An Easter on Plan - Delicious!

I have always loved the holidays and all the food that goes with it. Meat, potatoes, desserts, dips, chips, butter, and sugar - delicious!

I decided to stay on plan for this Easter. I stayed on plan for Thanksgiving and for Christmas, I didn't see any reason to break that run of good health. Plus I'm SOOOO close to a goal that I just decided mashed potatoes, gravy, desserts, and bread just weren't worth it.

So I searched for delicious recipes and I have to say, I really enjoyed Easter dinner. And as a bonus, after eating, I still felt great. I didn't need a nap or stretchy pants and I didn't have any guilt over eating poorly.

My tip to surviving the holidays on plan....put a little extra effort into those veggies. It'll make your meal feel special.

Lean:
For the lean portion of my meal, I chose turkey breast. I was tempted to do ham or lamb but I decided turkey was the way to go. I could have six ounces.

Green:

Kale Salad

Easter Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch kale - chopped 

1 red pepper - diced

1 tomato - diced

two turkey bacon strips - cooked and chopped

1 spray of olive oil (very little)

salt/pepper to taste

Directions
Lightly spray the kale with the olive oil spray and "massage" it with your hands for 2-3 minutes. I know this sounds silly but it makes all the difference in the world when eating kale raw. It'll turn dark green and look a little wilted - that's when it's perfect. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Add other veggies - toss and refrigerate until ready to eat. 

Optional Lemon/Balsamic Vinaigrette
This is a vinaigrette recipe I use sometimes on my kale salads but I personally think the above salad was also delicious without it. 
2 tbsp lemon juice
a bit of lemon zest
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper to taste 
1 tsp finely chopped shallot
Mix it up, pour it on. Voila!


I also love the fact that Take Shape for Life added mashed potatoes as one of the meals. It allows us to eat mashed potatoes on holidays! Don't forget to subtract it from your 5 replacement meals if you do this. If you haven't tried the mashed potatoes, they're delicious. 

Now for the kids, I made a few things not on plan. Roasted potatoes, Marc's favorite strawberry dessert, and deviled eggs. No one felt deprived. 

Confession:
I ate one "traditional" Easter item. In my family, it's a tradition to have pickled eggs that are pickled in red beet juice. These are by far my favorite Easter treat. You may wrinkle your nose but they are DELICIOUS! I ate just one. 

Hope you had a happy Easter!