My Daily Eating Plan

One thing I have found since starting my healthier lifestyle is that it is so important to eat six small meals everyday, making breakfast your largest meal of the day. Eating smaller meals more often keeps your blood sugar levels steady and your metabolism going. You want to eat breakfast within one hour of waking up. Breakfast is the most important meal of your, so do not skip it!

If you are struggling with weight loss, be sure that you are pairing complex carbs with protein at each of your meals. It could be a reason for not seeing results.

What I eat on a daily basis is pretty simple. I wanted to share it today, because it is a question I get asked. I am pretty repetitive with my eating. That doesn't bother me at all. Once I find something healthy that I love, I tend to stick with it.

BREAKFAST
Before I eat breakfast, I drink one large glass of water. This helps cleanse my body, remove toxins and aid in digestion.

My breakfast is almost always Vanilla Shakeology. If I don't have my Shakeology for breakfast, I will eat oatmeal with cinnamon, fruit, and chia seeds.

SNACK #1
Two to three hours later, I have my first snack. This is usually an apple with one tablespoon of natural peanut butter.

Some other great options:

• Baby carrots and celery with two tablespoons of hummus
• 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt with fresh berries, honey, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup slivered almonds
•  1/2 - 1 cup of grapes with a low-fat string cheese

LUNCH
Again, two to three hours after my mid-morning snack, I will have lunch. This usually is a salad. I will take one chicken breast and put that on my bed of lettuce. I will toss on any veggies I have on hand, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, slivered almonds, and one tablespoon of a low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I make sure to have another big glass of water with my meal.

Here I have a creamy homemade Greek yogurt dressing.

SNACK #2
I have 12 whole almonds and a cup of fresh fruit, along with a glass of water.

SUPPER

This varies depending on our weekly meal plan, but it usually consists of a protein and veggie. We eat a lot of venison at our house, and if we aren't having that, we are eating chicken or fish. We have sweet potatoes and quinoa or brown rice quite often here.

SNACK #3
If I am still hungry in the evenings, I will have a bag of air-popped popcorn or Greek yogurt with berries, along with a cup of tea.

This is my daily eating plan. I have found what I need to fuel my body and meet my caloric needs. I strongly suggest figuring out what your daily calorie intake should be. If you have any questions or need help with this, I would be happy to help. You can contact me by messaging me here.

Workouts and Meals for the Week

Home from church and set the timer for 30 minutes to force myself to get this menu done. Having a time limit helps me. I really should do that more often. ;)

My meals are so repetitive and simple, but as My Hunter said, I am busy and need to keep it simple.

So here is my plan. Excited to get back on track.

{Click to Enlarge}

After yesterday's intense Insanity workout, I am excited to have a rest day today.

I am now off to meal prep... chili is going to be thrown together and in the crockpot so I can have it in the fridge all set for the week.

Tonight's supper is leftover from last night, Chicken BBQ Beer Sandwiches. You can find that recipe here.

Thanks Laura and Jill for the link-up!

Have a great Sunday, friends! :-)

Keep That Salad Healthy

I love salads, and I love getting adventurous and creating new ones, with different toppings and flavors! You have to be careful though, because these healthy greens can quickly become unhealthy when you mix extra-large portions of too many toppings. This morning I wanted to share three tips in helping you keep that salad good for you. Grab your bowl of greens and let's toss up a balanced meal for you.

First, you want to pick your protein. Many salads are loaded down with chicken, bacon and cheese, which is just too much extra fat and calories. You just need one protein; that's it. Choose a 3-ounce serving of meat, fish, beans or cheese and place this on your greens. {3-ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.}

Second, add some crunch. Skip the croutons, tortilla strips or noodles and go with peppers, carrots or celery instead to keep it healthy. According to the American Dietetic Association, people who eat a salad-a-day are more likely to meet their important vitamin intake, including immunity-boosting C and E.

Third, add a little fat. Monounsaturated fats help you absorb carotenoids found in veggies like carrots and spinach, which are also super important for eye health. If you want to try something other than the common oils, try out one of these options instead {which are all the fat equivalent to 1-2 tsp oil}:

• 10 olives
• 12 almonds
• 7 walnut halves
• 1/4 avocado

Some other ways that I like to keep my salads fun and interesting:

• Add raspberries and almonds
• Squirt with lime juice
• Toss in some red onion
• Sprinkle on some sunflower seed
• Drizzle with blueberry {or another fruit-infused} vinegar
  

Questions:

Do you eat a lot of salads?

What is your favorite salad topping?