Country Heat Meal Plan - Week of September 5-11

School starts tomorrow which means the lazy days of summer are officially over. I'm part-excited for the return of the school-year routine and part-dreading the structure it brings. This year, Tory is attending a pre-K program four mornings a week so Tory, Aden and I need to be out the door by 8:00am every morning. That's - gulp! - a big pill to swallow for this stay-at-home-mama who's used to keeping her own time.

For this reason, I drafted a super easy meal plan this week. I want meals to be simple and include as many make-ahead recipes as possible so I don't find myself scrambling. Ain't nobody got time for that nonsense! My focus on nutrition slipped quite a bit in August, and I'm determined to get back on track this month. To do so, I need a plan to succeed and meals prepped and ready to go, I'm 99% more likely to stick to the Eating Plan that way.

Anyhoo - click HERE to download a copy of my meal plan for this week (September 5-11).

Note: I'm following the Country Heat Eating Plan and fall into the 1,200-1,499 calorie bracket. Each person should individually determine their own calorie level when following the 21 Day Fix or the Country Heat Eating Plan. Each color on my meal plan represents a different color-coded portion control container.

If you'd like more information about this Eating Plan, or are interested in joining my free accountability group, email me directly at hcdickson@yahoo.com

After the kids went to bed tonight, I spent an hour prepping meals for this week. Included are:

Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Apple Raspberry Overnight Oats
Hard-boiled eggs
Sweet Potato Turkey Burger Bowls
Tuna Salad
Celery sticks, chopped
Grapes, washed
Cauliflower and broccoli, washed

Andi and I will both eat hard-boiled eggs and overnight oats for breakfast this week. It's a super simple breakfast that can be made ahead of time and eaten cold or warmed in the microwave. He likes the banana peanut butter recipe the best; I like the apple raspberry. (I'm borderline obsessed with apples, actually, and secretly chomping at the bit for apple orchard season!)

Here's my recipe: 

Apple Raspberry Overnight Oats
Makes: 1 serving
21 Day Fix / Country Heat Eating Plan containers = 1 purple, 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 tsp.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. natural peanut butter
1 cup fruit -- mix of diced apples and raspberries (or any other fruit combination)

Directions:
Add old-fashioned rolled oats to a container of your choice. Add chia seeds, cinnamon, peanut butter. Pour almond milk over the top. Top with diced apples and raspberries. Cover, and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Keeps for up to one week.

To eat:
Warm in the microwave for 30-90 seconds to your preference, or eat cold. I like mine warmed for about a minute or so; the warm apples and cinnamon taste like fall in a bowl! This recipe is easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled to make more than one serving at once. Enjoy!