Being content with a stagnant situation does not ever seem to work out well for people. I think we all crave change or a new sense of direction at some point in our lives. We might be content with being in a certain house, job, relationship, etc. but we find ways to spice that up and make things interesting.
You paint your house, you renovate the kitchen, you take trips with your spouse, you have children, you get new clothes to wear to work, you try to climb the ladder and get a pay raise…you are never truly content even if you are staying in the same place/situation. The same can be said for your personal goals.
Once you reach a goal, you don’t just say well that is great I can quit now. No. You create a bigger goal for yourself. You keep pushing yourself to do more and become better. I recently reached a HUGE goal for myself. I have been trying to accomplish this goal for over 3 years now. Between having two c-sections, having extra vertebrae that makes back injuries extra bad, and lack of time or focus has made this goal difficult to accomplish.
Taking so very long to reach one goal can be discouraging and empowering. Yes, working for that long on one thing can be daunting, but finally accomplishing it can build an enormous amount of positive self-esteem. It can get the ball rolling on new goals and push you to keep trying. Just when you feel like giving up, you get a little bit of light shined on you for your dedication and just like that, it happens! You can’t just stop when you accomplish a big goal, you must create another one and keep the one you just accomplished polished and in good practice.
In my case, I accomplished a certain movement, a bar muscle-up. I can’t just stop working on that movement because it was achieved. I actually tried it again a few days after and couldn’t do it. It is crazy how that works. Perfect one day and nothing the next. I was bummed about it all week, I didn’t even want to attempt it again. I was super discouraged, but I tried a week later and got it. It was helpful to hear other people say that the same thing happened to them.
In order to keep moving forward and keep getting better, I must keep practicing and continue perfecting them. Getting it right one time doesn’t mean I should loosen the reins and stop trying. Just because you reach a certain weight doesn’t mean you go on a binge session that sets you back into a negative mindset with food, then causes you to gain back more than a few pounds. Being diligent in your efforts even when you have accomplished a goal, is key to the direction you will go next.
As a cross-fitter I feel like I am always trying to reach new goals, never truly satisfied with what I have done. I am proud of myself for things that I have accomplished, but I want more. I want to use that PR weight in workouts, not just on max lifts. I want my form to be flawless on weights that used to be difficult. I want to effortlessly do chest-to-bar pull-ups because they are currently not. My point is, I am never satisfied because there is always room to grow. There is always something that can be perfected or tweaked.
We can all use some tweaking in our lives, whether that be in the gym, kitchen, or spiritually. When you reach that goal you have been chasing, you must decide what direction to go in next. You could celebrate the win and take a break or celebrate and keep moving forward. Making a new bigger goal does not mean you aren’t proud of what you have accomplished, but that you are humble and hungry.
M E N U
Butternut Squash Soup + Chicken Breast
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin + Fall Veggies
Creamy Garlic Herb Mushroom Spaghetti
Healthy Turkey Chili
You would not think that chili could be on a “cut-diet” but I assure you that it can. If you keep watch on the number of calories that you are taking in throughout the day, you can still have great “normal” food. There is no need to starve yourself to lose weight! Promise. This also means, do not throw any extras into this chili-like cheese and sour cream. Those extras will add up very quickly and you will be in a bad spot.
Keep in mind when you look at my changes that I am making enough for my kids to eat (hopefully, kids can be so picky) and for Josh and myself to have for supper and lunch. Typically this can easily get around 7 large servings. Each serving is 391 calories, 35.6 grams of protein, 25.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 16.5 grams of fat.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 lb. extra lean ground turkey *2-3 pounds 80/20 or ground venison 1 bell pepper -red, green, yellow or orange *6-7 ounces of green bell pepper 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 sweet onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes *4 cans fire roasted tomatoes 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed *2 cans black beans 1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Garnish (optional) shredded, low fat cheddar cheese *Omit fresh parsley
Butternut Squash Soup + Chicken Breast
If you have never made butternut squash soup, just trust me. It is so good.
This soup is such a great fall/winter dish. It really can be the main dish, but just doesn’t meet our protein needs. It says to use goat cheese and that is a great addition, but it doesn’t need it really. There is enough fat in this dish with the bacon for us. I like to add the broth while I blend it to adjust the thickness. I like this soup to be thick, not thin and really soupy.
