Weekly meal prep menu. Simplicity= key

With it being a holiday weekend this past weekend, I'm a little later than expected in my last post- SORRY!

Anyway, I mentioned that I think I'll start doing a weekly post on the weekend to share my meal prep for the upcoming week & also a goal of trying a new healthy dinner recipe each week. My new recipes this week are both a dinner & a snack recipe. My new dinner will be 21 day fix- approved buffalo chicken meatballs and my new snack is a Shakeology "pudding."

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm currently doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme and implementing the "countdown to competition" meal plan that came with the 21df extreme challenge pack I originally bought last year to get ready for my June wedding. I may not compete in staged competitions or in any bikini contests, but the CTC meal plan is for quicker/better results. With a goal date/scale number coming up and wanting to break my current plateau, this is good for me/my personal goals.

The CTC meal plan is essentially carb-cycling. It switches back & forth between "CTC days" and regular extreme days throughout the week as far as the meal plan goes- the workouts stay the same. Anyway, CTC days have higher protein/lower carb & fat and the regular extreme days are my normal 21dfx macro/portion calculations which have a little less protein and allow a tiny bit more carb. Here's my meal plan for the week to implement the CTC plan, which includes what my container portions are for the plan:

CTC days: 3G, 6R, 1Y, 3tsp

Breakfast: Whole wheat English Muffin w/ almond butter= 1Y, 1tsp

Morning Snack: ½ scoop Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ 0.5c unsweetened cashew milk & PB = ½ R, 1 tsp

Lunch: Ground chicken or turkey w/ veggies=2R, 2G

Afternoon Snack: Choc shakeo “pudding”- ½ sc Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ 0.75c plain greek yogurt & PB= 1.5R, 1 tsp

Dinner: Refer to dinner menu= 2R, 1G

Reg Ext Days: 3G, 4R, 2Y, 2 tsp, 2P, 1B, 1O

Breakfast: whole wheat English Muffin w/ almond butter & ½ sliced banana= 1Y, 1tsp, 1P

Morning Snack: rice cake with almond butter= 1Y, 1tsp

Lunch: Ground chicken or turkey w/ veggies =2R, 2G

Afternoon Snack: ½ scoop Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ ½ c cashew milk, frozen mixed berries & IW greens = ½ R, 1P

Dinner: Refer to dinner menu= 2R, 1G

**Swapped blue for an extra ½ Red**

 

I realize you're probably asking yourself "does she really eat the same breakfast & lunch everyday?" The answer is yes- for each week at a time, I keep my breakfast and lunch the same. But I usually change what that is each week, so I'm only really eating the same stuff for 5 days at a time (I only prep for the workweek then keep healthy stuff at home too for my weekend breakfast/lunch..and if I cheat, it's on the weekends- for example, going out to eat).
This meal plan-particularly lunch- may seem kind of bland to you as well. However, I make sure to season my meat & veggies with various spices- I always use garlic and garlic salt, along with other seasonings too depending on what the meat is.
I don't mind eating the same thing for 5 days in a row and it's still quite tasty to me and definitely keeps me full & satisfied. I also like to keep it simple, quick & cheap! I've already mentioned in the past that I'm all about saving that money which is partly why I meal prep! It saves tons of money, especially over time. I'm a fan of meal prep that's simple, quick & easy- it keeps me from having a laziness excuse; I can't say "wahh I don't feel like prepping..it takes too long" because my meal prep is quick.
This is just my preference. Using the 21df, 21dfx, or CTC plan doesn't have to be this "boring!" You're free to choose different meats, veggies, etc. if you get bored easily! The simplicity for me is part of what helps me stick to it but everyone is different =)

Below is my dinner menu for the week. Of course when I planned this out last week, I had a brain fart- or as my husband calls them, "Chelseanisms"- and I totally forgot that Monday was Memorial Day, so the planned dinner didn't happen. We'll be on track starting with Taco Tuesday tonight, though!

Dinner

Monday CTC: Crockpot chicken & veggies (R, G)

Tuesday CTC: Taco salad. Lean ground meat (R), Lettuce/Tomato (G), Optional Black beans/tortilla strips [Y]

Wednesday Ext: Buffalo chicken meat balls (1R, 1/2Y per svg) & salad (G)

Thursday CTC: Fish [R] with steamed veggies [G]

Friday CTC: Chicken [R] & veggies [G]

New dinner recipe followup/meal planning cont'd

Happy Friday, yall!

