Clean Eating 101: What I Eat in a Day
I post a lot of recipes and get a lot of questions about them, so this seemed like a natural next post! This is generally what / how I try to eat all the time, but I am particularly strict with it when I’m trying to lose weight or have been completely out of whack with my nutrition (which has essentially been me since Thanksgiving - yikes!)
This is a non-restrictive guideline which, if I follow to a T, I always lose weight on - even with cheat days - until I plateau (I’m very close to my goal weight so this happens all the time for me. It probably won’t for you if you’re just starting out.) Even if weight loss isnt your goal, this is a pretty great guide for starting to eat healthy whole foods!
Breakfast (Pick ONE)
1 egg + 1/4 cup egg whites scrambled WITH 1/2 cup oatmeal sweetened with stevia, cinnamon and blueberries or strawberries OR a 1/2 tbsp peanut / almond butter
Blueberry Mug Muffin + 1/4 cup egg whites scrambled
A variation of Aubernutter’s mug pancakes with strawberries or peanut butter (I adjust my carb intake for the rest of the day accordingly depending on which variation I pick.)
1 egg + 1/2 cup egg white omelette with spinach, cherry tomato and parmesan cheese
Lunch
Lunch is always the easiest as I pack it the night before and it’s easy to play with a bunch of combinations. I always stick to picking ONE of the following in each “column”
4 oz of PROTEIN - pick one: Chicken, tilapia, (4) hardboiled eggs (only 2 have yolk)
1 serving of green VEGGIES - pick one: Broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach. (I always add a small handful of cherry tomatoes to whatever my veggie is)
1/2 cup of a COMPLEX CARB - pick one: Sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa.
Snacks (choose what fits your macros/ calories/ hunger level. Sometimes I have two, sometimes I don’t need any)
1/2 cup greek yogurt + 6 drops stevia + cinnamon + 12 almonds WITH an apple
1/2 cup greek yogurt + 6 drops stevia + cinnamon WITH 1/2 cup Fiber One Bran Cereal
1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1/2 cup blueberries or strawberries
1/2 cup cottage cheese plain with 3 oz baby carrots
1/2 cup canned chicken + 1/8 cup cottage cheese + splash of balsalmic vinegar SPREAD ON cucumber slices
Dinner
Same as lunch, minus the complex carb.
Post Workout
Easy-peasy post-workout shake. I love Gold Standard Optimum Nutrition protein powder. I get it locally for a better price than anywhere I’ve seen. I tend to stick to most of their chocolatey flavors because I can pair them with milk or water and it’s still delicious. BUT this has been my go-to post workout shake as of late, and with the added psyllium husk, keeps me so full.
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Trader Joe’s is hands down the best)
1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Extreme Milk Chocolate whey protein
1 tablespoon psyllium husk (also from Trader Joe’s)
5 ice cubes
Add water as necessary to blend
Side note: psyllium husk expands with whatever you pair it with, so if you’re not full after drinking this, wait a bit and have a glass of water!
REGARDING CHEATS
Don’t deprive yourself. Or beat yourself up. Or take this as a strict regimen. Heck, I don’t even do that. When I do “slip up” I make sure it’s with healthy, whole foods. And I allow myself one “cheat” per week. A cheat to me is anything with processed food A. because I’m usually not satisfied after eating it, causing me to eat more and B. I genuinely consider processed foods a cheat because they’re basically void of valuable nutrients. Rule of thumb: this is a great guideline, but when you’re hungry - eat.
