Breakfast: Leftover cold Ricotta Pancakes smeared with almond butter. Surprisingly this is one of my favorite breakfasts. I wrapped them in foil and took them on my crack of dawn walk. It's been so hot and unusually humid here, I have been trying to get my exercise in as early as possible.
More Grab and Go Protein Packed Breakfast Ideas
Lunch: I filled my bento box with some good stuff and took it outside. Little tomatoes from one of the three plants I am growing were a part of lunch. I am actually surprised in this drought we are in that I am getting anything to grow but I'm getting a steady stream of little tomatoes and the grapes will be ready in the next few days that is, if the birds don't beat me to them.
Back to the lunch...
Pink Box (top left): Homegrown Tomatoes and fresh Mozzarella (sprinkle S&P and oregano)
Orange Box (top right): Mango Chunks
Blue Box (bottom left): Dill & Onion Tuna Salad, Dill Pickle SpearsGreen Box (bottom right): a hunk of a Premier Protein Bar (all flavors are really yummy, this one was Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Mint is awesome too)
Shelly's Dill & Onion Tuna Salad
1 can (5 oz.) Albacore Tuna
2-3 Tablespoon Greek Yogurt, plain
several dashes of Dried Dill
dash of Oregano
2 Green Onions, diced fine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix till well blended. Great with cucumber "cracker" scoopers.
More Bento Box lunches, FAQ's and an Online Source for them
My Bento Box Pinterest Page - Oodles of Bento Box Pictures and Lunch Ideas
Dinner: It's been awhile since I made mini meatloaves. I love them... besides being just too darn cute they taste great. You know the edges are always the best part of meatloaf and mini meatloaves mean more edges.
Shelly's Green Chili and Cheese Mini Meatloaves
1 1/4 pounds Ground Beef or Turkey, the average weight of 1 package
1 Yellow Onion, diced
1/4 cup Oatmeal
1/4 cup Milk
1 Egg, beaten
1 (4 oz. can) Chopped Mild Green Chilis, drained (Old El Paso, Ortega)
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Topping
1 teaspoon Shredded Colby Jack or Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
Saute onion till golden, set aside to cool. Soak oatmeal in milk for 1 minute (you can use almond meal or bread crumbs if you do bread) Beat egg. Add cooled onion, egg and soaked oats to ground meat. Add all remaining ingredients. Mix till combined. Divide into 8 equal mounds. Form into mini meatloaves or if you have one of these super groovy pans like me use it. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Place 1 teaspoon of cheese on top of cooked loaves and broil for a minute till cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve with a dollop of Shelly's Cumin Lime Crema (3 oz plain Greek yogurt, squeeze of lime, a few dashes of ground cumin, stir till combined)
These keep for a couple of days in the fridge or freeze well either cooked or uncooked. I have found the trick to eating leftovers as a post-op is to keep things moist. I love this gadget for that. You put a couple of tablespoons of water in the base and it steam heats the food. Totally keeps foods from drying out. One of the best post-op gadgets in my kitchen.
Leftover meatloaves are great crumbled into soups or my bites (aka crustless quiches) or turned into a tortilla pizza or broken up into those Chickpea and Beef Bowls I make (use leftover meatloaf, crumbled instead of the beef.) I love coming up with ways to repurpose leftovers into completely different creations.
More Mini Meatloaf Recipes
Snacks: Coffee and it was so hot in the afternoon I made a Chike High Protein Iced Coffee Banana Mocha-chino. It cooled me down right away. Not a banana fan... add a few High Protein Greek Yogurt Cubes instead.
Shelly's Iced Coffee Banana Mocha-chino
8 oz. Milk or Water (or combo)
1/4 of a Frozen Banana
1 scoop Chike High Protein Iced Coffee (comes in Original and Mocha)
a few ice cubes
Blend on high.
More Protein Shakes and Smoothies
More Days in my pouch.