Well, I started to talk about meal planning/prepping in my last post and disclosed a new recipe I was excited to try, along with promising an update.

The 21 Day Fix approved alfredo was


....DUN DUN DUN...




Delish! ANNNDD picky husband approved! I'm always stoked when I not only try new recipes in general that he ends up liking...but especially when they're healthy recipes! SCOOREEE!
Chicken zoodle alfredo may become a "usual" in the Vera household as far as including it in my weekly dinner menu goes. It was so good I ended up taking leftovers for lunch the next day ;-)

Feel free to snag the recipe in my last post!


I think I'm going to make it a goal to try 1 new recipe each week. I've already planned next week's meals and my new dinner recipe for the week will be 21DF-friendly buffalo chicken meatballs ☺ I'm also trying a new snack recipe in my weekly meal prep for work next week- Shakeology "pudding." You guys will have more info later- think I have decided that I'll do a weekly weekend post with my meal plan for the upcoming week! ;-) Still new to this blogging thing so trying to figure out a "flow."

 

Stay Tuned!

Meal Prepping/Planning- new fav dinner dinner recipe!

Hokay. So.

Meal prepping & planning! Everyone knows that what you're putting into your body is more than half the battle.

I make a grocery list then grocery shop & meal prep every Sunday for the whole week. I have been meal prepping for 2 years or so now, and only prep my breakfast & lunch to eat at work- it makes life so much easier! Planning your meals makes grocery shopping a whole lot simpler/quicker and also saves money and TONS of time. Not to mention it helps keep you in check with your eating habits in your healthy lifestyle.

Dinner-wise, I've never really prepped nor planned too specifically unless I was craving something. I had moved out of my parents' house and in with my fiancé [at the time] about the same time I started meal prepping we had a roommate up until we got married last summer so dinner was always "whatever." Even now- or until recently- as my husband & without us having a roommate, dinner hadn't been planned to a T because, well...I had to make sure I made a dinner my husband  (who never paid too much attention or time on his diet) would like. I wouldn't exactly call him picky but he's a bit close-minded when it comes to that, lol. We'd always get general stuff while grocery shopping- chicken, ground beef, hamburger helper, frozen chicken tenders, mac & cheese, hot dogs, etc. and we'd just eat whatever was the easiest to put together/fit our schedules. For Christmas, he DID get me a Vegetti Pro and has been open to random "zoodle" dishes I've made, so I'll give him that ;-)

ANYWAY. Back on topic. As mentioned in my intro post, I'd started doing the 21 day fix extreme again- meal plan included. Wasn't long after I'd started it this go-round that my husband decided to hop on the scale & furthermore decided it was time to get back in the gym every once in awhile and pay more attention to his eating habits. He'd also quit smoking around this time which probably contributed to a little bit of weight gain...but we'll keep that observation hushed. He's "quit" smoking multiple times in the past but would still use his vape- but this time he decided to quit nicotine completely, cold turkey. He'd been meal prepping his lunch for awhile- the actual food being good choices but he didn't know- or decided not to comprehend- that there's more behind it than just the content. Everybody is different and has different calculations of what we call MACROs (macronutrient)- portions of carbs/protein/fats that we're supposed to put in our body for optimal health and weight loss/fat loss/muscle gain or whatever you're trying to accomplish. He didn't go by macros, he just bought what was supposed to be healthy food, cooked it & separated it into 5 containers in an amount that looked good to him (looked like "enough"/would fill him up). When he started seeing that this wasn't exactly working & that what I was doing for myself WAS working really well, he finally decided to let me take over his meal prep- he let me portion him out based on the 21dfx calculations individualized to him. I was SO excited he's finally letting me help him! It's so important to trust the process.
If you want a fool-proof sustainable meal plan without having to worry whether or not you'll stay satisfied or full, you can check out different 21df options here- including the original basic 21 day fix, as well as the 21 day fix extreme (which I use). If you're interested in a challenge group I have starting the 6th, you can check out the 21df challenge pack (which includes Shakeology) or the 21dfx (x=extreme) challenge pack with Shakeo within the link above & email me for details if you might be interested in joining!

I also decided to take meal planning to the next level and start making a weekly dinner menu! Now, I wouldn't be prepping dinner like I do with lunch but I would plan each night's meal, incorporate that into the grocery list, then stick to the plan for dinner. Again, it makes grocery shopping and life after coming home from work so much simpler.

