We Eat! Weekly Meal Plan + Time Saving Tips!

My favorite blog posts to read are what everyone is eating...because lets face it, nutrition is everything. You could workout 5 X a day and eat McDonalds and I am guessing you won't get the results you want. So I thought I would share with you another post on what we are eating. Plus its the #1 question I get. What do you eat and how do you plan.  Nutrition is the hardest for me personally because I am a stress eater and I LOVE sweets.  Starting the week with a good plan is a great way to stay on track.  

I follow the 21 Day Fix meal plan pretty consistently. 

-->You can download the template to plan your own workouts and meals here.  

-->I also have a full list of previous meal plans I have used here. 

This week we are eating a lot of yogurt, apples, quinoa and lean protein sources.  I try to repeat some of the meals so they are easier to pack each night before work. The recipes can be found below. 

Breakfast: I vary between plain oats with cinnamon and berries and sometimes an extra veggie when I need it. On the weekend I eat a whole grain waffle with peanut butter and banana. YUM!

Snacks: Morning snacks are always Shakeology. This is my game changer. I switch the flavor every few days and it keeps me full until lunch. Snacks consist of yogurt (I am sort of obsessed with Trader Joes Coconut Cream Greek yogurt right now) and a few chia seeds. Its a great source of protein. I eat 2 carbs a day and on the days when I haven't had my allotment yet I add some organic granola. Its a great afternoon snack. 

Lunch: Lunch is usually a protein + green. This week I threw in a quinoa bowl. The concept is to bulk prep on the weekends. (Think of yourself as a healthy Chipotle). Make rice, quionoa, couscous, veggies, beans and lean protein. Then during the week you can make your own bowls, tacos and pretty much anything you can think of! (Recipe below). 

Dinner: Dinners vary based on the week but I pretty much always have a recipe from Skinnytaste. Its my favorite. 

RECIPES

- How to make Shakeology

- Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

- Stuffed Peppers

QUINOA SALAD

1 cup cooked quinoa12 ounces grilled or baked chicken (can use rotisserie as well) Assorted veggies ( Peppers, cucumber, carrots, broccoli,red onion, celery etc.)

Dressing2 T soy sauce2 T cider vinegar
1/2 t fresh chopped chili pepper or srisacha (I used srisacha)1 clove minced garlic1 t coconut or olive oil

Instructions

Mix together and enjoy! Top with feta cheese for some extra flavor!

TIME SAVERS

I purchase turkey meatballs, buffalo burgers and shrimp stir fry from Trader Joes. It definitely helps on those busy week nights! I make my zoodles from fresh zucchini with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. Just toss in a pan for about 5 minutes!

Enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Lets Eat!

I always get the question, what do you eat all day? Since I am following the 21 Day Fix plan this month (100%), I thought I would share what some of the meals are that I am eating. You can find full meal plans, meal planning templates and recipes here.  This is snapshot of some of the meals/snacks I have eaten over the last few days.

First let me say that I tend to eat the same meals and snacks 2-3 times a week and make them in advance. So I am alternating between 2-3 variations a week. 

First up is my new favorite. Trail mix cookies with a side of fruit (apple in this case). 

Trail Mix Cookie Recipe
- 2 Cups Trader Joes Ancient Grain and Super Seed Oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons of Trader Joes Super Seed Blend (w/ Cranberries and Coconut)
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Cinnamon to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Spoon into tablespoon size balls. Bake for 12 minutes or until crunchy on top.

I put them in the freezer and eat them as snacks throughout the week. You can also add PB and chocolate chips to your taste!

Zoodles

Next is a family favorite. I typically make pasta bolognese in the crockpot and then I substitute out zoodles for noodles! In this case I used Trader Joes Turkey meatballs and marinated my zoodles in coconut oil in a skillet for about 5 minutes with some fresh cut tomatoes. YUM! I bought a super cheap spiralizer on Amazon and it works great. 

Lettuce Free Salads
I went to a cooking class a few weeks ago and we had the best salad made with sugar snap peas and radishes. This week for lunch I have been chopping some up, adding feta cheese and then tossing in a few hard boiled eggs for protein. Its super easy and a little more exotic than you typical romaine garden salad. I use just a touch of balsamic vinegar as the dressing. (p.s. You can never have too many hard boiled eggs. They are great when you are in a hurry!)

Baked Salmon

This is my go to recipe when we don't have a lot of time. Its SO easy and really delicious and for some reason when we eat salmon I feel like we are having this gourmet meal. lol. 

Yogurt Bowls
Last but not least are yogurt bowls. Although there is so much goodness packed into this, you can barely see the yogurt. I usually eat Siggi's coconut greek yogurt, Trader Joe's coconut cream or honey greek yogurt. I then layer on some fruit (raspberries, blueberries and raisins in this case) and some chia seeds. The raisins and chia seeds give it a crunchy taste.

I pretty much eat 5 X a day and balance it all out with 3 carbs, 4 proteins, 3 fruits, 4 vegetables, 4 servings of oil/butter, 1 healthy fat (think nuts, cheese etc.) and 1 seed/dressing (coconut, flaxseed, sesame seeds etc.)

If you have questions let me know. Enjoy the recipes!