Straight Guest Postin', MPM & Quinoa Cakes

What it do?

Who else is pumped that it's Monday?

No, you're not? Yeah, me neither. 

Before we can get down to business you ALL need to head on over to my buddy Katie's blog

I am guest posting today and it's a good one...let's just say if you want to see my baby picture and the baby pictures of your favorite bloggers you shouldn't waste another second! 

Go on, I'll still be here when you get back. 

....................................................................................................................................................

Alright, welcome back!

It's Meal Planning Monday and I have to say, last week was a struggle! I was super tired and unmotivated all week. I'm not quite sure what was causing it but I had no ambition. I didn't even get to the grocery store until Wednesday night...which is not super helpful when your meal plan starts on Monday. The good news is that even after two weeks {one good week and one bad week} I have realized that meal planning is definitely worth the time and energy. 

My ultimate goal is be eating more nutritiously. I want a really well rounded and well balanced diet filled with all the essentials. So here's what I'm putting in my belly this week:

Feb. 13-Feb. 17	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
BREAKFAST	Starbucks Latte, Banana, Turkey Sausage	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana	Kashi Honey Puffs, Skim Milk & Banana
LUNCH	Turkey Sandwich, Blueberries, Raspberries & Carrots	Mrs. Grass Soup, Blueberries, Raspberries & Carrots	Turkey Sandwich, Blueberries, Raspberries & Carrots	Mrs. Grass Soup, Blueberries, Raspberries & Carrots	Pot Roast Leftovers
DINNER	Birthday Dinner @ the In-Laws.	Valentines Day @ Chino Latino!	Grilled Chicken w/ Asparagus Linguine	Crockpot Beef Pot Roast w/ Potatoes & Carrots	Turkey Burgers w/ Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas & Olives
SNACKS	Cottage Cheese & Applesauce	Larabar, Cottage Cheese & Applesauce	Cottage Cheese & Applesauce	Larabar, Cottage Cheese & Applesauce	Cottage Cheese & Applesauce

BREAKFAST:

I'll be getting a great, well balanced and nutritious breakfast every morning this week with fruit, dairy and whole grains. 

LUNCH:

 I'm mixing up lunches a little bit this week with some turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread with fat free cheese and my favorite soup. Both meals however will be accompanied by blueberries, raspberries and baby carrots. 

DINNER:

Today is my sister-in-law's FOURTEENTH birthday! 

So tonight we are going over to my in-law's for a celebration dinner. 

Happy Birthday Ally! 

Tomorrow we're going out to eat for Valentines Day and the rest of the week I am looking forward to trying 

this Asparagus Linguine recipe

this Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpea & Olives recipe

and to have this Crock Pot Beef Pot Roast again! 

I have also decided to amp up Meal Planning Monday by sharing a favorite recipe from prior weeks. 

This week I'm sharing my recipe for Quinoa Cakes! 

I adapted my recipe from this recipe found on "Let's Dish"

INGREDIENTS:

-1 cup cooked quinoa 

-2/3 cup Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese {grated}

-2 tbsp. Whole Wheat Flour

-2 cloves garlic

-3 tbsp. Egg Beaters All Natural Egg Whites

-1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

-1/2 tsp. Pepper

-1/2 tsp. Salt

-Dash of Cayenne Pepper

-1 tbsp. Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

-Cook quinoa according to the box and let cool. 

-Combine all ingredients, except for olive oil, and mix well

-Let mixture sit for 5 minutes

-Heat oil over medium heat in a large saute pan

-Using 1/4 cup of mixture form patties {makes appx. 8 patties}

-Place patties in oil and cook 5-7 minutes per side {on medium heat} until golden brown. 

These puppies are delicious! And thanks to myfitnesspal.com I determined that each Quinoa Cake is approximately 100 calories! I had three for dinner with some broccoli and was more than satisfied! 

These are definitely going to be a staple in my meal plans. 

Phew, OK, I think that's all I have for today! 

Have a good Monday.