The last time I made this, per serving it had 285 calories, 14.6 grams of protein, 31.2 grams of carbs, and 9.7 grams of fat.
This soup is a labor of love, but it is so good. The bacon is a MUST so don’t skip it. When you are weighing out your bacon, weigh the bacon that goes into the dish raw. Then weigh the bacon you use as a topping AFTER it has cooked.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks *1-2 depending on size 1 onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, chopped 4 slices bacon, diced *3 ounces raw 2 tablespoons olive oil *omit 2 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste FOR THE SOUP 4 slices bacon, diced *0.5-1 ounces cooked bacon per serving 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or more, to taste 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese *can omit if wanting a low fat/calorie dish 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin + Fall Veggies
I haven’t made THIS particular recipe before, but I have made one similar to it. I love sheet pans for two reasons, one is easy to prep and clean-up and number two, I can easily weight out exactly what I need to eat. With Josh currently cutting calories, it is to my benefit to use meals that cannot be separated to count macros on. I need to be able to customize his portions to fit his needs and also still get what I need.
Ingredients: 1 pork tenderloin 1 pound (450g) Brussels sprouts, rinsed and halved 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced Parmesan, for garnish *reduced fat parmesan Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish The balsamic rosemary sauce 1/4 cup (60ml) Olive Oil *omit 1/4 cup (60ml) Balsamic Vinegar 8 garlic cloves, peeled 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh rosemary leaves 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 1/2 bouillon cube, crumbled (optional) 1 tablespoon honey *1 ounce 1 tablespoon hot sauce of your choice
Greek Chicken Traybake
This is probably one of my favorite dishes to make. It is super easy to throw it all in one dish and just cook until the chicken is done. I love finding new recipes for chicken that have a ton of vegetables. I was pretty skeptical because I don’t cook much with artichoke hearts and have never been a fan of them on my pizza. Sometimes it just takes one ingredient to ruin a whole dish.
This dish was SUPER healthy and full of flavor. I stopped people to recommend it to them that are watching their calories. I don’t usually do that. I added rice to my meal because I do need the extra calories, but without the rice, it was the perfect “cut meal”. Make sure you try this one, it would be great for a large crowd and sure to please everyone!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients 1 red bell pepper cut into 2 inch pieces 1 yellow bell pepper cut into 2 inch pieces *10-12 ounces total bell peppers 1 red onion cut into eighths 2 cups cherry tomatoes *around 50 total tomatoes 165 grams artichoke hearts 1 lemon 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half or 4 chicken thighs *chicken breasts (3-4 for 4 servings) 2 cloves garlic crushed 1/4 cup olive oil *omit 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp thyme 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 2/3 cup black olives *15 grams per serving 1/4 cup chopped feta (omit for Paleo/Whole30) *12-14 grams per serving nonfat feat crumbles
Creamy Garlic Herb Mushroom Spaghetti
I am pretty excited to try this dish. To make it work for me, I am going to use spaghetti squash. I would use carba-nada but with Josh on a cut, he doesn’t need the extra calories from it.
It calls for “herbes de Provence”, which is a new one for me. I am going to use the basic herbs that I keep at home for my Italian dishes. Nothing too fancy. I linked a DIY “herbes de Provence” because I know you won’t be able to find that where I live. I am going to keep the sauce and noodles separate. I don’t want to get too much sauce in one dish over another, plus it would probably make my spaghetti squash less desirable.
I am going to add in cooked chicken breast to my dish to get the protein I need. I am pretty excited to try this one out!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 8 ounces whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.) *spaghetti squash 4 tablespoons butter, divided *2 tablespoons 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided 16 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced 2 tablespoons flour (or whole wheat flour) 1 teaspoon herbes de provence *favorite italian seasonings 1 1/2 cups milk *1 cup whole milk salt and pepper to taste 3 tablespoons olive oil *omit additional 1/4 cup water, broth, milk or cream (optional) *water or broth if too thick 1/4 cup fresh parsley (more to taste) *add in protein of choice- shrimp or chicken breast would be great
