I apologize.  I meant to publish this yesterday, but awoke with an elephant sitting on my sinuses.  That kind of blew the whole day.  I’m hoping I got you before you did your shopping for the week.

This week, I’m listing seven breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. I am also listing seven mid-morning, mid-afternoon and evening snacks.  I am not going to break it down into meals on any given day at this point and I’m not listing calorie values.  My goal this week is to just get the menu put in.  As we move along, I’ll add calorie counts to the meals.  You can then mix and match to get close to your calorie requirement.

This is extremely important: your calorie requirement may differ from mine.  You must meet or get close to your requirement.  As I discovered, if you eat too few calories, you do not lose weight.  You get tired, cold and grumpy.  Nobody likes that.  Eat what you need.  Adjust amounts of ingredients in these meals to ensure that you are eating enough.

Now, here are some ideas for food for your week.

Breakfast:

• 1 medium egg, whole 2 egg whites, 1/4 cup yellow sweet pepper, 1/4 cup white onion, 2 slices of thin bacon, 1 mini bagel
• 1 cup of cooked old fashioned oatmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp flax meal, 1 small mashed banana
• 3/4 cup Cheerios, 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup unsweetened Vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cantaloupe, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 2 whole eggs, 1 slice of thin bacon
• 1 cup of cooked old fashioned oatmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp flax meal, 1 diced apple
• 2 square waffles, 1/2 cup of diced strawberries

Morning Snack:

• 1 serving mango Noosa yogurt
• 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 medium apple, 1 piece Baby Bel cheese
• 1 cup grapes, 1 piece light string cheese
• 1 navel orange, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 medium apple, 10 almonds
• 1/2 cantaloupe, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

Lunch:

• 4 oz baked chicken leg quarter, 2 cups steamed kale, 1 cup steamed zucchini, 1 cup steamed yellow squash
• 3 cups salad greens, 1 cup seedless red grapes, 1 oz brie, 5 crushed almonds, 2 tbsp raspberry vinaigrette
• 2 cups salad greens, 2 boiled eggs, 2 tbsp shredded carrots, 1/4 cup chopped yellow sweet pepper, 10 grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup cucumbers
• 10 grape tomates, 3 oz mozzarella cheese, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, 1 piece Wasa bread
• 2 cups salad greens, 1/4 cup red bell peppers, 1/4 cup yellow bell peppers, 1/4 cup onion, 1/2 cup black beans, 1 oz shredded cheese, 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 can chicken noodle soup, 1 slice Wasa bread, 1 piece Baby Bel cheese
• 2 tablespoons hummus, 1 cup sliced red bell peppers, 10 baby carrots, 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers

Afternoon Snack:

• 1 serving mango Noosa yogurt
• 1 piece Wasa bread, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 tbsp sugar-free jelly
• 1 medium apple, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 5 dried dates, 10 almonds
• 10 baby carrots, 2 tablespoons hummus
• 1 piece Wasa bread, 1 piece Baby Bel cheese
• 1 cup dark chocolate almond milk

Dinner:

• 2 cups spaghetti squash, 1/2 cup Paul Newman’s Sockarooni sauce
• 4 oz lean beef hamburger patty, raw baby spinach, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice onion
• 1 cup chopped chicken, 2 cups salad greens, 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, 1/4 onion, 1/4 cup salsa, 1 oz tortilla chips
• 4 oz baked swai, 1/2 cup tropical fruit salsa, 1 cup steamed asparagus
• 1 sliced eggplant, 2 tbsp lutenica, 2 oz shredded mozzarella, 1 sliced sweet onion
• baked chicken breast, 1 cup glazed carrots, 1 cup steamed collards, 1/2 slice bacon, 1 tbsp barbeque sauce
• 4 oz steak, 1 cup steamed green beans, 1 cup steamed yellow squash

Evening snack:

• small apple, cinnamon
• sliced, baked sweet potato, cinnamon
• 1 cup blueberry Kefir
• 1 cup grapes, 1 piece light string cheese
• low-fat microwave popcorn
• 1 serving Oikos caramel yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 serving Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich