I finally got to it and did my first perimeter shopping trip Sunday evening.  I was very prepared and other than purchasing some processed food for my nephew, whose staying with me right now, I stayed true to the shopping list I created.

The list consisted of a ton of fruits and vegetables, chicken, ground turkey, black beans, brown rice,  and spices.  I already have a freezer full of halibut and some salmon thanks to my parents.  Technically the brown rice, black beans, and spices were not on the perimeter, but they certainly qualify as “good for me food” in my opinion.

In addition to shopping on the perimeter, I planned out my entire week’s worth of food.  I’ve never done that before and two days into the week, I already know I LOVE it.  It’s so easy to make my meals if I already know what they are going to be.  And, it only took me about an hour to plan it all out…the planning also made creating my grocery list easier too.

I’m not a nutritionist…far from it…but, here is a sample of what I have planned for the week.  I’ll be keeping it simple by having a protein, a vegetable, and a “good for me” carbohydrate for breakfast and lunch.  For dinner, I’ll trim it down to a protein and a vegetable.  By “good for me” I mean “not processed”, so goodbye my beloved white bread and other similar junk.

Breakfast

To make breakfast simple, I plan on eating the same thing every day (at least on the weekdays).  I find that, in the morning, I just don’t care about variety.  So, breakfast will be:  Sliced Turkey, a large Tomato, and Black Beans.  I know it’s not a very traditional breakfast, but it’s easy and actually tastes really yummy.

On Saturday and Sunday, I’ll make egg white omelets with onions and peppers and a side of black beans…maybe even a dash of salsa.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Lunch

Lunches are even easier than breakfast.  I will be bringing leftovers from the previous night’s dinner and just adding a “good for me” carbohydrate to it (like brown rice, quinoa, black beans, etc.).

Dinner

I’ve planned a different dinner every night.  Since I plan on bringing leftovers for lunch, I don’t want to get bored.

• Monday – Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita with Tomato
• Tuesday – Meatloaf with Green Salad
• Wednesday – Hungarian Chicken with Spinach
• Thursday – Baked Halibut with Green Salad
• Friday – Cajun Chicken with Asparagus
• Saturday – Caribbean Halibut with Green Salad
• Sunday – Saucy Salmon with Green Beans

Some key things:

• I’ll cook with broth instead of oil when possible.
• Vegetables will be mixed in most of the proteins (for example:  onions and bell peppers in the chicken fajitas).
• For salad dressing, I found one that calls for:  garlic, chicken broth, vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and salt/pepper.

Snack

For my mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks I’ll be eating a piece/serving of fruit with a healthy oil.  Here are the four options I have sprinkled throughout my week:

• Banana and Almonds
• Grapes and Sunflower Seeds
• Apple and Almond Butter
• Cantaloupe and Almonds

Jumping Into the Deep End

It kind of feels like jumping into the deep end by drastically changing my eating habits.  But, the planning ahead is making it easier.  I also have a couple of friends at work who are “jumping in” too, so the moral support is amazing.

Disclaimer

I have no nutritional training at all.  Nothing mentioned in this post is meant to be taken as advice.  Simply…this is what I’m doing.  I would recommend that everyone do their own research or consult their doctor.