Successful Meal Planning to Get Your Body Summer Ready!

Spring has officially begun and summer will be here soon.

Are you wanting to lighten-up, cleanse & re-set your goals?

With that comes a HEALTHY body + STRONG mind + CONFIDENT attitude!

Yes, you have the power to make a difference!

One of the easiest ways to do this is analyze what’s on your plate.

Let’s look at some delicious + healthy ideas for successful meal planning you can follow! 

As a personal trainer for the last 7 years, there is usually a time in someone’s life that they are looking to feel lighter, re-vitalized & healthier. Typically,  I have found that once the weather gets warmer, many women are ready to spring clean their homes; but also ready to start “cleaning” out their bodies too, by eating cleaner.  So, have you looked to see what is on your plate?  Are you truly eating clean, healthy, nutritious foods to fuel your body?  And what does eating clean really mean? Do you plan ahead your meals or do you wait until you are starved and eat the first thing in sight? I personally know that for me this is always a very difficult time to choose food wisely . . . can you say tortilla chips & salsa? Yes, that is my weakness if I don’t have a meal and/or snack planned for my day.  Now, there is always time to enjoy these foods, because I do believe in living a balanced life; but let’s look at why & how we can eat clean most days!

🔆The Benefits of Eating Clean

1. increased energy
2. lighter feeling
3. sleep better
4. skin more refreshed
5. digestion more regular
6. less bloated
7. feelings of more control
8. hormones more in balance
9. easier to have a  positive attitude

Successful Meal Planning You Can Follow

To begin with, eating clean means something different to everyone; but I am going to tell you what it means to me and how clean eating has kept my body feeling healthy for most of my life.  Think of eating foods that come from it’s natural source, mostly the ground; like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein sources and lean dairy products. While most pre-packaged foods that have a long shelf life are not usually clean eating foods, as they are filled with chemicals and preservatives.

Also, exercising is a huge component of feeling HEALTHY + STRONG + CONFIDENT, but I will not discuss that now, let’s just look at food ideas for successful meal planning.  I am not a certified nutritionist and I never go on a diet; as I have just learned over the years how to manage my body by choosing “good for my body” foods that are quick & easy to prepare.  And drinking lot’s of water all day long is a must! It helps to cleanse, hydrate and refresh your body.

Why is food intake such an integral part? Because most woman could never get enough exercise in the day to burn the excess calories they eat in a day or make up for their unhealthy food choices. As some woman assume,  if they exercise they can eat whatever they want.  They make this mistake and then feel unhealthy, bloated, and keep putting on weight and in turn, get very frustrated.  So let me help you by giving you a breakdown of what a successful meal planning day looks like; as here is some of the foods I eat in a typical day as it will give you a quick & easy clean eating ideas!

7:00am* Eating breakfast

Some studies have stated that “you must eat breakfast every morning to kick start your metabolism” to other studies saying  “eating breakfast is not really that important” and you don’t really need to eat it.  I personally don’t care what the studies say, as I have found that by consistently eating breakfast I am more energized in the morning, and that’s the best way to start my day.  Now, I do workout early in the morning (usually around 6am) and so sometimes I do have a little snack before I hit the gym.  But, as soon as I get home from my workout and before I head to my trainings, I always eat breakfast.

*I will show the approximate times that I eat, so you can get an idea about how often I am eating throughout the day, usually 5 to 6 times!

▶Protein Shake (see my favorite recipe and why protein is so important)

▶Ezekiel Bread toasted with (organic, natural almond butter & sliced bananas sometimes)

▶Gluten free pancake (see my favorite recipe and why I love this breakfast)

▶Egg Sandwich (toasted Ezekiel bread, 1 fried egg (non-stick spray) avocado, hot sauce)

▶Quinoa Egg Breakfast (see my favorite recipe)

▶Steel Cut Oatmeal with fresh berries and almond milk

9:30/10am* Snack Time

Usually I am driving around to my personal training sessions, and so I will usually pack a snack (also when I travel, I pack snacks) especially if I will not be home before lunchtime. Whether you are at home, at the office or traveling, I feel it is very important to have a healthy snack about 2-3 hours after breakfast and after lunch.  Here are some of my favorites:

▶Protein Balls made with oats, nuts, honey, etc. (there are many options to choose from)

▶Organic apples with Organic nut butters (pre-slice apples, rub lemon juice over them, then wrap in foil to prevent browning)

▶Celery with Organic nut butters

▶Packaged Nuts with a banana

▶Natural Microwave popcorn with sea salt or dark chocolate (see my favorite recipe)

▶Smoothie made with almond milk + collagen protein (you can add fresh fruit too)

▶Fresh veggies with homemade hummus

▶Healthy, low-calorie (less than 200 calories) protein bar, like Rx Bars. Be careful, as many are the equivalent to a candy bar, check the fiber (2g. or higher is great) and sugar (less than 10g. is best).

