I hope everyone's finishing up a good weekend! A reader asked me about the kinds of meals I'm eating through this clean adventure o' mine - good question! Your wish is my command. But firstly, this whole plan wouldn't work as well if I didn't have such a clear, simple food log. There's a super easy way to track your macros - I champion (yet again) using Livestrong's My Plate. It doesn't get easier than that, and it's how I custom-tailor and track my daily intake. OK, off my soapbox and onto my meals.
Ideally, I would sit down and plan entire days so each meal/snack worked with each other meal/snack to comprise my 'perfect' macronutrient day. When I say perfect, I mean around 45% protein, 35% carbs, and about 20% fat, roughly. This is different for everyone. You have to see what works for you and what doesn't. Over the past 3 years I've gained a lot of knowledge and been through the gamut of combinations. I know from experience that these percentages will get me what I want in terms of energy and fat loss. Maybe they would work for you as well, and I'm happy to share my insights on the matter.
So, yes, in a perfect weight-loss world, entire days would be planned in advance, and this is how I originally was planning to work this ten-day plan. Occasionally I have time to sit down and plan some whole days. However, as I realized that I do in fact have a life, I realized that sometimes meals will be more on-the-fly or more on-the-go than I'd prefer, even in a relatively "quiet" week. Luckily, however, if you can put some meals together in advance and save them in tupperware in the fridge, you use some simple rules of thumb to plan each meal. In doing this, you are likely to achieve the overall macro breakdown you desire. My food rules of thumb for this ten-day are pretty common to clean eaters. They are, basically (remember - I don't like super-rigid rules):
+ Eat every 2-3 hours
+ Eat within 30 minutes post-workout
+ Three meals and 2-3 snacks each day, with dinner having the smallest calorie count
+ Each meal is focused around a lean Protein, ideally a different type at each meal
+ 2 fruit (not juice) servings before 2:00 pm (ideally eaten together with a protein or fat serving)
+ 3 full servings of vegetables, usually at lunch and dinner time (or at breakfast in an omelet)
+ Less grain-based carbs at dinnertime (veggie-based carbs at dinner are great)
+ 2 dairy servings each day, usually before 2:00 pm (I like nonfat yogurt or 0% greek yogurt)
+ Water, tea, and coffee for beverages, or maybe occasional Crystal Light - but NO soda, diet or not
I have a handful of breakfasts from which I choose, and a handful of morning snacks, lunches, etc. If I just choose one from each list for each meal, I usually get pretty close to my daily goals. I don't have an actual list written out, just a general list in my head of options, based on what is in my fridge/pantry/freezer. I like to grocery shop once a week to replenish goodies. Sometimes I'll tweak a meal here or there - gotta keep it interesting! But here are some examples of what I've been eating (keeping in mind that it might not be 100% clean, but preeetty good on the clean-scale):
Breakfasts:
(that typically accompany coffee with skim milk and flavor extract):
+ 1/2 cup Country Choice Multi Grain Hot Cereal with cinnamon, prepared with water, and 1/3 cup 0% Fage yogurt with 1/3 cup blueberries
+ 2 egg whites scrambled with one serving Trader Joe's organic firm tofu, diced onions, wilted spinach, and 1-2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, with one slice Ezekiel bread and 1/2 tbsp Low-Sodium Better n Peanut Butter
+ Special K Protein Plus cereal (not "clean") with 1/2 cup light soy milk mixed with 1/2 scoop vanilla Whey Protein Isolates and 1/2 grapefruit
+ 1 hardboiled Eggland's Best egg on one whole grain light English muffin (not "clean") with hummus and 1/2 oz goat cheese, and maybe a nonfat plain latte instead of usual coffee
+ 2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with 1 tbsp Low-Sodium Peanut Butter and 8 oz water + 1 scoop whey protein isolates (note: I try to stick to a maximum of 2 shakes as meals per day)
Morning Snacks:
+ 1 cup nonfat yogurt with 1/3-1/2 cup frozen berries OR fresh pomegranate seeds OR honeydew melon slices OR mango chunks
+ 1 low-carb wheat wrap (45 cal) from Trader Joe's with 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter, cinnamon, and 1/2 sliced apple with skin (yum.. this tastes like apple pie)
+ 1/2 serving raisins with 7-10 almonds
+ Protein shake with 1 Scoop Whey Isolates, 1/2 banana, and 2 tbsp Dagoba Xocolatl drinking chocolate
Lunches:
+ Spinach leaves with shredded red cabbage, diced tomato, alfalfa sprouts, 3 kalamata olives, 4-5 oz boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, and balsamic vinegar
