It wasn’t until right after college that I really got into learning about the food I was eating and the balance between eating right and working out. Growing up it wasn’t something I worried too much about since I was always at tennis practice, running around and lucked out with a fast metabolism. Now, reading about the health benefits associated with certain foods and drinks fascinates me. Since I get a lot of questions regarding my workouts, favorite healthy meals and how to snack/eat healthy when traveling I thought I’d compile all my tips and favorites in one post.
For me, eating 5 smaller meals a day works better. I eat every 2-3 hours and all of them are smaller in portions. Here’s an average run down:
breakfast: greek yogurt, overnight oats (this recipe w.chia seeds is my favorite) or oatmeal (avoid the packaged kinds with tons of sugar).
Meal 2: a piece of fruit or kind bar
lunch: a salad loaded with veggies and protein (either chickpeas, turkey or hard boiled egg), a green monster smoothie w. scoop of protein, or some kind of quinoa dish
Meal 4: 1/2 of a quest bar, veggies + hummus or almonds
dinner: this one is all over the place with recipes. Check the food+ drink tab for my favorites!
Recipes:
While I enjoy eating out, I honestly love opening a bottle of wine, turning on some Van Morrison or Frank Sinatra and cooking at home. It’s easier to know what’s going in your food, it’s relaxing and I love trying new recipes. My go-to sites for finding healthy recipes are: pinterest boards, skinny taste, iowa girl eats
Snacks:
Since I spend most days traveling either by plane or car and rushing around between appointments, I always grab snacks before leaving the house. You’d be amazed at how many “good for you” granola bars are out there deceiving you. Justin’s almond butter is great paired with an apple or banana on the go. I’m usually on the first flight out from St. Louis to Atlanta and will get the Starbucks oatmeal in the airport and swirl this in for added protein. Quest and Kind bars are typically the only snack bars I eat because they’re all-natural, have protein to keep you fuller and taste so good. The Quest bars actually taste like their flavor and have 21 g of protein! Trust me, try the chocolate chip cookie dough.
Drinks:
Flat water and sparkling water are my (non-alcoholic) beverages of choice. La Croix has tons of great flavors and even makes a great addition to wine as a spritzer come happy hour 🙂 I’ll make a giant pitcher of water and flavor it with fresh fruits and veggies for some added flavor. Strawberry +mint or cucumber, lemon slices and mint are two of my go-to’s. Be sure and give it a few hours for the water to absorb the flavors.
Fitness:
This is a personal preference for a lot people. Some people love crossfit, some hate it. Find a form of exercise that you love and run with it. A mixture of hot yoga, spin class and pure barre are what I turn to. Try something outside of your comfort zone. I was beyond intimidated to first try yoga. All of those scary poses and people all sweaty directly next to me? Yikes. It ended up changing my fitness life. Cheesy, but true. It helps to remember that the experts were once beginners too.
The Tone it Up girls have great workouts when you’re traveling or it’s a hectic day and you can’t make it to the gym. You don’t need equipment for a lot of their workouts and you’ll work up a good sweat in no time.
Plan Ahead:
On Sunday nights I’ll make a batch of something that I can easily re-heat or eat throughout the week. Quinoa is perfect for this. Cooked in vegetable broth amps up the flavor and then toss in any and all veggies that you like. Some of my other favorite meals:
Chickpea and Tomato Salad w. Basil
Greek Salad & Dressing (pair w.hummus and pita)
Avocado Mozzarella & Brushetta Chicken
Best Ever Chicken (great on salads, tacos and wraps)
Spaghetti Squash w. homemade tomato sauce
Salmon baked with Chef Paul’s salmon seasoning
Quinoa salad w. black beans, avocado and cumin-lime dressing
Of course don’t forget about the occasional sweet treats.
Moderation is key and I’ve never been one to turn down dessert or anything chocolate.
I’d love to hear favorite healthy recipes or websites that you all use!
xx
This is so great! I’m trying to get into better habits! Thanks!
agirlandhersparkles.blogspot.com
Great post! Love your suggestions!!!
These are such great tips Ashley! It’s like I know what I’m supposed to do to eat healthy but seeing what you do gives me some great ideas. I feel like I’m stuck in a rut sometimes and know I need to eat healthier but get end up reaching for crap food because it’s just easier. Really thank you so much for posting all this information it’s really going to help me to start eating better like I always try to but don’t always do!!
Great tips. I too like to make a batch of quinoa on Sundays to last through the week. I take the water amount from the pkg directions and split that to half water and half chicken broth to make the flavor better! I also make a big spinach/cucumber/grape tomato salad that I can add protein to throughout the week as I package single servings for lunch. Your routine sounds like mine – I take barre 2-3 times a week, Spin and do weight training and cardio.
LOVE this post! I normally make a few things on Sunday to have throughout the week whether its egg cups, roasted veggies, or even premade salads. I also try to sit down each week and plan what workouts I am going to do for that week, maybe spin in the morning or yoga after work. Definitely all about planning it out and sticking to it but also making sure you give yourself a rest day!
thanks for the tips! I ate super healthy growing up (my Mom’s a health nut!) but then fell off the wagon a bit in college. Now that I graduate I’m ready to start again! I love Kind bars too and a high protein veggie filled salad is my lunch of choice! keeps me full all afternoon!
completely agree with yoga! i felt so out of place the first time i went, but now my body craves it. i’ve been meaning to try pure barre…but that seems even more scary!
I love this post! It was a change going into the working world and finding some kind of balance.
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