real life

meal plan: week 2

Alright, since you asked for more, here it is - another ‘what we eat’ meal plan share.

In need of intro and more background on how and why I plan and meal prep? Check out my first post in this series.

PLANNING PROCESS

We were out of town the weekend I came up with this meal plan, so I did my brainstorming Sunday morning over breakfast in Jersey, made a stop at Trader Joe’s by my parents before hitting the road, and then swung by the grocery store once we got back to Baltimore for last minute things. I kept things plain and tried to select meals we could easily piece together rather than using recipes.

Could I have just come home and not worried about what we were going to eat? Sure. BUT, with such a hectic schedule this would mean needing to eat out a ton during the week ($$$) and likely eating minimal veg. The bit of extra effort is worth it to me when I consider the alternatives. This isn’t all fun, but our health is one of my biggest priorities, so I do it anyway.

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week 2: what we eat in a week

BREAKFASTS

  • Hard boiled eggs (in the Instant Pot) (2 per serving) eaten with….

  • Blueberry baked oatmeal (used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar for lower glycemic index) - made recipe as written so we had 6 pieces, enough for 3 days. Once it ran out we ate HBE with english muffins which we had in the freezer and made….

  • Breakfast sandwiches for Friday (2 eggs + cheese on an english muffin)

MEALS

I select 2 meals that will incorporate our starch, protein, vegetables, and fat. We batch cook (large portions) so that we are fed from it ideally 3-4 times each. If this requires me to cook a larger protein portion than stated in the recipe I will increase some of the spices slightly.

  • Instant Pot Carnitas + corn tortillas (to make tacos) + sour cream + salad (tomato, feta, avocado)

  • 2 lb peeled, deveined shrimp (cooked from frozen; 1 serving = 9-11 pieces of 21 to 30 count shrimp) + whole wheat spaghetti (1/2 c) with wilted spinach + zucchini + EVOO + parmesan cheese

  • Cubed and roasted sweet potatoes to have in the fridge for as needed

BACK-UP MEALS

We needed some backup protein to make it through the end of the week…

  • 2 Hot dogs (nitrate free, like Applegate farms) OR 2 chicken sausage paired with leftover veg + cooked cubed sweet potato OR salad

SNACKS

I pack us each a morning and afternoon snack. These are snacks we had on hand that I mix and match each day based on each of our needs.

  • Yogurt + almonds

  • KIND bar or Health Warrior Chia Seed Bar

  • Rice cakes + cheese stick

  • Grapes, frozen mango and strawberries (snack or dessert)

  • Kodiak Cakes muffins (made from mix)

Was this useful? Is there a different format you want to see or other ideas you need? Let me know!!

meal plan: week 1

Hey there, friends. On Sundays I often share things I am cooking over on my Instagram stories. After a few requests for meal plans and a deeper dive into what I eat I decided to share more. While I don’t work off of strict meal plans, I do use meal planning of our food for the week to shop and then cook accordingly. A lot of you said you wanted to see this IRL, so here is my first attempt at sharing how I plan and feed myself and my fiancé each week. I do a bunch of cooking on Sunday. Dustin takes over on Monday nights and cooks whatever is left to do while I teach group fitness classes. Sometimes we need to cook a quick veg or protein on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and do so as needed.

P.S. I don’t have diet restrictions (except higher FODMAP items) however, if you do, simply choose a substitute or eliminate foods as needed. For instance, if you don’t eat fish, choose cubed chicken instead. Don’t eat broccoli? Use asparagus. Can’t have wheat? Choose a GF option.

Okay, lets get to it.

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planning process

I sit down Saturday or Sunday and talk with Dustin about his week. Are there any days we won’t be home for dinner? Maybe he has a work lunch planned. Maybe we have a date night. Maybe I have plans with friends. I take these things into consideration as I plan for Monday breakfast - Friday lunch. Friday dinner is rarely prepped food. Usually we think of something yummy we want and one of us stops at the grocery on the way home. If there is any food left in the fridge we try to finish it off for Saturday’s lunch. I am also considering our time to cook, if we are out of town for the weekend I am usually selecting easier meals that use more quick cook freezer items.

week 1: what we eat in a week

This particular week he had lunch plans one day and I did not eat dinner at home another day so we only ended up requiring one back-up meal.

breakfasts

I usually choose a breakfast that will get us through 4 days and then Friday we usually put together an egg sandwich or something of the sort. It helps us not get bored. We always have extra eggs in the house.

Meals

I select 2 meals that will incorporate our starch, protein, vegetables, and fat. We batch cook (large portions) so that we are fed from it ideally 3-4 times each. If this requires me to cook a larger protein portion than stated in the recipe I will increase some of the spices slightly. We do not cook a hot meal each night. It is too much work and planning and our schedules are pretty packed. Who wants to cook after a long day? Not this girl.

