Tuesday, May 1, 2012

90/10 Challenge, Week 1

In the 90/10 Challenge, I and several other participants are committing to eating 90 percent of our total calories from tiers 1 and 2 of Michi's Ladder, with up to 10% from tiers 3 and 4.  To help myself achieve this, and to support my group, I'm going to publish my weekly menu to meet this standard.  If you're interested, here's the ladder:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder

Sunday: Grilled Pork Tenderloin smothered with Grilled Onions, Grilled Asparagus, Citrus Quinoa

For the pork:

Trim fat from pork; preheat grill to med-high heat.  spray grill rack with cooking spray

Reduce heat to med or med-low.  Cook pork directly on grill rack 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, turning occasionally for those pretty grill marks.

let rest 5 minutes.

Slice into medallions, fan the medallions onto a platter, and top with grilled onions, and serve.

To grill onions:

Vertically slice two large yellow onions, and toss with 1/2 t. dried thyme, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper.  Spray grill basket with cooking spray.  Dump onion mixture into grill basket and grill 10 minutes or so or until onions are tender and translucent, stirring often.

To grill asparagus:
Wash and trim asparagus (1 lb).  Cut into 2 inch pieces on the diagonal.  Toss asparagus with 1 t. kosher salt and 1/2 t. pepper.  Coat with cooking spray, and grill in a grill basket coated with cooking spray for 10-15 minutes or until tender-crisp.  You have not had asparagus until you have had grilled asparagus!


Monday:  Bruschetta Chicken, steamed green beans, toasted garlic bagels

Bruschetta Chicken

Topping:
6 med. roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup finely chipped fresh basil leaves
1/2 t. sea salt
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 t. black pepper
1 T. olive oil


Chicken:
1 T. chopped fresh oregeno
1 T. chopped fresh basil
1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme
1 t. chopped fresh italian parsley
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. sea salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts


1. For topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.


2. For chicken, combine all ingredients in a large zip top plastic bag.  Shake to distribute well, seal, and marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour.


3. Preheat oven to 350.


4. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade


5. Place chicken in glass baking dish.  Cover with foil and place in oven for 30-40 min, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.


6. Serve with salsa on top; garnish with fresh basil leaves. 

Toasted Garlic Bagels:
1 whole grain bagel, sliced
2 T. plain, nonfat yogurt
2 t. minced fresh garlic

Spread yogurt evenly onto the cut sides of each bagel half.  Top evenly with garlic.  Broil 2-3 inches from heat for 2-3 minutes or until toasted.  Cut each half in half.  Serves 4.

Tuesday:   Zen Salmon, steamed broccoli,  steamed brown rice

Wednesday: Chicken Kabobs with Greek Barley Salad (reduce olive oil to 2 T.)

Thursday: Awesome Omelette, Fresh Kiwi and Red Grapes

Awesome Omelette:

1/4 c. sliced mushrooms
1/4 c diced bell pepper (any color)
1 c fresh spinach
1/4 c. diced tomatoes

1 c. egg beaters or 4 egg whites, beaten
2 T. reduced fat feta cheese
2 T. chopped green onions

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat nonstick pan over med heat.  Add mushrooms and peppers and saute 4-5 minutes.  Add spinach and tomatoes and saute until spinach wilts and tomatoes are warm.   Put veggies in a bowl and set aside.  Wipe pan with paper towel, and coat with cooking spray.  Add eggs and swirl the pan until they are pretty thin.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until top is barely wet.  Add reserved toppings to one half of your eggs.  Sprinkle feta over veggies.  Fold the half of the eggs without the toppings over the toppings and cook until eggs are done, about a minute.

Slide omelette onto a plate, and sprinkle with green onions.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Friday: Naked Buffalo Burger, Colsen Slaw, baked sweet potatoes (no toppings)

Naked Buffalo Burger (adapted from Eating For Life's Colorado Buffalo Burger)

1 lb ground buffalo, divided into fourths and formed into patties

Grill patties on med 5 min on each side or until desired doneness.  Serve bunless with homemade or commercial sugar free ketchup and mustard.

Colsen-Slaw (named for my son, who LOVES it!)
  • 4 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw mix
  • 1 granny smith apple, cored and diced
  • 3 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons agave nectar
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Combine coleslaw mix and apple and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients. Add dressing to veggies and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.
Saturday: Orange Roughy, Grilled Zucchini, Steamed Brown Rice

Orange Roughy (this is technically a breaded food, which is on tier 5, but since you're making your own breading out of 90/10 compliant foods, I consider it to be compliant.  If it's too iffy for you, skip the breading.)

1.5 lbs orange roughy (4 fillets)
1/4 C. bread crumbs (make your own by putting one whole grain bagel into the blender or food processor and pulse until crumbly, then measure out 1/4 cup.)
1 t. italian seasoning
1/4 C. reduced fat parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg white, or 1/4 c. egg beaters
3 T. fresh parsley, chopped

In a shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, italian seasoning, and parmesan.  In small bowl, mix egg white until slightly frothy.

Lightly brush both sides of the fish with egg white, and then coat with breadcrumb mixture.  Arrange fillets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with parsley.   Bake at 400 or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Grilled Zucchini
Mix 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 t. olive oil, 1 t. agave nectar or honey, 1 t. minced fresh garlic, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/2 t. coarse ground pepper in a shaker cup or small bowl.  Shake or whisk until well combined.  Add marinade and 3-4 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal, to a zip top bag.  Marinade at least 30 minutes.

Grill over med. heat in a grill basket coated with cooking spray, 10-15 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. 

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