Here’s Your Sign
Sometimes I wish I was Jeff Foxworthy and could walk around giving unsolicited advice on nutrition. I don’t though, because well, that would be rude and some people (really the majority of people) don’t care what they are eating nutrition-wise. Most care what they are eating based on their taste buds and immediate satisfaction.
Fruits are carbohydrates. Here’s your sign.
Fats are not the best source of protein. Here’s your sign.
Crash dieting/fad diets do not keep the weight off. Here’s your sign.
Weekend binge sessions will make you gain weight. Here’s your sign.
Alcohol has calories. Here’s your sign.
Carbohydrates are not bad. Here’s your sign.
If you eat unhealthy foods, you will be unhealthy. Here’s your sign.
The unsolicited advice I could give is endless, but you get the point. Usually, when I sit down for a meal with people they make certain comments either about what I am choosing to eat or what they have on their plate. I never comment on what someone is eating, unless asked. Often I hear about how they skipped breakfast, so that is why they have whatever is on their plate. I hear about how they only ate a tiny piece of cake or split it with someone. It is almost as if they think I am judging them for what they are eating when I am not concerned in the least bit. I am only really concerned about what myself, my kids, husband, and clients are eating.
For me, healthy choices are more about common sense and will power than counting macros and researching what is in my food. With that being said, I do have food knowledge, so I am aware of what I am eating. Sadly, a lot of people just do not seem to know what is or is not healthy. A lot of people don’t know what falls into the category of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. I was asked this past week if sour cream would be a healthy option to substitute with…um, no. Please don’t use sour cream in the place of mayonnaise. That bag of giant chocolate/chips/candy you keep in stock in your desk drawer isn’t helping you lose the weight you keep complaining about either.
If someone is happy with their weight and body composition it is none of my business what they are eating (& even if they aren’t happy). If they are happy I am happy for them. There are not many people that are completely satisfied with their outward appearance and at some point will complain about, but complaining is about as far as it goes for most. Most do not take the time to evaluate what they are consuming and the daily habits that they could change to make an impact.
Most of the time when I meet with someone I hear that they barely eat and don’t understand where the weight is coming from. I hear that they do exercise and do not understand why the weight won’t come off. In their minds, they don’t count the bag of chips they had after breakfast they “skipped” before the lunch that they got seconds on, because they haven’t eaten all day. They forget about that half slice of cake they got at lunch and have another half at supper too. They don’t count the fruit and vegetables they are eating, because fruit and veggies are healthy. That one glass of wine wasn’t that big, so it didn’t count either. They justify all the extras anyway they need to, which sets them back even further.
Everything adds up. Here’s your sign.
Everything you choose to eat, no matter how little makes a difference. You might only have half of the peanut butter and jelly you kid didn’t eat, but you ate it. If you are restricting your calories/macros, then that most certainly counted toward your daily goal. The rest of the milkshake your kid didn’t finish…that you (I) polished off, yeah, that counted too. I know these things add up and count toward my total macro goal, so I make sure to plug them in. I don’t just ignore the fact that I had them. I don’t justify my sideswipes of their food because I am pregnant. I still count it. I still want to know what my daily intake is. Even if you are not tracking your macros, keeping a daily log, or just even just a mental check on what you are eating is more proactive towards reaching your goal than doing nothing.
M E N U
Cilantro Lime Chicken + Mango Salsa
Brisket + Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Flat Iron Tortas (steak sandwiches)
We are heading to the beach this week, so I am trying to clean out the fridge and use what we have in the freezer instead of buying a ton of groceries. For these sandwiches, I use cubed deer meat but you can use any cut of tender steak that you like.
It is such an easy delicious recipe. You can meal prep the whole dish and reheat the meat before you assemble the sandwiches. The sauce is super simple and you can make it as spicy or mild as you like, depending on how many jalapenos you use. I usually skip the avocado on these sandwiches because the steak has a decent amount of fat. If you are on a high-fat diet, be my guest. I would opt for a smaller brioche bun or do an open-faced sandwich or wrap.
If you aren’t into spicy, try using 1 tablespoon of butter + 44 grams of reduced fat blue cheese + fresh basil on the meat. This mixture should be split between 4 servings, not intended for one sandwich. Top off the meat with lettuce and tomato.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 pound flat iron (top blade) steak *any tender low fat steak 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 chewy, crusty rolls, split *fresh baked brioche bun 1 cup finely sliced romaine lettuce 1 large carrot, grated *matchstick carrots 1 small avocado, thinly sliced 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt *single serving container nonfat plain Greek yogurt Juice of 1/2 lime 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeño peppers, plus more as desired
Cilantro Lime Chicken + Mango Salsa
We had this last week and loved it so much I am going to make it with shrimp this week. This would be so good with salmon or snapper too. I added in a black bean salsa mix that I normally put into a different taco and it was a great addition. The black beans are simply beans seasoned with cumin, sauteed with your favorite salsa. I cook them down until the beans are soft enough to mash.
