Why I’m NOT Creating a Week Long Meal Plan for Summer
Good Morning! It is SUCH a gorgeous day here in North Mississippi. I went for a long run early, took the boys to school, and now I’m sitting down to plan out my week and my approach to this holiday weekend!
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| Sweet Milo! |
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| One of my Carb Cycling Dinners from this week |
I normally plan out a weeklong meal plan every Thursday or Friday prior to the new week. When I am working (full time college History instructor) it helps me to stay on track, with grocery shopping and saving money, and provides me with ready meals for when I’m way from home at the office. I know that weekly meal planning intimidates most people and prevents them from even trying! If that’s you, don’t let it stop you!
Meal Planning Tips
When Meal Prepping for an entire week, here are some of my top tips:
- Start small. Just plan out your dinners. If you have a family you are feeding, this is a huge chunk of your meal plan! It helps me to have the groceries purchased and know what I’m cooking so I don’t come home after work without a clue! AND, I typically make enough dinner for leftovers the next day. So really, I’m knocking out two meals at the same time!
- Snacking. It takes a HUGE load off my mind to have snacks prepared for the week. That simply means bagging some nuts, boiling some eggs, and having fruit portioned out so that I can grab and go. I love to snack. And if I don’t keep food on hand that fits into my meal plan, I end up at the vending machine or the drive thru….and I don’t have time to mess up my results!
- Convert your meal plan into a grocery list. So many people complain that clean eating is too expensive. Well, when you create a meal plan and you KNOW what you are eating and you ONLY buy those foods you need, less foods go to waste! It’s such a game changer in the $$$ department!
- Shakeology. Shakeology is a fast, simple and super nutrient dense meal that I don’t even have to think about! It is almost always my breakfast, and helps me stay on track and OFF of sugar! My latest fix is to add a teaspoon of almond butter, sea salt and a splash of hazelnut flavoring…and oh…my….goodness! It’s divine! If you want to try the new Vegan sampler pack, just click here.
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| Shakeology for breakfast |
But!!!! The title of this blog post deals with NOT making week long meal plan during the Summer!
Carb Cycling Meal Plan
Honestly, when I’m home for the summer, I don’t want to restrict myself to JUST what is on my meal plan. I have more freedom to choose what’s in our fridge and pantry and don’t have to pack lunches for work.
And I have been trying carb cycling based on the 21 Day Fix Extreme Meal plan. It hasn’t been too tough! I enjoy the food a lot and I can already see a big difference in my body and how it is functioning!
I won’t pretend to be an expert on Carb Cycling, but I’m always learning an challenging myself and seeing what my body responds to. The basic concept is that it optimizes your metabolic rate making your body more efficient at burning calories!
If you want more information on it or to find some more meal plans, I’ll post some links at the bottom here!
Summer Lovin’
Man! God has been speaking to me this past week about the motivation behind caring for my body. I’ll be honest. I’ve had some negativity about what I do as a coach and what I’m doing for my body. And the competitive part of me wants to fight back! Prove a point. Get leaner and stronger just to SHOW those haters.
But I know that type of motivation won’t cut it with God. He wants my heart more than he wants my body. I should be working out and eating clean because I know my health MATTERS! To God and to my family.
Not to prove myself or to advance myself. .
I started coaching to do something GOOD and POSITIVE with my life. But I lose that focus some days in the midst of the push! .
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I want to do it because I CAN make a difference and share my faith. It doesn’t matter what others think about it or if I have the perfect body. .
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God has USED me these past three years and that is my only goal. God has CHANGED me, and I praise Him for that. God is daily CALLING me closer to Him, and I’m thankful for these little gut check moments that draw me even closer. ..
If you struggle with the same things, can I encourage you to NOT allow it to stop you!
Shift your focus back to where it needs to be and keep going!
Resources on Carb Cycling:
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/carb-cycling-meal-plan/
http://paleoforwomen.com/carb-cycling-and-weight-loss-for-women/