Hello, hello you guys!! Is this post overdue or what??
I hope this gives you all an insight into my daily diet – or I guess I should say lifestyle! I do not follow a certain diet, but I do try my best to eat clean 80% of the time. With every meal, you’ll find a protein and some sort of vegetable. You won’t find fast food, sugary treats, soda or processed food. I’ve learned throughout my life that I do not like how those foods make me feel and I would rather feel energized and content after eating as opposed to overly full and lethargic.
I do want to preface this by saying that I am not a registered dietician and what works for me, may not work for you. This is based off my lifestyle and what works best for my body.
Honestly, you’re going to learn really fast in this post, just how boring of a person I really am. I mean – lol… it’s not that I am boring, it’s just that I really like to stick to a schedule.
What I Eat In A Day
morning.
- First things first, I always start my day with a big glass of water. I keep one next to my bed and I basically chug it as soon as I wake up in the morning. Then I’ll go into the kitchen and either make my skinny pink detox drink or I’ll just make another big glass of water but add lemon, a splash of apple cider vinegar and a hint of Himalayan salt. It sounds weird I know, but the salt actually helps to hydrate you. I drink this while I do the finishing touches on that day’s blog post, make the bed and other morning duties.
- Next, Coffee. Thankfully, I learned early on to take my coffee without cream or sweetener but I do add a splash of non-sweetened almond milk.
- Breakfast. I usually have breakfast around 8:00 a.m. but it depends on the day. I know some people are not breakfast people, but that’s not me. I have to have breakfast or I get super cranky.
- Chia Seed Oatmeal: I eat this variation of oatmeal most mornings and is something I concocted on my own. It’s basically 1/4 cup whole oats, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a half scoop of vanilla protein powder, 1 tablespoon of almond butter (I like the 365 brand from Whole Foods) and 1/4 of a sliced banana. I put it all in a bowl and make it just like you would oatmeal. I add water, mix it together and microwave it for about 1 minute. It comes out looking like mush…. but I love it. It’s warm, goes good with my coffee and it keeps me super full all day long.
- FAB Four Smoothie: If I go to an early morning workout class, I will come home and make this smoothie. It’s filled with protein, fiber, greens and healthy fats. I’m usually starving after my workout, so this fills me up and keeps me full until lunch.
- Egg White Plate: This is my favorite to make on the weekends (especially after spin!) or if I just have extra time in the morning. I scramble 1/3 cup of egg whites. On the side, I’ll have a piece of toast (thin sliced Dave’s Killer Bread) with 1/4 smashed avocado on top and I’ll either add blueberries to that or have 1/2 of a grapefruit on the side. Then I’ll also add (2) pieces of turkey sausage links (Applegate) and a handful of arugula with a tiny bit of olive oil and lemon juice. It sounds like a lot of food, but it’s just under 300 calories and has the perfect amount of protein, carbs, and fat to start your day.
lunch.
- On most days, I work out during lunch, so by the time I get home it is close to 12:30 and I’ll have one of the following smoothies.
- Cake Batter Protein Shake – love this one! Some people think it’s weird bc it has cottage cheese in it, but I swear it’s delicious! You can find the recipe here.
- Green Protein Smoothie – I’ve been having this one the most recently. It’s the same thing as the FAB Four Smoothie but without the almond butter. It’s 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, a handful of spinach, 1/4 of a frozen banana, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and this protein powder.
- FAB Four Smoothie – Click here for the recipe! But once again, I have switched to this protein! I will make this smoothie only if I had a super intense workout!
- If I work out in the morning as opposed to at lunch, I usually like to have a salad.
- This is a great summer salad! It’s my favorite to make right now. Plus, I’m on a huge arugula kick!
- I love this FAB Four Salad!
- If I go out to eat for lunch, I just pick a salad that is similar to one of the above. I like either baby spinach or arugula. Then I’ll add either fish, shrimp or chicken to it, no croutons and I ask for olive oil and lemon slices on the side as opposed to the dressing.
snack.
- Recently, I have pretty much completely cut back from snacking. I noticed this past year, especially when I started working from home, that I was maybe snacking too much (hello almond butter) and started gaining weight. I used to snack a lot in college and I was snacking the way I used too…. but I realized I’m not walking nearly as much I was in school, so I have super tried to cut back! If I do snack though, I’ll have one or two of the following around 3:30!
