July Week 1 Group Challenge - Fill the Plate Challenge
Most Nutrition experts agree that healthy eating is about consuming foods made up of a range of different choices, cooking the foods with less fat, controlling the portions and still allowing for occasional treats. We've all heard the term, "all things in moderation".
This week, your challenge is to Fill YOUR Plate using your knowledge of nutrition, your history with your own weight loss journey and with guidance and advice from your teammates. I will be posting a few suggestions and you find the sources that seem most relevant to your own healthy eating plans. As with all challenges, please use the advice of your medical professionals and consider any limitations of your nutrition plan, any allergies or sensitivities to certain foods and let's make this a healthy eating week.
Share your "plate" once you have it built each day, offer some advice or helpful hints for your teammates and if you'd like share your recipes, pictures with the team. Bonus points for hints, tips, pictures, videos or positive memes/quotes!
See you in the chat thread!
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Get the Kiddos involved and post them afterward…bet they have great ideas!!
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This one hits home…
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Hi July Group Challengers!!! Please make sure you scroll back up to the first graphic in this thread…don't want you to come to the #latest post and miss the goodies at the top. Welcome…let's work on our nutritional choices this week…can't wait to read your tips and thoughts in this week's discussions…
What's ya eating and what's eating you? Would be a great question to ponder!
Jessica
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For my plates this week, I'm trying to stick to chicken for my proteins, although for my lunches at work, I tend to take chicken salad or turkey/ham sandwiches. I can never get enough vegetables, but I do try to have fruit at least once a day and some kind of potato. With the extreme we've had for the past couple of weeks here in Virginia, I'm just not cooking much…can't bring myself to bake in the oven, so if I can't reheat something in the microwave or use my air fryer, I will pick up a grilled chicken sandwich. Forgot to mention that lately I've been buying just the grilled chicken filet and having it wrapped in lettuce…I can add my lower calorie bread or just eat it without the bread. A little bit of barbecue sauce or lite mayo and it's delicious.
For fruits, I tend to do the no sugar added peaches, mixed fruit or pineapple…and sometimes peaches and bananas. I can only buy 2-3 bananas at a time because they ripen so fast and I do not like overly ripened fruit…it's mushy and gross. With lunchtime sandwiches, I have a 1 oz bag of some kind of chips. On occasion, I'll take a southwest prepared salad that has corn and some grilled chicken in it…only 250 calories…love those and you can't beat the deal at only $3.50 at Kroger.
Grains tend to be potatoes, rice or sometimes pasta, but not as often. I can do a quick batch of frozen french fries for only 110 calories in 8-9 minutes in the air fryer, so do that a lot. I don't add any oil at all…doesn't need it. Dairy tends to be a slice of cheese…I was buying skim milk in a half-gallon sized jug, but it goes bad before I can use it all…I should try again though because I just love Special K cereal with the dehydrated fruit in it…it's delicious and light which would be great on hot days.
Hope you all have a great week!
Jessica
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This picture caught my attention…Kroger has one brand of hotdogs (Gwaltney Great Dogs) that's made from chicken and each one is only 90 calories…they're delicious and if you split one down the middle and microwave it for a little over a minute, it's a quick meal. Corn and watermelon are now "in season" and I love a good iced tea…this would be an awesome meal which would be low cal, fast and not require too much effort…maybe fixing the corn…but I could do some frozen in the microwave in about 3 minutes.
Anyway, it made my mouth water, so I thought I'd share with you guys…
Jessica
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Sunday's Plate(s)
We went out for breakfast. I had an omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and cheese, and a fruit cup with grapes, strawberries, and melon. Had some cashews as a snack. Then we went out for a late lunch, at a Japanese restaurant. Sauteed zucchini, carrots, broccoli, celery, and snow peas, with shrimp, in a ginger sauce. For dinner we'll probably just have watermelon.
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@micaroo4 That sounds like an awesome day!!! I love omelets but I rarely get them at breakfast…sometimes have them in the evening…Japanese restaurants are awesome because they do lots of stir fry meals with fresh veggies…glad you had a great day! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica
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For me to lose weight, I need to concentrate on eating vegetables, mostly fresh.
