Sticking to the plan

Meal prepping can get boring and unfortunately it's just one of the things you have to get used to. There are a few things you can do to mix things up. I don't eat seafood at all so I end up eating a lot of chicken. I love steak but try to only buy it if it's on sale. If you do buy beef make sure that it is a very lean cut like sirloin or london broil. I've gotten very burned out of chicken breasts so today I decided to make shredded chicken in the crockpot. I seasoned it with a generic seasoning so I can add things to it throughout the week. I just put the chicken breasts in the crockpot on low with a little water.

 

I love to used different seasonings on my chicken and veggies. Just make sure that they are low or no sodium. I can add seasoning to my chicken throughout the week or put it in low carb tortillas and make a taco with some lettuce or other veggies. I also love putting hot sauce on my chicken.

I also eat a lot of brown rice. I buy the kind that you can boil or microwave. It comes in a box like this. I do buy as much generic stuff as I can. My husband and I are both eating clean but our kids are not, so buying two sets of groceries adds up. You can eat healthy through on a budget and most of the time generic tastes the same. You also will be going through a lot of the same things. You will be buying stuff like this in large quantities so save money where you can.

 

 Sometimes I do add a little low sodium soy sauce to give it more flavor. I also just found these steam bags with brown rice and veggies and they are awesome. I really like things that are quick in case I run out of something. If your food takes too long to make and you run out you're liable to eat whatever is easiest. Don't set yourself up for failure, have meals on hand ready to go.

Like I said sweets are one of my biggest weaknesses. I love them. I found that chewing gum does help and I really love this gum because it comes in all sorts of delicious flavors.  I know they sound weird but they are really good and at least give you time to rethink that bad decision you were about to make.

Good luck and happy meal prepping!

Cold weather and butternut squash

I live just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio and it has been cold, like freezing cold. It really makes me want to go on vacation to a beach. I am not really a cold weather person. I hate layering and it makes me just want to sit at home on the couch covered in a blanket. I'm glad that I have a gym that I love and a very motivating trainer so else I would be in trouble. I took this picture of the thermostat in my car. Yeah, you're reading it right, it says -5. Cold!

 

I did make some butternut squash last night because I ran out of brown rice. I always try and mix up different parts of my meals so that they don't become too boring.

Here's how you make it. It tastes best if you bake it. Preheat your oven to 400. Cut it in half longways and put it cut side down in a baking dish. Pour a little water inside the bottom of the dish and bake for about an hour. It should be easy to stick with a fork when it's done. Butternut squash tastes really good with cinnamon on it. 

The worst thing about meal prepping is eating the same thing so mixing up carb or veggie options makes it feel like you are not always eating the same thing day after day. 

Diet and supplements

Diet. Yeah, I know it always makes me sad too. Right now my diet is the same every day. Why? Because it makes my life easier. I eat 3 meals with chicken, a good carb like squash or brown rice and a green veggie like broccoli or asparagus. I also eat 2 snacks that contain nuts or PB2, an apple and a protein drink. I try to eat every three hours to keep my metabolism going.

I also try to keep all my meals with me when I'm out running errands or else I get hungry and want to cheat. It always sounds so much better to drive through and get something fast and easy as opposed to running home and cooking so I carry this awesome cooler that I stole from my husband. I like it because I can fit everything I need for my day in it. I always carry an apple, nuts, protein powder and at least 1 meal.  Today after the gym I did realize that I forgot to bring plain water to make my protein so I used my blue Razz BCAA's that I have in my water jug. It was amazing, I might have to start doing this from now on. It was so yummy!

I also bring my water bottle with me everywhere. It has 2 scoops of alpha aminos in it right now and since I brought it to the gym it's already half empty. I try to drink 2 of these a day. The second one is just plain water though. I do take fat burners because I feel like they give me energy and help me make it through my day and working nights. I love Cellucor's products and that's all I have at the moment. I have used other ones in the past and I feel like it is something you have to play around with and see what works for you. Each person reacts differently to supplements so you just have to try them and figure out what you like.

 

Right now my husband and I meal prep about 2 or 3 times a week for about an hour or two. It just depends on our schedules and where we can fit it in. I like prepping multiple times because otherwise I feel like my food isn't fresh and starts to go bad. Here soon I'll do a post on how and what we prep, and what we have found to work for us.

Salsa Verde Chicken

I love Mexican food. It's one of the things that I crave the most. Tonight for dinner I made salsa verde chicken. I took a thin chicken breast and pounded it about 1/2 an inch thick. I then sprayed a non stick skillet with olive oil and let it heat up. I cooked the chicken breast on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. I then covered it in salsa verde and cooked it for a few minutes. It was delicious!

Protein Oat pancakes!

For breakfast I made protein pancakes. They had 3 egg whites. 1 cup oatmeal. 1 scoop protein powder 2 packets stevia 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix it all together. If it's too thick add water until it's the consistency you like. Yummy

If you want syrup I use sugar free mixed with water. It looks gross but you get the taste without all the calories 

Not Losing!

There is nothing more frustrating to me than not losing any weight. I have been on the same diet plan for about 5 weeks now. Overall, I've been following it pretty well with just a few little cheats now and then. My program was developed to give me two cheat meals a week and I've really been trying to stick to that. My life has been crazy the last 2 days. I live in Ohio and the temps here have been well below zero. Monday night our electric went out followed by a pipe bursting Tuesday. Due to staying at my moms and all the stress I did eat very poorly over those 2 days. Today is a new day and I'm back on track. The problem with this is that I feel like I have to start over, food cravings are my biggest weakness. I love eating out and I love sweets. My mom's house is always filled with yummy baked goods. She loves to cook and there are always cake, cookies and homemade treats lining the counters. It made for a rough two days. Now to kill those sugar cravings and get back on track. I did talk to my trainer about not losing and he revised my diet plan which gives me about 200 more calories (Yea!!) and I have 2 half days where I fast throughout the week. So hopefully I continue to drop weight. I'm down to 133lbs. and probably need to get down to about 115. I'm not really sure, I'm going to continue weight training and I think I'll know when to stop when I get there. Bikini competitors are very lean but I still want muscle so it's not about starving myself or getting sickly thin. I want to be ripped and toned. Good luck!

Holidays are finally over!

I know its been a while since I posted so I'll give everyone an update on whats been happening. The holidays were by far the hardest. I tried to use my two cheat meals for the family get togethers and keep the rest of the week as clean as possible. I did lose 4 lbs last week and overall feel really go. I also contacted a coach to figure out where I need to go from here. I feel like my stomach, and thighs are my major problem areas. I've had two kids and my abs are definately not my favorite part of my body but I have noticed a change since cleaning up my diet. I'll hopefully be able to post more often now that the holidays are over.