+ 1/2 cup whole wheat rotini (not "clean") with 4 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken breast, Muir Glen crushed roasted tomatoes, and broccoli
+ 1 can solid albacore tuna in water, mixed with 1/4 avocado (loved when a friend called this Tunamole Guacafish!) with 7 Kashi Whole Grain Roasted Garlic crackers (not "clean") and cucumber and celery sticks
+ 3 oz 99% lean ground turkey with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup shelled edamame (also called mukimame), diced carrots, snap peas, and 1 tsp olive oil and spices
+ 1 light whole grain Flatout wrap with 2 servings Columbus low-sodium sliced seasoned roast beef (happily discovered at Trader Joe's) with 1 tbsp artichoke hummus, spinach, and sprouts
+ 1 broiled extra lean ground beef patty with 1/4 avocado, and arugula salad with Wegmans Yogurt Dressings (not "clean")
Afternoon Snacks:
+ Protein shake with 1 scoop whey isolates, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
+ 1 serving Trader Joe's Wasabi Wow! trail mix
+ Diced fresh veggies with 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Better n Peanut Butter
+ Diced orange and yellow peppers with one round Babybel light cheese
+ 1/2 cup Fage 0% greek yogurt with 2 Suzie's agave-sweetened puffed Kamut cakes for dipping
Dinners:
+ 4 oz plain baked Wild Salmon with 1/2 sweet potato and 1 cup broiled brussels sprouts
+ Homemade Black Bean Burger with 1/4 avocado, Nature's Promise organic salsa, and 2 heads steamed baby bok choy
+ 4 oz slow-cooked pork loin with 1 1/2 cups steamed green veggie with low-sodium low-sugar ketchup (not clean)
+ Roasted tofu with veggies stir-fried in Pam - like this recipe for savory orange-roasted tofu from EatingWell
+ Scrambled egg whites under 3-4 oz cooked bison steak and steamed asparagus
+ 4 oz cooked peeled and deveined shrimp stir-fried with veggies and 1/2 serving whole wheat spaghetti, garlic, lemon juice, and 1-2 tsp olive oil
None of these lists is exhaustive, but those are some random examples of my menus. I get endless inspiration from my favorite magazines, Muscle & Fitness Hers and Oxygen. Eatingwell.com is also quite inspiring if I'm staring dumbfounded at my fridge and just need a way to make ingredients come together in a tasty way. I highly suggest checking any of those 3 sites out and seeing if that doesn't rev your healthy-cooking engines.
More soon to come on my progress and an exciting personal challenge, but for now, I'm glad my eating plan survived the weekend. Second half of ten-day, here I come!
Ideally, I would sit down and plan entire days so each meal/snack worked with each other meal/snack to comprise my 'perfect' macronutrient day. When I say perfect, I mean around 45% protein, 35% carbs, and about 20% fat, roughly. This is different for everyone. You have to see what works for you and what doesn't. Over the past 3 years I've gained a lot of knowledge and been through the gamut of combinations. I know from experience that these percentages will get me what I want in terms of energy and fat loss. Maybe they would work for you as well, and I'm happy to share my insights on the matter.
So, yes, in a perfect weight-loss world, entire days would be planned in advance, and this is how I originally was planning to work this ten-day plan. Occasionally I have time to sit down and plan some whole days. However, as I realized that I do in fact have a life, I realized that sometimes meals will be more on-the-fly or more on-the-go than I'd prefer, even in a relatively "quiet" week. Luckily, however, if you can put some meals together in advance and save them in tupperware in the fridge, you use some simple rules of thumb to plan each meal. In doing this, you are likely to achieve the overall macro breakdown you desire. My food rules of thumb for this ten-day are pretty common to clean eaters. They are, basically (remember - I don't like super-rigid rules):
+ Eat every 2-3 hours
+ Eat within 30 minutes post-workout
+ Three meals and 2-3 snacks each day, with dinner having the smallest calorie count
+ Each meal is focused around a lean Protein, ideally a different type at each meal
+ 2 fruit (not juice) servings before 2:00 pm (ideally eaten together with a protein or fat serving)
+ 3 full servings of vegetables, usually at lunch and dinner time (or at breakfast in an omelet)
+ Less grain-based carbs at dinnertime (veggie-based carbs at dinner are great)
+ 2 dairy servings each day, usually before 2:00 pm (I like nonfat yogurt or 0% greek yogurt)
+ Water, tea, and coffee for beverages, or maybe occasional Crystal Light - but NO soda, diet or not
There are some other minor things I try to throw in there, but I don't hold myself to an all-or-nothing rulebook. For example, I'm still on that cinnamon kick about which I posted awhile back. I try to take a cinnamon capsule after any fruit servings or dairy to combat the subsequent blood sugar wallop, but if I miss it, I just don't miss it the next time.
