what's on the menu? - week 1

so, i've been tossing around the idea of starting a weekly post dedicated to, well like the title reads, what's on my menu for the week. :)

to kick it off, i spent pretty much the entire day in the kitchen, and have lots of goodies to share.

i've been eating oatmeal or quick oats for breakfast for nearly two months now. time for a change? i thought so. i had protein pancakes in mind when i found this recipe for Banana Vanilla Bean Pancakes with Mixed Berry Compote on the PaleOMG blog, and just had to test them out.

i should note that i did make a few alterations to the original recipe. 
1. i chose to substitue the coconut flower for 100% organic whole wheat flour. this was simply due to the current inventory of my pantry. as a "home cook" kinda gal, i like to use what i have when possible.
2. i omitted the vanilla bean pod, again due to a lack of vanilla bean pods. 
3. i left out the salt. this was just preference. 
4. in lue of owning a food processor, i used my not-so-fancy blender. it worked perfectly to my surprise!

a little on the brown side, but delicious none the less :)

they aren't the prettiest pancakes, but holyyyy do they taste good! i'll have to remember that they brown very quickly for next time. and believe me, there will be a next time!

oh, and let's not forget the mixed berry compote. i had a bag of Trader Joe's Very Cherry Berry Mix in my freezer, so i used that. the picture just doesn't do it justice. it is delicious! i'll be sure to post a pic of the completed goodness.

voila, my morning snack for the week. i'm loving these TJ greek yogurts!

on to lunch. lunch is a always a toughie for me because i need something simple enough to take to work, yet get really easily turned off by eating the same thing day after day. i've been making salads topped with tuna for what feels like a century, and even though i've been diligent about swapping out veggies and toppings (i prefer different types of hummus over dressings), my taste buds (and/or mind???) are getting bored. then i saw this gem of a recipe on The Gracious Pantry blog, and instantly my taste buds and mind began to buzz with excitement.

the only alteration i made here was swapping the red onion for a sweet onion. this was preference and taste based. my stomach has issues with digesting most types of onions. raw onions are hands down a noooo for me, but i've been able to build a tolerance to eating cooked sweet onions. 

i paired this with a quinoa recipe found on the same site. this clean eating Cilantro Quinoa Salad can be found here.

i chose to use organic great norther beans on what we'll call a whim, a.k.a. an impulse buy at TJ's. ;) i have no qualms with this substitution to speak of. 

i must say this dish is makes the perfect, cool summer quinoa salad. it has a bite of citrus and cilantro that play a lovely little jig on the palate.

my afternoon snack will be either a protein shake (1 scoop of Vanilla Cream Muscle Milk Light in 8 oz of water) or a banana and Bettern' Peanut Butter. protein shake on lifting days and banana & pb on cardio days.

and lastly, dinner. last week i had baked tofu, so i knew i wanted to mix it up and make fish for the week. this (can you tell i absolutely LOVE The Gracious Pantry blog yet???) happens to be a chicken dish, but citrus pairs so well with fish that i decided to give it a whirl. i bought tilapia and mahi mahi fillets at TJ's. yum! other than the obvious protein swap, i followed this recipe pretty much to a T. i did end up nixing the salt and pepper, only because the dish was already so full of flavor that i didn't feel the need to season it.

not-so-good photo of a finger-lickin'-good dish

you're probably wondering what i paired my protein with, right? well, what do you know, i found yet another recipe on The Gracious Pantry! this clean eating Apples & Greens dish can be found here.

TJ's never lets me down. i bought kaleidoscope chard and a mix of "southern greens" (mustard, collard, turnip, and spinach). there was a bit of kale and arugula mix in my fridge, so i tossed that in as well. other than that, i followed the recipe verbatim.  

now that's what i call a great start to the week! happy eating!