It’s that time again.  Yep.  It’s here – school begins for me tomorrow with in-service workshops and meetings.  The students won’t actually begin until the 19th which is the earliest day that it can begin in Arkansas.  (Never mind that it has been 100+ degrees for days now.  ARE YOU LISTENING PEOPLE!)

Anyway, we are gearing up to return to a more stable routine just as many of you are.  Part of that routine is to plan my weekly menus so that I am not constantly running to the grocery or worrying about what to fix for dinner when I get home from work each day.  Menu planning also encourages me to choose healthier foods and to limit the number of meals eaten out.

I came across an article a few weeks ago that summarized what most of us already know but too often fail to enact: the ten best and worst foods for the heart.  Keeping these two lists on my frig serves as a reminder of what I need to be serving up on the dinner table.  Perhaps you will like having these lists as well.

The 10 Worst Foods For Our Heart

 

2.  Soda (soft drinks) – lots of unhealthy calories

3.  French Fries – A single serving may contain up to half of our daily allowed fat grams.  Don’t even ask about super sizing!

4.  Ice Cream – lots of calories and fat

5.  Mayonnaise – loaded with calories and fat; made from eggs and oil

6.  Doughnuts/Commercial Pastries – fried fat covered in sugar.  (When you say it that way, it really doesn’t seem so appetizing, does it?)

7.  Cheese Dip/Nachos – try substituting fresh salsa with baked pita chips instead

8.  Fried Chicken/Catfish – can have more fat than a steak

9.  Fettuccini Alfredo – meat free but loaded with fat and calories.

10.  Sausage/Bacon – real artery cloggers.

I’m ashamed to admit to you that we had bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with cheese for lunch today.  This was only the third time for the summer – never have those except with homegrown heirloom tomatoes – that’s my excuse anyway.

If this list sounds like your menu staples, and mine does at times, then we both have work to do to shape up our plan (and probably our bodies as well)!

I’ll be posting the 10 best foods on this week’s What’s On the Menu Wednesday.  Come back and check it out and post a family favorite while you are there.

• Monday: purple hull peas, fresh tomatoes, fresh cantaloupe, fried green tomatoes and fried okra (I could bake these in the oven, but they just would not be the same. Anything in moderation, right?)
• Tuesday:  grilled chicken breasts, grilled veggies: squash, zucchini, eggplant and green onions.
• Wednesday:  Dance Lessons and Date Night
• Thursday:  fish tacos or grilled salmon with mango salsa , summer corn salad
• Friday: off to see the Perfect Babies

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