Kitchen Tips: Preparing for Diet Success

As I always say, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” – and if you are trying to eat healthy, planning is a necessity.

It starts at the grocery store, but that’s not where it ends. I know a lot of people who buy healthy food that ends up rotting in bottom of the refrigerator. So, you not only need to shop healthy, you need to buy stuff you know you will actually cook – not stuff you hope you will eat. Good intentions won’t help you lose weight. Follow through will. And once you cook up your food, it still doesn’t stop there. You need to make sure you have all the tupperware you need so it goes where you go. Plastic forks, spoons, lunch bag – you name it, if it helps you stick to your diet, it’s worth being properly stocked.

With that said, cooking is definitely the hardest part of the process. It takes time, but it is SO worth it. This why we set aside time to cook for the week – and Sundays are those days for us. It’s our chance to cook up all our meat for the week, and box up our meals so we stay on track, no matter what craziness comes our way.

Since many people ask me what we make, I thought I’d share our shopping list, as well as what we made for this week.

My Shopping List:

Mixed Greens
Avocado
Grapes
Mango
Onions
Bell Pepper
Asparagus
Sweet Potato
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Balsamic Vinegar
Almond Butter
Chicken
Tilapia
Salmon
Ground Lean Turkey
Lean Cuisines (for emergency)
Egg Whites/Egg Beaters
Oatmeal
Granola (for sprinkling o yogurt)
Dasani Drops
Edamame
Soy Sauce
Light Balsamic Dressing
Roasted Almonds
Kosher Dill Pickles
100 Calorie Popcorn
130 Calorie Packs of Pistachios
Starbucks Coffee
Sugar Free Creamer
Stevia
Greek Yogurt Snack Packs
Low-Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese Sticks
Anderson Pretzel Stix
Beef Jerky
4 Gallons of Water

Once I get my groceries, then I prepare the meat. My focus is to have a meat and one vegetable for each meal. I save my higher-carb items (like sweet potato) for lunches, and stick to leafy greens with a meat at night.

Meat for the Week

Grilled Filleted Fajita Lime Chicken
Large Grilled Salmon with Ginger and Wasabi
Grilled Tilapia with Lemon & Mojo Mama Blacked Dry MOJO
Roasted Curry Chicken & Vegetables
Breadless Low-Calorie Turkey Meatloaf
Curry Chicken Salad

As always, I played in the kitchen and created meals based on what I was in the mood for. I rarely follow recipes, and I almost never measure anything, unless I am following a recipe. So, bare with me as I try to recall what I did, in hopes it at least gets you on the right track. 🙂

Cook Healthy to Eat Healthy

Roasted Curry Chicken
Chicken Breast (I cooked 8-10)
1 Can Lite Coconut Milk
2 Onions Sliced Thick
2 Sweet Potato (peeled and diced in 2″ chunks)
3 Bell Peppers Sliced Thick
2 Cans Water Chestnuts
A Butt-Load of Curry Powder 🙂
Sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper to add zip
Sprinkle Stevia to sweeten (to taste)
Salt to taste

Put in a roaster or crock pot. After the food is done, I add more stevia, curry and salt until I get the taste I want, which is a sweet and slightly spicy flavor. If it’s too sweet, you may need more salt to balance it.

After the chicken was all done and absorbed the yummy flavors of the curry and vegetables, I took out 3 breasts and chopped them up in cubes for a curry chicken salad. Here is what I put in it.

Curry Chicken Salad

3 Chicken Breast
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup light mayo (or yogurt) 
1 C chopped grapes
1 T stevia
1 T curry powder
salt & pepper
Cucumber (optional)

Mix it all up and pop it in the fridge to chill. Cut a cucumber in half, longways, and scoop out the seeds with a tablespoon until it makes a nice boat. Serve the chicken salad on the cucumber boat. Serve with wheat thins if you are serving guests. Dieters skip the chips and just enjoy it as is.