Today's highlight is a new salad. I picked this idea up from the book Saladish, which my local library has. I had to pick my way though to find salad ideas that meet my criteria. I started with "Tomato Wedges, Lemon Onions and Bok Choy." I cut a roma tomato into wedges and seasoned with salt and pepper. Next, I trimmed and thinly sliced about 4 ounces of bok choy. Over the top, I added lemon onions and lemon juice.
I made the lemon onions yesterday: 1/8-inch slices of white onion in a jar with salt and the zest and juice of a lemon, plus some extra bottled lemon juice.
Win! It's delicious!
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I definitely didn't fill my plate with good options today 🫤 While I'm still in my calorie range, I definitely need to increase my fruits and veggies. I had bananas in pancakes for dinner…does that count 😂
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Today I made sure I added extra veggies in everything I made. Instead of hash browns with my eggs I sautéed squash and broccoli and did 2 eggs over easy. I didn't miss the potatoes at all. For a snack I placed berries in a bowl and added okios greek yogurt with a sprinkling of a paleo granola. It takes the sweet craving for ice cream or whip cream with fruit.
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I definitely didn't fill my plate with good options today 🫤 While I'm still in my calorie range, I definitely need to increase my fruits and veggies. I had bananas in pancakes for dinner…does that count 😂Ha! You have reminded me if when my son was little. I hid so many vegetables and fruits in his pancakes. Grated zucchini was a standard in pancakes at our house, if you feel brave!
Anyway, it sounds liked you took a first step and want to do more. 😀
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I took something out of the freezer to take to work for lunch. I don't know what it is, but it's something I cooked 🤣. It smells like it might be curry. Seems like there isn't any meat in it. There might be some spaghetti squash in there…. I'll bring some cottage cheese as well, to get some protein. Snack for today is baby carrots and hummus.
Breakfast is just going to be yogurt, with some ground flax/chia seeds, cinnamon and some walnuts on top. Dinner is broccoli, cheese and fruit.
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Mondays meal is chicken pieces and savoury rice with tomato's mushrooms sweet corn onions peas
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I am chronically a day late in these challenges, but I would still like to participate this week!
Sunday breakfast my plate was well balanced, I made scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach, and had a few strawberries to go with it. Lunch was just a protein bar and a cheese stick, I was eating on the go. And dinner was a burger from a new restaurant in town. Not the most balanced end to the day 😅
I'll come back later to report on Monday's plates!
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Breakfast (pictured) was a poached egg on whole Multigrain toast, turkey sausage, tomato, strawberry, and a few bites of banana (my son ate some of my banana lol) and some sun tea (unsweetened).
Lunch was a lightly breaded chicken breast on a whole grain thin bun with lettuce, tomato, and a bit of mayo. Served with a mini cucumber and some plain Greek yogurt with strawberries, Blueberries, and grapes.
For dinner I'm planning on making salmon and shrimp, either on the grill or maybe baked depending on if it's still raining. On the side we'll have long grain wild rice and some veggies, zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion, sautéed in avocado oil.
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Today was better for me! I had a protein pancake for breakfast, a mini grilled chicken quesadilla with peppers and onions for lunch with a side of peaches and greek yogurt. Dinner will be grilled chicken with green beans 😊
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My mystery meal from the freezer turned out to be chicken cacciatore over spaghetti squash. There was some meat in there after all. Lots of peppers & onions in a nice thick tomato sauce. The spaghetti squash was mostly squashed; not a lot of spaghetti resemblance to it anymore after it's time in the freezer. But it was a yummy lunch!
Tuesday is our year end inventory at work. My boss traditionally buys everyone a Moe's sub. So that's my lunch. I'll probably eat half, and save the other half for Wednesday.
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Dinner today was my huge and tasty bok choy, tomato and lemon onion salad, plus more apple Yum!
I got in fruits and vegetables at every meal!
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I did pretty good today. I wanted some pancakes so I made some low carb pancakes. I took my berries and I sautés the blueberries to soften them and then threw raspberries and blackberries in the mix. Added the blueberries too. So I had berry pancakes and I topped it with almond butter. It was yummy. Lunch I didn’t do good. Dinner I made a meatloaf with ground turkey. It was yummy. Instead of potatoes I had squash and broccoli.
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How are folks doing today?
I am continuing to focus on eating fruits and vegetables.
