Mo Goes...healthy

People are constantly asking me for healthy meal ideas, this always amazes me because my favorite foods aren't healthy at all - I love mac n cheese; everything taste good deep fried or wrapped in bacon; I'm regularly craving something sweet, crunchy, or salty; & I am perpetually battling my diet soda addiction.

With that being said, I do try very hard to live a healthy lifestyle. Including, cutting back on the booze, eating kale every damn day, busting my ass at the gym, & only drinking diet soda on "special occasions." Everything is about moderation & compromise. I think I do a pretty good job at sticking to the 80/20 rule - 80% of the time I'm super healthy, 20% of the time I treat myself. It works for me. Whenever I deprive myself of my favorite, unhealthy foods, I end up falling off the wagon & staying off the wagon for a while. Treating myself allows me to bounce back quickly.

I typically like to buy non-processed foods…anything that comes in packaging is as clean & close to real food as I can get - less than 5 ingredients & I know what each ingredient is. When I eat out in restaurants I treat myself (side note: not all salads are healthy, use caution).

If I feel like I need to jumpstart my weight-loss goals or if I'm too lazy to grocery shop/cook, I usually substitute 1-2 meals/day (for about a week) with a hearty protein shake.

Protein Shake:
1 cup water, a splash of almond milk, 2 tablespoons PB2, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon flax seeds, 1 tablespoon hemp seeds, 2 scoops protein powder (I like Isagenix) & sometimes a handful of berries

Otherwise, this is what my typical meal plan is:

Drinks: get ready to pee a lot! Bonus if you do 10 squats for every potty break
Throughout the day, I drink 1 gallon of lemon water
AND I usually drink 2-3 cups of green tea

Breakfast:
Muesli (this is my favorite breakfast) - 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup Muesli (can be found in the oats section of the grocery store), 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1 tablespoon flax seed, & fruit.
Refrigerate overnight & enjoy in the morning
OR
2 pieces of Ezekial bread (can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store) with almond butter, 1 egg + 2 egg whites scrambled or hardboiled (depending on if I am eating on the go), & some fresh berries

Snack: I keep my morning snacks lighter than my afternoon snacks based on my schedule
1 cup of green tea with either 1 cup of fresh fruit OR 10 almonds

Lunch:
1 grilled chicken breast with 2 cups of steamed veggies
OR

Spaghetti squash with asparagus & spinach in sautéed in olive oil & garlic, with a little bit of feta cheese
OR
Turkey sandwich - 2 pieces of Ezekial bread, 3 slices of turkey, spinach, & some goat cheese. I usually pair this with either carrots, grapes, or Skinny Pop popcorn

Snack:
1 cup of green tea with either an apple or celery & almond butter OR a Bear Naked protein bar

Dinner:
Kale salad - a whole container of organic kale, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, a little bit of feta cheese, & either a vinaigrette dressing or olive oil with salt.

Enjoy & happy clean eating!