Full Day of Eating

  
It’s been a while & I want to make more posts like I did while I was in prep! I am not currently prepping for a competition, but I did just start a meal/workout plan this week with a woman I’m so glad to call my coach! As some of you may know, I was an avid follower of iifym (if it fits your macros). I still love the concept of iifym, but I wasn’t taking into account the timing of my macros based off of my training so much. I have always eaten on a pretty regimented schedule, but my coach made me realize the true importance time plays with growth. With that being said, I am now following a meal plan that she has developed for me & I have to say that I absolutely LOVE it! It has allowed me to step away from all of the tracking that I have become so obsessed with after doing it ritually for about 6 years now… crazy!! So it’s not only great for my body in terms of gaining muscle, but also my mental sanity as well. 😉

This meal plan cuts out a lot of the unnecessary sugar I was consuming before and allows me to love whole, natural foods as I should. Like I mentioned before, timing is everything! It has only been 4 days & I already see a difference in my body in terms of definition. It has been magical in terms of water weight. Prior to these 4 days I was retaining water a decent amount for my liking and I am slowly watching it ware away. Another thing I have to say I love about this plan is that I only weigh/measure myself 2x per month! Constantly looking at that number on the scale, whether it be multiple times a week, daily, or even multiple times a day becomes obsessive. It’s easy to get wrapped around that number, letting it consume your mind. However, that number is not always the best reflection to your success. A great number of factors come to play in that number you look down on – never let it define you!

After blabbing on, I’ll get to what a full day of eating looks like for me on this meal plan. 🙂 Please remember though that these portion sizes are custom to me – my body, my goals, my activity level, my schedule. This is not going to be what works exactly for you! You need something custom to you as well, please remember that!!

BREAKFAST (7:30-8:00 a.m.) 

 4 egg whites
1 cup sautéed pepper/onion mixture
1 cup cherrios

After I wake up and get ready for the day (not really ready, just gym ready) is when I make my breakfast. This is also when I take my daily vitamins/supplements. I take a biotin, probiotic, fish oil, and a multivitamin. I also only drink water when I eat and workout (just a personal preference) so I disperse it throughout the day. With breakfast, I had 22 oz. water.

PRE-WORKOUT (9:00 a.m.) 

 1 Greek yogurt whips
1/2 cup strawberries

12 oz. water

DURING WORKOUT: 18 oz. water mixed with 1 scoop Amino X Watermelon amino acids (tastes like a Jolly Rancher!!)

LUNCH/POST-WORKOUT (11:00 a.m.) 

 4 oz. chicken breast (baked with hot sauce, spray butter, & garlic)
1 cup sautéed pepper/onion mixture
2/3 cup jasmine rice
Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning

OR

  4 oz. lean pork, 1 cup corn, 1/3 cup jasmine rice

As you can see, my high carb/low fat meals are revolved around my training time, yet protein is always present. Veggies are also becoming my new best friend with this plan!! Not pictured is a different lunch I had this week with 4 oz. chicken, 1 cup corn, & 1/3 cup jasmine rice. Endless combination options, I love it!! Also, 22 ounces of water.

SNACK 1 (1:30 p.m.) 

 Protein Shake:

• 1 scoop PEScience Snickerdoodle protein powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter

SNACK 2 (3:00 p.m.) 

 1/4 cup mixed, lightly salted nuts

Also, 16 oz. water with 1 slice of lemon.

DINNER (5:30 p.m.) 

 4 ounces London broil
1 can green beans
spray butter & seasoning

OR (another day I had): 

 4 ounces ground beef (9g Fat)
1 cup cauliflower (made into cauliflower rice – posted the recipe a few posts ago!)
1 cup broccoli

Dinner is low carb/higher fat. With this meal I drank 22 oz. water.

SNACK 3 (7:00 p.m.) 

 2 rice cakes
1 tbsp natural peanut butter

This is my absolute FAVORITE peanut but so addicting & I love that I get to have it every single day! This is the meal that I end my night with, drinking 12 oz. water.

As I mentioned previously, I am not following iifym in particular. Though I do have a macro count/range, I do not have to track it so I don’t have numbers on everything. It’s better for me not to worry about it if I don’t have to, but they can easily be calculated if you desire! I also get 1 cheat meal a week which I will gladly share – just haven’t quite decided what I want this week yet. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!

