First, though, I wanted to share some non scale victories (since the scale is not my friend these days- went up last week, now back down, but stuck):
- I did pull-ups yesterday. I used to be terrified of doing pull ups. Everytime we have to do them in Bootcamp, I skip them. Yesterday I looked at my trainer and nodded. She helped me get set up, and then I did them on my own. I didn't do very many, but I still did pull ups- for the first time in my life.
- Lately in Group Exercise classes, when the instructor gives us a way to make it harder, I choose to do it that way. And I do it well.
- I did the Stairmaster for the first time in months yesterday and made it 70 flights in 17 minutes.
- I feel so much stronger. It feels like this came out of nowhere, but recently I feel so incredibly strong. I can't quite describe it- maybe it's because I have started doing kickboxing twice a week, but man, I feel like a BOSS.
- I successfully made it through a 21 day challenge without bread, pastries, or chips! I did have a little chocolate, but really only in the form of protein/granola bars.
Alright! Time to share some meals!
Breakfast
Before I started my weight loss journey. I didn't really believe that breakfast was the most important part of the day. After all, I never ate breakfast, and I was fine, right? #Sarcasm. I wasn't really all that fine. Trust me, you need breakfast. A good, healthy breakfast.
I usually make some sort of egg white scramble.
-3 tablespoons of liquid egg white
-1 cup of raw baby spinach
-1 cup of another veggie (my favorite are mushrooms)
-A little shredded cheese
On occasion, I put this on a whole wheat tortilla, or I add a slice of turkey.
The downside is that this is really low in calories. Which may seem great, but I know that my breakfast should be a bit higher in calories. You could add a piece of fruit.
I usually drink green tea--I have cut down on coffee as it makes me crave sugar.
If I don't have these ingredients on hand, I will make oatmeal. I usually just make regular, steel cut oats and add raspberries in it. There are lots of things you can add to oatmeal, including chia seeds or Greek yogurt.
If you need to grab breakfast through a drive through, here are some options:
- Smoothie from Beyond Juice or your local smoothie spot. Try to get one that has a lot of nutrients and little sugar.
- Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon Sandwich, Spinach Feta Wrap, or Yogurt from Starbucks. I love Starbucks because I love their iced green tea (Venti, unsweetened, no water).
- Yogurt Parfait, Power Almond Oatmeal, or Steel Cut Oatmeal from Panera. (Pro Tip: I have also ordered the Avocado, Egg White, and Spinach breakfast sandwich but asked for it in a bowl, without the bread. Panera is good at accommodating, so they shouldn't have a problem making that!)
- For my Chicago friends, there is an awesome place called Protein Bar that I discovered while in Chicago on business. They have breakfast scrambles, oatmeal, and smoothies. The breakfast scramble I had was delicious and full of yummy veggies.
SNACKS
Yes, you must, must, MUST eat snacks my friends ! I have 3-4 snacks a day. The key is to be sure that you are eating the recommended serving size. Ex: Trail mix is usually 1/4 of a cup, which is pretty tiny. Measure it out, put it in a ziploc bag so that you know you're eating 1/4 of a cup.
- Apple
- Grapes
- Banana
- Celery with Peanut Butter
- Baby Carrots with hummus or peanut butter
- Cucumber with hummus
- Chopped peppers
- Kind Bars (Peanut Butter and Jelly is my favorite flavor)
- Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
- Kashi Bars
- Nature Valley Bars
- Trail Mix
- Greek Yogurt
- String Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Babybel Cheese
- Skinnypop Popcorn
LUNCH
Most of the time, I am bringing leftovers from dinner for my lunch. But there are times when I have to pack something else or grab something while I am out.
Usually, if it's not leftovers, I either make a wrap with a whole wheat tortilla, turkey, spinach, and hummus. I'll eat greek yogurt and some chopped veggies to go with it. Or, I'll make a big salad with spinach, lots of veggies, and a light dressing. Sometimes I do tuna with very light mayo on top of spinach (I eat a lot of spinach!)
With my job schedule, there are a lot of times I am out and about and have to grab lunch. My favorite thing to do is to make a big salad with lots of veggies from Whole Foods or other similar health food stores. .Here are some other healthy options if you are out and about:
- Unwich from Jimmy Johns. I usually go for the Beach Club, without Mayo. Try to go for turkey or veggie- the other meats are full of sodium. Also, I try to always have snacks on hand so that I don't get chips.
- Mediterranean Salad, Chickpea Veggie Salad, T-K-Y, or Mushroom Melt from Potbelly.
- Burrito Bowl with brown rice, black beans, salsa, veggies, and lettuce from Chipotle.
- LOTS of options at Panera. Panera is one of my favorite places to go- most of their food is healthy, AND delicious. They have their nutrition facts readily available, so just be aware. My favorite salads are the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, the Greek Salad with Chicken and the new Mediterranean Chicken and Quinoa salad.
DINNER
Alright, here is where I will share some actual recipes. I try to cook dinner at home most of the time. I usually go for a protein, a veggie, and sometimes a starch. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad
- Roasted Potatoes, Chicken Sausage and Peppers
- Honey Mustard Panko Salmon
- Greek Turkey Burgers
- Avocado Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa
- Spinach Salad with Chicken, Goat Cheese
- Fish Taco Bowls
- Turkey Vegetable Skillet
I have a LOT more recipes. These are just the ones I've made recently that I loved. Please feel free to ask me if you need a recipe, or if you need to know where to look to get some great recipes. I also have some good recipes for party appetizers/side dishes.
Also, if you have questions about what to order at certain restaurants, ask away. I've become quite savy at working menus!
<3 div="">
No comments:
Post a Comment