So get this. One of my husband's favorite dinners is chicken or shrimp alfredo. I already know I can use zoodles in place of fettuccine for this..but I recently came across a recipe for 21DF-approved alfredo sauce! What?! Perfect timing with dinner planning & trying to get my husband on board. I'm so excited to try this tonight!

21 day fix alfredo sauce:



1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

3/4c plain yogurt (I'm using plain Greek yogurt for added health benefits)

1/3c parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp parsley

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

 

For those who are familiar with/already use 21df, the container portions for the sauce are 1 red, 1 blue, & 1/2 an orange container(s).

 

 

I'll keep y'all updated with how it turns out/if it's hubby-approved!

Some wrap facts

So- as a new blogger- I figured I need to post something more than just an intro/background to get started haha. So I decided I'll share some facts!

I want to share with you some of my favorite [and pertinent] facts about the It Works! most popular product- our wraps! 💚

 

 

1. It’s NOT water 💧 weight loss. There isn’t one single ingredient in our wrap that would cause water weight loss.

 

2. It’s a botanically infused cloth designed to tighten, tone and firm any area on the body from the neck down where you want to see instant results.

 

3. Our wraps reduce the appearance of cellulite 😍

 

4. One wrap works in your system for 72 hours so you only want to use one wrap every 3 days! 📅

 

5. One wrap is a “sample” but 4 is a full treatment! 🚫 DO NOT JUDGE YOUR RESULTS FROM ONE WRAP!!! 🚫

Just like someone wouldn’t "work out" one time and expect to be "fit," or go tanning ONE time and expect a tan, or use ONE crest white strip and expect white teeth, don't expect to lose 3 sizes with one wrap. Wraps need to be used in a TREATMENT! Although, people typically see results from ONE treatment, don’t stop there!!

 

6. Drinking LOTS of water 💧 during the 72 hours your wrap is working in your body yields better results! Your results will be progressive over that time frame!

 

7. TAKE PICTURES !! 📷 GUYS...If you aren’t willing to take pictures then you may as well not wrap! Because you are not going to be able to compare and see your progress!! TAKING PICTURES IS VERY IMPORTANT! 😊. They show your true results.

 

8. Wraps are NOT meant for lazy people to throw a skinny wrap on and skip a healthy lifestyle. They are designed to go hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle - hence the reason we have an entire supplement line!

But think how amazing it would be to throw a wrap on during those days you’re feeling discouraged and haven’t seen results in a while. Suddenly you’re motivated again! This is my favorite reason to wrap!!

 

9. Wraps will tighten loose skin from weight loss and pregnancy and shrink stretch marks! How amazing is that?!

 

10. Are your results at the gym permanent? That Depends on if you’re maintaining with a healthy lifestyle, correct? It's the Same with our wraps!!

Don’t knock them until you try them! 💁🏻

 

Of course, additional product info- including an ingredients list- can be found in the product description on my site & feel free to contact me directly with any questions!

Intro/Background!

HI! As you know, my name is Chelsea and I'm a health and fitness guru. Basic personal background: I come from an amazing family- great hard working parents and 3 siblings- 2 older sisters & one younger brother; I’m the middle child but the baby girl. I’m a blessed wife to a great husband I’ve known/been in love with for about 7 years. We’re still getting “our” life going as newlyweds as of June 2015! No kids yet but planning to start one day in the next couple years. Anything else you wanna know, feel free to ask! I’m an open book.

I'm new to this blogging thing so bear with me- but here's some background about why I'm doing this & what this is all about!

For starters, I've always been into fitness. I played softball my whole life including through college and was always in shape. Many people don't realize what all goes into being an athlete- or a competitive softball player specifically. Growing up I played ASA/AAU travel softball (you travel to compete in tournaments, most of them being showcases to get recruited by college teams once you hit the 16u/18u level); I started playing at this competitive level at the age of 8 and played little league previously. Anyway, I of course did this to get recruited and therefore continued my softball career into college. Everyone on the team regardless had field time 6 days a week- whether it be practice or games. This was in addition to assigned gym weight lifting workouts as well as conditioning twice a week. Oh and winter/summer/spring break? Forget about it. We got our big "breaks" like all other students for the summer but still had assigned workouts- most of the time they were crossfit workouts and same goes for winter break (which was shortened for spring-season athletes). Games were the easy part! Practices were anywhere from 3-6 hours long and sometimes twice a day. A 2-hour long practice was considered a lucky/short day. Welp..I was a pitcher (til Junior year) & outfielder which meant no breaks really during practice. BP (batting practice) was my “break” since it was the part of practice where I could actually have a sec to catch my breath. Pitching consisted of that- pitching which obviously involves compound and explosive movements. And as an outfielder…HA! Outfielders were running…CONSTANTLY. Whether it was sprinting across the grass during OF defense…or acting as baserunners during the infielders’ defense.

