a huge part of getting and staying clear is living the acne safe lifestyle. that means managing your stress, getting quality sleep and fuelling your body with acne safe foods. it can be difficult to know exactly what's in your food when you eat out, which is why we recommend preparing as much of your own food as possible. for someone like me who commutes to work in the mission from the east bay every day, that can be a challenge. the last thing that i want to do when i get home at 9pm is make dinner. that's why i spend a few hours every monday meal prepping for the entire week. a personal trainer once told me, "failing to plan is planning to fail."

here's my grocery list and recipes from this week to inspire you! my boyfriend and i make each of these dishes separately and then mix and match breakfast, lunch and dinner. we generally spend around $120 per week on groceries which gets us though all 7 days (around 45 meals between the 2 of us) if we were eating out at inexpensive to moderately priced restaurants in the bay area that would be $450 or more! hope you enjoy! xo, liesse THIS WEEK'S MENU

1. lemony chicken soup! we changed this recipe by using potatoes instead of orzo, chicken breast instead of thighs, and bacon fat instead of olive oil.
2. avocado chicken salad! we used shredded chicken breast instead of eggs in this recipe
3. fried cabbage with bacon! we saved the bacon grease to cook with throughout the week. see the recipe here
4. apple cabbage slaw! we swapped the maple syrup in this recipe for a shredded apple, used white cabbage and left out the jalapeño.
5. broccoli salad! see our family recipe below
6. paleo turkey meatballs! we swapped the sirloin from this recipe for 99% lean organic ground turkey
7. spicy marinara sauce! we added tomato paste and fresh basil to this recipe

HOW TO PREP IT ALL

1. preheat your oven to 350, wrap your chicken breasts in tin foil and bake for 20-30 mins, until they are cooked through.
2. fry your bacon in a pan to desired crispiness. drain bacon and save fat in a sealing glass container.
3. chop all of the onions, garlic & root veggies that you need for all of the meals. sauté in 3 pans; 1 for the marinara sauce, 1 for the soup, and 1 for the fried cabbage. complete cabbage and refrigerate.
4. add remaining ingredients to soup and marinara sauce and let simmer for 1+ hour (until you're done cooking and cleaning). alternatively, you can dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and have that going for the better part of a day, or even overnight on low.
5. remove chicken from oven, shred using a fork and set 1/2 aside for the soup. combine remaining ingredients for the avocado chicken salad and refrigerate.
6. blanch or steam broccoli until bright green. while it's on the stove, make the dressing and chop up your olives and tomatoes. chop broccoli, combine ingredients and refrigerate.
7. make paleo turkey meatballs and put in the oven to bake.
8. then, using all the veggies you prepped in step 3, assemble your apple cabbage slaw and refrigerate.
9. remove paleo meatballs from oven and add to marinara.
10. add shredded chicken to soup.
11. enjoy the fruits of your labor for several days!

AN AVERAGE DAY

• breakfast: 2 eggs with broccoli salad OR gluten free oatmeal with blueberries
• lunch: avocado chicken salad with arugula, apple cabbage slaw & a spoonful of raw slaw
• snack: watermelon OR cherries AND 2 hardboiled eggs
• dinner: paleo turkey meatballs with quinoa pasta and spicy marinara sauce OR lemony chicken soup

THIS WEEK'S SHOPPING LIST starches:

• quinoa pasta (whole foods)
• 1 bag fingerling potatoes (whole foods)
• bob's red mill gluten free oats (whole foods)

fats:

• kalamata olives (thursday farmers market in the mission)
• uncured bacon ends and pieces (trader joe's)
• cold pressed organic sunflower seed oil (whole foods)
• 2 large organic avocados (trader joe's)

protein:

• 2 lbs 99% lean organic ground turkey breast (trader joe's)
• 2 large packages free range organic boneless skinless chicken breast (trader joe's)
• 2 dozen free range organic eggs (thursday farmers market in the mission)

veggies:

• 2 heads organic broccoli (trader joe's)
• 1 bag shredded white cabbage (trader joe's)
• 1 bag organic baby arugula (trader joe's)
• 1 box heirloom cherry tomatoes (trader joe's)
• 1 bag organic carrots (whole foods)
• 1 bag organic celery hearts (trader joe's)
• 2 yellow onions (trader joe's)
• 1 head garlic (whole foods)

fruit:

• watermelon (whole foods)
• 16 oz organic blueberries (trader joe's)
• 2 organic gala apples (trader joe's)
• 1 bag organic sweet red cherries (whole foods)
• 1 grapefruit (trader joe's)
• 2 lemons (trader joe's)
• 2 limes (trader joe's)

herbs:

• 1 bunch organic parsley (whole foods)
• 1 bunch organic cilantro (whole foods)
• fresh basil (from our kitchen plant)

packaged:

• raw slaw (trader joe's)
• organic chicken stock (whole foods)
• organic canned tomatoes (trader joe's)
• organic tomato paste (trader joe's)

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broccoli salad recipe

• blanch 2 heads of broccoli in boiling water until semi-soft (2-3 minutes), then cut into bite size trees
• cut cherry tomatoes in quarters
• cut kalamata olives in half
• in a sauce pan, combine: 2 tbs sunflower seed oil, 1 tbs minced garlic, and 1 tbs red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. simmer until the garlic turns golden.
• toss all ingredient together and chill. store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days

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*skinSALVATION has no affiliation with any of the brands, stores, or blogs mentioned in this post. these resources are from my own personal research and preference.