The Challenge: Dinners

OK, here's where the rubber really meets the road on the food challenge. Dinner is probably the meal people most look forward to. I know I look forward to it because it's the time when we all sit down together and talk about our day. And when I watch my daughter eat bread and milk and scoff at everything else on her plate.

Anyway, this is where you can really get creative and try new vegetables. Here's some of our menu that I've planned for the food challenge. It's actually not that different from what I would otherwise plan! Some of these are main dishes, some are side dishes. Sometimes I make side dishes the main dish!

• Collard Greens and Carrots: (may have to cut the feta cheese if it's not non-fat)
• Turbo Avocado Wraps from Chalene Johnson's website (again, may have to cut the feta if it's not non-fat). These are so good. We're talking restaurant good. It reminds me of Chipotle.
• Butternut squash soup: of course. Love it.
• Grilled chicken with roasted asparagus and a spinach salad. How do you roast asparagus? Simple. Break off the ends, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook in a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until desired tenderness.
• Roasted Root Vegetables: watch the video to see how to make them! I love, love, love these. If you can't find parsnips (I couldn't), just use sweet potatoes, new potatoes, beets, and carrots. Delicious.
• Chicken tacos with whole wheat flour tortillas, refried beans, spinach, tomatoes. 
• Quinoa: We're experimenting with this on Sunday. I can't vouch for it because I've never had it, but I keep reading about Quinoa (pronounced "Kin-wah"), so we're going to try it out. 
• Veggie night: cook a butternut squash, sugar snap peas, and zucchini/squash medley. Eat a lot without guilt!

I hope this food roundup helps you with your grocery shopping this weekend! 

Good luck, and keep me posted on how you're doing with the challenge by leaving a comment. One important note: if you mess up, don't quit! This is about expanding your horizons, trying new food, and seeing if you can stick with a pretty tough challenge. Remember, you get two cheat meals during the 10 days. I'm using one of mine for my birthday dinner on the 20th.

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Workout of the Day:
P90X One on One Volume 3: Base and Back
This is the equivalent to Legs and Back in P90X, but the leg moves are more plyometric. After doing this workout my legs are talking to me, and they are saying "Ouch."