A Full Day of Food Ideas

 I know it can be hard to come up with a variety of healthy, low calorie meal ideas that you like, are easy enough to prepare that you're willing to do it, and that fit into whatever meal plan you are following. My best advice is always to choose things you genuinely like and enjoy. If you're forcing yourself to eat food because it's "healthy", you're way more likely to eat junk later anyway. It's so much better to be satisfied by what you're eating, even if it's a small portion of a treat. There's nothing wrong with having the occasional treat anyway!

I also suggest coming up with a few different things you like and having a rotation. Especially when you aren't hungry, taking the time and energy to come up with something to eat can be difficult and can also lead to us picking something that's "easy" but maybe not the best choice like hitting a drive-thru.

There are a lot of different recipes in my Recipes tab, and I'll continue posting these full day plans so maybe they can give you some ideas!

Breakfast:

I've found myself craving a lot of fruit lately, which is interesting for me. While I like fruit, it certainly wasn't an everyday thing for me and often I'd buy it because it sounded good but it would end up going bad in my fridge. I have found yogurt to be a great choice for breakfast because it's grabbable, which means on a bad day I'm not floundering and more likely to grab a donut or something. 

I prefer vanilla Greek yogurt for the added protein, but I just can't stomach plain by itself. I often use plain Greek yogurt as a mayonnaise or sour cream swap so eating it for breakfast just doesn't work for me. For a garnish, I'll add shredded mint leaves or sugarfree caramel sauce, or just a little something to jazz it up a bit. Stats are for a single serving cup (100g) of vanilla Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup strawberries.

Breakfast Summary: 103 calories, 0g fat, 16.5g carbs, 9.5g protein.

Morning Snack:

These strawberry cinnamon muffins are nutritious, full of fibre, and a great choice when you are feeling like something sweet. Recipe is posted in the link! I'd suggest adding some slivered almonds for a little extra crunch and protein, but since I have a child with nut allergies who loves muffins, I ate mine on the side.

Snack was 1 muffin plus 1oz raw almonds.

Snack Summary: 293 calories, 17.5g fat, 28.5g carbs, 10.5g protein.

Lunch: 

Continuing in the vein of my previous discussion about generally finding salads boring, I've been going out of my way to find salads that are delicious and packed with flavour. The shrimp salad I posted this week was fantastic, and this one is so good I've already had it twice!

2 cups baby spinach 

8 heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 sweet bell pepper, diced

1 package Costco Fresh Additions fully cooked chicken breast or else 3oz cooked chicken breast

20 grams whole pecans, plain, toasted

1 oz goat cheese crumbles

2 tbsp dried cranberries, unsweetened

1 tbsp of your favourite dressing (I chose Kraft Calorie Wise Poppyseed)

It's easy to toast your own pecans in a dry pan if you have raw ones like I did- it only takes a few minutes until you can smell that rich, nutty smell! It's definitely worth taking the time.

Assemble your ingredients on a bed of baby spinach and drizzle with the dressing, and enjoy! Serves one generous portion or two smaller salads. I'd rather have a big one and pick at it all day!

Lunch Summary: 483 calories, 28.5g fat, 25g carbs, 35.5g protein.

Afternoon Snack:

I wasn't super hungry after eating that big salad, so I went for a small but protein packed snack. I just took two slices of prosciutto and cut them in half, and two cheese strings and cut them in half so they fit the width of the prosciutto. Tuck a fresh basil leaf around the cheese stick and wrap tightly with the prosciutto. If you like, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.

Fresh herbs can really boost the flavour of food; I would definitely recommend giving this a try! And again- it's quick and easy, portable, and can be made in advance.

Snack Summary: 153 calories, 8g fat, 0g carbs, 17g protein

Dinner:

I've always enjoyed breakfast for dinner, and when I don't feel like cooking it's pretty easy to rustle up as well. I toasted two slices of Weight Watchers whole wheat bread, pan fried two eggs over easy in a little cooking spray (but you could use 1 tsp butter if you prefer), and tucked a fat free cheese slice between each egg and the toast so it gets all melty. You could also add some sliced tomato or avocado if you like- just watch how many calories you're adding! I prefer to eat these open faced rather than make a sandwich- how do you like yours?

Dinner Summary: 310 calories, 12g fat, 26g carbs, 24g protein.

Dessert:

This white chocolate raspberry treat is a great end to your day, but it does take a little more prep! I'd do them in advance and let them chill in the fridge.

1 pkg Jello fat free/sugar free White Chocolate Pudding
2 cups skim milk
2 cups raspberries, crushed with a fork (reserve 4 whole)
4 tbsp light whipped cream 
4 tbsp protein powder (optional)

Mix together the pudding mix, milk, and protein powder until well blended and allow to sit for 3 minutes. I recommend chilling for a while- I like the flavour better that way. Take a clear glass and spoon 1/8 of the raspberry puree into the bottom of each glass. When pudding is prepared, spoon 1/2 cup of pudding into each glass, and top with 1/4 of the remaining raspberry puree. A squirt of whipped cream and a fresh raspberry on top gives this treat a really nice look. Makes four servings.

I'm not a big fan of protein powder, but this dessert hides the taste really well so if you're looking to boost protein this might be a place to add a little bit. 

Dessert Summary: 105 calories, 0.5g fat, 19g carbs, 5g protein.

Daily Total: 1447 calories, 66.5g of fat, 115g of carbohydrates, and 101.5g of protein.

Hope this helps! What did you eat yesterday?