I start my meal mash-up by making note of what I have and what needs to be used up in the freezer, fridge, and pantry. I then try to find a protein to base the meal around. Protein can come from multiple sources, think eggs, lunch meat, left over chicken, beans, nuts, nut butter, or yogurt. I then find something with some fiber. I try to use mainly veggies and fruit here. Apples, avocados, tomatoes, frozen edamame, greens, peppers, and mushrooms are examples I buy regularly. The last thing I look for to make my meal is healthy fat. This can be found in avocado, nuts, nut butter, olives, and olive oil.
You will notice that a couple of these will overlap and provide both protein and healthy fats. These types of foods are double whammies and are consistently on my shopping list.
If you take a look back at some of the meals I have posted about you can see this process in action.
Breakfast:
My Favorite Yogurt Breakfast = P = Yogurt, F= Fruit, HF = Nuts
Lunch:
Ants on a Raft - P = Almond Butter, F= Raisins & Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin, HF = Almond Butter
Tuna Salad - P = Tuna, F= Tomato, HF = Avocado
Dinner:
Shrimp Dinner for One - P = Shrimp, F= Veggies, HF = Avocado
Last night, the plan was to grill a steak with green beans. After looking in the fridge I noticed that I had half a tomato, left over Wholly Guacamole, and a small amount of broccoli that needed to be used up soon. So instead of just steak and green beans, I made a tomato and avocado salsa (simply mixed them together) and threw the broccoli in with the green beans to steam. While the steak and green beans would have sufficed, I was able to make our meal more filling and tasty while also using up foods that might otherwise have gone bad.
Sometimes we know what we should eat but we aren't quite sure about how to put it all together. The more you experiment the easier it gets!
Hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend. I will see you on Monday.
What are your favorite leftovers?