Weekly Food Prep: Eating Healthy (er)

Warning: this is a long post but it is the one I have promised to those of you that have messaged me on Facebook to ask me questions about losing weight! :) Trust me I do not have all the answers but I am definitely a whole lot healthier than I was when I moved to Florida!!! 

Every weekend I get my meals ready for the upcoming week. Since so many people have asked what I've been eating to lose the weight, I decided to post about it. DISCLAIMER: You will not lose weight by shopping off my list. Lol!!! Let me mention that I count calories (and protein, carbs, sugars, and fiber) by using My Fitness Pal on my iPhone (1300 calories or less daily), and I do my best to get to the gym 3-5 days per week. I also drink 5+ twenty-four-oz bottles of water every day. I also eat 6 times daily. 3 meals and 3 snacks. Ideally my meals are about 300 calories or less each, and snacks are 100-150. This has really helped me!!! Obviously every day is not perfect. If that were the case, I probably would have lost more than 50 pounds in the last 12+ months!  

FOOD PREP: First I take my trip to Publix if needed. This week I did have to go. Granted the exact foods I buy sometimes varies but the food I purchased this week is my most tried and true weight loss food!

When I get home, I set any berries I have bought to soak in a white vinegar solution. This week it was strawberries. I place them in a large mixing bowl, cover them in cold water and add about 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Soak about 10 minutes to kill any mold spores on the berries (thank you, Joanna!). This prevents them from rotting and makes them last a full week. After they soak I cut off the green tops and replace them in the plastic container. Berries are a good fruit to eat in moderation (1/4-1/2 cup serving!) when you are losing weight!!!

Then I stir some sugar-free fruit spread into my container of Fage 0% fat plain Greek yogurt. Add to taste. Since I eat only 1/4 cup of yogurt at a serving, The plain 0% plus fruit spread is around 40 calories a serving. Then I add fruit or a few almonds and it's a perfect snack.

Next I take my other fruits out of the the plastic bags, rinse them and put them in my fruit bowl. I don't buy a lot of of fruit because I don't eat a lot of fruit. I eat more now than I used to but still only eat one piece of fruit per day, plus about 1/2 cup of berries. Fruit does not = weight loss. It's too high in sugar. Yes, I know, it's natural sugar. But I digress. Lose 50 pounds, and then we'll talk. This week I have 2 kiwi fruit (which is 1 serving), 3 nectarines, 2 plums, and a mango. I also have 2 petite sweet potatoes in the fruit bowl. They are 4 oz each when cooked and I eat only half at a meal.

I then rinse all of my produce and put it in the appropriate place in the fridge. This week I have 2 packages of asparagus, some french green beans, and for salads--fresh baby spinach, baby kale, spring mix, and arugula. I also have grape tomatoes, an avocado (I only eat about 1 oz per day), purple onion, and bell peppers. Some weeks I use oil and vinegar dressing but sometimes I get sick of it. This week I'm sick of it so I bought Naturally Fresh Lite Peppercorn Ranch. It has 80 calories for 2 tbsp. and I rarely need more than a 1 tbsp of dressing so that works for me. I shy away from any store-bought dressing that has more than 50 calories per tbsp. P.S. I do not eat fat free dressing. It's disgusting. :)

I then take out my meat/protein and get it chopped and cooked. This can be any lean, boneless, skinless meat I guess but I rarely eat anything but chicken. This week I chopped up chicken cutlets. I usually cook about a pound at a time (this is about three 4-5 oz servings when cooked). Good rule of thumb to remember: 1/2 tbsp of olive oil for every 1 lb of meat. I put a little sat, black pepper, and garlic salt and toss to coat. Broil about 8 minutes per side and cool before refrigerating in a tupperware container. I use it on salads, or eat it with sweet potato and green veggies. Sometimes I dip my chicken in some spicy mustard. Yummy. (This is the meat I use for lunches, since I am on a time budget most days.)

I also boil 12 eggs. One of the keys to weight loss is eating lots of protein, especially when working out. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, granola, almonds, eggs, chicken, beans, spelt breads, etc. are all foods that contain plenty of protein. Sometimes I eat 2 eggs at a meal (I feed one of the yolks to the dog...lol), or 1 egg for a snack. Sometimes I have to throw eggs away at the end of the week but this way they are there if I need something quick. For about $2 a dozen I don't feel that bad if I don't eat them all!

 I also rip apart all of my string cheeses. I like to have low-fat mozzarella string cheese around for snacks and Rich eats it too. I also have things that are just for convenience if I get too tired to cook a real meal. :)  Some of the items I bought today will last for the whole month, and some just for the week or maybe 10 days if I am lucky (such as the produce, lunch meat, etc).

Basically at breakfast and lunch I have complex carbs and protein with fruit or veggies, and at dinner I just have protein and veggies. For snacks I always try to be mindful of protein as well. I have made a list below of the items I need in my kitchen to eat well.

Breakfast items: 
Kashi Go Lean cereal: Toasted Berry Crumble (this cereal has protein!!)
Kashi Go Lean hot cereal: Honey and Cinnamon (and this cereal has protein!!)
Organic Valley fat free lactose free milk (90 calories per serving)
Jennie-O extra lean turkey bacon (20 calories a slice)
Omega3 eggs (right now I have 1 dozen boiled plus 1 dozen fresh in the fridge)
Brummel and brown spread (15 cals per tsp... for bagel thins, English muffins or spelt toast)
Thomas whole-wheat bagel thins (If I remember these are 100 or 120 calories each)
Thomas 100 calorie English muffins
Spelt bread (calories will vary! choose wisely!)

Snack Items:
Pure Protein shakes (120 calories and 23g of protein--I like frosty chocolate flavor)
Jenny Craig protein bars (110 calories and 10 grams of protein. Also have all your daily vitamins, etc. in them. One of my friends on JC gets them for me every week) :)
Greek yogurt (cals will vary)
Breakstone Cottage Doubles--I only like the blueberry. 100 calories in each container.
Almonds (I have raw, roasted without salt or oil, and roasted with dark chocolate in the cupboard. Remember that usually 14 almonds is about 100 calories.)
Low-fat string cheese (70 calories each)
Fruit

Lunch/Dinner Items
Sweet potatoes
Spelt bread
Boneless, skinless, fat-free chicken white meat only!
Turkey lunch meat (get a good brand or you will be attacked by carbs!)
Salad fixins (spinach, kale, arugula, spring mix, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers)
Green veggies
Spaghetti squash
Lemons (love to cook chicken with fresh lemon juice, or put it on my salads)
Frozen meals. Get a healthy one!!! None of them are that great for you but there are times in the week when having a frozen dinner at home will prevent me from eating out when I am exhausted. If it has more than 350 calories, put it back!!!

I'm sure there is other stuff I have but this is really the bulk of it. Make sure to have fat free, low-sodium chicken broth, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, expeller-pressed coconut oil, balsamic vinegar, spicy mustard, salsa etc. around the house to use in cooking and for condiments.

Cheers!