...at least I'm trying. Considering I've had 2 colds in three weeks, I'm not sure how well I'm doing😉
ANYWAY, so on top of trying to eat healthier, some times I just want to take the THINK work out of it and let something else lead the way. And this time of year, the guiding force is the Tone it Up Bikini Series! The last time we did the series was in 2015 and we both were very happy with how we felt at the end of eight weeks...even while I was pregnant with Lily😉 And while you can scroll all my old posts to find lots of meal options and suggestions (I'm coming for you pesto quiona bowl!), I think the series has evolved to be MUCHHHHH easier. Not as many 40 ingredient recipes + an hour workout a day. The key to ANY healthy lifestyle is accessibility and this current program definitely has those elements.
So here's a peek at what we've been eating lately (yes, Scott's following too😉):
BREAKFAST:
OK...so YES, of course Tone it Up suggests their protein pancakes and YES, those are good....
BUT!!!
BUT, BUT, BUT!! THESEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE protein pancakes are the BEST:
I'm so obsessed with this brand that the first day I made them for breakfast, I made them AGAIN for lunch and then proceeded to drive to Shoprite and purchase about 7 more bags😉 The cinnamon apple is great, the banana hazelnut is good (just doesn't taste much like banana), but my favorite is still the plain ole' buttermilk. I've had them with peanut butter (for more protein for hungrier days), syrup and even just plain fruit and they're all REALLY good. Because it's not just about the taste with protein pancakes, but the texture and these are SPOT-ON in both categories. (Make sure you let the batter sit for the suggested three minutes for the extra FLUFFY pancake)
Other FABULOUS grab & go breakfast options (TIU always kills it in the breakfast game!) we've had are...
Prepped the oranges, banana and coconut in freezer bags and then just add to the blender in the morning with the coconut water & protein powder. These are absolutely divine!
MID-MORNING SNACK:
Snacks are KEY to keeping your blood sugar steady throughout the day...aka-keeping hunger at bay. I've been so busy prepping lunches the last couple months that once I started prepping snacks also, they help soooooo much in keeping you honest & healthy with your diet. I always forget this fact so quickly for some reason😉 But truth be told, I never ONCE craved chocolate the last week or so...because I never got to lunch STARVING. Snacks are key, people. SNACKS.
I actually prepped a batch of these on Sunday and have to bake up another batch today since not only did WE really like these, but so did the kids! I love that their base is not SOLELY protein powder, but also mixed with almond meal or oat flour (which you know I LOVEEEE!)
This is also great for afternoon snacks and just the perfect little bite of sweet. Bonus: I was surprised the ONE tablespoon of maple syrup for the whole recipe gave JUST enough sweetness to make this feel like a treat.
LUNCHES:
For dressing I just used those little 90 calorie packs of guacamole from Calavo. Not only are they grab-and-go and preportioned, BUT it also KEEPS THE GUAC GREEN. Cause who wants grey avocado dressing??😝😝
AKA-throw healthy veggies & protein in a collard green and wrap it up! Scott liked the collard greens, but I'm swappin out for iceberg next time...just cause I like it better even if it's not as nutritious. These wraps were grilled chicken, hummus, red peppers, sprouts (LOVE SPROUTS!), carrots & cucumbers. We also had chicken, black bean, red pepper & more 90 calorie guacamole, which were also delicious.
This week's lunch and I'm INLOVE😍 We swapped the yogurt for 1/4 mashed avocado and it's just AWESOME. The Ezekiel bread is good, but for today's I swapped it for that above-mentioned iceberg lettuce wrap and really loved it.
AFTERNOON SNACK:
Secret ingredient in this one? Riced cauliflower! I'd be lying if I said you couldn't taste it at all...butttt it's still tasty. I ❤ cinnamon.
Other snacks:
- hummus & vegetables (cucumbers for her, carrots for him)
- Larabars
DINNER:
If there's one thing I'm never crazy about the TIU program, is that the dinners can be pretty boring, even if protein and vegetables really is the way to go on the health front. That said, you're also eating so well during the day that most times ya kinda don't even care what's for dinner. Not to mention, they've also made their dinner options EXTREMELY easy. Most days last week we had this one:
Tahini Tray Dinner (subbing chickpeas for chicken)
...which I actually really loved. We made a big batch of this one night and had the leftovers for a couple nights. The only real variation we made was to coat the chicken in that lovely "Everything but the bagel" spice mix from Trader Joe's...., which also worked.
Can't say it was super exciting, but it was quick, healthy and did the trick. I had pizza & a burger over the weekend anyway, so it all worked out😉
And the workouts have been GREAT as well. Aside from the Sandy Sweat HIIT I mentioned to you before that I LOVEEED, I've also been loving:
- The Best Arm Workout
- Sunshine Sculpt
- And the oldy, but goodie: Love your Body HIIT
All under 20 minutes or less and all very effective. Some days I mix in cardio and other days I'm too tired, so I don't😉 I always will say: 10 minutes of working out is better than nothing!
Well...that's all I got for you today. I'll be back on Friday to share more tips about workouts!
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As always...thanks for reading!
