Eat Up!

After clients have been working on their meal plans for a while, they often get bored with their food options.  Not because I tell them that's all they can eat, but because that's all they think to eat.  Meal plans are really just a blue print, the options you can make out of them are endless.  You just have to get a little creative.  This week, thanks to my new iphone, I've been taking pictures of my lunches and a few other things, so here is a week of what I've eaten!

Sunday:  Eggs and rice crackers with TJ goat's milk creamy cheese, Roasted chicken thighs and big salad, grilled salmon and sauteed green beans (and red wine with Rich, Ryan's dad, he did the grilling)

Monday:  Eggs and Veggies, Applegate Roast beef Rudis Wrap with carrot sticks and guacamole (I was at the car shop and needed something I could eat with my fingers while waiting, 1/2 lara bar, leftover chicken thighs and green beans.

Tuesday: Eggs and Veggies, leftover chicken thighs and 1/2 sweet potato and salad, pearberry smoothie for supper between clients, 1 scrambled egg with cheese and almond flour carrot muffin as a bedtime snack.

Wednesday: Eggs and Veggies, post workout whey protein shake, sauteed ground beef and purple cabbage on 1/2 leftover sweet potato, raw cheddar cheese and TJ bison jerky mid afternoon,  leftover chicken sausage thing I made a while back and froze,  1/2 lara bar and 2 hardboiled eggs with Hain mayo as bedtime snack.

Thursday: 2 Mini salmon loafs and veggies and 1/3 pear, last of the chicken thighs with 1/2 sweet potato and frozen broccoli, Ground beef/cabbage on big salad.

Friday:  Eggs and Veggies Duh!  Ground beef/cabbage over 1/2 leftover sweet potato, supper out with mom and dad (I had a grilled salmon cobb salad).

Saturday: Broccoli & Tomato frittata before starting work on the new house, chicken salad and veggies from Byerlys, 2 homemade protein balls,  crockpot chicken taco salad with the whole family!  And wine, of course.

As you can see, by making a few bigger batches of things, chicken thighs, baked sweet potatoes, and my random beef mixture, I was able to eat a variety of foods without getting bored.  It does take a little planning, but I was able to eat well all week long.  The key is making sure you have enough ingredients on hand.  Oh, and a big enough lunch box to pack it all in!

PearBerry

Now that summer is kind of here...if you count wearing a coat to work at the beginning of June as summer that is...I've gotten into making smoothies.  While did this a little bit last year, over the winter I pretty much abandoned it in favor of snacks that wouldn't leave me needing a hot cup of tea afterwards.  However, a couple weeks ago I rediscovered the blender and out of necessity came up with my new favorite smoothie; PearBerry.  Now after a hard workout, I turn to this cup of deliciousness for a boost of protein and a little bit of carbohydrate.  Of course you could do just blueberry or just strawberry, but the small amount of pear makes it a little bit sweeter, and I think it helps thicken it up a bit.

1/2 - 1 scoop whey protein
1/3 ripe pear
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2-1 cup Water or ice or carton almond/coconut milk
Supplemental Carnitine or Glutamine (optional)
1 scoop dynamic greens (optional)
1 big handful baby spinach (optional)

As a post workout snack you don't want too much fat getting in the way of your digestion and absorption of the protein. You might be wondering about a couple of the optional items.  For people looking to lose fat, adding carnitine can help your body shuttle any free-fatty acids into your muscle's mitochondria and use it for energy.  Glutamine aids in muscle recovery, and can also help reduce soreness or DOMS.  The dynamic greens are basically just freeze dried, powdered, fruits and veggies.  They provide a huge hit of antioxidants that will neutralize free-radicals created during your workout.  My other favorite combo for smoothies is raspberry with the chocolate dynamic greens.  It tastes like desert.  Baby spinach because it's good for you.  Same concept as the dynamic greens, but not quite as many antioxidants.  Mostly it's just a way to say you got in another serving of leafy green vegetable.

If I make a smoothie as a meal I add extra fat to help keep me full.  Usually 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk or 1/2 an avocado.  Mmm Mmm Mmm.