 

Protein Pumpkin Parfait 🎃

  
Protein Pumpkin Parfait

Ingredients: 

 

• 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/2 Large Frozen Banana
• 1/2 scoop PEScience Snickerdoodle Protein Powder
• 2 tbsp PB2
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree 
• 1 sheet Low-Fat Graham Crackers

Directions: 

1. Blend all ingredients together except for graham crackers until smooth.     
2. Top with crushed graham crackers, slurp & enjoy! 🙂  

Macros: 20P • 7F • 38C 

Mini Protein Pumpkin Pies 🎃

  Mini Protein Pumpkin Pies

Crust Ingredients:

• 7 Low-Fat Cinnamon Graham Cracker Sheets
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
• 3 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk

Filling Ingredients:

• 15 oz. can or 1 3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Egg Whites
• 2 scoops Protein Powder (I used PEScience Snickerdoodle)
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp Truvia Brown Sugar Baking Blend
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Prepare crust by blending graham cracker sheets to crumbs. This is best using a food processor or ninja, but I made it work with a blender.    
3. Add in coconut oil and almond milk. The mixture should stick together.      
4. Press into the bottom of muffin tins (I made 10). You could also press into the bottom of a pie pan for a full pie if desired.  
5. Bake in oven for about 8 minutes.  
6. Remove & allow to cool while preparing the filling mixture.
7. For the filling, add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. You could also do this with an electric mixer if preferred.    
8. Spoon filling evenly into the 10 muffin tins, on top of the pre-baked crusts.  
9. Bake for 25 minutes.
10. Decrease oven temperature to 300F and bake for an additional 10 minutes. No need to remove the pies, just decrease the temperature when the 25 minutes are up and set your timer for 10 minutes while the pies remain in the oven. If you decide to go with a whole pie for this – you may need to bake it longer (until a knife comes clean upon poking the center).   
11. Let cool for about an hour and refrigerate. Enjoy!!

MACROS (2 pies or 1/5 recipe): 32C | 5.4F | 14.6P

Naked Chicken Burrito

  Naked Chicken Burrito A.K.A Burrito Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Fat Free, Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 14.5 oz. can Diced No Salt Added Tomatoes, drained 
• 2-3 Chicken Breasts, trimmed (about 20 ounces)
• 1 cup Brown Rice
• 1 can Black Beans, drained & rinsed
• Chili Powder, Garlic Powder & Pepper
• 1 1/4 cup Reduced or Fat Free Cheese (I used reduced fat Sargento 2% Mozzarella)

Directions:

1. In a crock pot sprayed with cooking spray, place chicken breasts at the bottom & sprinkle seasoning over top.   
2. Pour chicken broth & tomatoes over chicken.       
3. Cook on low for 4 hours.      
4. Remove chicken. 
5. Add in uncooked rice & black beans. 
6. Cook for 30 minutes & then turn to high until all liquid is absorbed into the rice. This took about an additional hour & a half for me.   
7. Turn crock pot off & shred chicken on top of the cooked mixture, I just did this by hand. Add cheese on top of that & mix.  
8. Place the lid back on & allow it to sit for about 10-15 minutes for the cheese to melt. Mix all together & serve or separate into desired containers.     

Macros (1 meal or 1/5 recipe): 40P • 5F • 47C 

No Bake PB Protein Cookie 🍪

 
No Bake PB Protein Cookie

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter (I used PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams)
• 1 tbsp Agave Nectar 5 (or other form of honey)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 scoop protein powder (I used PEScience Snickerdoodle)
• Enough unsweetened almond milk to make a batter

Directions:

1. Melt peanut butter & honey in a small pan.     
2. Once melted, remove from head & mix in oats.   
3. Add protein powder & mix.    
4. Add enough almond milk to form a batter.   
5. Form into a ballish shape, place on a plate & refrigerate for at least 20 minutes & enjoy!     

MACROS: 35P • 17.5F • 42.75C

Birthday Cake Protein Muffins 🎂

  Birthday Cake Protein Muffins
Ingredients: 

 

• 1 large egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 6 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tbsp pb2
• 1 scoop protein powder (I used Nitro Tech Birthday Cake – 40g scoop)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with an electric mixer.     
3. Line muffin tins with liners & spray with cooking spray. 
4. Evenly disperse batter into 6 muffins.   
5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Enjoy!!  

