Let’s talk about obstacles. Household chores, job, managing kids, making time for your spouse, working out, stressed out, exhausted, celebrations, social life, deadlines, traveling, the list goes on and on…that is just life. Life gets in the way sometimes doesn’t it? Sometimes it seems impossible to squeeze it all in. This is when you have to prioritize. I think you have time for what is important and if it means enough you will make time for it. If it isn’t important, you will use every excuse there is to not do it. I think that should be a good indicator to you, that is just doesn’t mean that much to you. I think we like to tell ourselves that x, y, and z really do matter and we really want it, but never put in the effort to achieve it. Fitness and healthy eating do not just fall into your lap, if it was that easy everyone would be walking around with 6-packs.
We are headed out of town for Easter, but I still want to meal prep for next week. I can’t let going out of town keep me from having our meals on track for the upcoming week and just making my life easier. To stay on track I went grocery shopping on Thursday, so when we get home on Sunday I can get started cooking! Going out of town does not have to stop you from meal prepping, if you make it a priority. I was not always like this but being healthy and spending time with my family and not with my kitchen every night is what matters to me now.
Things really changed for me once I joined e8 Crossfit. I have been a part of several gyms, but nothing like crossfit. As corny as it sounds, it really is like a family. Troll on any crossfit page and you will see an overwhelming amount of love and encouragement. Maybe it is because we are all suffering through the same wonderful, tortuous workouts. There is a special bond created because everyone, no matter their skill level is dying a little bit inside giving it their all. I am sorry but you just don’t get that same kind of bond running beside someone on the treadmill or doing curls looking at yourself in the mirror. There are no headphones, no mirrors, no creepy guys laying across the dumb bell rack asking if he is sexy (true story). There is music pumping, high fives, cheering, smiles, looks of agony, crazy fish out of water deep breaths, lots of sweat, everyone knows everyone, and your coaches KNOW you. I would not trade that for a normal gym, ever.
Once I joined the gym, I started skipping out on having a drink on Friday night because I wanted to feel good during my Saturday morning workout. For me this wasn’t a sacrifice. I wanted to get up early on my day off and go “hang out” at the gym. I wanted to go work on my technique. I wanted to go be around people that had the same goals as myself. I didn’t want to jeopardize my chance at a PR because I had a few drinks. This mentality really set in deep with Josh and myself. Being healthy is a priority for us. A big priority. Being healthy is not just about working out, but about what you put into your body as well. You cannot out train a bad diet.
MENU
Chicken Breast + Broccoli/Yellow Rice
Stuffed Pork Loin + Kale Salad
Chicken Stir Fry
Pork Chops + Citrus Beet Salad
Pork Chops + Roasted Vegetables
Chicken Breast + Broccoli/Yellow Rice
This meal is about as simple as it gets and can all be cooked ahead of time. I know, I know this is your typical meal prep kind of food but yellow rice is some kind of delicious to me. Who doesn’t love rice anyway?
Season your chicken to your liking and cook to temperature. Chicken legs and thighs are delicious but they contain more fat than what you really need. I stick to chicken breasts to avoid the extra fat.
I buy 3 heads of broccoli for Josh and I because I like both of us to have a cup at each meal. Two heads of broccoli always leaves me just a little bit short of that. Steam your broccoli with a little bit of salt and butter and you are good to go!
Cook your yellow rice according to the directions on the package and enjoy!
Stuffed Pork Loin + Kale Salad
This is the healthiest and best stuffed pork loin I have found. I am not typically fond of mushrooms, but I really enjoy them in this recipe. Make sure you go easy on the pine nuts they contain more fat than you may realize. Another great reason to track your food 🙂 Add more spinach than you may think, it wilts down a lot and is a great way to get some extra greens in. I get a block of parmigiano-reggiano to grate over my salad.
The title of this salad is the Simple Kale Salad and it is very fitting. Kale, almonds, cheese, and a dressing. That is it. The dressing is was makes this salad so good, so do not skip it. Making your own dressing is a great way to control the unnecessary fats and sugar in prepackaged dressings. I really can’t remember the last time I bought a bottle of salad dressing.
Chicken Stir Fry
Josh whipped this up over the weekend for lunch with some leftover veggies and chicken from the menu last week. It was so simple and good that we are making it again! The mushrooms, red and green peppers and onion were already chopped so he just sauteed them in the pan with 1 Tbsp of EVOO. He chopped up the chicken while the veggies cooked down and added the chicken to the pan to cook down with the veggies. He seasoned the vegetables and chicken with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and teriyaki marinade. Lastly, he added 1 cup of cooked jasmine rice to the pan to heat up in the pan and soak up some of the flavor.
If you are tracking your food and don’t want to create a recipe or feel like you aren’t getting an accurate amount of protein, carbs, and fat, you can keep all the ingredients separate and measure them out individually.
Pork Chops + Citrus Beet Salad
Since pork loin is on sale this week, we are buying a large pork loin to stuff and use the rest for chops. I like to cook my pork chops in the oven with some garlic powder, smoked paprika, Cavenders seasoning, Tony Chacheres seasoning, or I will make a sauce to baste them with.
This beet salad is right up there with the one I posted on my first menu with the watermelon and tomatoes. Beets and oranges have a good bit of carbs so do not overdo it during the day so you can eat a good portion of this at supper! I bought 3 oranges because you need one to squeeze for juice and the other two for the salad. I always put roughly 1/2 an orange on each salad. I try to stick to 1/4 or 1/3 cup of chopped oranges and 1/2 cup of beets for each salad. The dressing is delicious, but make sure you measure everything out so you are aware of the fat and carbs in the dressing. Small things like the dressing can really throw off your macros if you aren’t careful.
Pork Chops + Roasted Vegetables
Pork chops, again 🙂 Sorry no fancy fish or steak on this one. I will leave that for Josh to cook Saturday night. I don’t like to plan out our weekend meals because plans always change and honestly I don’t like to cook a lot on the weekend.
Roasting vegetables are a great way to mix things up and keep it healthy. You can literally have any combination of vegetables, EVOO, seasonings, and you are set! I am throwing together sweet potatoes, butternut squash, an onion, tomatoes, cauliflower, garlic, and brussel sprouts. Balsamic vinegar is a good choice to season your vegetables with if you want to leave out the EVOO and heavy seasonings.
Print your list and get to shopping!
