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I usually stick to the same things day in and day out simply out of convenience. It makes weekly grocery shopping easier, meal preps easier, and counting calories easier. Maybe it's time I change things up with new recipes.
Anyway, here we go.
Meal 1 (~ 400-450 calories)
a.k.a breakfast... or my first meal of the day. 9/10 times it will be between three choices: protein smoothie, oatmeal, or eggs.
Clockwise from top left corner: smoothie goodies in the blender, cocoa almond butter oatmeal, veggie egg scramble, pumpkin spice oatmeal
Oatmeal is normally reserved for my training days and eggs usually only happen on the weekends when I have the time to cook something.
Smoothies are definitely my go-to breakfast. Smoothies will ALWAYS have 2 cups of baby spinach, 1/2c of frozen fruit, protein powder, Shakeology, and flaxseed oil. Sometimes it will have coconut milk, almond milk, almond butter, coffee, chia seeds, spirulina powder, or egg whites. Yup, pasteurized egg whites make smoothies thick and creamy.
Meal 2 (~ 100 calories)
This meal saves me from going insane between breakfast and lunch. It's a smaller meal that will ALWAYS have protein, and either carbs or fat.
Clockwise from top left corner: apple and nut butter, egg spinach "muffin", banana nut butter wrap, hard boiled eggs/egg whites, turkey muffins, protein powder and rice crackers w/ nut butter.
When it gets super crazy and I don't have time to pack up my meal 2, I grab a handful of raw almonds to snack on (I keep a two-pound bag at my desk at work). I also keep single-serve packets of protein powder at work, too.
Meal 3 (~ 350-450 calories)
LUNCH time!!! Again, I'm a creature of habit so 9/10 times, it's salad for lunch.
Salads with all different kinds of protein, fats, and carbs.
Chicken breast, salmon, eggs. Olive oil, avocado, nuts. Carrots, pumpkin, fruits.
Meal 4 (~ 150 calories)
Depending on when I workout, this meal will either follow Meal 2 or it will be a straight protein shake. Workout before Meal 4 = whey protein shake. Workout later in the night = same as Meal 2.
Whey protein shakes!
Meal 5 (~ 350-400 calories)
By far my favorite meal of the day. I don't know why since it's usually smaller than breakfast or lunch, but I think it's because I actually have the time to prepare something.
First row: whole roasted chicken, sweet potato covered in chicken breast and salsa, veggie egg white scramble w/ feta cheese.
Second row: baked chicken breast w/ broccoli and sweet potato, grilled veggies and chicken, turkey breast w/ salsa and broccoli covered with cottage cheese.
Third row: stir-fried steak and broccoli, mixed veggies with chicken, veggie omelet.
Dinner foods actually range from soups to stews, to baked zucchini lasagna to salads, so it's always changing. And a couple times a week Meal 5 will be eaten out.
Meal 6 (~ 150 calories)
Typically only eaten if I'm starving at night and will usually be a hard boiled egg or two.
Right now, since I'm working on building serious muscle, I've been drinking a casein protein shake right before bed. Casein is a slower digesting protein so your muscles have a protein source when you sleep.
Total calories for the day: 1500 - 1700 cals
Don't get me wrong... as much as I'd like to think I eat like this EVERY day, it doesn't happen. Schedules get busy and sometimes I have no choice but to grab something quick, but 4-5 days a week my daily eats look like this.
I still reserve one meal a week to indulge in pure evilness:
Might take me longer to lose the weight, but it keeps me sane.
This is a way of living and I don't ever see myself giving up certain foods completely.
