Happy Monday!  Did you have a great weekend?  We did!  Chores (almost done spring cleaning before spring!), a friends housewarming party and one of my best friends had her baby girl!  So we spent some time visiting her in the hospital!  Had a nice lunch out too. Hubby and I were both craving hot wings, so we indulged in some of those.  Then I had grilled chicken tacos (on soft corn tortillas) and a mixed green salad. Sunday is usally food prep for the week too. Here’s what I did: steel cut oatmeal, chicken breasts, yams, lemon poppy seed muffins & high protein waffles that I store in the freezer and toast up like Eggo’s!  Hope you have a great week planned out, with healthy food and exercise.

I’ve gotten questions lately about my meal plans.  To me, variety is huge, so my meals rarely look the same.  If anything, breakfast and snacks are very similar, but lunch and dinner can vary.  My after dinner dessert is usually a protein brownie, so that doesn’t vary too much.

Below is what works for me.  Everybody has different needs.  I recommend going HERE to determine your daily calorie needs based on your stats & your goals.

Calories will change based on whether I’m opting for fat loss, or maintenance/slight surplus.  The plans below are for more of a fat loss focus, which is what I will be starting going into Feb.  So here are a couple of examples of what I eat in a typical day (for Fat Loss).

Sample Meal Plan #1

Pre-workout – black coffee, 1/2 a grapefruit

1) Breakfast – 1/3 cup dry oatmeal, cooked with water.  Topped with unsweetened almond breeze, few berries, 1 Tbsp walnuts & 1 Tbsp flax.  5 egg white omelette with spinach & salsa

2) Snack – 2 rice cakes with 1 Tbsp almond butter.  Protein shake mixed with water.

3) Lunch – Mixed green salad with 4oz canned salmon. 2 Tbsp low cal dressing.

4) Snack – 1 Protein Pancakewith 1/2 Tbsp low sugar strawberry jam on top.

5) Dinner – Chicken Tacos.  3 oz cooked chicken, 1 Tbsp hummus, 1 Tbsp salsa, 2 small corn-only tortilla’s, lettuce, tomato.

6) Before Bed – Protein Brownie with 1 Tbsp peanut butter.

Nutrition for Day: 1623 cals, 59g fat, 110g carbs, 152g protein

Sample Meal Plan #2

Pre-workout – black coffee, 1/2 grapefruit

1) Breakfast – 1 Protein Pancake, 1 Tbsp coconut butter, 1/2 Tbsp low sugar jam

2) Snack – Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

3) Lunch – Roasted Veggies with 3.5 oz chicken, 1 Tbsp dressing

4) Snack – Apple (pink lady, spartan & granny smith are my fave’s),  20 almonds

5) Dinner – Turkey Meatloaf, roasted veggies (broccoli, califlower), 1/2 cup brown rice

6) Before Bed – Protein Brownie with 1 Tbsp almond butter

Nutrition for Day: 1598 cals, 58g fat, 134g carbs, 147g protein

As you can see, my meals are pretty balanced.  I don’t eliminate carbs, just eat healthy carbs (oats, yams, brown rice mostly).  I have plenty of healthy fats.  For snacks, if its a super busy day, I may have a Fit Stars Iso Bar and some of my pre-made Protein Muffins. Fruit is also important too, and apples are especially quick on the road and filling.  I stick to 5-6 meals a day because it works for me.  If 3 meals a day works for you, and you can stay within your calories and not overeat at night, then go with that.  For me, on 3 meals, my blood sugar drops too low and I end up pigging out in the evening….not ideal for being lean!  I also don’t do dairy products except whey (food sensitivity) and no wheat as well.

QUICK TIPS that I follow:

– Keep all 6 meals to approx 250+ calories (I don’t always use an online calculator)

– When starting a new plan, enter it into a tracker to get an idea of how much the totals are (www.sparkpeople.com)

Even when I’m in fat loss mode, I’ll still have a treat a few times a week.  I try to keep it in one day (dinner out, perhaps with some chocolate after).  In the past, I’ll try to break it up over the week, but sometimes that can lead me to go off plan and over indulge.  Once a week seems to work the best for me…picking a day, and sticking to it.

I also have horrible willpower so I really have to keep tempting food out of the house.  A few things not listed that I use regularly are stevia, unsweetened almond breeze, all spices, Franks Hot Sauce, salt-free chicken stock.

For quick workout ideas, check the WORKOUTS category on the right hand side.

Don’t forget the NuNaturals Stevia Contest is still running until Feb 8th! (Contest closed)  You can enter more than once to gain more entries!  I use their drops in coffee and it shakes & oatmeal.  I use the packets in baking, on fruit and in recipes (or dinners that call for sugar or honey).

Have a great week!  Another “Favorite Find” on Wednesday!