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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!

lessons learned: no added sugar

Hey friends!

How was your February? Two weeks ago me and my friend, and fellow RD, Becky went one week without added sugar. Did you join us? If you missed the challenge, you can find the details here.

Today I am sharing some of the lessons learned during our brief seven days without added sugar. Don’t worry, I am back on the donuts, but it was a great, eye opening challenge.

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lessons learned: added sugar

  1. Too much sugar can make you feel crappy and can aggravate IBS.

  2. Added sugar is in SO many foods. Truthfully, I tend to think my added sugar intake is fairly low day-to-day (unless I bake cookies or am PMSing) but, getting reacquainted with the food label on staple foods in my diet made me realize that I likely come very close to the ‘recommended’ added sugar limit of 25 g/d. Between sausage or bacon, a granola bar, bread, sauces, and so much more, sugar is literally everywhere, and often in places it really doesn’t need to be.

  3. Eating sweets can quickly become a habit. We found that nighttime snacks and post dinner treats weren’t really something that was needed or even really wanted.

  4. Sweets are often used to comfort when stressed, or occupy when bored. Yikes!!! I am all about mindful eating, I really try to think before I eat and this challenge helped me identify the moments when I normally would reach for some m&ms or chocolate in the cabinet. This challenge forced me to check-in. EVERY SINGLE TIME I had that urge it was due to looking for a distraction from something I didn’t want to do, or feeling stressed / overwhelmed and wanting a moment of comfort. I prefer intentional treat selection for enjoyment, but I am not immune to the comfort of my favorite chocolate to escape my stress. I definitely do this way more often than I realized and I am glad for my better awareness. Now I am more apt to stop and ask ‘what am I really feeling right now?’ It is challenging, but powerful.

  5. A savory breakfast can be just as satisfying as a sweet breakfast. PS Becky has some amazing recipes and breakfast shares on her IG so make sure you’re following her.

  6. Fruit makes a great dessert! We both really enjoyed adding more fruit to our day, either at breakfast, as a snack, or as dessert after a meal. Clementines and grapes are extra tasty this time of year and are certainly sweet!

  7. Carbohydrate intake didn’t decrease. This eye opening experience showed us that we do love carbs and can eat carbs and will eat carbs for fuel and satisfaction but perhaps the countless sources of added hidden sugars in our diet don’t all need to be there too. I rely on bread a lot more than I ever have (due to my schedule) and I recognized there were higher quality breads I could invest in for more nutrition and less / no added sugar.

  8. Not drinking alcohol is tough. We had an alcohol goal, I did not succeed. Some weeks I drink 3-4 days, some weeks 1 day, some weeks 2 days. I wasn’t going to give up on a social outing and seeing friends because of this challenge. If I am out and socializing I prefer to drink. If I didn’t want to drink I would stay home and read. Worth highlighting two big points here: 1) Your alcohol intake isn’t benign, I know about my relationship with it, what’s yours? and 2) Your diet choices should not limit your social life and enjoyment of life.

  9. And of course, as I always say, it is important to be able to enjoy a treat when you want it and when it is special. Sweets are for enjoyment, not just because you realized your taxes are almost due and your anxiety is thru the roof. My biggest take away, was to remind myself of this exact thing that I know and teach but can sometimes lose sight of. Choose the treats that matter, that are chosen for the sake of truly tasting and enjoying, not the treats that are used to numb.

Well guys, there you have it. We survived, we learned a lot, we have new ideas for snacks, and a greater appreciation for why we make certain choices. Are we both back to eating sugar? You bet, however I always appreciate a learning moment and ideas about how to be more mindful and I look forward to using these lessons moving forward.