Hi friends! Happy Sunday 🙂
I hope everyone’s had a fun or at least relaxing weekend, and that daylight savings isn’t kicking your butt too much. Rainy day here in PA, but finally warming up some so zero complaints.
Been getting a lot of requests over on the ‘gram (@iamemilyminer, obvi) for more quick and easy, but still healthy real food meal/snack ideas that are simple, satisfying, and that you don’t have to run all over town ISO ingredients for. So this week, I thought I’d share my structured but flexible menu plan.
A few quickie but supes important points of clarification, first 😉
- This is what works for me and I hope it goes without saying that how I eat is not how you should eat, necessarily. If this post gives you some ideas, great. We have metabolisms, preferences, psychological sensitivities, allergies/sensitivities, goals… lives that are uniquely our own, and it’s important that we honor that.
- Structured but flexible means structured but flexible. If I find myself hungry and have already eaten everything I’d planned for, I eat more. And if I’m not hungry, I don’t eat just because it’s there.
- I don’t eat perfectly. I’m a chocolate purist (i.e. NOT chocolate products; dairy-free chocolate chips, actually mega chunks from the freezer or a square or two of the darkest bar you can find - Eating Evolved Midnight Coconut is my fave currently). I also enjoy wine, protein shakes and bars, condiments, gluten-free (gf) sourdough toast, and an occasional (also gf) pastry with weekend coffee and a friend. Please tell me I am not the only one who hugely prefers to eat in the company of others?
Since I know you probably don’t care about all of the above and arrived here to learn more about #whatieat, for a few meals ideas, or both, shall we?
Breakfast
- Protein shake (unsweetened almond milk, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, liquid stevia, ice, greens, spoonful of Purely Elizabeth grain-free granola); OR
- Perfect Keto bar (in this order: Salted Caramel, Lemon Poppyseed, Almond Butter Brownie- this was the only one I wouldn’t buy again. Too sweet for me and see above re: chocolate). If you like chocolate and sweet things, you will love.) And no, I’m not keto.
Lunch
#lifehack I prep office lunches two at a time (i.e. Monday + Tuesday lunches on Sunday night, and Wednesday + Thursday lunches on Tuesday night) to save time, so will have each of the below twice this week.
- BBQ chicken ranch bowl (roasted spaghetti squash, sautéed red onion, chicken, avocado, cilantro, Tessemae’s BBQ sauce, Primal Kitchen ranch)
- Stir-fry with charred brussels (frozen stir-fry veggies and cauliflower rice with chicken, garlic, ginger, and coconut aminos over charred shaved brussels sprouts for crunch - I buy these pre-shaved, but you can DIY in the food processor; add to skillet with coconut oil and done; cashews)
Afternoon snack*
*I don’t snack much these days, but am being intentional to eat more (because, hormones) so insert snax here. Jerky (CHOMPS, EPIC Chicken Sriracha, and DNX are my fave), apple, protein shake (if I didn’t have it for breakfast), RX bar or half (if non-bar breakfast). My workouts typically happen late afternoon, so I stick with what I know I do okay with digestively.
Dinner
- Monday: Taco salad (spring mix; chicken; sautéed peppers, onion, and cauliflower rice; spices - chili powder, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper; cilantro; small amount salsa - currently minimizing tomato products due to the acidity and my gut; nutritional yeast; roasted sweet potato bites)
- Tuesday: Burger salad (spring mix; grass-fed burger (oven-baked); sautéed red onion and mushrooms; bacon; sauerkraut; condiments - dollop each of Primal kitchen garlic aioli mayo, ketchup, and mustard; leftover roasted sweet potato bites)
- Wednesday:Beef Masala Breakfast Skillet (with leftover beef)
- Thursday: Baked salmon and kale salad with cilantro dressing
So there’s my week! This might seem labor intensive, but it’s not. I don’t have the time for it to be! LOL Things like pre-washed greens, frozen veggies, and batch cooking protein at the beginning of the week are serious time-savers. Also, pre-chopping and not measuring.
Was this helpful? What are your fave quick and easy go-to’s for busy weeks?
Let me know in my private (and free!) Facebook community* or tag me @iamemilyminer in your posts/stories on Instagram. DM is currently my fave way to communicate, so never hesitate to send me a message. I love hearing from you!
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