Shakshuka and Yummy Salads-Atkins Week One Menu

Cooking is a labor of love. It is not for the faint of heart. That's what I tell myself as I patiently snip canned whole tomatoes into a steaming pot of shakshuka. Why am I doing this again? Why couldn't I have just chopped them on the cutting board like the recipe directed? Or why didn't I just cut corners even further and get diced tomatoes? Even still, the labor of love goes beyond painstakingly chopping and prepping. It's in the menu planning and the devoted grocery shopping at 1,345 grocery stores (I know). It's in the way my back muscles tense when I've been at the stove or sink for long moments, stirring sauces or cleaning dishes. It's in rising early to wash, scrub, and chop 6 jumbo sweet potatoes so I can serve my visiting family a yummy, filling breakfast. It's in the tedious packing up of leftovers and constant inventory of fridge and pantry...

And yet I would not have it any other way. There's such joy that comes from exploring new ground in cooking, or seeing a loved one smile when they taste the first bite of a new dish. And I am so thankful for the abundance of flavors, techniques, and recipes in existence. As we embarked on Atkins this week I found this to be true. Thanks to Ms. Google and my cookbooks our first week back on Atkins induction was exciting and encouraging. This is what we had:

Blackened Shrimp Salad

Breakfast: Cheesy spinach scrambled eggs with bacon and then later in the week, Shakshuka by Cafe Delites--awesome blog by an inspiring blogger!

Snacks: Sugar-free chocolate and vanilla pudding, ham and cheese roll-ups, zucchini and red pepper sticks

Lunch: Southwest Chicken Salad, Blackened Shrimp and Asparagus Salad

Dinner: Thai Basil Chicken and Cauliflower "Rice", Daisy Martinez' Pork Loin and modified Boricua Slaw (from her cookbook Morning, Noon and Night), Hot Wings with celery sticks and Cheesy Cauliflower Tots

I am looking forward to a new week! All new recipes and dishes, right down to snacks! I was terrible with pictures this week but I will be snapping photos all week long! I'll post an update next week!

xoxo,

Lex