Here’s my food for the week! I relied on quick and simple lunches and had to plan ahead for one particular day that involved running from one place to the next. Stocking my van with healthy snacks helped me stay on track on a crazy day when things could have easily fallen apart. Planning for the win! 🙂
DAY ONE: SATURDAY
Breakfast: Black coffee; Ezekiel toast with peanut butter.
Lunch: Wasa multigrain crisp breads with melted cheese; Salad with butter lettuce, grape tomatoes, and Annie’s Tuscany Italian dressing.
Afternoon Snack: Plain yogurt with a drizzle of honey, banana slices, and toasted coconut.
Supper: (on the go) – Clif bar; 2 Clementines.
Evening snack: Air-popped popcorn with sea salt; Apple (not pictured).
DAY TWO: SUNDAY
Breakfast: Leftover paleo breakfast casserole (reheated from frozen); Orange slices.
Morning Snack: Banana; Clif bar (I was at a fitness training seminar and needed a pick-me-up in the middle of the high-intensity session…I burned a lot of calories!).
Lunch: Half Savannah chopped salad and dill pickle at McAlisters Deli.
Afternoon Snack: Plain yogurt with peanuts and semisweet chocolate; Small almond cookie and grapes (not pictured) – My intense workout from the morning came back in full force during the afternoon! I struggled with feeling famished and ate a little more sugar than I wanted, but thankfully my hunger calmed down by supper time.
Supper: Wasa multigrain crisp breads with melted cheese; Carrots and grape tomatoes with hummus.
Evening snack: (movie night with my family) Air-popped popcorn with sea salt; Apple.
DAY THREE: MONDAY
Breakfast: Black coffee; Scrambled eggs; Orange slices.
Lunch: Black bean and corn salsa (I made a full batch of this and used it for quick lunches throughout the week.); Organic tortilla chips; String cheese; Apple; Almond windmill cookie.
Afternoon Snack: Funky monkey yogurt parfait
Supper: Wasa multigrain crisp breads with melted cheese; Veggies and hummus.
Evening snack: Vegetable root chips; Spoonful of crunchy peanut butter.
DAY FOUR: TUESDAY
Breakfast: Black coffee; Scrambled eggs; Orange slices.
Morning Snack: (on the go) Larabar (apple pie flavor).
Lunch: Black bean and corn salsa; Organic tortilla chips; Fruit and chocolate yogurt parfait.
Afternoon Snack: Apple; Air-popped popcorn with sea salt.
Supper: Crispy baked tilapia; Steamed snow peas; Grapes.
Evening snack: Trader Joe’s Triple Berry O cereal with unsweetened almond milk.
DAY FIVE: WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Black coffee; Oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk, honey, cinnamon, strawberries, and sliced almonds.
Morning Snack: Plain yogurt with drizzle of honey, sliced banana, and toasted coconut.
Lunch: Black bean and corn salsa; Organic tortilla chips; Cheese stick; Grapes.
Afternoon Snack: (on the go) Multigrain crackers; Baby carrots.
Supper: Cheddar potato chowder; Salad with iceberg lettuce, chopped tomato, and Annie’s Tuscany Italian dressing; Diced watermelon.
Evening snack: Apple + Homemade whole wheat roll (I made a big batch of rolls to freeze, so of course I had to taste-test one.). 🙂
DAY SIX: THURSDAY
Breakfast: Black coffee; Ezekiel English muffin with peanut butter; Orange slices.
Morning Snack: Larabar (apple pie flavor).
Lunch: Black bean and corn salsa; Organic tortilla chips; A couple bites of Larabar. (This was after teaching a wellness class where I brought food samples. I had leftovers so I enjoyed them for lunch. I was extra hungry all morning, so I went back for seconds on the salsa.)
Afternoon Snack: This was a day of running from one place to the next, so I packed a few snacks in my van ahead of time (Banana and Heart to Heart cereal) and swung by Starbucks for an unsweetened passion iced tea.
Supper: Baked chicken drumsticks; Kale salad mix with lemon vinaigrette; Diced watermelon.
Evening snack: Apple.
DAY SEVEN: FRIDAY
Breakfast: Black coffee; Oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk, drizzle of honey, cinnamon, raspberries, and almonds.
Morning Snack: Ezekiel toast with peanut butter.
Lunch: Leftover cheddar potato chowder; Salad with baby spinach, goat cheese, strawberry slices, toasted pecans, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Afternoon Snack: Funky monkey yogurt parfait
Supper: Out to eat at a Mexican restaurant – Chips and salsa (I portioned my chips onto my napkin to control how many I ate, but I’ll admit I grabbed a few extras after taking the picture.) 🙂 Main course was a 3-way taco salad with chicken, shrimp, and beef. I asked for no cheese sauce and scraped the guacamole off the top. Ended up eating about two-thirds of it, including part of the shell.
Evening snack: Air-popped popcorn with sea salt.
My guiding principles when it comes to food:
1. Aim for mostly whole foods that are minimally processed.
2. Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables each day. I don’t worry about the ratio…I just focus on variety and what’s available at the moment.
3. Pay attention to hunger cues and portion sizes.
4. If I slip up and/or knowingly eat an unhealthy food, I try not to compensate with disordered eating patterns (i.e., starving myself at the next meal, saying “forget it” and bingeing, etc.). A healthy view of food means making the best choice right now, no matter what I ate at the last meal.
