Plan For Success

Let's talk meal planning.  
I love Pinterest but a lot of their meal plans are quite elaborate. I am a simple girl. This has worked for me. 

I try to come up with a meal plan every week so I can prep and be successful in the nutrition department. I find that I drift when I don't plan. It doesn't have to be complicated. This took me about 5 minutes. 

First, I checked the weather to make sure that we have a rainy or cool evening because if so, I will have a soup night. 
Secondly, I also look at what engagements I have for the week (think dinners with family members, parties etc). 
Thirdly, I look at what I need to use from my pantry/freezer/fridge. 

Instead of assigning a meal to a day (example: Monday - Grilled salmon, Tuesday - Tacos), I just plan about 3 or 4 meals. I don't commit to a dish to a day, because I can't do commitment like that.  This way, I am free to decide if I am in the mood for salmon, or tacos or chicken on the day.  I make enough for leftovers and sometimes lunches.  

Back-up stash: I usually keep some lunch meat and bread as my emergency stash so I can throw together a sandwich. 

Vanilla Shakeology + spinach + banana
+ almond milk + ice

I plan two snacks a week, usually Greek yogurt or some kind of clean snacks. I also include 2 or 3 fruits (unless I am making a fruit salad ---  Click here for recipe). 

For breakfasts during the week, I usually have my Shakeology because it is quick and I can consume it on the road. My favorite is chocolate, and second favorite is cafe latte. I typically blend it with water, ice, and some natural extract with an immersion blender. 
I usually have it at 7:15 a.m. and it tides me until at least 11 a.m. 
On the weekends, sometimes I am lazy and continue to drink my Shakeology. Other days, I will whip up some eggs and spinach and eat it. I am easy. 

So far, this has helped me immensely in making sure I don't run out of my clean food. It has also helped with the grocery bills too. 
I find that I just go to the grocery store once a week and I am done. If i don't plan like this, I usually run to the grocery store to pick up last-minute thing and you know how it goes, you go in to buy a gallon of milk and you come out of Wal-Mart with a pressure cooker and shoes and that smoked salmon you want to have because you thought it would be so good for tomorrow. BUT wait, since I have a pressure cooker now, let me buy some stuff to cook in it. Yep. You get my drift. :) 

Do you meal plan? Share it with us here. 

Three (Favorite) Things Thursday

1. I usually like my Greek yogurt plain or with honey. Recently, I bought Chobani Blood Orange and I love it!

2. I asked for some Netflix series suggestions a couple of posts ago. This morning, I began Season 1 Episode 1 of Mad Men. I like it so far.  

3. Not exactly a favorite thing, but I'll go to the doctor for an ultrasound tomorrow. I am excited. And going to the doctor seems to be a "favorite" thing for me these days. :) 

You Want To Eat What?

Tomorrow calls for a double-digit run.
Eleven. Maybe twelve.

So naturally, I scarfed down some serious energy into my body. 

I asked Boyfriend: What would you like for supper? Shrimp? Chicken? Fish? Pizza?

Boyfriend: Chicken briyani.

Me: Really?

Love it that Boyfriend doesn't just eat the traditional standard American fare and would request
for curries, Vietnamese spring rolls, and wantons/dumplings for dinner.

I went grocery shopping again today.
Second time this week.
(not shown: milk)

Those pretzel chips are quite tasty - especially with hummus.
I go between the Fage Greek yogurt and Chobani. But it has to be PLAIN.
I also bought an 8lb medicine ball and two 5-lb dumbells.

All right, gonna go sleep early tonight.



Friday Fillers - Royalty, Run, and Random Rambles

You just can't go through today without hearing or commenting about the Royal Wedding. I didn't obsessed about it. I didn't even wake up to watch it. All I did was google searched Kate's dresses. Yes both of them.  I like them. Not stiff. Not uppity. Classy. Yet, it has a certain ease about it.

I drove home and under the carport, I heard birds chirping. Music to my ears.  Every winter/spring time, I purposefully leave boxes and things out and high up so the Carolina wrens (my favorite) can build nests in it and leave their eggs in those boxes.  Today, the baby wrens are up and trying to take flight.  I had to also distract Paddy Wag and neighbor's-dog-but-now-kinda-my-dog away from those wrens. 

I went on a walk/run with Paddy Wag and that neighbor's dog which I named Sammie. Someone please tell me how I can teach Paddy Wag to not drag her momma along! I feel like I am choking her with the leash and collar. ARGH!  Also, she hates bath.  I am out of tricks. Someone tell me how I can teach her to at least not fight with me over baths.  

I ate junk today - half a bag of popcorn for lunch, some veggie chips and tater tots (I love tater tots). For supper tonight, I actually settled for a big bowl of strawberries, grapes and Greek yogurt, drizzled with some agave syrup and two spoonfuls of granola. Yum!

 

 Gonna try and do another run/walk on Sunday.  Let's get real. It is not easy to rebuild your running base. It's like learning to walk all over again.