What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

How is the mid week treating everyone?  Things are bueno over here, just getting some last minute things ready before vacay.  In 3 days I'll be laying on a lounge chair on RCL Anthem of the Seas.

Thank God the heat wave has broken...I was melting and sweltering all last week.

So today's post is coming as a request!  Love them and keep them coming!  The question I get asked a lot is what do I eat?  Every day I keep it pretty simple.  I mostly live by the motto if I can't pronounce it, I can't eat it.  For example, if I can't pronounce the ingredients (and I teach syllabication for a living lol) I won't eat it.  This falls into my #1 and #2 food shopping rules:

1.)  Shop the outside of the supermarket and avoid the aisles.  All of the good-for-you-foods are on the exterior of the supermarket.  The protein, veggies, fruit, and nut milks are on the outside of the supermarket.  The only things I buy from the inside aisles are: chocolate chips (I'm only human lol), vanilla, cinnamon, and apple sauce (organic and unsweetened).

2.)  Read Your Labels!  There should be no added sugar in anything you buy!  Sugar has lots of secret names such as fructose, sucrose, glucose, corn syrup, syrup, etc.  If you're buying tomato sauce it should have tomatoes as the ingredients.  If there are a bunch of other ingredients put it back and walk away!  Glen Muir makes a great tomato sauce with no added junk.

Ok so back to what I eat every day.

I also follow the food rule of breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.  That means have your biggest meal when you wake up, a moderate meal (calorie-wise) for lunch and your smallest meal for dinner.  I eat every 3 hours and have about 5-6 small meals a day.  I'm not a dietitian, but I'll share what has worked for me.

Breakfast-

If I'm running (Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday) I'll have a baked breakfast cookie as a pre-workout.  Then when I return I'll have 1 cup unsweetened organic almond milk, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not packets...those have wayyyyyy too much sugar), a tsp of vanilla, and a tbsp of cinnamon.  I'll add in 1.5 cups of blueberries.  Then I'll add in a spoonful of organic natural peanut butter (make sure the only ingredient is peanuts!).

I'll also drink 32 ounces of water every day to help me feel full.

Mid-morning snack-

14 baby carrots and a tbsp of harissa.

Lunch-

Grilled chicken with veggies (peppers, broccoli, cucumber, tomato) and then I'll add in a cup of low sugar fruit like blackberries or raspberries.  I'm also loving plumcots.

Afternoon Snack-

Homemade green juice.  Nature's Red Bull!  I juice super greens, a green apple, 3 sticks of celery, 2 big carrots, a thumb sized piece of ginger, 2 lemons, and half a cucumber.  So so so good!

Dinner-

Stir Fry is my favorite dinner!  I'll sauté shrimp, zucchini, cauli-rice, and yellow squash in coconut oil.  I'll then make some quinoa and add it all together.  I'll also add a little red pepper flakes, garlic, and Italian seasoning.  Once I've drained the excess oil from the finished product I'll mix in a tbsp of harissa.  Delish!

If I don't stir fry, I'll do steamed veggies and chicken or salmon.  I usually grill all the meat on Sunday nights and then freeze it so I can easily access it during the week.

Greek Salad is another fave in my dinner rotation.  I add in cuke, Jersey tomatoes, kalamata olives, goat cheese, and a red onion over romaine and spinach mixture.  I drizzle a little tzatziki over top and it's done!  Easy peasy!

Zuke boats are another favorite!  Halve a zucchini and scrape out the middle.  Add the middle mixture to a bowl of cooked ground chicken or turkey, chopped spinach, goat cheese, chopped onion, chopped tomato, and then stuff the zuke with the mixture.  Drizzle a little balsamic on top and boom you're done!

Cheats and Desserts-


Cheat meals or as I like to call them rewards meals are usually enjoyed after one of my exercise heavy days such as Sunday (long runs) or Tuesdays/Thursdays when I've done a run, lifted weights, Pilates, and Barre.  More calories exerted=More calories needed!  Ice cream has a lot of calories so I think that makes logical sense right?  Maybe?  ;)


Ok, I'm a huge believer that you get a cheat day (or 2...a week)!  Once a week I let myself have an ice-cream.  I get the large swirl custard with cookie dough pieces in it.  I regret nothing because I've worked hard the whole week.  This also keeps me accountable and makes it easier to turn down the donuts or M&Ms in the office at work.

Also, a lot of recipes can be made healthier by substituting coconut oil for butter, maple syrup or honey for sugar, whole grain flour or almond meal for white flour.  Substituting dark chocolate for milk chocolate also helps a wee bit, but hey, every little bit counts!

Alcohol-

My signature drink when out is a shot of tequila with seltzer and a slice or lime.  So good and at 90 cals it won't mess up your whole clean eating week.

Another drink I love is to order a shot of vodka, seltzer, and then bring your own Crystal Light lemonade/pink lemonade packet.  100 calories and it tastes just like the vodka lemonades that can easily clock in at 200+ cals and an insane amount of sugar.

I hope you enjoyed this post!  Remember, what we eat is a personal choice and fuel your body with nutritious foods that make you feel good.  If fries make you feel good, have a few not the whole thing!  This is the hardest thing for me.  If a bowl of M&Ms are in front of me, you can bet that I'm going to eat that whole bowl.  I never buy M&Ms because I know they'll be gone.  I'm not good at moderation, so I need to just not have them in the house!

Enjoy the rest of the day!  What are some of the things you are loving to eat now?  I'm loving healthy fresh produce!  Grilled peaches are my new fave!  They're sweet and full of nutrients.  Plus they're only around for a few months so they're like a little treat that won't ruin your hard work.

xoxo,

e