What I Eat to Stay Lean
Thank you to Macy’s and Shopstyle for sponsoring today’s post.
Hi friends! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Ours slowed way down when James came down with the stomach bug that had him down for the count all day Saturday. And Jordan napped for three hours, so that was reeeealllly nice for a change. On Sunday, everyone was feeling good and we spent a lot of time in the backyard enjoying our beautiful weather.
Finally, Sunday evening I went for a jog with Jordan in the jogging stroller (something I haven’t done in forever!), which prompted me to bring back the Move 20 Minutes a Day Challenge. It’s 30 days and all you have to do is commit to exercising for 20 minutes a day- no matter what type of exercise it is. Today starts Day 1, so I’d love to have you do it with me!
If you struggle with what exercise to do, you can use the Get Fit Done Guide that has 5 weeks worth of workouts you can do at home! Or, check out this Fitness Challenge page on my blog for tons of free workouts.
WHAT I EAT IN A DAY
Today’s post is an often requested What I Eat to Stay Lean/What I Eat in a Day. I know lots of us struggle with what to eat to stay lean and also what to feed our families. We’re short on time, but still want yummy, healthy food. I don’t count calories or track macros daily anymore, but I do try to eat balanced meals with a combo of protein, carbs and healthy fats. I also include a sweet treat every day- a couple pieces of dark chocolate at the end of the day is my fave. Maybe more than that if I’m being honest!
Below is an example of what I eat in a day and all of this is also included in the Get Fit Done Guide.
WATER
First things first! If you’ve been following me for long, you know one of my daily healthy habits includes making sure I drink enough water each day. To help with this, I fill up two big tumblers with water right when I wake up. One stays downstairs and one goes up so that I always have a drink handy.
MUSCLE EGG
I am not one of those people that can delay my first meal of the day for long. I have to get something in my system pretty soon after I wake up. Also, I’m not good at working out on an empty stomach, so I usually drink a cup of Muscle Egg (flavored liquid egg whites). The chocolate flavor is the best!
Some people are turned off by the thought of drinking egg whites, so in that case, you can substitute a smoothie. The Get Fit Done Guide has a couple easy and delicious smoothie recipes.
COFFEE
BREAKFAST • EGG MUFFINS
I have a few breakfast dishes I rotate often : oatmeal, protein pancakes, avocado toast with an egg, and egg muffins. This egg muffin recipe is a special treat from our Get Fit Done Guide. It’s easy to make and reheats well throughout the week.
INGREDIENTS
6 eggs
3 egg whites (or 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup milk or almond milk
1/2 cup spinach and/or any other veggies
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
Spray muffin tin (12 muffins) with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350.
Combine eggs, egg whites and milk in a bowl and whisk.
Add spinach and other veggies.
Pour mixture into muffin tins 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes.
TIP : to reheat, cover 2 muffins in a paper towel and heat for 20-30 seconds in microwave.
I like to eat lunch with Jordan almost every day. I break from working in my home office around noon so we can eat lunch at the breakfast table together. I’m lucky she’s a good eater and she’ll usually eat whatever I’m having. Often, it’s leftovers from the night before that we just reheat.
This pasta dish is just protein spiral noodles with red sauce. I added sautéed spinach and mushrooms to mine to make it heartier.
INGREDIENTS
Protein Plus Rotini
Red sauce
Mushrooms
Spinach
METHOD
Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and spinach over medium heat with cooking spray.
When the pasta is al dente, drain and add the red sauce, then stir in the spinach and mushrooms
SNACK • GREEK YOGURT & BERRIES
My snacks of choice are usually hummus and veggies (or pita chips), apples and peanut butter, or this Greek yogurt and berries dish. Now that it’s Spring, I find myself reaching for lighter snacks and especially fresh fruit in vibrant colors.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Greek yogurt
Handful of berries of choice
Tablespoon sliced almonds
Teaspoon hemp seeds (optional)
RECIPE
I’ve been obsessed with the “tray dinner” ever since Cari introduced me to it in the Get Fit Done | 7 Day Reset. The tray dinner is similar to a one-pot meal, but instead of cooking everything in one pot on the stove, you put your food on a tray and bake it in the oven.
In about 35 minutes, you have a healthy meal with minimal clean-up! Again, easy clean up is important!
INGREDIENTS
Unlimited veggies (try Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, etc)
2 servings of protein
flavor with herbs, spices, onion, chopped garlic
Drizzle with olive oil
METHOD
Combine all ingredients on a baking sheet or “tray” and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes tossing lightly halfway through. Continue baking until your protein is cooked thoroughly (especially if cooking raw meat).
*You can can eat leftovers cold (for salads) or reheat in microwave.
