This might sound strange, coming from me, but I have no idea what my goals are at this point, specifically my fitness goals. I feel like I’m just floating along doing absolutely nothing, which is okay considering my “condition”, but I am not one that likes to sit idle for very long.
Thomas and I have been going for walks pretty regularly, but walks can get mundane. After all, I feel like I have worn a path in the sidewalk with the number of walks my babies and I have taken since school let out for the pandemic. This past Friday, Thomas and I took a walk and went to the gym. It took me forever to get out of the house so I got to the gym later than I wanted. I picked a few movements that I felt were going to be easy enough on my incision and went for it. Thomas woke up right at the end of my workout, so I ended my last set of 50 calories holding him. Probably should have just quit because I ended up holding him the whole walk home because he was hungry and not having any of it. Can’t exactly nurse walking home, while pushing a stroller, and not flashing everyone.
I know first things first I just want to feel like I am back in shape. Those calories on the bike felt horrible. I was so out of breath and my knees hated me the next day going down a set of stairs. You think you can just pick right back up where you left off, but that just isn’t so. Being out for four weeks and trying to heal during that process just takes a toll on your body.
After I had Anderson I was running at 4 weeks postpartum. This time around I am not trying to go run. I don’t have the time with two other kids and deer season here to try my hand at running. I can see how women still have baby weight to lose several years after having their babies. Making yourself carve out the time to lose the weight, without feeling guilty in the process, is not easy.
I am trying to plan ahead to when I will find the time (guilt-free) to workout once maternity leave is over. I can wish, hope, pray that Thomas is sleeping through the night or that he wakes up at just the right time for me to still make it to the 5 a.m. class, but it is hard to plan that far ahead with a baby. You just never know when they will wake up or how they are going to sleep. Heck, my two older kids wake up super early, sometimes while I am gone to the gym. If Thomas were to wake up while I was gone, Josh would be in a pickle.
If you know me, then you know I prefer structure and a schedule. I don’t see myself being able or honestly letting myself go to the afternoon classes at the gym. I have such a hard time taking time away from my kids to do something for myself. I am sure they don’t really care whether they are hanging out with me, but I don’t like the idea of putting them right into child watch after they have been at school or daycare all day for the sake of me getting in a workout. That might be something I have to get over and just roll with it. I need that time for myself.
For now, I am just going to tiptoe back into shape and go from there. I can’t decide if I care about lifting heavy anymore or if I just want to be the healthiest version of myself. Lifting heavy is really cool and I do love the feeling of a PR, but at some point, that just doesn’t really matter. How much I can squat, snatch, press, etc. does not make me any healthier…but it sure is fun. Being able to handstand walk, do rep after rep of muscle-ups sounds more appealing to me right now. We shall see which one gets more of my attention, who knows, maybe gymnastic movements and lifting will just come back to me.
MENU
BLT Chopped Salad + Corn, Avocado, Feta
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos + Cilantro Lime Ranch
Apple Butter and Sage Pork Chops + Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
Sheet Pan Hawaiian Pineapple Shrimp Tacos + Creamy Jalapeño Special Sauce
Healthy Taco Dish
This is a taco casserole, but I am going to leave the chicken, rice, and broth out to get the most accurate count on my macros. The rice and chicken can be added separately to each person’s dish depending on their macro needs. I think this could even be thrown in a tortilla and be great.
The recipe also does not want you to strain your meat before adding in the vegetables, but I am going to cook the meat, strain it, weigh it, then add in the vegetables. I am going to do this so I can get an accurate weight on my meat, rather than straining after I add in the vegetables. You might want to strain a second time once the vegetables are cooked to get out the excess water from the vegetables.
If you are adding rice to the mixture while it cooks in the oven, you will need to add the broth. If you are going to add rice to each serving after it has cooked, then you will not need the broth. The vegetables and tomatoes will prevent the meat and veggies from drying out. If there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid to your liking, add in 1/2 to 1 cup of broth. You don’t want it to be soupy, but don’t want it to dry out either.
Remember that the changes I make are not only for macros but also to ensure that I have at least 4 servings for two very hungry adults, plus some extra for the kids. We eat these meals for lunch and supper. Leftovers are great for tracking macros since you already know what the macros are!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef *20 ounces or chopped chicken breast ½ medium onion, diced *1 onion 1 small bell pepper, diced *4-5 ounces 2 small zucchini, diced *3 squash or zucchini 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning (or store-bought) 1 (14-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 2 ¾ cups beef broth *beef or chicken depending on meat used and if adding rice ½ cup frozen corn *80 grams sweet corn 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice *cooked separately 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, divided *20-30 grams fiesta cheese per serving Optional toppings: Salsa, diced avocado
BLT Chopped Salad + Corn, Avocado, Feta
I always make this salad into a bowl and add chicken for extra protein. The first time I made this, I was very unsure of how this would taste with only a little seasoning and chicken. Honestly, it was so good, I was pretty surprised.