Breakfasts:
(that typically accompany coffee with skim milk and flavor extract):
+ 1/2 cup Country Choice Multi Grain Hot Cereal with cinnamon, prepared with water, and 1/3 cup 0% Fage yogurt with 1/3 cup blueberries
+ 2 egg whites scrambled with one serving Trader Joe's organic firm tofu, diced onions, wilted spinach, and 1-2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, with one slice Ezekiel bread and 1/2 tbsp Low-Sodium Better n Peanut Butter
+ Special K Protein Plus cereal (not "clean") with 1/2 cup light soy milk mixed with 1/2 scoop vanilla Whey Protein Isolates and 1/2 grapefruit
+ 1 hardboiled Eggland's Best egg on one whole grain light English muffin (not "clean") with hummus and 1/2 oz goat cheese, and maybe a nonfat plain latte instead of usual coffee
+ 2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with 1 tbsp Low-Sodium Peanut Butter and 8 oz water + 1 scoop whey protein isolates (note: I try to stick to a maximum of 2 shakes as meals per day)
Morning Snacks:
+ 1 cup nonfat yogurt with 1/3-1/2 cup frozen berries OR fresh pomegranate seeds OR honeydew melon slices OR mango chunks
+ 1 low-carb wheat wrap (45 cal) from Trader Joe's with 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter, cinnamon, and 1/2 sliced apple with skin (yum.. this tastes like apple pie)
+ 1/2 serving raisins with 7-10 almonds
+ Protein shake with 1 Scoop Whey Isolates, 1/2 banana, and 2 tbsp Dagoba Xocolatl drinking chocolate
Lunches:
+ Spinach leaves with shredded red cabbage, diced tomato, alfalfa sprouts, 3 kalamata olives, 4-5 oz boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, and balsamic vinegar
+ 1/2 cup whole wheat rotini (not "clean") with 4 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken breast, Muir Glen crushed roasted tomatoes, and broccoli
+ 1 can solid albacore tuna in water, mixed with 1/4 avocado (loved when a friend called this Tunamole Guacafish!) with 7 Kashi Whole Grain Roasted Garlic crackers (not "clean") and cucumber and celery sticks
+ 3 oz 99% lean ground turkey with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup shelled edamame (also called mukimame), diced carrots, snap peas, and 1 tsp olive oil and spices
+ 1 light whole grain Flatout wrap with 2 servings Columbus low-sodium sliced seasoned roast beef (happily discovered at Trader Joe's) with 1 tbsp artichoke hummus, spinach, and sprouts
+ 1 broiled extra lean ground beef patty with 1/4 avocado, and arugula salad with Wegmans Yogurt Dressings (not "clean")
Afternoon Snacks:
+ Protein shake with 1 scoop whey isolates, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
+ 1 serving Trader Joe's Wasabi Wow! trail mix
+ Diced fresh veggies with 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Better n Peanut Butter
+ Diced orange and yellow peppers with one round Babybel light cheese
+ 1/2 cup Fage 0% greek yogurt with 2 Suzie's agave-sweetened puffed Kamut cakes for dipping
Dinners:
+ 4 oz plain baked Wild Salmon with 1/2 sweet potato and 1 cup broiled brussels sprouts
+ Homemade Black Bean Burger with 1/4 avocado, Nature's Promise organic salsa, and 2 heads steamed baby bok choy
+ 4 oz slow-cooked pork loin with 1 1/2 cups steamed green veggie with low-sodium low-sugar ketchup (not clean)
+ Roasted tofu with veggies stir-fried in Pam - like this recipe for savory orange-roasted tofu from EatingWell
+ Scrambled egg whites under 3-4 oz cooked bison steak and steamed asparagus
+ 4 oz cooked peeled and deveined shrimp stir-fried with veggies and 1/2 serving whole wheat spaghetti, garlic, lemon juice, and 1-2 tsp olive oil
None of these lists is exhaustive, but those are some random examples of my menus. I get endless inspiration from my favorite magazines, Muscle & Fitness Hers and Oxygen. Eatingwell.com is also quite inspiring if I'm staring dumbfounded at my fridge and just need a way to make ingredients come together in a tasty way. I highly suggest checking any of those 3 sites out and seeing if that doesn't rev your healthy-cooking engines.
More soon to come on my progress and an exciting personal challenge, but for now, I'm glad my eating plan survived the weekend. Second half of ten-day, here I come!