AFTER DINNER SNACK • DARK CHOCOLATE
CLICK THE PHOTOS BELOW TO SHOP
All of these cookware items are from Macy’s and make great registry items or wedding gifts. I still use our China and not just for special occasions! And, you know that bride is gonna be asked sooner or later, “What’s for dinner?” Hopefully, these items make coming up with something not so annoying intimidating! 😉
I’m in!! Thank you for the post, lots of great information.
I am in too! I workout at Orange Theory 5-6 times a week but on the days I don’t go, I am a sloth 🙁
I’ve heard such great things about OT, but haven’t tried it!
OTF is amazing. The Staff treats you like family. Coaches push you when needed.
I am a runner ( 4th Marathon this fall) but I have muscle places I have never had before because of OTF.
Now I just need to figure out how not to snack when stressed :-0
I’m so impressed with marathon runners! I love to watch the races, but I get it, muscle building is different.
You should check out f45 if you have one! I just gave up my 4 yr OTF unlimited to go there!
Oh I’ve never heard of that! Thanks for sharing!
I’m definitely in! Great post and love your honesty!❤️
I’m so glad this post was helpful Ashley!
I love this post! Thank you for sharing your meals.
Happy to Christina!
I am in. I fell way off of the workout/healthy eating wagon for the past month and I feel awful. I need to reset my healthy habits!
It just sneaks up on us and then we feel so bad! But the good news is, we can get back on track pretty quickly!
Wow, this makes me feel so much better! I try so hard to eat well and feed my family well, but also enjoy a treat – creamer in my coffee, a bowl of cereal, etc – and seems like so many blogs each so much cleaner and stricter… So nice to see a realistic but healthy meal approach!!
Real life, right?!
I’m in! I take Pure Barre classes 4-5 days a week and walk my dog every morning.
The chicken recipe looks great. I’ve been eating EVERYTHING for the past 2 weeks (ok, months) and I need to get back to my regular lifestyle.
My go-to healthy meal is chicken breasts covered in Rotel and 1 TBSP Mexican seasoning then cooked in crock pot. Serve over baked sweet potato, garnished with guacamole, cilantro and jalapeños. It sounds weird, but it’s one of our favorites.
That sounds so good Joan, I love Mexican food!
I am in! Needed the extra push! 1 month count down to France and need o r some muscle back!
http://www.cheznireillefashionravelmom.com
How fun is that to look forward to?!
I love all your food posts, so relatable! Slightly unrelated question, but my digital bathroom scale just broke, do you recommend one?
I am confused about the egg muffins. The recipe says for 12 muffins, but your pictures show you cooking it in a 6-muffin tin. Is that just a half-batch, or is that an extra-large muffins tin? And if they are larger, how did you adjust the cooking temp or time from the original recipe?
That’s a great question! I filled my muffin tins fuller so they made less! The cooking time was probably a tad longer.
I am going to try that egg muffin recipe! When I am out and about and want a healthy breakfast/lunch, I get the Soud Vida Egg bites from Starbucks, they are soooo good, and your recipe reminds me of those. I am also a fan of the sheet pan meal idea. Our favorite is sheet pan fajitas…so quick and easy and is a family favorite, we actually had it last night. I have leftovers and am going to make quesidilla’s for the kids dinner tonight, doesn’t get any easier than that!
I get those too! They’re really good! I like your sheet pan idea- quesadillas are a fave I haven’t made in awhile!
Megan
When you were training for your fitness competition…was this your daily diet?
Hi! Great question Gina. No, my diet was way more strict – you can find it on the Fitness tab, Bikini Prep at the top of my blog. There’s lots of posts about when I was training for that!
I just started Transform 20 on Apr 29 as my 4am before work workout, so that’s perfect – 20 min! I also do weight training in the afternoons. I love the egg muffin idea…going to make those my next meal prep!
Oh wow, 2 a day! I’ve heard of people splitting it up like that. I bet that afternoon workout helps keep you from hitting the sweets at that time for an afternoon pick me up!
Great post! Thanks! Loving your blue nail polish…. what is it??
Hi Suzanne! I think it’s called Water Baby by OPI;)
Thanks for the healthy and easy meal options. I’ve been on a camo kick lately, where did you find that cute pink T-shirt? ?
Thanks for stopping by Andrea, it’s from Macy’s! Here’s the link : https://shopstyle.it/l/2Yxo
The egg muffins look amazing! Have you tried freezing? If so what are the reheating instructions?
Hi! I haven’t tried freezing, but I wonder if that works!
Love your full day of eats post! I have followed your nutrition and workout principles for a long time now. After some stress related weight gain I hopped back on your 40-day challenge Nutrition guidelines from a couple years ago and down 25lbs since September. These post keep my head in the game!
That is so awesome Amanda- kudos to you though! You’re the one doing the hard work. It takes a lot of dedication and patience to lose 25 pounds! Proud of you girl!