Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan #7
or just like a really yummy week of healthy meals
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers. Mothers who have experienced loss, mothers who have lost a child, adoptive mothers, fostering mothers, grandmothers. I hope that if you are a mom and reading this you have a day of peace, support, and love. If you are reading this as a woman trying to conceive and feeling the ache of desire to be a mother, I see you too and am praying for your peace as well. Motherhood is the best, hardest, most challenging and rewarding club I have ever been apart of. But I woke up this morning (and 15 other times throughout the night - yay cosleeping) holding my daughter and felt an overwhelming sense of pride and peace. She woke up, looked at me and smiled; I took a moment to simply be grateful that I had made it to the club.
📚 WHAT TO READ: I have breezed through the book Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re looking for an outrageously easy to read, page turning, chick-lit, this is your book.
📺 WHAT TO WATCH: Daniel and I have been watching Adolescence this week. Not so much because we genuinely wanted to (that type of dark plot doesn’t really intrigue us and we do our best to protect our peace from dark content…), but our church is currently doing a series analyzing popular streaming series and our pastor focused on Adolescence last week. Our pastor encouraged parents to watch it as a way to better understand what it is like to grow up as a child right now. It’s been a difficult watch, but also we’re thoroughly hooked and our eyes have been opened even more.
🎧 WHAT TO LISTEN TO: It’s been extra hard lately to focus on work while Daniel is taking care of Celia. I know she is safe and having a blast with her Dada, but my brain just can’t lock into concentration. I’ve never been a music while working kind of person, but find soundscapes to be really nice. This Dreamy Forest Music instantly soothes my tension, calms me, and anchors me into stress free work time.
We spend approximately 1/3 of our lives in our beds, so making them as non-toxic as possible has a huge impact. However, today I’m only focusing on the pillow. We swapped to Organic Buckwheat Pillows about a year ago and haven’t looked back since. They take some getting used to. They’re weird and firm and sound like a rainstick. But once we spent a couple nights on them we stopped noticing the sound and learned to love the rigidity of the pillow and how we could form it to exactly what our necks needed. So not only are they helping us with neck health, but they are nontoxic. Win win.
I make these meal plans in mind for me and my husband. For reference my husband is 6’5” and 200something lbs and works out daily and I am 5’2” and 100something lbs and also work out almost daily, but am breastfeeding so my caloric needs are very high right now. We also drink tons of water, take supplements, and have fun non alcoholic beverages (some caffeinated some not) through the day.
Don’t feel intimidated by the fully planned out list. Even if you just take a couple things of inspiration that’s better than nothing! And yes, groceries are expensive, but eating highly nutritious food at home is still cheaper than eating out for every single meal.
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a nutritionist or doctor of any kind. These are meals that make ME feel great and should not be used to treat or diagnose any disease, health issues, or symptoms and do not replace the need to seek medical attention. Always consult your healthcare team before starting any new nutritional protocol, supplements, or lifestyle changes to make sure you are meeting your own nutritional needs and taking care of your body. 🫶🏻
Monday:
Breakfast: Oat Chia Pudding with stewed apples, cinnamon, and ginger
*you’ll have enough for leftovers for a couple days.BIG BATCH PREPPED ON SUNDAY: Mix 1 cup oats, 1 cup chia seeds, 2 cups of milk, 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or honey, and any other flavorings you like (vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom). Let it soak overnight and you have yourself some o’chyea.
Stewed apples: Combine 2 cups chopped apples (about 2 apples), 2 tbsp ACV, splash of vanilla extract, 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp dried ginger or 1/2 tsp fresh grated, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium / medium-low covered for about 15 minutes - stirring occasionally. After the 15 minutes the apples should be tender. You can continue to cook and thicken the liquid if you desire. Optional - you can also add a bit of arrow root powder or organic cornstarch to help thicken the sauce.
Lunch: Carrot ginger soup (recipe here) and a protein on the side - leftover cod, some chicken, tinned fish anything you have!
**if you’re adhering to the weekly meal plans, than this is leftover from Sunday’s dinner.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, chopped - optional omit if you’re avoiding nightshades
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 pound carrots, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon maple syrup, optional
Coconut milk, for garnish, optional
Snack: Beef jerky or meat stick
I recently updated this recipe to omit sesame oil and replaced the soy sauce with coconut aminos and WOW.
I really like the Paleo Valley meat sticks since they are naturally fermented, 100% Grass Fed/Grass Finished with organic spices. This discount link is for 50% OFF. I have access to a backend discount portal since I’m an affiliate with them and that’s the absolute best deal I can get for them so I’m supplying you with it. 🫶🏻 If you want 15% off of the whole site this one would get you that - they have the bone broth superfood bars I like. OH and wow ok I swear this isn’t sponsored by Paleo Valley, but I also just heard that in a test of PFAs in tallow the Paleo Valley one tested the lowest. Ok I’m done. Enough about them.
Dinner: ~ A very Carnivore-ish Dinner ~ Grilled or Pan Cooked Steak (I like ribeye best) with Sliced Avocado, Berries, and sliced *ideally raw* cheddar cheese.
If you’re new to this kind of meal, you’re adding each of the elements to the plate individually. This isn’t like a weird cheesy steak berry bowl mashup ok? At first it’ll feel like an “incomplete” meal, but it helps you learn to embrace simplicity, the prep time couldn’t be easier, clean up is so easy, and it’s simple for your body to digest.
Dessert: Golden Milk
Add 1 cup milk to a sauce pan and gently warm until desired drinkable heat level. Add in 1/2-1 tsp honey, a pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, a crack of black pepper (you can omit, but black pepper is reported to increase bioavailability of turmeric by 2,000%)