I was feeling a little off at the start of this week, and when I looked back at what I ate over the weekend it made sense–all carbs and fat! I tried to incorporate a lot of vegetables during the week and use up some random ingredients from last week. Read on for the details!

Had in kitchen: Honey, garlic, tostadas, salsa, plain Greek yogurt, cilantro, 1/2 box whole wheat angel hair, 1/3 jar tomato sauce, balsamic glaze, olive oil, salt and pepper

Bought: Dijon mustard, quinoa, pre-chopped butternut squash, mixed lettuce (butter and greens), pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower, 3 avocados, 2 raw beets, pre-cut mixed berries, pre-sliced peppers and onions, 3 plum tomatoes, garlic and herb goat cheese, shredded Mexican cheese, 1 dozen eggs, 1 can black beans

Spent: $41.14 ($8.03/day)

Daily Breakfast: Hard Boiled Egg with Sliced Tomato and Avocado, with Mayo on the Side. This was so random, but when I thought of making hard boiled eggs for breakfast I just pictured this combination being really good (at it was).

MONDAY

Lunch: Leftovers from Sunday

Dinner: Roasted Root Vegetables with Quinoa and Honey Mustard

Comments from Claire: I wanted to really jump-start my system with a lot of veggies, so I decided to roast a bunch up and have them with quinoa and maybe (ok, yes) a little cheese. I also wanted to save time and bought a lot of the pre-cut versions from my local grocery store. Sometimes these cost more than when you buy the whole vegetable and chop it yourself, but other times I’ve found it actually costs less. Especially with peppers! Also I don’t even care how much the butternut squash is, that is such a pain to cut I will always buy the pre-cut version if I can. Anyway, based on what my store offered this week, I roasted butternut squash, beets, broccoli and cauliflower with garlic. Kind of a weird combination but it tasted great to me! I roasted the beets and butternut squash first (for about 40 minutes at 450) and added the broccoli and cauliflower during the last 15 minutes since they don’t take as long. I cooked the quinoa while they baked, and then added some garlic herb goat cheese I bought, and a homemade honey mustard dressing (Dijon mustard, honey, a splash of apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper).

TUESDAY

Lunch: Leftover Veggies and Quinoa

Dinner: Out to Eat

WEDNESDAY

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Veggie Nachos

Comments from Claire: YUM. I had that pack of tostadas from last week (I love them but the pack always lasts me SO long because I only use 1-2 at a time) so I decided to just break them up and use them for “healthy” nachos. Going with the week’s extra veggie theme, I roasted peppers and onions in the oven, then threw them on top of the “chips ” (spread out on a sheet pan over tin foil) with a can of drained black beans, and a few healthy handfuls of shredded Mexican cheese. Then I popped the tray in the oven for 10-15 minutes (it’s really hard to tell the temp of my oven because the dial markings are faded, but this was probably around 375, post roasting the onions/peppers). When the cheese was nice and melted, I took it out and topped with salsa, Greek yogurt (from last week), cubed avocado, and leftover cilantro from last week. So yummy and indulgent for a weeknight meal!

THURSDAY

Lunch: Nacho Salad

Comments from Claire: I put my leftover nachos on top of lettuce for a taco salad the next day (with a little ranch dressing)!

Dinner: Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Crumbled Garlic Goat Cheese with Balsamic Side Salad

Comments from Claire: Super easy dinner. Cooked the second half of the box of angel hair from last week, added the last bit of that jarred tomato sauce (yup, it was still going haha), and then topped with the garlic herb goat cheese from Monday. I served lettuce on the side with balsamic and olive oil.

FRIDAY

Lunch: Leftover Pasta

Dinner: Dinner at family’s house

See you next week! To see what I’m eating in the meantime, follow me on Instagram or Twitter @ClaireLeaden