I love this bowl because you can completely customize it to your macros. With there not being a sauce the only thing to factor in is your food. Sauces can eat up our calories and macros if you aren’t careful. If you need to keep things low carb, you can always eat it as a salad.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 2 cups butter lettuce, chopped *lettuce or rice for a bowl option 2 cups fresh arugula, chopped *1/2 cup cooked rice per bowl 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered *10 tomatoes per salad 4 slices thick-cut bacon, fried and crumbled *0.5 - 0.8 ounces cooked bacon per salad 1 cup sweet corn *pan seared sweet corn 60 grams per salad 1 avocado, chopped *0.7 ounces per salad 4 ounces feta, crumbled *non-fat feta 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil *omit oil 1 lime, juiced 1/4 tablespoons salt 1/4 tablespoons pepper *cooked chicken breast
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos + Cilantro Lime Ranch
Don’t let the simplicity fool you, this was the BEST beef taco I have ever made. It was so good I got seconds I love that there is a sauce with this one, that I can make completely healthy. I also like the idea of using ground beef. We made those box tacos it seemed like every week when I was growing up, this will be a nice nod to the 7,000 El Paso seasoned tacos I had growing up, just better.
I have made this with pulled pork and it was okay. I preferred the ground venison much more over the pork. I am going to use chicken breast this time. I haven’t used chicken breast yet, but that will allow me to use more cheese than I normally do and that is always a good thing!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil *omit oil 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey *chicken breast 1 yellow onion, chopped 2-3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, use to your taste 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, use to your taste 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon kosher salt 12 hard shell tacos (see notes for homemade option) *low carb-high fiber tortilla 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese *10-12 grams per taco CILANTRO LIME RANCH 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt *non fat Greek yogurt 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped + 2 tablespoons brine juice from 2 limes 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Apple Butter and Sage Pork Chops + Yogurt 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.
I was so nervous about the macros the first time I made these pork chops. I was not familiar with apple butter, I just assumed it had to be loaded down with carbs like jelly was and then adding apples too! I couldn’t imagine that these would be good for my macros, at all. I just knew that I would be blowing my carbohydrates for the day. I don’t usually calculate macros before I decide to cook a dish, typically I can make some pretty good guesses on what needs to be altered to make things healthier.
The second time I increased the apple butter and it still did not push my macros to the limit. I was so happy to find a new tasty recipe for pork chops. Just like chicken breast, pork chops get really boring after a while if you don’t mix things up. This is the perfect recipe to mix things up with.
To make sure each pork chop has the same macros for apple butter, I add it to each chop individually. I make sure that each pork chop gets the same amount. Each pork chop will weigh differently, but they will still have the same macros for the apples and apple butter.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 2 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick *4-6 pork loin chops 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil *zero calorie olive oil spray Kosher salt and black pepper 3 tablespoons salted butter *1 tablespoon 12 fresh sage leaves 2 garlic cloves, smashed 2 tablespoons apple butter *around 50-70 grams depending on your macros 1-2 honeycrisp apples, cut into wedges *2 apples, for 4 servings 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme Yogurt 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
Sheet Pan Hawaiian Pineapple Shrimp Tacos + Creamy Jalapeño Special Sauce
I love the sauce that this recipe calls for. It is super simple and very similar to many ‘pineapple bowls’ that I make, but it’s good! This might be my new favorite sheet pan and sauce.
I am going to throw in some pan seared green onions, onions, sweet corn, and green bell peppers. The last time I ate this, I thought it could use some more volume, without adding a lot more calories. i don’t want the calories to be too hugh and have to skip out on the rice.
Originally this dish had shrimp, but we used the trimmings from a beef tenderloin last time and it was excellent.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined *5-6 ounces of steak per serving 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil *spray pan with olive oil 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon sriracha flaky sea salt and black pepper 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks *1/3 cup per serving 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced CREAMY JALAPEÑO SPECIAL SAUCE 1 jalapeño 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt *60-70 grams non-fat greek yogurt juice of 2 limes 2 teaspoons honey *0.5 ounce 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped *optional toppings 1 ear raw or grilled corn, kernels removed from the cob warmed corn or flour tortillas, plus mashed avocado, for serving *served over rice
