The key for me is to reuse leftovers. Last night it took me 15 minutes to make burrito bowls (including clean up) because I used leftover sirloin from the night before. I've made our menu for the entire month. We live near lots of grocery stores, but there are a few items that I can only get at Whole Foods (like Wes' favorite organic and low-sodium Chipotle Ranch Dressing and Stonewall Kitchen BBQ sauces and marinades). I have been buying things from WF in bulk so that I only have to go there once per month, and I always end up showing homes in that area anyway.
A few friends have been interested in what we eat. Sodium limitations are 2000mg per day. This is actually higher than the American Heart Association recommends (1500mg) for all Americans. We eat way too much sodium in this country. If it's low in fat or calories, it is a sure bet that they have upped the sodium. Check out some of your food. It's awful. We have been in a dinner club for four years, and the ladies have been so sweet about making sure that Wes can eat what they prepare each month. I've promised for ages that I would post some of the recipes that I use, so I'm finally getting around to that. And sometimes I cheat by making Wes have 0mg sodium oatmeal for breakfast so that we can save those 650mg for dinner. My brother's girlfriend is a registered dietitian and says this, "You have money in the bank (2000mg) and it is up to you how you use it, you just can't carry it over to the next day."
This is what our menu looks like for this week (we are two days in):
Sunday
We used organic grass-fed sirloin in place of filet. I served it over mashed cauliflour (with low sodium chicken broth, parmesan cheese, garlic, and unsalted butter) with a side of green beans.
Monday
I used the leftover sirloin and heated it on the stove with no salt added black beans, frozen instant brown rice from whole foods, frozen organic corn, a dash of taco seasoning, and a touch of organic mexican blend cheese. I served it over a bed of organic greens and topped with Chipotle Ranch dressing.
Tuesday
The recipe at the link is for orange glazed salmon, which looks delicious. Unfortunately I have to write a contract at 4 and have a listing appointment at 6, so dinner prep will be up to my husband. Years ago I found the perfect glaze for almost all meat (from Wed's recipe below). We love it on salmon. It's equal parts mustard (deli or yellow) and maple syrup with a dash of rosemary. He knows how to glaze the Salmon in this and will make brown rice and green beans from the freezer for sides.
Wednesday
This is my favorite holiday recipe. It's the same glaze that we use for the salmon above. We replace the pork tenderloin with a turkey tenderloin as it is lower in sodium. We use low-sodium chicken flavor stove top stuffing with organic granny smith apples. A simple side of green beans are enough. It's SO GOOD and so simple, but it makes me feel fancy!
Thursday
My mom was an amazing cook. Unfortunately my brother got all of those skills. Quiche was one of my favorite things that she made, and thankfully I can follow a recipe pretty well. We will add a little bit of low-sodium turkey bacon as well as spinach, green pepper and mushroom to this recipe.
Friday and Saturday
We have an event this weekend that will cause us to eat out on Friday and Saturday nights. Wes has learned to ask for no salt in preparation of his meal and to ask for everything on the side (this gets him a funny look when something is supposed to have fancy cheese melted over it). He is always proud of himself at the end when he uses only a fraction of the sauce/glaze/dressing/etc. provided.
Sunday
Another favorite from childhood, but this one is completely reworked. It uses no-salt added ketchup and bbq sauce instead of the Manwich brand sauce. There are veggies hidden in there for the little one. I'm really excited about this recipe. And Wes will be able to have two sandwiches if he wants and still be within his limits, which always makes him smile. It's really difficult to find low-sodium bread products, but King's Hawaiin is lower in sodium than anything else we have found, so we keep a few versions of their rolls in the freezer (dinner rolls, sub rolls, hamburger buns).
*I'm going to cook double the turkey and have a ground turkey meal the next day as well*
With a baby arriving in less than 8 weeks, I'm hoping to prep some freezer meals over the next few weeks. We'll see if I get around to it or not.
