Weekly Clean Eats Cheat Sheet :-)!

It's time to clean it up y'all. And I'm not talking about your bathroom or a barbell at the gym, I'm talking about your diet. Through trial and error and feeding myself all kinds of different foods this is the weekly eating template that I've discovered works best for ME. My biggest problem has always been lack of planning when it comes to food. 10 hour work day and no prepared food? Okay I'll just hit the chicfila drive thru and grab something fast. And then feel like crap afterwards. Crap.

So this is what works for ME. It keeps me  honest and fueled with clean, healthy food. I lift heavy weights and do some kind of metabolic conditioning 3-5 days a week (aka, I do crossfit) so I need food that keeps me fueled for heavy workouts and feeds tired muscles post sweat sesh.

I encourage you to find what works for you! It may not be this exact plan, but concentrate on whole real foods- read ingredient lists on EVERYTHING. It's insane the crazy ingredients they put into our food these days. If there's an ingredient listed that you don't recognize, pull out your phone and google it. We live in a time with far too much technology for ignorance to be an excuse. 

You may have noticed this is for Monday- Friday. On Saturday and Sunday I eat tuna dip and drink wine, and last weekend I had a bacon cheeseburger that was heavenly. That keeps me sane. You could totally do this 7 days a week if you wanted to though. I don't eat a ton of fruit. It's high in sugar. I try to stay low in sugar. That's a personal decision for everyone. Again, I strongly encourage you to educate yourself on what you are putting into your body and how it affects you.

Some notes: I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, microwaved with 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk and 1/2 mashed banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

I "hard boil" a bunch of eggs on Sunday and eat them throughout the week. This is the easiest way to prep them: http://unbearablygood.blogspot.com/2012/05/easiest-hard-boiled-eggs-in-oven.html

For my balsamic dressing I just mix together 3 parts evoo to 1 part balsamic vinegar, a squirt of Dijon mustard and some salt & pepper. I put this on my salads and my veggies. This is another great, clean option: http://unbearablygood.blogspot.com/2012/10/easy-mustard-vinaigrette.html
I give options for different types of protein at different meals. Eat what you like. That's clean of course & reasonable. Applegate farms turkey slices are excellent, and pretty much everything else they make if you can find them. Chicken breasts, thighs, tenderloins all great. You can do cuts of fish, shrimp, eggs, Aidell's makes great clean chicken sausages & meatballs. Bunless burgers are a great change-up, my husband eats lots of steak (I'm just not particularly a steak fan) you could do that too. Change it up, don't get bored that will keep you going!

I get the big frozen bags of broccoli that you can steam in the microwave. Easy & fast. You can sub cauliflower or any veggie that you love. When buying frozen veggies ALWAYS READ THE LABELS. They sneak very unnecessary ingredients into some of those veggies. The label should read: broccoli. Nada else. 
For my servings of chicken we grill up a bunch on Sunday/Monday and use it throughout the week. This is my fave marinade: http://unbearablygood.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-very-best-everything-marinade.html

Post workout & in my protein pancakes I use this paleo protein and unsweetened almond milk:

We find the protein at GNC. I like the triple chocolate post workout and the almond vanilla in protein pancakes (recipe below the table). Again, when you're buying protein powder READ THE LABELS :-)

For my sweet potatoes: I clean them and dice them into wedges, coat them all liberally with olive oil, season with salt & pepper and roast in a 375 degree oven for 30-45 min or until crispy. For a serving I eat about 3/4 cup of the wedges. You could just bake or microwave a bunch of sweet potatoes and eat those as well. I like to have as much pre-prepared for grab & go meals as possible.

The meal #6 of cottage cheese/ Greek yogurt & jam is the night time treat meal. Also cottage cheese & Greek yogurt contain casein which helps rebuild your muscles while you're sleeping.

****always drink lots of water! I have a cup of coffee in the morning and usually a cup or 2 of hot, unsweetened tea throughout the day. Beyond that, I just drink water. Lots of it. Hydration is key!

