Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Off Season Breakfast

As you know, I've just completed a few figure competitions,  During competition season, I stay on a specific meal plan that does not include wheat, soy or dairy, nor does it include refined sugars or many types of fruit.  Now that I have several months before my next competition, I can include some clean foods that aren't part of my competition meal plan.  Today, the off season breakfast looked like this:

This isn't WAY different from my usual.  Main differences, 2 whole eggs instead of 5-6 whites.  1/2 of a banana in my oatmeal!!! This is majorly exciting :):) And, lastly, I'm having coffee which I will be adding a little soy milk to.  When I use soy milk, I get the least processed soy milk I can find.  The one I've been using is this one:

It only has 2 ingredients: Filtered water and organic whole soybeans.

Change of Pace

My daughter likes to run and we've been looking for a fun activity to do together over the summer.  We  narrowed it down to a few things, and one that we decided we could definitely handle together is The Color Run.  This is a 5K that takes place on July 20.  You wear all white to the run and at the mile markers people throw colored corn starch at you.  By the end, your white gear show be covered in Buddy the Elf's favorite color; rainbow :).  

If you are interested in running it too, click here to register.

If you aren't used to running, but still want to participate, you can A.) Certainly walk the 5K or B.) Start conditioning for the run.  If you are looking for a good program to help you work up to a 5K, I've had many clients use the Couch to 5K program.  There is a free app version as well as a $2.99 version you can get on your Kindle.  You can also get the book for under $10.  I'm also happy to help you train/cross train for a race.  If you've already tackled a 5K and are looking to run in a longer race, check out Premier Races for upcoming events in your area.

Lunch & Dinner

I prepped a few staples the other day that I've been able to use to make several meals this week.  Extremely easy & simple, I just took about a pound of turkey cutlets and put them in the crock pot with a jar of salsa.  I let that cook overnight for about 8 hours.  In the morning, you can just fork the turkey and it shreds instantly.  I stuck it in the fridge and whipped up a batch up hummus.  The recipe I used was so easy and 'amazing' as my daughter described it.  Here is a link to the hummus recipe.  Only 5 ingredients needed:

The 5th ingredient is EVOO, which is hidden back there.  I used these 2 ingredients to make a few good meals.  The first one was a Mexican-ish salad:

I topped some romaine hearts with the turkey, hummus, some avocado, olives and a squeeze of lemon.  It was filling and delicious!  Next meal was similar, but I wanted something warm, so I made a fajita instead:

The inside had the turkey, hummus, olives and avocado, then I pan seared it (on an organic corn tortilla-only 2 ingredients: stone ground corn and water) and topped it with plain greek yogurt (lots of protein, no fat) and some salsa.  I liked this even more than the salad.  Sometimes you just need something warm and gooey.

No more Oxygen?

This past week sad news was delivered to the fitness world.  The publishing company that prints all of my favorite magazines has shut it doors.  RKPublishing is known for magazines like REPS!, Muscle Mag, Oxygen and Clean Eating.  I've heard that the organization is working to find a new investor to revitalize the brand, but in the meantime, it's doors are closed.  

This may be my last issue...and my yogurt and blueberries leaked all over the back cover, eeew.  Anyhow, I always found the content useful and there aren't many magazines that place such an emphasis on fitness and clean eating.  Most other healthy lifestyle magazines are geared toward fashion and products.  I'll be on the lookout for something similar and be sure to share my top picks with you.  

Your turn!  Do you have a favorite magazine (fitness or non-fitness related)?  What is it that you find so fabulous about it?  Let me know and I will pick one lucky commenter (at random)  To receive a free Bookzine from RKPublishing!  

I am!

It's Halftime!

We are already on the cusp of the halfway point of 2013.  You know i have a 'thang' for goal setting, so this seems like the perfect time to re-evaluate and freshen up the list.  I'm going to be working on my list though out the week.  I am happy to share it with you once it takes shape.  Reflecting on my goals set at the beginning of the year, I am on track with a few of them and a few I need to give a some extra attention to.  

Goals I set that I can check off of the list:

Wisdom teeth removed...check!  Yep, that was on the list.  I had put it off for years.  Writing it down made me feel more accountable and I scheduled it and got it done.  Not sure why I waited!  I feel like a million bucks now that they are gone.

(Y'all remember this fright?)

Expand Yoga practice...check!  This is the goal that gives back to me daily.  I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love teaching Yoga.  I'm so in awe of the group of people that I get to practice with twice per week.  My specific 1 year goal was to have at least 15 regular participants and I currently have 12 yogis that practice with me consistently.  I absolutely love that I've been able to witness their practice develop over the course of the past several months and I look forward to growing with them.  With a good 6 months to grow the practice, I think the goal can be reached and hopefully exceeded.  With more people in the practice I will be able to add more classes to the schedule, which will lead me to my next goal :).  I also set a goal to expand my practice and my own balance, flexibility and mental focus.  I have noticed a significant difference and I intend to continue to nurture my practice.

  

Compete in a figure competition...check...check!  I just finished my second competition!  It's been an amazing journey that isn't over yet.  I've learned a ton.  I've met some truly inspiring people along the way.  The experience and principles that apply to competing can be carried over into all other areas of life.

