Tag: meal prep

5 Weeknight Paleo Dinner Recipes

5 Weeknight Paleo Dinner Recipes

Happy March and happy daylight savings time! Once it stays lighter outside, I love prepping dinner ahead of time and/or keeping the recipes nice and easy so I can spend more time outside in the sunshine. Below is a download link for 5 weeknight Paleo 

End of February Meal Plan

End of February Meal Plan

I have another meal plan for you this week with breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes as well as suggestions for healthy snacks. The goal of these weekly meal plans is to take the guesswork out of constructing your own healthy meals each week and to 

Simple Way to Build Meals

Simple Way to Build Meals

When you ‘train’ your body and mind to crave simple and nutritious meals, you will always feel satisfied. And when you learn to prepare your food in a way that supports your goals, life just becomes so much easier. The more elaborate and complicated you make your everyday meals, the harder it is to create sustainable satisfaction. When I’m preparing my typical meals, I focus on the following which makes any meal prep so much easier.

1. Protein First!
Quantity: Shoot for >30 grams per meal. The range I tell clients is 30-50 grams/meal, on that higher end for men. Ideally to build muscle mass, maintain current lean muscle mass and live longer you should be consuming your IDEAL body weight in grams of protein daily. WHY?

Protein is the building block for your muscles and muscles burn fat. Eating protein at every meal keeps your metabolism revved up all day long.
– Protein has a high thermic effect, which means it actually increases your metabolism.
– Protein is the most fulfilling macronutrient – it actually signals your brain that you’re full.
– Protein supports muscle tissue during weight loss so your body loses fat instead of muscle. More muscle = higher metabolic rate.

Focus on leaner cuts of meat and dairy to make hitting your protein goal easier and think about adding your own healthy fats so you can control the amount you’re consuming AND the quality.
Examples:
Choose nutrient-dense, leaner protein sources, animal-based if possible:
Sirloin, filet, chicken breast, ground turkey, pork tenderloin, white fish, tuna, salmon, lean ground beef, eggs, non-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. You can use protein powder to fill the gaps but don’t rely on it for every meal. My favorite protein powder is ANY flavor from Just Ingredients. Use code fitsommrachel for 10% off your order.

2. High-Quality Fats
Let’s shout It out together now – fat does not make you fat! Fats play an integral role in so many processes within our body – from hormonal control and production to brain power to reducing inflammation to blood sugar control and… fat loss. Fat also slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, reducing blood sugar spikes and keeping your body in fat-burning mode.

Quantity: Typically between 5-30 grams per meal depending on your personal preference and goals as well as meal timing around your workouts. I like to think of healthy fats as “condiments”.
Examples: Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee, nuts and seeds, nut butter, some cheese, fattier fish, etc.

3. Fiber
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is not digested and does NOT raise blood sugar. As a matter of fact, it actually slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Fiber keeps everything moving and is essential for a healthy gut and digestive system.

Types of Fiber:

Colorful Non-Starchy Veggies
Quantity: Eat as much as desired! Veggies add volume and fiber to keep you fuller, longer and of course help you bring in lots of micronutrients. But be cautious of adding too much fiber in one sitting because it can cause GI distress, bloating, gas, etc. if you overdo it.
Examples: Asparagus, broccoli, leafy greens, summer squash, cauliflower, bok choy, cucumber, tomato, etc. (too many options to list out but you get the idea)

Fruit & Starchier Carbs
Quantity: Typically between 20-50 grams (which is about ¼ cup to 1 cup depending on what you are eating), depending on your personal goals and preferences as well as activity level. I like to ensure about 50% of my starchier/fruit carbs are allotted to meals surrounding my workout (i.e., in the meals before and/or after workouts)
Strength training <3 times per week: 1 serving/day
Strength training 3+ times per week: 2 servings/day

Examples:
All fruit (my favorite lower in sugar are berries), potatoes- sweet potatoes/purple, winter squash, oats, wild rice, quinoa, beans, corn tortillas, and lentils

4. Don’t forget the Salt & Spices!
Use high-quality salt for flavor and to ensure electrolytes are balanced (sodium also helps influence the absorption of nutrients). Keep a large selection of spices in your pantry to ensure that you never get bored with flavors (Trader Joe’s has great selections of spices).
Quantity: ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon salt while cooking or added to meals. Spices/seasonings as desired

5. Overall Timing – what do I eat and when?
The meals around your workout are ideally high protein, higher carb, and lower fat.
The meals further from your workout are still high protein, but higher fat and lower carb. I also like to eat more of my carbs earlier in the day for energy + I workout in the morning.

Want to take a deeper dive into EXACTLY how much you should be eating in a day based on your lifestyle and activity level? Fill out my FREE 15 minute consultation form and we can discuss your individual needs!

February Weekly Meal Plan

February Weekly Meal Plan

Happy February! I have another meal plan for you this week with breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes as well as suggestions for healthy snacks. The goal of these weekly meal plans is to take the guesswork out of constructing your own healthy meals each week 

January Meal Plan #2

January Meal Plan #2

I have another meal plan for you this week with breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes as well as suggestions for healthy snacks. The goal of these weekly meal plans is to take the guesswork out of constructing your own healthy meals each week and to make 

January Meal Plan #1

January Meal Plan #1

Welcome to 2024!

As I was planning my meals to get a jumpstart on my nutrition this January, I decided to share my 1st week meal plan with all of you for FREE. I get asked daily about recipes, meal plans, advice on nutrition and what to eat. I thought what better way than to offer this recipe ebook for all of you.

The goal of these weekly meal plans is to take the guesswork out of constructing your own healthy meals each week and to make grocery shopping a breeze. All of the meals in the plan focus on protein, fiber and healthy fats and are carefully crafted to keep you full, satisfied, and your body in fat burning mode. All of these recipes are *actually* delicious, comforting, and family-approved. This meal plan is for Monday through Friday so there’s room over the weekend to have leftovers or go out to eat.

My first weekly plan for a healthy January Kickstart includes the following recipes:

Vanilla Blueberry Protein Smoothie
Creamy Vanilla Blueberry Protein Oatmeal
Avocado, Radish & Microgreens Toast
Chicken Caesar Mason Jar Salad
Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
Chermoula Steak Tacos
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Glazed Salmon with Broccolini

Enter your info to download this FREE Weekly Meal Plan to kickstart your nutrition this year.

(*Please check your SPAM folder in case the download goes there. It will be from FitSommRachel!)

7 Day Whole Foods-Plant Based Diet Meal Plan

7 Day Whole Foods-Plant Based Diet Meal Plan

The Whole Food Plant Based Diet is a completely animal product-free approach to healthy eating that maximizes whole grains, vegetables and legumes, while minimizing refined sugars and oils . This plan provides adequate protein from a variety of plant-based sources including grains, legumes, nuts and 

A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prepping

A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prepping

A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prepping What is meal prepping? Why would I prep all my meals in advance? This meal-prep guide for beginners will help you get a handle on how to begin, how to choose your meals, how to make a meal-prep grocery