Also I try to avoid alcohol during the week. It's just not conducive to a healthy, clean eating lifestyle. Save it for the weekend friends!

Meal	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1	½ C GF oatmeal, 2 eggs (however you like them!) ½ banana or your choice ½ fruit -OR- Protein Pancakes	2 Egg omelet with 2 Cups your choice veggies. I like peppers, spinach, broccoli. Top with 4 Tbs Salsa or 2 Tbs shredded cheese	½ C GF oatmeal, 2 eggs (however you like them!) ½ banana or your choice ½ fruit -OR- Protein Pancakes	2 Egg omelet with 2 Cups your choice veggies. I like peppers, spinach, broccoli. Top with 4 Tbs Salsa or 2 Tbs shredded cheese	½ C GF oatmeal, 2 eggs (however you like them!) ½ banana or your choice ½ fruit -OR- Protein Pancakes
2	1 hardboiled egg (or 1 clean sausage or 3 slices turkey- a small serving of protein!) & a small handful of unsalted almonds (or choice of nut)	1 Banana or choice of 1 serving of fruit & small handful of unsalted almonds or choice of nut!	1 hardboiled egg (or 1 clean sausage or 3 slices turkey- a small serving of protein!) & a small handful of unsalted almonds (or choice of nut)	1 Banana or choice of 1 serving of fruit & small handful of unsalted almonds or choice of nut!	1 hardboiled egg (or 1 clean sausage or 3 slices turkey- a small serving of protein!) & a small handful of unsalted almonds (or choice of nut)
3	Salad with 6 oz chicken (or choice of protein: turkey, tuna, etc), 2 cups lettuce (I like Spring Mix), small diced tomato, 1 diced hardboiled egg, ½ avocado, & balsamic vinaigrette	6 oz chicken (or choice of protein) 1 cup cooked broccoli (or cauliflower), & 1 small sweet potato (I like to top my chicken & broccoli with balsamic vinaigrette!)	Salad with 6 oz chicken (or choice of protein: turkey, tuna, etc), 2 cups lettuce (I like Spring Mix), small diced tomato, 1 diced hardboiled egg, ½ avocado, & balsamic vinaigrette	6 oz chicken (or choice of protein) 1 cup cooked broccoli (or cauliflower), & 1 small sweet potato (I like to top my chicken & broccoli with balsamic vinaigrette!)	Salad with 6 oz chicken (or choice of protein: turkey, tuna, etc), 2 cups lettuce (I like Spring Mix), small diced tomato, 1 diced hardboiled egg, ½ avocado, & balsamic vinaigrette
4	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese
5	6 oz chicken (or fish or choice protein) 1 Cup cooked broccoli 1 Small Sweet Potato	6 oz. Fish (or choice protein) 2 Cups choice of cooked veggies	6 oz chicken (or fish or choice protein) 1 Cup cooked broccoli 1 Small Sweet Potato	6 oz. Fish (or choice protein) 2 Cups choice of cooked veggies	6 oz chicken (or fish or choice protein) 1 Cup cooked broccoli 1 Small Sweet Potato
6	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in

Protein Pancakes Recipe:

These are a quick morning fix that are high in protein, low in carbs and will fuel you all morning long. Also, they're freaking delicious. You can eat them plain on the run, top with a smidge of almond butter or real butter or a small amount of 100% pure maple syrup. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 banana (the riper, the sweeter your pancakes will be)

1 Egg

1 Scoop Protein Powder (I Like Vanilla- Almond "Paleo Protein)

2 Tbs unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbs Ground Flax Seed (or meal)

Mash your banana in a bowl, whisk in your egg, protein powder, milk, Cinnamon, & flax seed until well mixed. Heat a skillet on medium- high heat and melt some real butter in the pan, cook in small batches, 1-2 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

SO that's all I've got for now. I'm sure I missed some stuff. Ask away! Let's do this y'all. Let's clean up our diets and do work in the gym :-)