Life is crazy busy right now and the last thing I want to spend my time doing is cooking. As I have mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of the kitchen. But, I am all about fast, easy, simple and nutritious. You are about to see that in full effect! Buckle up, we are going in!
A few notes I should mention: One, I meal prep once (maybe twice, depending) a week. This consists of me making large quantities of food at one time and then each morning I portion it out into tupperwares and take it on the go! I take a couple of hours on Sunday evening to do this and I am done for the week. Life is SOOO much easier because of it. I could (and probably will) do a whole post on that in the future. I digress.
Two, you will see throughout the post that I do not eat a ton of meat, if any. I have nothing against eating meat and I think some people NEED to eat meat. I, however, am not a huge fan (because of the taste). This comes and goes in phases, but this one has just lasted longer and I have felt better without it. I am not married to not eating meat. So, if I start to crave it in the future or need it, like when I am pregnant (in the WAY future) then of course I will jump back on that train! Also, I actually like the taste of red meat more then chicken (this is really controversial in the nutrition world, but I don’t care) and you will see me at a steak house way before you see me pulling up to a Chick-Fil-A (I can just feel the haters 😉 ) .
You will also see that I eat eggs, but not really any dairy or gluten due to intolerances and my autoimmune disease (another post). My stomach is SUPER sensitive and has been since I was little. I have to be really careful about what I consume and if I know that I want something and it will upset my stomach, I just go in knowing the end result. This is true for alcohol too. It really affects my stomach and how I feel, so no Kombucha cocktails here! (Again, another post for a different day…)
I mentioned in my Nutrition Bio that my nutrition practice comes from the idea of bio-individuality: what is one person’s food is another person’s poison. So, what works for me might not work for someone else and vise versa. Eat foods that make you FEEL good and try to stick to ingredients that you can pronounce ;). All right, let’s do this!
Breakfast: When I wake up in the morning the last thing I want to do is eat. I actually usually feel a little nauseous/uneasy in my stomach. So, I start with some tea. I usually have black tea with creamer (I like the Almond Milk Creamer (don’t mess with me and my creamer), Walmart) and a couple of packets of Stevia.
Exactly two hours later, I am usually famished. My usual go-to breakfast is two eggs (cage free, SAMs, sunny side up please) on a piece of toast (Udi’s GF millet and chia seed, Publix and Target) with some avocado and a little bit of salt sprinkled on top (TJ’s Truffle Salt, to die!).
Snack: Again, usually two hours later (you are about to see a theme here real soon) I have a snack. Today I had almonds but, my fave is cashews! I also had a clementine (Halos, Publix). They are both easily transported and always in my purse.
Lunch: A couple hours later, I usually have something lighter for lunch. Today I had a salad. My husband is OBSESSED with the Eat Smart’s Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Kit from Publix (he literally tells me everyday to write a post about them, so here we are)! I usually add ½ an avocado and beans and go to town on that goodness. It comes with the seeds, cranberries and dressing. So, I throw it all together and eat about ¾ of the bag (it’s a decent size).
Snack: I usually do a pretty hard workout in the afternoon (or have taught Pilates a bajillion times, or both), so to keep me sane until dinner time (usually later in the night) I have a good ol’ Quest Bar. This flavor (Coconut Cashew) is my favorite and I order them on Amazon in bulk so, they are less expensive. They are loaded with 20 grams of protein and you literally feel like you are doing something wrong when you eat them because they are SOOO good. There are also a bajillion flavors, so feel free to go cray!
Dinner: Here is the beloved and unnecessarily intimidating spaghetti squash. So many people are nervous about cooking these bad boys. But, they are so stinking easy! Throw it in the oven whole (take the sticker off) for about an hour and a half at 350°. Take it out and let it cool (I sometimes leave mine overnight and prep in the morning). Then, cut the stem off and cut it in half. Spoon the seeds out and then with a fork comb out the “noodles”. Throw it in a tupperware and you are good to go! I add sauce to mine and really just prepare it like I do pasta. This Gluten Free girl has not missed pasta for a minute! I add some cheese on top and a “chicken” veggie pattie (Morning Star Chik Pattie, Walmart & Publix) and enjoy the meal of my life!
Lastly and most importantly, my nightly treat (Hello balance!!!)! Every night, (and I mean every. single. night.) I have a handful or two (monkey emoji holding mouth) of chocolate. Usually, I eat dark chocolate covered pomegranates (Brookside, everywhere) or something of that nature. Lately, I have been hitting M&M Crispy’s like it’s my job. Am I the only one who wanted to throw an M&M-Crispy-binging-party when those suckers hit the shelves again after being gone for like ten years?!!??!
Sometimes I get hungry a few hours later, especially if I ate dinner a little on the earlier side. I don’t conform to any food-rule-cut-off time and really just stick to the eat-when-hungry rule (which can feel like all the time). I don’t like to go to bed starving, so I will eat a little of a carby snack like Pirates Booty (Publix) or something like that.
I do eat out at restaurants here and there, but I try to limit it to social activities because of the cost and all of the unnecessary ‘ish’ they add into the food. But, when I do eat out, I enjoy every second! My favorite places for you Lakelanders are Saigon Bistro (to die for!!!) and Chipotle (can’t go wrong!).
All right folks, that is a [gluten free] wrap!
P.S. I don’t count calories and have actually worked really hard to turn that annoying piece of crap off! I don’t weigh or measure my food and I just eat to feel comfortably full.
* I will randomly do these posts from time to time to give you guys more healthy ideas in order to keep it interesting! For daily tips on healthy eating and lifestyle check out The Balance Culture instagram! Please feel free to contact me and share some of your healthy food ideas! I am always on the search for new ones! 🙂