Today's big salad: romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup warm lentils, mushrooms steamed with diced shallots, all sprinkled with smoked paprika and apple cider vinegar. I also had a side of fresh pineapple.
I am choosing some new salads for later in the week.
I just made a batch of oven roasted vegetables (a.k.a. sheet pan ratatouille) to sprinkle on top of salads. I ate a bit of these right off the sheet. I used no oil, but plenty of pepper and some balsamic vinegar and some salt. Super tasty!
More sources for ideas:
Nutrition Facts Salad Recipes and Master Diabetes Wellness Guide (sample recipes from a book)
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Yesterday's plate was a thin breast of chicken boneless grilled with a lettuce wrap and a little lite ranch dressing, a chicken sandwich in a lettuce wrap with a slice of bacon and a little light mayo and some pineapple slices. Delicious and lots of protein.
Today's plates were from Subway…this morning got a flatbread with ham, egg and cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers, onions and a little lite ranch dressing. I also had a banana.
Tonight I tried a Subway salad with rotisserie chicken, cheddar cheese, cucumbers, green peppers, and my own light ranch dressing from home. First time trying their salad…very healthy portion, only 300 calories.
Jessica
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Well...stayed within calories again, but not the best options. My main meal for dinner tonight was hot dogs (turkey dog) with steamed corn. At least there was a vegetable 😂
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Breakfast was a Jimmy Dean egg white and turkey sausage sandwich on whole grain ciabatta. I tend to eat quick foods for breakfast on the days that I work, not the best but it's what I have time for currently.
Lunch was leftover salmon, rice, and vegetables from dinner last night. I also had some plain Greek yogurt with grapes and berries.
Dinner - same as @lauren_989 lol, chicken hot dogs (Koegels for my midwestern friends) on whole grain buns, boiled corn on the cob, and some chopped cucumber. Oh and a deviled egg.
There's just something so comforting about a grilled hot dog in the summer months.
I tried to upload a picture but MFP isn't cooperating today. It was just a picture of my yogurt with fruit. I forgot to take pictures of anything else lol.
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I’m currently eating at maintenance, although I stumbled a bit in June, I usually eat basically the same thing every day.
This is from today:
BreakfastOatmeal with flaxseed,chia and hemp heart mix (ground), cinnamon, cocoa powder, blueberries, riced cauliflower, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, natural peanut butter
LunchTomato soup, pink beans, whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, no sugar added applesauce, psyllium husk powder, cinnamon, string cheese, Oikos Greek yogurt
DinnerSalmon, mixed veggies, lazy spinach pie, strawberries
SnacksOikos Greek yogurt, Annies chocolate bunny grahams, ritz crackers
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Yesterday was our company year-end inventory (our fiscal year end is June 30). It was a long day (4:30am - 4:30pm). Breakfast was a spoonful of peanut butter. Lunch was provided by the company, and so my plate was just a ham & cheese sub with tomatoes and peppers. Dinner was broccoli and watermelon. Not my best plate day.
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@p8m6bwghh9 that spinach pie looks good! Can you share the recipe?
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I was just gonna ask the same thing, Lauren 😂 Looks delicious, @p8m6bwghh9 ! Also, may I ask, when you say you eat basically the same thing every day, do you mean literally the same thing?
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Good morning, y'all:
Got up early to do a few things around the house…on vacation until Monday so enjoying some quiet time with Betty. It's been so hot here lately that I've had a package of ten chicken thighs I've been wanting to bake, but until today couldn't stand the thought of heating up the house by turning on the oven. Today we're expecting some rain so it's cloudy and not as hot. Got the chicken in the oven to bake and it will be done before 9:45am…then I'll have leftovers for meals all weekend. Loving all the meals, stories and pictures!!! Meal planning at its finest!!!
I hope you all have a lovely day today!
Jessica
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A couple of qualifiers :
DH and I are retired empty nesters who have different eating styles, so I don’t have anyone giving me an eye roll or heavy sigh while grumbling “again?”
DH is an accomplished sportsman so I have a steady supply of wild caught fish.
I do better when I have a routine.
For the next couple days meals will be literally the same, snacks will probably be different. After that, when I finish the bag of blueberries I will open the bag of triple berries, halibut will take the place of salmon, beets for mixed veggies and maybe squash or sweet potatoes instead of strawberries unless I find a good sale. 🤷♀️2
