Spring Break Shape-Up Diet Plan

Again I have to start with a disclaimer -- I'm no expert in this area.  I feel really silly to even write these posts because I'm no fitness or diet expert.  But, maybe if I can give someone an idea or two while motivating myself at the same time, it's worth it!

I'm going to share my meal plan for the next week or so.  I have found meals that are pretty easy to fix and that I really like, so I tend to eat them for weeks at a time until I get totally bored. 

First, I calculated my caloric need based on this equation:
1. 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 X age in years)= base
2.  Take that number and multiply by 1.2
3. Subtract 500 for a 1 pound a week weight loss.
4.  This doesn't include calories you expend in exercise, so I usually try to add half of those calories back in (roughly.  I wish I had a heart rate/calorie monitor so I knew exactly how much I burned).  I also add a rough estimate of calories for nursing.

So, I try to eat roughly 1600 calories a day and I try to make it 90% clean.  I will be honest and say that I don't track green vegetables very closely, because their calories are pretty low.  I try to put some into my tracker, but don't stress too much about being exact like I do for things such as peanut butter, oatmeal, etc.

I eat about 5-6 meals a day, every 2-3 hours. I am naturally more of a grazer type person and I'm home alot with a baby right now, so it's feasible.  But most moms that work have access to a microwave too.  Ultimately, just figure out what is best for you to do.

I do meal prep 1-2 times a week- on Sunday nights and again a smaller type prep on Wed or Thurs.  I cook my chicken, salmon, etc., roast my vegetables, and make my oatmeal.  I also make the pancakes, quinoa bowls, eggs.  Pretty much every thing.  I freeze some things so I only have to make them once, like the oatmeal, pancakes, and quinoa bowls.  The chicken I just cook twice a week in my crock pot.  Veggies, I pretty much roast on Sunday and then use frozen broccoli or green beans in a bag when I run out of what I roasted.  That way my second prep of the week is usually just the chicken, salmon, eggs.  I also try to keep some extra frozen meals in case I just can't prep again or I had planned to put something together fresh (like a salad) and I'm unable to.  I think this step is KEY to staying on track with my diet.  I'll try to take a picture of this and share next week.  Generally, I think most of the food lasts fine in the refrigerator for 3 days, and I've never really minded leftovers anyway.

Meal One:  Egg white oatmeal with half of a sliced banana and 1 Tablespoon of natural peanut butter and some ground flax seed on top  (Basically I cook steel cut oats with extra water and then when they are done I add 2 egg whites per serving.  Just pour them in slowly and stir like crazy so you don't get big pieces.  I also add maple extract, cinnamon, a little stevia and sometimes another extract like black walnut or banana or vanilla or butter -- can you tell I like extracts?). This photo is without the flax, banana and pb.

Meal Two:  Lemon blueberry muffin protein pancakes with blueberry topping:
I got this recipe from instagram.  Protein pancakes are usually gross in my opinion.  Spongy, weird texture.  I tried these and really liked them.  They are still not quite regular pancakes, but with the addition of the lemon and fruit I like them.  Mix 1 mashed banana, 1 whole egg, 2 Tablespoons plain nonfat greek yogurt& 1 Tablespoon unsweetened almond milk.  Stir well.  Add 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup oat flour (I use Bob's but you can grind your own oats in a food processor), 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well and add more almond milk as needed.  I also add some lemon extract and if I have a lemon, zest and juice from that.  Then at the end, stir in 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries.  Cook these as you would normal pancakes in a well-oiled skillet (coconut oil is great but don't forget to add the calories to your tracker or use nonstick spray if you want).  For the topping, I use the basic recipe I have on the blog for yogurt parfaits and I don't add any sugar or I use stevia.  I sometimes do it in the microwave -- just microwave the berries for a minute or two and then add a little slurry of water and cornstarch and lemon juice.  Microwave again another minute or so.  I'm not sure about exact measurements, I just eyeball it.  You could also add some sugar free syrup to the top. (This is 2 servings)

This is the protein powder I like in this recipe and in smoothies. I get it at Kroger in the health foods section.  It is unflavored (but not tasteless).  I am not a big fan of protein powder taste!!

Meal Three:  1 fried whole egg plus one white and 1/4 of an avocado, mashed, on a piece of whole wheat/low carb toast.  Salt and pepper on top.

Meal Four:  Salsa chicken, sweet potato (about 1/3-1/2 of one), and a green veggie - roasted zucchini here.  For the chicken, I put frozen breasts in my crockpot with some salsa and then when it is done I shred it and add more salsa.  There is siracha on top of it in this photo.

Meal Five:  Grilled Salmon, Asparagus, and brown rice. 

Meal Six: Apple plus chocolate hazelnut butter or pb2.  This is my dessert.  I love this and I'm addicted to this hazelnut butter!  I eat this post exercise as an incentive.  If I exercise hard, I eat the hazelnut butter.  If it's a rest day or I can't fit the exercise in (life does happen), I eat the pb2.  I also get this in Kroger's health foods section.  Measuring is critical here; natural nut butters are really great for you because of the healthy fats but they are super high calorie.  You can easily get carried away here.

And if I didn't mention, I pretty much eat this same way every day for the whole week.  I may change a meal or two, but I try to keep the same formula- protein, whole grain carbs, healthy fats.  I measure and make my portion size fit my caloric allotment.  It looks like a lot of food, and I guess it is.  If you eat healthy you can eat more -- which is always my goal! :)

I have my exercise plan coming up, as well as some tips to bust cravings and how I handle family meals while staying on my meal plan.