You can either add something into the batter like chocolate morsels, berries, or whatever you like ORRRR top it with peanut butter!! I topped mine with Peanut Butter Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter & it was absolutely amazing. It tasted like the cake my mom used to make for our birthdays as a kid – yellow cake with chocolate icing, the perfect combo (but this one is much healthier 😉). 

MACROS (2 muffins): 23P • 5.6F • 20C 

 w. PB&Co. PB: 29P • 18.6F • 32C 

Breakfast Pizza 🍕🍳

  
Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 – Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (I used Mama Mary’s)
• 12 Egg Whites (scrambled)
• 1 cup Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
• 4 slices Reduced Sodium Turkey Bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F (or follow directions according to your pizza shell for cooking).   
2. Scramble your eggs & place on top of the crust.   
3. Sprinkle the cheese over top of the eggs evenly.   
4. Break the turkey bacon up into pieces & disperse it throughout the pizza.   
5. Decrease bake time to 425F & bake for about 7 minutes & it’s done!   

  
Macros (1/4 pizza): 26P • 9F • 27C 

Of course paired best with ketchup 😉

Chocolate Protein Cookies

  Chocolate Protein Cookies

Ingredients: 

   

• 3/4 cup Canned, Pumpkin Purée
• 1 Egg White
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 3/4 scoop Nitrotech Birthday Cake Protein Powder (could use other, I also used 3/4 instead of a whole scoop because it’s bigger than most others)
• 1 tbsp Sugar Free/Fat Free Chocolate Fudge Jell-o Mix
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 
• 2 packets Truvia
• 1 tbsp White Chocolate Morsels (optional – add whatever “topping” you want!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a bowl combine all ingredients except morsels or topping of choice.(The reason you see 2 pictures below is because I forgot to add in the baking powder & Truvia at first😬)   
3. Beat until well mixed.   
4. On a foiled, greased cookie sheet place cookies about 2-3 inches apart. I used a heaping 1 tbsp & it came to 6 cookies total.   
5. Add in your topping of choice. In my case, white chocolate morsels!   
6. Bake for 16 minutes checking to make sure they are cooked through – just don’t over cook.   
7. ENJOY!! Best protein cookie I’ve ever made, I recommend trying. 😊 plus the macros for the entire recipe are AMAZING!!

Macros (entire recipe): 29P • 6F • 33C

Greek Yogurt Pancakes 🍴

  Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Oats ground to Oat Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 packets Truvia
• 2 tbsp PB2
• 1 Yoplait Greek 100 Vanilla Yogurt
• 3 Egg Whites
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, melted

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend oats until it reaches a flour consistency.     
2. In a bowl, whisk together blended oats, baking powder, Truvia & PB2.            
3. In a separate bowl, add all wet ingredients & mix well.      
4. Add dry ingredients to wet & stir.     
5. Heat a skillet. Spray skillet with cooking spray & scoop 1/4 cup batter into skillet.     
6. When it dries on the outer edges & bubbles on top its ready to flip!  
7. Cook on the other side for about an additional minute.   
8. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes about 7 small pancakes. You can make them bigger, I just wanted them smaller for stacking. 😊    

MACROS (1/2 recipe): 22.5P • 11.5F • 39C 

 

Protein Jello! 😍

  So pretty, so tasty & SO filling!! I’m in love. 😏
Protein Jello 

 Ingredients:

• 1 small pkg Sugar Free Jell-O in whatever flavor you desire (I used strawberry)
• 2 Yoplait Greek 100 Vanilla Yogurts
• 1 – 15 oz. can lite peaches or whichever fruit you want (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare jello according to directions & slow to sit for a few hours or overnight before making this recipe.   
2. In a blender, combine prepare jello with both packages of Greek yogurt.   
3. Blend until smooth.   
4. In a medium sized container, big enough to fit jello, add your fruit if desired.   
5. Pour jello over fruit & refrigerate for a few hours to set again.     
6. When ready to eat, scoop out 1/2 of bowl for one serving or divide it into how many ever servings you desire & enjoy!! 

Macros (1/2 recipe): 15P • 32C • 0F