  • Ginger beef stir-fry (used just over 2 lb beef)+ stir-fry rice noodles (prepared according to package) + Stir fry vegetables (did not mix with the noodles for prep or storing)

  • Curried chicken salad (about 2.5lb chicken) bowls with roasted cubed sweet potato (cooked 2 large) + chickpeas + roasted broccoli + shredded cabbage (was leftover from stir-fry recipe) + feta + arugula

Back-up Meals

I have an idea of what my back-up meals will be based on whats in the freezer and pantry or leftover. I also always have lettuce in the house because you can make a salad with anything.

  • Tuna salad w/ lettuce on Dave’s Killer Bread

Snacks

I pack us each a morning and afternoon snack. These are snacks we have on hand that I mix and match each day based on each of our needs.

  • Yogurt + almonds

  • Tumeric quinoa (made in IP, stove top option included in link)

  • KIND bar or Health Warrior Chia Seed Bar

  • Rice cakes + cheese stick

  • Grapes, frozen mango and strawberries (snack or dessert)

  • PB&J on thin sliced Daves Killer Bread


Let me know if this post set up is useful. Let me know what else you do or don’t want to see. I am going to try to start posting these regularly and I am open to adjusting the format until it works for you! Prefer to see all links at the end in one place? Link to the exact products when applicable? LMK!!! I want this to help you!

reflecting on 2018

Hi everyone! We are almost a month into 2019, which is crazy.

This first month has already been hectic!! I shared a post earlier in the month about prioritizing health in the new year. I hope you found it useful. While I still do intend to write about my 2019 goals, I have not quite gotten to the point of writing them out yet (key!!). Today I am reflecting on 2018; reminding myself of what worked, what didn’t work, and of course, all that I achieved. Getting out last years planning sheet is really motivating me to sit down and create notes for 2019. I hope this post helps you see the power of writing something down or confiding in a friend. Sharing your goals can help you manifest those things. You need to believe it, see it, feel it, to have it be.

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2018 goals

Over the last few years I have shared new year goals and thoughts. Last year I didn’t focus on health related goals but did focus on other happiness related factors. Let’s see how I did…

  1. Exploring more in the kitchen by trying at least 2 new recipes per month. No super proud of this one. While I spent more time not stressing in the kitchen and had a few weekends where I did some intentional (fun) cooking, it still isn’t where I want it to be. Getting an instant pot has helped me explore more, but the joy factor in spending my time cooking does need to be greater.

  2. Improving my relationships by using my planner to help me align my time with priorities and... Well, I would say I did well here. I have said no to more, tried to be realistic about what I can and can’t attend and say now off the bat instead of bailing last minute. My biggest achievement here was setting aside one evening a week I spend time with my sister and nephew. In the past I would have thought I ‘couldn’t’ possibly do this, yet here I am. That is a win!

  3. Completing the 40 day May Cause Miracles guidebook and continue to work on mindset shifts. I didn’t do this. But I spent several seasons focusing on meditation and am happy to report I am now meditating (almost) daily and even getting some mental health help.

Here are the 2018 goals I didn’t share with you guys in last year’s post, but I wrote down for myself in my goal planning chart:

  1. Work less, or get a new job. SUCCESS!! Resigned from my former job just around Christmas.

  2. Fitness certification. SUCCESS!! I became a NASM-CPT in August and started teaching group fitness in October. This was a very long held dream, we are talking almost a decade. Taking the steps to pay for the course, study, and utilize my credentials is something I am truly proud of.

  3. Sponsored TV with 1 new partner. I started working with 2 new partners!

  4. Travel. YES! We went to PNW and a weekend trip for my birthday!

  5. Invest in good makeup and skin care. SUCCESS!!

  6. Blog 2x/month. I would say I waxed and waned with this one.

  7. Create a stand alone nutrition online program. Didn’t even get close here, but I realized my energy was needed elsewhere and that is okay.

How i approached it

All of the above were written down in a chart (courtesy of a Day Designer printable) at the beginning of the year. It helped me think about the 3, 6, 9, and 12 month marks. The power of writing things down is huge. Not only does it help you visualize reaching your goals, but it serves as an accountability tool. Its so satisfying to look back and think, “Wow, I did all of this.”

So here we are into 2019, and I have taken a slower start to setting some goals. Revisiting 2018 sure is motivating and I can’t wait to think about this new year, my new job, and how I can spend more time on me this year. Imagine what you can do when you set a vision for yourself!!

What are you most proud of from 2018? What are you looking forward to this year?