12:00/12:30pm* What’s for lunch

It does not matter if you eat at home, at the office or on the road, there is always a healthy option if you pre-plan for packing a lunch or do your homework before eating out by viewing a menu online.  Here are some of my favorite fast and easy lunch items, and all of them can be packed to take with you on the road (while traveling or just running errands) or to the office!

▶Non-fat unflavored Greek (or Icelandic) Yogurt with fresh fruit and low-fat granola . Do not eat the regular type yogurt, as many of those are filled with sugar and have a very low protein content.  Greek yogurt is very high in protein, some as high as 22g. per serving, like Siggi’s.

▶Low fat Cottage Cheese with sliced vegetables (optional: drizzle with vinegar)

▶Mixed Green Salad  loaded with veggies, a little feta cheese and drizzled with vinegar & EVOO

▶Lettuce Wrap Sandwich (crisp lettuce cup with hummus, avocado & veggies). I am not really a meat eater, but you could add meat too……just try to choose organic sliced meat, as so many deli meats are loaded with nitrates, antibiotics and sodium.

2:30/3:00pm* Snack Again

Yes, hopefully you got a workout in this morning or will be exercising later today, so fueling your body throughout the day will keep your metabolism going strong and your energy level staying at it’s peak.  This is the time of day that most people get that afternoon slump; as I know I do.  So, by eating a nutritious snack you will avoid the slump and keep energized until dinner time.  Read above for some snack time ideas!

6:00/6:30pm* Dinner Time

Ok, I have to say this is my least favorite meal of the day. Why? Because I am always at a loss for healthy ideas and I am usually ready to just eat and move on with my night. Pathetic I know, but that’s how I am; as I think it’s because I am not a night person and start loosing steam by now! But, here are some of my favorites:

▶Spiralized Veggie Spaghetti (see my favorite recipe )

▶Grilled Fish (Thank you Tom for always rocking at the BBQ) with veggies and quinoa

▶Organic Ground Chicken Breast Burgers (the BEST meat is from Whole Foods butcher) on brioche buns (also from Whole Foods) with avocado, onions and tomato, with kale salad and sometimes I bake some potatoes.

▶Organic Chicken Fajitas with grilled veggies, black beans and avocado

▶Green Salad with grilled fish or chicken, veggies, feta cheese then drizzle with vinegar & EVOO

▶Baked Eggplant Parmesan (sliced eggplant, dipped in egg whites, topped with Panko bread crumbs, placed in dish with marinara sauce then baked in oven at 350 for about 30 minutes)

8:00* Yes, Dessert!

Now, I do not have dessert every night, but sometimes I just need to eat something sweet.  I bet most of you feel the same way too!  Just be careful when eating too many sugars, read this post for more information about why.  So here are a few of my healthier dessert choices:

▶1 to 2 pieces of dark chocolate

▶Sliced banana or strawberries with melted dark chocolate drizzled on top or nut butter

▶Plain Greek Yogurt with honey or maple syrup on top and fresh fruit

▶Sliced oranges with grated coconut and nuts on top

Then it’s time for bed!  This a typical day of what I eat and when I do eat like this, I feel HEALTHIER + STRONGER + CONFIDENT throughout the day. But I do also enjoy my days of eating pizza with wine, mexican food with chips and salsa, etc. because living a healthy lifestyle is all about balance. But, when the majority of my days consist of clean eating, I do feel lighter, more energized, clearer minded, skin fresher & mind sharper!

You have the power to make a difference with wise choices.

Together let’s lighten up, cleanse & re-set our goals before summer is here!

Christie, “Your personal trainer to help you Get Fit & Stay Fit”