Sticking to plan: holidays/summer - is it possible?

[FantasticDisFamily]

Hi folks,

The short answer to the question in the subject is - yes. The longer answer is that it takes some thinking ahead. So I wanted to share my "discoveries" from this past holiday weekend. You know how all those holiday and summer favorites are loaded with bad for us stuff - fats, LOTS of carbs, etc. Well I decided I'd see if it is possible to not feel deprived of the "good" stuff and still stay on plan.

Just as a note of explanation I am not on a low carb/Atkins type plan. I'm carb counting with what is generally considered a moderate level of carbs. About 1200 calories per day with 45-50% of that from carbs (~135 g per day).

So here is what I did. First I planned - I spent time looking through the low carb recipes here on the board and in a carb counters recipe book I have. And figured out what ingredients I needed to add to my shopping list. I ended up with more than I actually made - but have this whole week nearly figured out for meals too!

Then I took everyone shopping (including kids). While at the grocery store I let the kids (well DH could too but he eats pretty much what I eat) pick out foods they wanted in the house. They've been feeling a little deprived. But instead of a gallon of ice cream it was a pint! That way it would be too hard for me to sneak any (although I wasn't even tempted). Also DS asked for my homemade coconut cream pie and I bought those ingredients - will make it later this week as I made plenty of other goodies.

Here is what I ended up with and YES! everything stayed on plan and I checked this morning and none of the reported loss had snuck back!

Friday night - turkey breast roasted with a variety of spices. The recipe called for orange juice but I sprayed the meat with Pam and then sprinkled on dried orange peel and the other spices. General side dishes (then off to the grocery store)

Saturday - breakfast was scrambled eggs with chopped up soy sausage, salsa, onions, and morel mushrooms with english muffin (1/2 for me)

lunch was my "usual" turkey sandwich and raw baby carrots

Dinner - BBQ chicken made with the barbeque sauce recipe listed in the low carb thread. This one is a true winner. We LOVE barbequed meat in the summer and the commercial sauces are SO full of carbs and fat I was thinking it would be out. I prefer to get the carbs I do from sources of real food not condiments thank you! Along with this I served the mock potato salad (also on the low carb recipe thread - I added dill weed to the recipe and found it is better if it sits a day or two than freshly made), fresh fruit, and the Gingerbread (also on the low carb recipe thread). I found that the Cool Whip free tastes good and is almost carb free. Maybe it is just solid air but it tasted good and who can eat gingerbread without whip cream?

Sunday - nothing unusual about breakfast.

Dinner (noon after church) I made a Carribbean Chicken recipe from my carb counter cookbook. A little high in carbs to be called "low carb" since it has pineapple juice, bananas and sweet potatoes in it - but not bad. Served with 1/2 cup brown rice a good size portion is about 45 g of carbs (after subtracting the dietary fiber which doesn't count). And this was one the kids really liked. Quote - "how do we rate REAL food Mom?"

Supper - Pulled BBQ pork sandwiches on whole wheat buns. This was some leftover ribs I had in the frig which I cooked down until it fell apart and then stirred in some of the sauce mentioned earlier and heated through. The buns are by Aunt Millie's - a WHOLE bun (burger or dog) is 16 g. For most buns that is the amount of carbs in a half bun.

Monday - usual breakfast, then a graduation open house brunch. With all the usual brunch foods. Having eaten breakfast I wasn't terribly hungry and by carefully controlling portions, avoiding the punch it was ok. But I did adjust the afternoon - very late lunch (leftover BBG pork) and no afternoon snack ( I usually eat 6 times a day). Dinner wasn't great but kids wanted burgers and dogs so I bought the turkey variety as low in fat and additives that I could find (check out Hebrew National brand if you have it also if you prefer the beef variety) and again the buns noted. Served with mock potato salad mentioned.

I'm much more comfortable that summer in the midwest eating is possible without feeling like too much is being missed out on. Our summers are so pathetically short that it tends to be one long party!


Deb

 

[karebear1]

All those meals were so well planned and sounded so good! I will be going to the recipe post and picking up that bbq sauce recipe! Thanks for the tip! That was a really good idea to take the kids and get their input too.
Great job on a controlled and well thought out weekend strategy. It will help me come the 4th! THANKS!!

 

[Beanie]

Wonderful post!! You are so well organized!! I can't plan ahead like that, I usually just eat when I feel hungry and plan my meals the day I make them! LOL

Thanks for sharing this, great thread!

 

[imgoingtodisney]

I decided Im going to attempt to eat to plan when DS & I go on our 3 mini-vacas this summer. First one is July 3-6, home 7-17, then gone again 18-24. I figured there is not enough recovery time 7-17 so Im planning on my diet. Its a good thing for me to eat lowfat for life as heart disease is hereditary in my family.
Then we're gone Aug 16-19. Home until Nov 6th when we leave for our Western Cruise!

I usually bring snacks/lunch/brkfst with us when we go away. Im going to have to think of healthy alternatives than what I usually pack up. Thank goodness when I booked these 3 mini-vacas back in Jan I booked places w/refrigerators!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Thanks ladies, but I'm not usually that well organized or a planner when it comes to meals. Welll, in the past the exception has been holiday meals when I planned weeks in advance for the mountains of food I would cook! and eat!

This was a little different.

Karebear1 - if you decide to make up the sauce you may want to make up more than one batch. I did 4 times the recipe and put it into canning jars. I think if I'd jarred it a little hotter it may have hot pack sealed. I wasn't worried about that on this - have the jars in our pantry fridge. But it isn't any more work to do a huge batch than a single. I did use the bourbon but only half as much as called for.

Kids input was mainly so the food they wanted was in the house. I was getting a little tired of but there isn't anything good to eat everytime one of them walked into the kitchen. And with teenagers that happens a lot!

Beanie - I hear you, normally if it is just me I figure something out from what is there. Although we only grocery shop every two weeks so try to plan ahead a little. At least for family meals. Everything else is more or less on its own.

Deb