• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

Weekly Meal Plan: Monday January 31st

January 31, 2011

weekly meal plan 2011
Tweet
Pin
Share10
Yum
Email
Share
10 Shares

It’s the last day of January. Can you believe it?

This week I’m attempting to make Spanish rice. Why? Big A loves it. I’ve tried this recipe but it’s not authentic enough for her. She always eats the Spanish rice in restaurants or when we eat takeout at home.

Must make. Must make.

The truth is I’m insecure about my rice-making abilities. My sister-in-law gave me a rice cooker which is perfect when we want plain rice with stir fry. But when I try to make Spanish rice or brown rice it never turns out fluffy. But I learned a secret from searching online: don’t stir the rice when it’s cooking. I’ve always been a huge stirrer.

I’m also trying this awesome looking fish recipe from Estella at the Weekly Bite and this awesome looking soup from A Year of Slow Cooking.  For more meal plan inspiration see OrgJunkie.

What’s Cooking this Week

Monday: Turkey tacos with Spanish Rice and all the toppings

Tuesday: Ravioli with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes with fruit and roasted green beans

Wednesday: Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup, cheesy bread and salad

Thursday: Family Fish Night

Friday: Make our own pizza night

Sandwich of the week: Turkey and avocado

Salad of the week: Apple, Pecan, and Cranberry with Baby Greens

Snack of the week: Almond Butter Balls

Success — seeing a change

A while back I mentioned how Big A (my 4-year-old daughter) was pushing my buttons when it came to food. She started refusing food I knew she loved (fruit!) and acting pickier than ever. I had to recommit to the Division of Responsibility because I veered off a tiny bit — and think Big A could feel my frustration which fueled her behavior.

I’ve noticed that when I’m feeling unhappy it’s almost always due to my trying to change something I can’t. The problem arises, I try to control the wrong things, I get frustrated and then, finally, I let go. It’s in letting go that things seem to work out. But letting go is different than giving up. It’s really just letting go of what I want the outcome to be.

And low and behold after Big A’s 4th birthday I noticed a change in her. She’s trying more foods — about half of new items. She’s eating some of the different items I send in her lunch like turkey sandwiches. And her eat-only-tortilla phase is kind of over (this is when we eat Mexican food — she’ll scrape everything off the tortilla and just eat it!).

I know we all want our children to devour the veggies and eat a good amount of what we serve. But kids’ eating progress is usually in small chunks. And what I like about what’s going on with Big A is she’s the one making the decision to try food.  She not eating something because I’m insisting on it or tricking her. And that makes me — and her– feel good.

News — Parents health

A British study came out saying that childless couples eat healthier than those with children. This made me stop and think: do I eat better or worse now? I would just say I eat differently — not better or worse.  I do eat more fruit now and cook way more. But the thing I do a lot less of is eating out. You know how it is when you don’t have kids. The refrigerator can be empty for a couple of days and it’s no big deal.

stretchingThis news was very timely as I recently had a physical and lab work done and was able to compare my cholesterol levels to my old 1999 and 2001 numbers.  This was a time I was probably in the best shape of my life: ran marathons, got 8 plus hours of sleep, and worked at the gym frequently.

In 1999 my total cholesterol was 140, HDL (good) 67, and LDL (bad) 70 total cholesterol.  When I lived in New York my bad cholesterol went up (eating out way more) to 102 but my total was still under 200 (185) and my HDL stayed high at 68.

This time around, my total cholesterol was good (148) but my HDL dropped to 58 and my LDL was low (81). I also had my vitamin D level checked and it was 42ng/ml. I’ve been taking vitamin D for 3 years now (2000IU).  My doctor likes to see D levels between 30 and 50 so I was happy with that.

It was nice to see my total cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels low but I couldn’t believe my good cholesterol went down so much. The only reason I can think of is that I exercise less now which is related to HDL levels.

So the status of my health is good but it could be better.  More exercise is always my goal. Not just for my health but for my state of mind.

I feel relieved to have my health stuff done because I had been putting it off for so long. I also had a mammogram and a super-fun colonoscopy!

How about you?  Are you keeping up with your health after having kids?

 

Want to create your way to meal plan in a way that works for you? Get step-by-step help in Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution.

