Ingredients 4 cans of Kirkland chicken breast or 1/2 a rotisserie chicken pulled a part (you can sub in canned tuna or salmon as well if you prefer) 4 chopped hard boiled egg whites (minus the yolk) 1/2 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt 1/2 chopped onion 2 chopped tomatoes
Instructions 1) Add the chicken to a bowl. Mash it up to get rid of the chunks and make it as pulled apart as possible so it resembles the consistency of canned tuna. 2) Add the remainder of the ingredients to a bowl, mix well and divide into 4 servings. 3) Place it inside a romaine lettuce leaf and enjoy like a taco!
One thing that I've learned along the way in this journey is the importance of planning. We've all heard the saying "Fail to plan, plan to fail" and I find this to be so true - especially when it comes to not only planning but actually preparing my lunches in advance. Since I work from home I don't need to actually pack my lunches, but just having everything ready to grab, put together and eat makes a huge difference in my success each week!! This was an idea I originally got from eazypeazymealz.com and I just made a few slight adjustments for my own preferences here!!
INGREDIENTS
Greek Chicken 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each) 1/4 cup olive oil 3 tbsp minced garlic 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp dried oregano 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt sea salt and pepper to taste
Cucumber Salad 2 English cucumbers, sliced 1/3 cup lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Tzatziki Sauce 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 English cucumber, shredded 1 tbsp minced garlic 1/2 tbsp dill weed 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp lemon zest Salt and pepper to taste
The Rest 3 cups cooked brown rice 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup red onion slices
INSTRUCTIONS 1) In a large freezer ziplock bag, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, greek yogurt and salt and pepper. Massage to mix. 2) Add chicken into the bag. 3) Massage to make sure chicken is fully covered and marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 12 hours. 4) Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade. 5) In a skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. 6) Add chicken when it is hot, and cook, flipping part way through. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Cooking time depends on thickness and size of the chicken. Cook until internal temp is 165 degrees. 5) Remove from pan, and let cool. 6) Once cool, cut into bite sized pieces. 7) Meanwhile, make cucumber salad by chunking the cucumbers, and tossing in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and oregano. Set aside 8) Make tzatziki sauce by combining the Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill weed, lemon juice, lemon zest in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. 9) Refrigerate while assembling your bowls. 10) Cook brown rice according to package directions. When finished cooking, divide between meal prep containers, 1/2 cup in each container, halve cherry tomatoes, and mix with red onion slices. Divide amongst the bowls. 11) Top with chicken, cucumber salad, and some tzatziki sauce. 12) Keep for 3- 5 days in airtight container, serve cold!
So I know that one of things that can MAKE or BREAK your success in your weight loss and fitness journey is meal planning.
We've all heard this familiar quote:
Honestly, this quote annoys me... Not because it's not true (it is 100% true) but because I am not the planning type. One of my biggest hurdles in my own journey is meal planning, but when I do it the reward is amazing because I feel better, my clothes fit better, I have more energy, etc,etc,etc. It is also nice to not have to just "wing it" during the week with what I'm gonna eat! So since this is an area a lot of people struggle in I decided to share with you my SUPER SIMPLE steps to creating your meal plan! I have meal plans that I like to provide my clients, but I find that it's better to make it yourself because then you will put on it foods that you enjoy and are more likely to stick with it :) (note: I am not a nutritionist or a certified dietician, this is simply what I do and have done to meal plan in the past :) )
Grab a notebook and a pen (or just a blank piece of paper would work too)
Get a source for your foods - ie. if you are calorie counting open up My Fitness Pal or whatever you use to calorie count that has a good food database - this will prevent you from having to get up a million times and dig through the pantry and fridge to find calories in foods.
Figure out how many calories or servings of food you will want to "save" for dinner each day first off (hint: if you are calorie counting and following a 1200-1500 calorie base, I recommend trying to keep Breakfast, Lunch and dinner around 300-400 calories and snacks around 100-200 calories)
Start creating your meal plan - I usually give myself two options for each Breakfast, AM Snack, Lunch and PM snack so I can switch it up throughout the week - you do not want to try and come up with 7 different breakfasts, snacks and lunches - that would take you way too long, be way too overwhelming and cost you way too many groceries!! Remember we want you to follow through on this so keep it simple!
As you are coming up with the items you are going to have for each meal/snack go into My Fitness Pal (if you're calorie counting) to add up the calories as you go. Or if you are using another meal plan, just count for each item as you go!
Then comes the fun part! Make up 7 different dinners! I usually try to have one fish, one red meat and one pork each week and then keep the rest chicken or ground turkey... Need recipe ideas? Check out the recipes page here or some of my favourite sites for recipes are skinnytaste.com and thegraciouspantry.com
Create your grocery list! I usually do it as I go, especially if I am trying new recipes and there are ingredients in the recipe I need to get as well!
THAT'S IT! head out the grocery store with your list in hand and grab all you need for the week! This will prevent you from needing to run to the store mid-week... Want to see more in depth how I meal plan? Watch my video!