- A hard-boiled egg
- 1/2 a grapefruit
- A piece of toast (Dave’s Killer Bread) with 1/4 of a smashed avocado and a few blueberries on top.
- 100 Calorie Almond Pack: I usually buy these pre-packaged and are great for on the go.
- Protein Shake: If I need something fast to take with me on the go or if I don’t have anything to snack on, I’ll just mix 1 scoop of my favorite protein powder with a cup of unsweetened almond milk and blend it in a blender ball cup.
- Prepackaged Boom Chicka Pop – a great snack if I am craving something salty!
dinner.
- Colton and I try our hardest to cook dinner and eat at home Sunday-Wednesday and then leave Thursday – Saturday to be out and socialize with family and friends. If we do cook at home,
weI like to stick to low carb, high protein dishes with either chicken or fish!- Roasted Vegetables & Chicken – I literally make this once a week! I make a huge batch on Monday’s and then it’s usually what Colton has for lunch the rest of the week. We roast broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and chicken in the oven at 350 for 1 hour and it makes the perfect meal!
- Spinach & Chicken Sweet Potatoe Noodles (or I guess you can say zoodles!). You can find the recipe here!
- Spaghetti Squash Chicken Florentine: Seriously a favorite!! Find the recipe here!
- A recent favorite meal has been salmon, broccolini and cauliflower rice. Sometimes I’ll do couscous instead of cauliflower rice for Colton since he usually wants more carbs in the evening… but if we do have cauliflower rice, I just buy the frozen 365 kind from Whole Foods, heat it up and add a little olive oil, Himalayan salt, and pepper to it!
- Salmon Burgers – our favorite in the summer! We will buy the salmon burgers from the seafood section at WholeFoods and make salads to go with them! Seriously so yummy and perfect for summer!
dessert.
- Another thing I have been trying to cut back on but if I do, I’ll have one of the following!
- Dark Chocolate w/ over 85% Cocoa. I love this brand!
- Black Bean Brownies – find the recipe here!
- Dark Chocolate Frozen Bananas – find the recipe here!
- 13 Calories Blueberry Cookies – find the recipe here!
- We also love Tates Dark Chocolate Cookies and keep them in the freezer! They are seriously so good and are only 70 calories each.
drinks.
- I drink lemon water literally all day long. I aim to drink over 2 liters a day.
- Celsius – I can’t tell if it’s bad for you or not…. but I find myself drinking one in the afternoons for a little extra caffeine. I wish I could say I was a green tea in the afternoon person – but I’m not. Every once in a while I will have a cup to be “healthy”, but it’s not enough caffeine for me.
- Wine – my main culprit. I love a glass of cab at night ya’ll….. It’s definitely my guilty pleasure! Some girls like dessert… I like wine. I try super hard to not have a glass during the week but I would be lying if I said I always stuck to that. I do make sure to only have once glass though!
- Detox Tea – Before bed, I like to drink a detox tea! I think it’s because I subconsciously think it’s evening out the glass of wine I had before it ….. but either way, it can’t be a bad thing! Plus, it helps me digest everything I had during the day. I love this brand and drink it while I get ready for bed!
an example day.
7:30 – Lemon Water
8:30 – Coffee and Chia Seed Oatmeal
12:30 – Post Workout Smoothie
3:00 – 1/2 Grapefruit & Hard Boiled Egg
7:00 – Salmon (or Chicken), Broccolini & Cauliflower Rice (+ 1 glass of wine)
9:00 – Two pieces of Dark Chocolate
So there you have it!! That’s what I eat in a day! It’s not perfect, but I’m not perfect so it’s okay. Throughout the day, I track what I eat through the My Fitness Pal app and aim to eat under 1500 calories a day. For my activity level, height and weight – I have learned it is what works best for me! Of course, I do not always stick to that (I’m pretty sure my El Tiempo Friday’s ruin that!!) but I always make a consciouses effort.
I truly believe in the 80/20 rule. Where I eat healthy and stick to eating clean 80% of the time, but I also have to live a little which is where the other 20% comes in! If I know we are going out to dinner with friends, I alter things a bit to keep me in line while leaving room to enjoy myself with friends!
If you have any questions, leave them below!
xo,
Lauren
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