A Special Touch Online

Hello friends,

We are going to start you on your way to simple menu planning.  This is something you can do on your own.  If you don’t have time, we do have customized menus we can design just for you!  You can leave a comment and we will contact you for this.

Today I want you to write down 10 of your favorite main dishes, 10 of your favorite salads, 10 side dishes.

When you have this completed, grab a sheet of paper, an excel spread sheet or anything else and write Monday through Sunday on the paper.

Fill in your menu…we are going to work on DINNER only.  Use your favorite dishes and take a look at the ads in the paper to see what is on sale.  Look in your freezer and pantry as well to incorporate as much of what you have in there in your menu.

Remember the 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 rule on your plate…1/2 of the plate should be fruits and vegetables, 1/4 whole grain and 1/4 protein.

This will be the menu you use next week.  That will give you time to prepare, shop and pre cook and freeze.

Here is our Menu for this week to get ideas:  I am trying to incorporate heart-healthy and antioxidants.

MONDAY:

Potato and vegetable soup with whole wheat croutons, Avocado and orange salad with blueberries, glazed walnuts and onion slices (picture) skim milk

TUESDAY:

Chicken stir-fry with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, bean sprouts, mushrooms and red peppers, fresh ginger and garlic and low sodium soy sauce and honey, orange slices

WEDNESDAY:

Turkey sliders on whole wheat rolls.  make turkey burgers with 1 pounds ground turkey, 2 T. minced onion, dash Worcestershire, seasoned salt and pepper, one minced garlic clove. form into small patties and grill.  Right before the patties are done on the second side, place a slice of havarti cheese on the patty to melt.  Toast the buns and add lettuce pickles and ground mustard…YUMMO.  Serve with fresh salad of pomegranite seeds, pineapple chunks and blueberries, dusted with a dash of cinnamon.  Cucumber and carrot slices as well.

THURSDAY:

Grilled Flank Steak.  wet one side of a flank steak, sprinkle with meat tenderizer and pound with meat mallet or pierce with fork all over, turn and repeat.  put in gallon ziplock back with 1 bunch of green onions chopped, 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 3 T honey, 2 T fresh grated ginger and 1/4 c olive oil.  mix and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Grill until med in the middle and nice and well done on the edges.  Let this rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into thin slices across the grain of the meat to let the juices settle into the meat! Serve with quartered, roasted red potatoes and parsnips tossed in olive oil and baked with season salt and basil till fork tender. saute some asparagus… Fresh pears slices with a dash of nutmeg and a sprig of mint makes a great “dessert”.

FRIDAY:

Whole wheat pizza!  make your own crust, add pizza sauce, mozzarella, canadian bacon and lots of veggies…onions, mushrooms, peppers and olives. serve with a big green salad with mixed greens and grape tomatoes and a glass of skim milk or almond milk.

SATURDAY:

In the morning put 1 pound of lean stew meat, 1 onion chopped, 4 carrots chopped, 4 celery sticks chopped (use the leaves for amazing flavor), a cup of water, two garlic cloves, minced, salt and pepper to taste, some brown gravy mix (we get the big one at costco) a healthy request can of cream of mushroom soup and a healthy request can of tomato soup. Stir, put on low and let it simmer in the crock pot all day while you get your saturday chores and playing done. You house will smell divine by dinner and you will be ready to whip up a pan of cornbread (using applesauce instead of butter) and there is dinner!

SUNDAY:

Grilled Salmon: put your salmon in tin-foil, squeeze the juice of one lemon, put 1 T butter in dabs on top, generous sprinkle of cajun seasoning, a minced garlic clove and generous sprinkle of lemon pepper.  Grill until it flakes in the center (don’t over-cook!)  saute green beans, onions, carrots, and red pepper with the juice of 1/2 lemon and serve with brown rice with a dash of coconut milk and lime and cilantro in it.

There you go…there is our family dinner for the week to get your mind a thinking!  Happy organization!

What are your resolutions? Jeff and I had a special night where we told each other our dreams, hopes and our goals for this year.

Here goes:

Kathleen’s list~

1. Health! This means exercise, eat right, sleep right and gain back my womanly figure..woot woot!

2. I want my business to take off. A special touch features catering, special event planning, special order desserts, and made to order menu plans for people…let me know what you need, I am at your service! You will see many fun ideas and products on my site this year!

3. Family time, Family time, Family time. Have I mentioned to you how “Special” my family is to me…love them.

4. Organization: of my home, of my mind, of my business and off my life.

5. Love, laugh and live for the JOURNEY, not the destination!

It is December 24th, the DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS!  We just had a fun meal of artichokes, marinated vegies, sundried tomato pizza roll ups and fresh fruit.  We laughed and shared our stories for the day.  Everyone opened our Christmas pajamas.  We took a crazy picture with them on.  We all got a special pin that Jenica had creatively wrapped and gave us a hint on the outside of what the inside may be.

WHY, then, would I be talking about exercise when I should snuggle down deep in my bed?

There are quite a few reasons.

1.  Better Sleep

2.  Lower blood pressure

3.  Better sex (don’t blush, it’s true)

4.  Mood regulator

5.  Weight loss

6.  Metabolism

7.  You will have more energy

I could go on and on, but we are going to go ahead and commit to 30 minutes a day.  Come on, we can DO IT.

I am going to take a deep breath and give you some ideas of winter fun exercise.  In though my nose, out through my mouth…Sledding, shoveling, walking the dog, snowball fight, brisk jog to the park.  Snowshoing, skiing, snowboarding, making a snowman. Inside swimming, walking on a track, watching your favorite show while on the treadmill, housework, just dance on the WII, zumba, aerobics, go to a club and shake your bootie. Turn the radio loud and dance away. kick-boxing, climbing, yoga, weight lifting.

NO EXCUSES…pick three or four of these and give me 5 days a week with 30 minutes a day.

I promise I will do the same!

Hello~

The holidays=food, and LOTS OF IT!  On my dest at work today alone there was a Krispy Kreme Donut, Some Mexican sugar chips and a bag of popcorn.  I know everyone means well, but to maintain through the holidays, I have added some “Special Touches” to my diet that are going to help me make it though the holidays.  Think COLOR…not the candy cane colors, but the bright colors of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Last night for dinner I had a fresh, healthy dish that was simply a roasted sweet potato, with the skin on, chunked. Some beautiful collard greens, with a rough chop.  A handful of pine nuts and a handful of pomegranate seeds.  Add some pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar, and walaa, a BEAUTIFUL, colorful dinner that is so flavorful, with it’s roasted, sweet, bitter, nutty, sweet combo that you wont miss your greasy, sugary snacks.

Try to add color to your plate everyday with fruits and vegetables.  Eat at least 4 different colors a day.  Some beautiful delicious ideas for winter: Fresh pears, sweet oranges, pomegranate seeds, blueberries bursting with blue antioxidants, spinach, chard, kale, crispy apples. Red peppers, baby cucumbers, mushrooms, yellow pineapple. Baby purple potatoes and buttery textured yukon gold potatoes.  Bright acorn squash and creamy green avacado’s.  I could go on and on…just try this one tip with me as we enjoy the Holiday music, loved ones, and the activities without concentrating on the junk food!