Related Posts

  • Weekly Meal Plan: Monday February 2nd

    I hope you are all doing well.  We are starting this week with fish tacos,…

  • weekly meal plan 2011
    Weekly Meal Plan: Monday January 24th

    I started off the weekend at our neighborhood's Farmers' Market. This is part of my…

  • weekly meal plan
    Weekly Meal Plan: Monday July 19th

    It finally feels like summer here in San Diego. Why? The weather has turned warm.…

  • Weekly Meal Plan: Monday January 6th

    I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are ready to get back to a…

Tweet
Pin
Share10
Yum
Email
Share
10 Shares

Categories: Example Dinner Rotation & Meal Plans, Family Meal Planning & Recipes 12 Comments

« Pulled Pork Primavera [Recipe]
Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan [Recipe] »

Comments

  1. Cindy says

    January 31, 2011 at 10:08 am

    Thanks for the link! Almond Butter Balls are a treasured standby chez nous.

    Reply
  2. Rachel L. says

    January 31, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    Hi Maryann,

    I’m a new follower of your blog and I love all your great recipes. Do you have any suggestions for breakfast foods/recipes (like muffins, bars, etc)? I struggle with ways to get in low sugar, high fiber, high protein breakfasts.

    Reply
  3. Estela @ Weekly Bite says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    Thanks for linking to my family fish night 🙂 We truly enjoyed that meal 🙂

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      January 31, 2011 at 11:25 pm

      Can’t wait to try it!

      Reply
  4. AKeo says

    January 31, 2011 at 6:15 pm

    It is hard to be “healthy” (food, exercise, sleep) once you have kids. The food part we have down as we make one meal for the whole family and eat healthy in an effort to make sure my son eats healthy as well. We try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night – but toddlers tend to decide how much you really get to sleep.
    I’m turning 30 in April and have decided to get a physical as I’d like to know where I stand health wise. I’ve never had one before so I’ll be interested to see what it shows. Hope it’s good news!

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      January 31, 2011 at 11:27 pm

      I think it’s good to get one and get some baseline labs so you can see how they change over time. Make sure to get your D levels checked if you haven’t already.

      Reply
  5. Maryann says

    January 31, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    Rachel — Here are couple of breakfast ideas http://www.maryannjacobsen.com/category/easy-family-meals/kids-breakfast/ I also have a fruit and veggie muffin (has some sugar but overall isn’t too bad) http://www.maryannjacobsen.com/2010/08/kids-snacks-fruit-veggie-muffins/

    In general eggs, toast and fruit has no added sugars. You can make omelets with veggies. I plan to post more breakfast ideas soon.

    Reply
  6. Vennesa says

    February 1, 2011 at 10:16 am

    I’m hoping they come up with a better alternative soon for that “super fun colonoscopy”. I’m just not looking forward to that one.

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      February 1, 2011 at 3:43 pm

      Venessa — the colonoscopy is no big deal. It’s drinking the stuf ahead of time that is horrible!

      Reply
  7. Rochelle says

    February 2, 2011 at 9:57 am

    I had to laugh about the empty refrigerator. Before Baby (BB), my husband and I had wine, beer and milk (for coffee) in our fridge. Now I feel like I live in Trader Joes, Safeway and Whole Foods and the fridge always has “stuff” to throw together a meal. Definitely one of the biggest changes after having a baby. I am so curious to get my blood work checked and see how my health report card checks in. I will follow up…i am afraid the lack of cardio exercise will be apparent in my HDl’s as well.

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      February 2, 2011 at 11:39 am

      Rochelle — I love the BB. A dietitian wrote me an email explaining another potential cause of my decreased HDL levels: getting older! Another perk of aging ; )

      “It could be the exercise but it could also be your age–declining estrogen will reduce HDL levels as you approach menopause.”

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?
  • 3 Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life with Nick Heath [Podcast]
  • 6 Dietary Supplements Most Teenagers Need

Random Posts

  • The Let’s Move Campaign — and What I Want Michelle Obama to KnowThe Let’s Move Campaign — and What I Want Michelle Obama to Know
  • Feeding Baby: Book Review and GiveawayFeeding Baby: Book Review and Giveaway

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT