OKAY.
Now the fun starts.
First thing you need to do, is figure out your daily caloric intake. Yes, you're going to have to measure, and make sure you're eating ENOUGH. Most people start eating "healthy" but then don't even come close to their daily NEEDED calories just to function. Come on people! This is about getting HEALTHY. There is nothing healthy about going under your calories!
You can go to www.myfitnesspal.com for an easy quick start on how many calories you will want to eat, and you can easily track in this app too. I use it and it definitely keeps me in check.
Next up: Grocery Shop.
Stick to the outside perimeter of the grocery store for the most part. Pick up your fruit, veggies, meat, and then go into the centre to get your starches such as quinoa, oats, cereals, tomato sauce, etc.
Not sure how much to buy? Make sure you've made a plan of what you're going to EAT for the week. This is CRUCIAL so that you don't end up over buying. Meat is okay to buy too much of, because it freezes well. Make sure you have enough for 6 meals a day! A typical day for me looks like this:
AM - Chocolate Shakeology made with 1/2 water, 1/2 Almond Milk & 1 tbs of Almond Butter
Snack - Plain Greek Yogurt with Stevia and Frozen Raspberries (mashed to make ice cream consistency)
Lunch - Pita bread w/veggies & lean protein
Snack - Asparagus and chicken strips (boneless, skinless)
Dinner - Salmon, salad, and veggies, sometimes I do a 1/2 sweet potato on days I do an extra workout, about every other day
Snack - Cucumber & Apple Cider Vinegar
Look at your plan and you'll be able to clearly see how much you will need. If you want EASY for the first week, and you're a beginner, do the same time of meal plan each day, just change up the big meal or swap the meals (make lunch dinner, or dinner lunch). I always try to do my carbs BEFORE 2pm, and majority of my calories so I can use them for fuel for the rest of the day.
Think about it, food is fuel. We don't need fuel when we're only going to be awake for a few more hours, or at least not much anyway. You don't want to go to bed starving, but not FULL either!
Now it's MEAL PREP DAY! I know, you might be slightly overwhelmed, some of you might actually be dreading it, but DONT. It's SO insanely easy, and the rest of the week is a breeze. It's so worth it. Turn on some music, enjoy it!
First things first.
Prepare your meat first and put it in the oven!
I get a cookie sheet, cover it in tin foil, and place 6 chicken breasts on it. I put a small dollop of coconut oil on each piece, then cover in seasonings. I personally use chili powder (goes really well with coconut oi!), garlic powder, and pepper.
Do the same for a filet of Salmon but use Dill, lemon and a small amount of EVOO. Then I also prepare a cookie sheet with Asparagus so I can throw it in once the meat is done. Again, EVOO and seasonings! I make them super crispy. I put the oven on 350 for the chicken for 30-ish minutes. I leave the salmon in for about 25 minutes on 350, too!
Once your meat is in the oven...
Get your veggies, eggs and quinoa on the go.
Start boiling water for your eggs (I use 8). As water starts to boil, in a frying pan, add minced garlic, coconut oil, and onions. Cook for 3 minutes. Add in 4 cups of water and 2 cups of quinoa. Bring to a boil, add seasonings. Then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. As your quinoa cooks, chop up veggies and steam them of just use them raw and put them into a ziploc bag big enough to hold veggies for the ENTIRE day. I throw salad in there too! EASY CLEAN UP.
Meat is DONE!
Let your meat COOL. At this point start chopping up your fruit. Again, you can put them into a ziploc so you don't have to have copious amounts of tupperwares (and then missing lids if you're anything like me! Or too many lids and no tupperware! lol). I do not exceed more than 2 servings of fruit per day (1 handful of berries or half grapefruit).
Cut your meat into proper portion sizes and bag individually. I cut up all the chicken into strips and again, bag serving sizes individually or put into a big tupperware!
Now put your eggs and quinoa into a tupperware or baggie. This is where people tend to eat TOO much. A serving of grains should be about a 1/2 cup. Once you add in a lot of veggies, it will be a LARGE stir fry or a nice sized side to a meal! (Or the base to a great salad, thats why I make quinoa, its very versatile!)
The dry oats you *may* have, also put those in individual baggies so they're ready for the AM, along with baggies with almonds. I don't exceed about 10 almonds! Yes, they're healthy, but you don't want to go overboard!
Label or put post-it's on each bag/tupperware so you have each day ready to go!!
DONE.
Now make sure you have that water bottle full and you're drinking about 1/2-1 oz for every pound you weigh.
Now make sure you have that water bottle full and you're drinking about 1/2-1 oz for every pound you weigh.
This lasts me about 5 days. I freeze the meat on day 3 if I have too much, so I can take it out the day I eat them.
HOW FREAKING AWESOME DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU'RE DONE!?
*NOTE* Most Sundays I also throw something in the crockpot. Be it chili, sauce, sweet and sour chicken, so that I have a healthy comfort food for the fam jam!