ANYWAY- sorry for the ramble but it’s essential to my story of how I got to where I am now! I quickly realized after graduating (May 2013) that I only had MYSELF to count on to whip me into shape & stay fit since I didn't have softball to force me into shape anymore! During the best shape of my life early-mid college, I was 135lbs which was all toned muscle. I’m 5’6 so some might think 135 sounds too skinny for my height but they’re wrong- I looked very well and healthy. I was in the 140-145 lb range during my senior year of college but was still very fit & looked so too. I ended up getting engaged soon after graduating- on June 29, 2013. I was still pretty fit/in shape by this time so didn’t think too much and I guess took advantage of my happiness and contentment with life.

SO. After gaining some [quite a bit of] weight through the 1st year after graduating (I ended up at about 170-175lbs- my heaviest- within a year…Jan-March 2014), I took it upon myself to start taking charge of myself- nutrition & workout wise. I was doing well in the gym & somewhat with eating and lost some weight but still wasn't exactly where I wanted to be. I gradually dropped- down to 160 then eventually in the 150 range.

HOWEVER, with my wedding coming up in June 2015, I needed some extra UMPH. I was introduced to It Works! in March 2015 and fell in love right away and ended up becoming a distributor. These products definitely helped to amp up my health/workout results but I'm stubborn and still wanted more- I was looking in the mirror for the girl I was in school when I was in the best shape of my life. In fact, I wanted to surpass it to look/feel the BEST I ever have for my wedding! It Works! Really does work but I had a certain # in mind to reach so decided it was time to add something new to my routine in order to shock my body and get more results.

 I was introduced to Beach Body- shortly after I was introduced to It Works- with the 21 Day Fix Extreme for some extra UMPH to change it up and amp up my "getting ready for the wedding." I started in May 2015 and the program worked REALLY well for me and pushed me past my current plateau at that point, and got me down to a number I hadn't seen since midway through college and I also loved how I looked/felt right in time for my wedding. It also worked amazingly well with my It Works regimen I was personally using!

 After the wedding, I sort of fell off the 21dfx train. Not only because I was content with life after my wedding, but I went back to my old gym routine. I loved what the 21dfx at-home workouts did for me, but I missed the gym and weightlifting. BUTTT…that, too, ended up becoming less frequent awhile after marriage; lol.

I also sort of dropped off the IW train a bit and I ended up getting back up to my pre-21dfx weight- yikes! Therefore, I kicked it back into high gear with the gym during this past winter (December 2015-March 2016) and even hit a squat PR for the first time in 2 years and made it in the top 10 for girls on squats at my gym (of course, not by squatted weight period but they go by a proportion called Wilkes points). I've been pretty fit and healthy and have dropped some #s since but I kept hitting plateaus..regardless of trying new/different things. I admit- I can be a “yo-yo” dieter sometimes with trying to find things that work- and get impatient when they don’t OR when they stop working/hit a wall. SO- in order to break those plateaus & start reaching my goals, I decided to go back to something safe. Something I KNEW worked well for me/my body in the past as well as made a great team with my usual It Works! products. I got back into following the 21 day fix extreme- I started my 1st current round this past April 2016 and combined with It Works, it's doing what I wanted/thought it would do.

As mentioned earlier, I’d already been running my It Works! business for about a year. I still love/use the It Works product line and very much believe in it!

 However, since I'm also very active, I wanted to combine my products with the actual activity aspect since I'm an avid user of both! So, here I am. Lol. Although I’m still a newbie to the Beachbody Coach world, I wanted to utilize both sides of the spectrum to help you reach your goals! I wanted to bring both of these programs I'm an avid user/believer of together to tackle both sides of the spectrum & forward my health and wellness passion to help others tackle their goals as well! It also helps that I already had some prior fitness/health knowledge in my background- not an expert or anything but as an athlete, we’d worked with quite a few personal trainers and nutritionists throughout my softball career =) I'm not one-dimensional in my personal life and therefore refuse to be one-dimensional with my passions as well 😊 Doing both of these not only gives me the ability to promote health in a fitness sense, but pretty much virtually any health/wellness goal!