If you need more carbs, add in a second tortilla or serve over rice. If you need fewer carbs, opt for a low carb-tortilla and eat the excess in a bowl.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: Chicken Marinade 1 and 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (can also use thighs) *chicken breast, shrimp, or fish 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice, separated *1/4 cup orange juice 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon olive oil, separated *omit oil 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, separated 1 and 1/2 teaspoons lime zest, separated 1 tablespoon honey *0.5 ounce 1 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon cumin, separated 2 and 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, separated Mango Avocado Salsa 1 ripe mango *1/3 cup per serving 1 ripe avocado *0.5 ounce per serving 1/4 cup finely diced red onion 1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno, optional Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper Optional: cilantro-lime rice or quinoa (see recipe notes) Black Bean Mix: Two 15 oz. cans black beans *1 can 1 cup salsa *Fresh salsa in the produce section 1 tsp. cumin
Chicken Salad Wrap
This chicken salad is not like your local chicken salad sandwich with mayo, pecans, and grapes. Honestly, it is boring and very healthy. You MUST season this dish like there is no tomorrow and add some hot sauce to the wrap as well. I like to drizzle sriracha on my chicken salad once I have it wrapped up in a low carb, high fiber tortilla shell. Chicken salad is a staple at the beach for us, so we will definitely have it on hand to snack on.
I always cook covered on the stovetop, just because it is easier when meal prepping. If you aren’t worried about macros or meal prepping, a whole rotisserie chicken would be much easier. If you boil the chicken it will be pretty bland from so make sure to season it a lot more than normal when you cut it up to mix with the sauce.
I love that this meal doesn’t have any actual mayo. You make your own with egg, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. I don’t use any oil in this mayo and it makes it low calorie and cut friendly. The last time I made this I had 26.8 ounces of cooked chicken breast. It made 6 servings, each at 134 calories, 27.1 grams of protein, 0.3 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.7 grams of fat, without a tortilla. Make sure to grab a low carbohydrate tortilla. The ones I use are only 50 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein. Not too bad compared to the normal 45 grams of protein that most tortillas have.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 whole roasted chicken or 2 pounds of chicken *chicken breast ½ cup finely chopped celery Juice from 1 lemon (about 2-3 Tablespoons) ⅓ - ½ cup Paleo mayonnaise (see recipe below) ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning Mayo 1 large egg, at room temperature (very important to be at room temperature) 2 teaspoons lemon juice, at room temperature 1 cup light olive oil (or 1/2 cup olive oil + 1/2 cup avocado oil) *omit oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard, optional
Brisket + Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
Josh’s newest obsession is smoking a brisket. I can’t say that I mind, because the leftovers always turn into a giant omelet the next morning.
There is a special technique to cooking a brisket and he is steady trying to get it down pat. I think he’s got it figured out now and is planning to smoke a brisket and take it to the beach with us. I am planning to contribute some healthy mashed potatoes to go along with it. Potatoes alone are not unhealthy, as long as you don’t eat 5 pounds of them. Usually what gets people are the toppings or things they mix into their mashed potatoes.
One night we decided to make some mashed potatoes to go along with our steak. Friday and Saturday night is usually not planned but we still try to keep pretty healthy. I saw that I had some non-fat Greek yogurt in the fridge and threw it in there. Josh thought it was sour cream and I just let him think that until he tasted it. Once he gave the approval, I let him in on my secret. Since then that is how I have made our potatoes, even for guests and they have never been able to tell the difference. Make sure to use caution when adding in the yogurt, the more you use the sweeter the potatoes will taste.
Throw a vegetable, like green beans + cherry tomatoes + garlic + balsamic vinegar in the oven and you have a complete meal.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: Holy Cow seasoing The Gospel seasoning Brisket Mashed Potatoes: 900-1000 grams red potatoes 65-75 grams non-fat Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon butter 6-8 ounces fat free milk salt, pepper, minced garlic, fresh diced rosemary
Pulled Pork Sandwich
We just had BBQ last week, but we are going to cook a few things to take with us to the beach so we can have some healthy easy meals on hand. Our whole family loves good BBQ and it is effortless to cook and throw in the cooler. Snacks are always great to have down on the beach, but I want to make sure we still have something decent to have for lunches. Couple that with the uncertainty of restaurant openings out of town, it is better to be prepared than scrambling and having to just pick up something from random places
There is no link for this recipe because it is so simple that you don’t need anything to guide you. I love being able to get a pork butt to cook it one way and make two completely different meals. Usually, I will have a sandwich and tacos or a pork bowl on the menu.
I used to cook the meat in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. Now, we smoke the pork butt on the RecTec util it is to temperature and season with the honey bacon bbq seasoning from Meat Church. Delicious. If you can’t get that seasoning, what we used to put on our meat is a great go-to basic seasoning that can be used for any recipe.
To season, I evenly coat all sides with yellow mustard, then season with preferred seasoning. Once the meat is in the crockpot I add in soy sauce and apple cider vinegar so the meat does not dry out and soaks up some extra flavor. Once the meat is cooked thoroughly, let it cool and then separate the meat from the fat. It really does defeat the purpose of healthy tacos and sandwiches if you leave the fat in there. Plus it is just gross.
I do not add the BBQ sauce until I am ready to eat each serving. I make sure to weigh out my sauce for every sandwich before I put on the bun. I make sure to get a low carbohydrate sauce, so I don’t over waste too many of my carbs on the sauce. Simply put the bowl on the scale, weigh out the meat and the sauce in grams or ounces, depending on the nutritional label. Toast your bun, top with the meat, and pickles, and enjoy!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 Boston Butt honey bacon bbq spice OR Paprika Salt Pepper Yellow Mustard Onion Powder Chili Powder Garlic Powder 1/4 cup Soy Sauce 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar Brioche Bun Pickles Low Carbohydrate BBQ Sauce
