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Day 1: Vegetable frittata with broccoli, frozen bell pepper, and cheddar, Fruit smoothie
Day 2: Cincinnati style chili
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Tossed salad
Day 4: Thai curry vegetable soup
Day 5: Burritos with sauteed carrots, black beans, onions, and taco seasoning, Apple and orange slices
Day 6: Spaghetti, Garlic bread, Steamed broccoli
Day 7: Beef tenderloin (Christmas indulgence), Herb potatoes, Roasted Brussels sprouts, Cranberry and orange sauce
Notes: Okay, I already have 3 chili recipes archived here (chicken, taco, and my husband’s Super Bowl version), but I just have to add one more. There is such a warm comforting feeling from chili, which is why I make so much of it in the winter time. I’ll be making it on the eve of winter solstice this week. It is a meal almost anyone will eat and it is very easy to make. You can make it vegan or chock full of meat, low carb or super carby. I was at a gathering this past weekend and the host, originally from Ohio, made a big pot of chili. Now, I didn’t know that Cincinnati style chili is a thing, but it was so dang good that I just have to recreate it now! The secret? They use cinnamon and unsweetened cocoa. They also serve it over spaghetti, but I’m skipping that part to lower the carbs, especially since we will be having traditional spaghetti this week too (see below). The origins of Cincinnati chili are Greek and there are two major establishments that compete for the best, Skyline and Gold star. Apparently, it says a lot about you depending on which type you prefer. I picked a recipe that seems to be more in line with the Skyline version. So try it out and let me know what you think.
One more personal story this week. Christmas is coming up soon and this is a holiday that my family does celebrate. Growing up, we traveled to Michigan almost every single Christmas to visit family. We had two sets of families to visit and it usually took us on a whole driving loop around Lake Michigan. It was a lot of time in the car and I sometimes wished we could just stay home. Fast forward to having my own children, and I try to make a point of staying at home for Christmas. We’ve fallen into a tradition of a spaghetti dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by games and grasshoppers (an ice cream drink that is tradition in my husband’s family). Even though it is easy to prepare, we don’t eat spaghetti on a regular basis. I try to avoid eating pasta frequently and I also like to reserve spaghetti as a treat for my kids. I use my homemade pasta sauce preserved from the summer and pair it with some ground beef, noodles, garlic bread, and some sort of green veggie to balance out the starch. Voila, Christmas Eve is good to go and it is a really easy meal so we can all relax and have fun counting our blessings and playing games. Happy eating to you all this holiday season!!
GLP Tip of the Week: Are you frantically trying to finish up your gift preparations for the holidays? Well, I have a tip for you to make this a little easier. Don’t buy gift wrap!! You don’t need it, it is expensive, and it is a drag on the environment. You might be thinking that it is recyclable so what is the big deal? In reality, most wrapping paper cannot be recycled. If it is shiny it either contains foil or a plastic coating, which means you cannot put it in with your paper recycling. It must go in the garbage. Same goes for any paper that has glitter on it. Glitter is manufactured microplastic. So save yourself the money and headache of shopping for wrapping paper and instead use newspaper, gift bags, a pretty box, a festive tin, kids artwork, or anything you can find around the house. And replace those plastic bows and curly ribbon with a cinnamon stick and some twine. If you already have a boatload of holiday wrapping paper, there is no need to fret. Simply use what you have, reuse it over and over if you can, and when it is gone, pledge to use more sustainable wrappings in the future.
**NEXT WEEK’S MEAL PLAN WILL BE POSTED ON 12.26.19**
