Day 1: Beef brisket, Roasted Brussels sprouts, Orange slices
Day 2: Tuscan shrimp, Rice, Red pepper slices
Day 3: Braised red cabbage with apples and bacon
Day 4: Homemade pizza, tossed salad w/ carrots and olives
Day 5: Slow cooker lemon rosemary chicken and potatoes
Day 6: Butternut squash soup, Banana bran muffins
Day 7: Hot dogs w/ sauerkraut, Berry smoothie
Notes: Yes, we do eat hot dogs! They can make a relatively healthy meal if you get nitrate free and have plenty of healthy toppings and sides. Hot dogs and sausages freeze well and make a very easy supper for a busy night. If you use buns for your meat, those freeze well too, but you can omit them to go low carb. I know ketchup is classic, but it can be full of high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners. I top our sausages with sauerkraut to get in the veggies for the meal. I buy one that contains carrots, daikon, burdock, cabbage, ginger, and garlic. I also buy plain sauerkraut, which the kids actually love. There are lots of varieties out there now and they are one of the best sources of probiotics. Serve with a berry smoothie with yogurt for more probiotics plus fruit (and possible veggies if you sneak them in).
Green Tips: At the grocery store I choose the meat counter over the refrigerated case of pre-wrapped meat in order to avoid the disposal of single use plastic packaging and prevent having your meat in contact with the plastic that can leach chemicals into your food. Some butchers will let you bring your own containers to transport hot dogs and sausages to your home. If your state or local food code does not allow you to bring your own container, then opt for butcher paper over plastic shrink wraps and styrofoam trays. Some butchers (even at whole foods) use plastic to weigh the meat and plastic lined paper to wrap it. Ask them if they can consider using soy based tissue and wax or soy lined butcher paper instead. These alternatives do exist and could be composted, but will depend on the type of compost you use.
