Another crazy week in the Badger Girl/Manatee household. With the exception of Monday night, every night we are running in different directions. Meal planning is a must this week to prevent me from eating cereal every night and Manatee from eating eggs and salads every night (his default comfort meal of choice, it may sound odd but it’s actually really good….once in awhile).

I am also starting to place more emphasis on healthy snacks. At this point in my pregnancy, I am learning that snacks are the way to go. Since we don’t buy prepackaged snack foods like crackers or granola bars, guess what I have been resorting to?

badger girl cereal v. 1.0

You guessed it. I feel like my Clean Eating Homemade Cereal has been the theme of my diet for the last month. While it’s healthy, I can’t help but think I could be getting more nutrients from good ole fashioned fruits and veggies.

Meal Plan

Fish Tacos: With a short (room temperature) marinade time, these are always a quick and easy meal.

tilapia tacos

Black Bean and Chicken Soup with Salsa and Adobe Peppers: This is going to be our staple this week. I made a big batch on Monday night and we will be eating it throughout the week in various forms. I started with a recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. Then added a ton more spice, veggies, and salsa. I should have a post up about it later this week. I was super proud of myself for this recipe because I finally used some dried beans that we got from our CSA last winter and used chicken from a whole chicken I broke down a few weeks ago that was in the freezer.

Having soup night after night can get old, so here are some ways we will be re-making the soup:

– On a salad with lots of shredded lettuce and avocado

– Tossed with brown rice and salsa (and then put on top of a salad). I have recently started buying some microwave packets of whole grain brown rice. I have been skeptical in the past, but the Roundy’s version only has three ingredients: brown rice, water, canola oil. Can’t find anything wrong with that!

– As a dip with some Homemade Tortilla Chips, Greek Yogurt, salsa, and shredded lettuce.

homemade tortilla chips 4

– Do you have any other ideas for re-making soup?

Duck Ragu and Veggie Flatbreads: The Duck Ragu is part of my Lombardino’s recipe testing. I will be making that and some veggie flatbreads for my bookclub. Any good recipes or suggestions for veggie flatbreads?

Sweet and Spicy Tofu: In case, we get sick of our black bean soup, we will resort to an oldie but goodie with some steamed veggies and that brown rice I was talking about earlier.

Healthy Snacks

Suddenly, I do feel like I am eating for two. This week I am setting myself up for success by keeping these foods on hand for some healthy snacks:

– pre-cut veggies: I spoiled myself and bought a container of pre-cut carrots and celery sticks. Believe it or not, I’m really excited about this. I love celery but hate cutting it up. I also cut up a red pepper, some cucumber, and bought some grape tomatoes.

– healthy bean dips: Though I may occasionally gnaw on a celery stick, I prefer to have my veggies dipped. I have black bean dip and roasted red pepper hummus in the fridge.

– (dry packed) sun-dried tomatoes- Manatee and I eat these like chips. It’s an extra bonus if our store’s deli has their own in-house sun-dried tomatoes for sale, but if not, we buy pouches of them. Great for dipping or just eating alone.

– pre-cut fruit: I cut up some watermelon, strawberries, and apples, and also bought some seedless red grapes. The goal with the fruit (as well as the veggies) is to make them just as convenient as chips or crackers. I love apples but never want to commit to eating a whole one so by having a few slices on hand, I am so much more likely to eat them.

– dry roasted almonds: I have a big bag of raw almonds that I will roast in the oven at 350 for about about 12-15 minutes. I don’t add anything to them, but that simple roast makes them crispy and enhances their flavor just enough to make them totally addictive.

– roasted, unsalted cashews– This is my treat-treat. When I want something creamy, rich, and crunchy, I have a few of these. I also love throwing them on salads. Because they are so expensive, I try to limit them and treat them like the luxury they are.

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What are some healthy snacks you keep on hand?

Any ideas for good combinations for my veggie flatbreads?

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