly for this recipe. I think Legal’s original recipe called for fillets for better presentation.
Got more strawberries yesterday. The ones coming out of Carlsbad right now are huge…and very sweet!
Sunday- hoagies!
Monday- salmon, broccoli, rice and salad
Tuesday- chopped salad with chicken
Wednesday- smoked sausage with peppers and onions
Thursday- stuffed peppers
Friday- leftovers
Saturday-grandnieceās first birthday party
first birthdays are the best – hope it was adorable and fun as can be!
M: Bolognese stuffed spaghetti squash
Tu: Instant Pot carnitas w/ soy chorizo & cheese stuffed jalapeĆĀ±os
W: creamy garlic penne w/ lemon salmon
Th: leftovers
F: late football game…Mac & cheese and popcorn chicken
Sa: prepping for my son’s birthday party
Su: my son’s 10th Nerf War birthday party…pizza, breadsticks, and a salad bar with snacks, cake pops, and candy!
how did you do the nerf war birthday party? my son would LOVE that.
It was a blast! We bought these inflatable Nerf War battleground barricades that you put water into so they stay put. We went to a park and set them out in the grass field. We made teams and put a flag on each side of the field and played a Capture the Flag game. We purchased 600 nerf bullets and safety glasses for all the kids. The guests just brought their own Nerf gun. So much fun!!!
Jane, I would love to hear more about your clean eating and how it goes, thanks for sharing thus far!
Monday: Mac n Cheese and Broccoli
Tuesday: Copy Cat Taco Bell Shredded Chicken Burrito
Wednesday: Roasted Sumac Chicken with Prunes
Thursday: Out To Eat
Friday: Michael Symon’s Slash and Burn Grouper
Saturday: Chorizo Lentils and Sausage
Sunday: Prosciutto Spinach Stuffed Focaccia
thanks so much, vicki! I will keep you all posted!
Iām always late posting b/c I make my menu on Sat. But here ya go:
Sat – brocoli cheddar soup and baked potatoes
Sun – grilled chicken, roasted green beans and wild rice
M – pork carnitas rice bowls (thanks for the idea and recipe)
T – sausage and quinoa skillet (readyseteta.com)
W – leftover so pick up something quick
Th – dressed up frozen pizza and salad
F – eat out
That should say *readyseteat.com
never too late to post!
Well, I look at your site literally every week for recipe ideas so I should do my part and post.
Your pork carnitas recipe was so so good. It will definitely go in the regular rotation. And it was easy to throw into the crockpot which is a must since I have to be at work at 7:20
Shelly, I love that you come look every week! Yippee! That makes me so happy. And it also makes me happy that you love the carnitas – that might be one of my favorites of all time.
S: Busy weekend; takeout
M: Chicken cordon bleu, sprouted rice blend & sliced tomatoes
T: Meatballs marinara w/ricotta & green beans
W: Kielbasa, beans & cucumber salad
T: Leftovers
F: Asian turkey meatballs & fried rice
S: Out
Sun: Out for BBQ
Mon: Husband cooks- Veggie Sammies & Pantry Pasta Soup
Tue: Whole Steamed Artichoke w/vinaigrette & Goat Cheese Salad
Wed: Ginger-Sesame Veggie Stirfry w/ Sesame Crusted Tofu & Cucumber Salad
Thurs: Out
Fri: Veggie Pizza & Salad
Sat: Out
Good luck, Jane! Hope you get everything sorted out. I hope you keep us updated.:)
thanks so much, kindy! I’ll for sure keep you all updated…gonna be an interesting journey to the say the least!
Re: clean eating. I have been eating Paleo and Whole30 since January 1 — no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no beans — and have also had a huge improvement in my skin and a 29 pound weight loss (I *am* trying to lose weight, and am in no danger of wasting away :)). Check out the various Whole30 and Paleo food blogs for recipes that will totally fit with your current eating restrictions. My favorite recipes so far have come from NomNomPaleo, 40Aprons, and PaleOMG (hope it’s ok to plug other blogs here). Good luck with everything and I hope you get the allergy figured out so you can reintroduce the food you love that isn’t causing you a problem.
yes, please plug anyone and everyone you love! thank you!
also, good job keeping paleo/whole 3 like that – it’s not easy!!
thank you, barbara!