I also have personal goals set that are spiritual, family and finance related.  I won't share those on the blog, but know that goal setting is so important in every category.  I'm happy to be more specific if anyone wants to talk details.

If you are having issues sorting your goals on paper, one of my favorite goal setting worksheets is available on Lululemon's website.  Click here to see the goal setting worksheet.

I am!

When I downloaded the goal setting sheet for the first time I came across another idea that I loved!  Making declarations that support your goals.  Knowing what you want is the first step to achieving your goals.  Knowing you have everything it takes to achieve them is the next step.  Check out this blog post by Sarah Gray for Lululemon to see what they did to get their community involved in goal setting.  Now, what can you declare about yourself as a quick and constant reminder of what you are capable of?  Declarations, like goals, can change.  You can make as many declarations as you'd like.

Of course, I can't fit them all in one picture, but it definitely feels awesome to have so many amazing people in my life.

Your turn!  Tell me your declaration!

What's that in your mouth?

Let's Go Shopping!

Grocery shopping, that is.

Disclaimer:  I'm not a registered dietitian.  The information I am about to share is not necessarily a good program for everyone.  I'm just sharing this in the style of friendly conversation.  Shewwww...glad to get that out of my system.

I've been getting loads of questions about what I've been eating to get contest ready.  I'm happy to share  some guidelines with you, however, know that with any meal plan, contest prep included, there isn't a one size fits all program.  Everyone is starting from a different place and each body reacts a little differently.  I suggest you seek customized advice for best results.  Nevertheless, I'm happy to share a few things with you that seemed to work well for me.

Frequency:

I ate about 6 meals per day to keep my blood sugar levels stable and to maintain steady energy.  The meals ranged from 150-300 calories and I usually ate a total of 1700 calories per day (this fluctuated a little each day).

Macronutrients:

Around 8 weeks out, my nutrient composition was about 40% protein/40% carbs/20% fat.  As I got closer to the show, I reduced the fat by about 5-10% depending on the day and increased the protein.  I was able to keep my carbs about the same until the last 10 days or so.  I didn't have a lot of fat to burn, so I opted to up my cardio for additional fat burn and keep those few extra carbs (for sanity :).

Grocery List:

Protein
Eggs
Chicken breast
Turkey cutlets
Tuna
Tilapia

Carbs
Sweet Potatoes or Yams
Oats
Broccoli
Spinach
Green Beans
Asparagus
Grapefruit
Organic apples
Organic blueberries
Brown rice cakes

Fat

Avocado
Almond Butter (eliminated at 3 weeks out)
Coconut Oil
Flax Seed Oil

Extras (used to add flavor or a desired benefit)
Mushrooms
Onions
Lemons
Cinnamon

Supplements

Will discuss these in another section


That's what my shopping list looked like for the most part.  My breakfast was consistently eggs and oats.  I was having fruit with the eggs and oats up until the last few weeks.  I love to slice up an apple and squeeze the juice of a lemon on it and coat it in cinnamon.  This is an all time favorite that my mom got me hooked on.  After breakfast, basically, every 3 hours I would eat 4-6 oz of lean protein with veggies.  I would mix it up daily, but a big bowl of spinach was my favorite.  I'd add 1/5 of an avocado or a tsp of flax seed oil to it once a day.

If I was feeling sluggish or hungry, I'd allow myself a rice cake with a teaspoon of coconut oil.  It's was a great treat (the closest thing to dessert).  I cut that out the last few weeks as well.  The rice cakes I get are from Trader Joe's.  They have 35 calories each and 7 carbohydrates.

There are pros and cons to to this meal plan.  It's similar to how I am used to eating, but definitely has an increased amount of protein and a little less fat than I'm used to.  To make sure my body was getting everything it needed, I balanced it out with some supplements.  I will share those in the next post, but know that this is just me sharing my experience.  I always encourage checking with your health care provider before making nutritional changes.

Major Pros

 

Knowing what you are going to eat everyday makes food prep a breeze.  On Sunday, I'd take a few hours to prep my veggies, boil eggs, bake meat and sweet potatoes, etc.

I was boiling so many eggs, I could hardly keep up.  At one point, I was tempted to invest in a bigger pot:

I decided against it, but it's still on my wish list ;)

Another major pro: this food tastes good!  It's fresh and nutrient dense.  When I would take my meals out with people people would always want to know what I was eating.  They would tell me how fresh and delicious it looked.  Compared to the brown processed foods that many of them were eating, I can see why they inquired.  Feast your eyes on some of my meals:

Those are meals I prepped myself at home, but it isn't impossible to eat out on this plan.  Here is an example of a meal I got a sushi restaurant:

Tuna sashimi with cucumber and avocado!! One of my favorites!!

Staying hydrated

I drank plenty of water and could have as much unsweetened green tea as I wanted.  I also drink plenty of white tea and rooibos (red tea that is naturally caffeine free).

Not sure how I survived before Starbucks offered the trenta :)

I'm hoping that this bit of information gives you a little bit of guidance as you work on your nutrition plan.  I will discuss supplementation and the cons of this meal plan in my next post.  Until then, feel free to share your questions.  I'm sure many will have the same.  Also, remember that all of your health and fitness goals are achievable if you just stay consistent.  My best piece of advice...DON'T QUIT!