Over the past 18 months since having my son, I have really started to examine the food that I eat. I’ve always felt “puffy” even after “eating well” and working out like a crazy person. But for the first time in my life, I finally feel like I’m giving my body the food it really needs. It turns out the food that I thought was healthy (protein bars, deli meat, low fat yogurt, whole grain bread), wasn’t doing me any favors.

This lifestyle change may seem drastic to some (ME! 2 years ago!), but my workouts are better, I run faster and my clothes fit like a boss. I follow this plan about 80% of the time and let myself feed into meat and sugar cravings about two days a week. Yes, it does take a few minutes of prep, especially the day before I work a 12-hour shift.

Some of the personal rules I follow are that I don’t really care about portion control. Because I’m eating foods that work well for my body, I let myself eat as much as I want (especially on sweet potato fry night!). I don’t eat breakfast until I feel hungry. I don’t eat right before a workout, otherwise I feel queasy. If I feel like snacking, I eat an energy ball (recipes below) or a handful of GF chips. And I have dessert every night – usually it’s a dark chocolate covered fruit of some sort.

The following meals are gluten free and full of plant-based protein:

Day 1

Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothies by Kimberly Snyder

I love these because this recipe makes three servings. I store in mason jars and I have breakfast ready to go for three days in a row. If It’s a really busy week, I make two batches at once and freeze another three smoothies. I wait until I’m actually hungry to eat this smoothies – sometimes that’s 7:30 AM, sometimes it’s 11 AM.

Lunch: Kale salad with cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, sliced avocado and grated parmesan cheese. Dressing is balsamic vinegar and avocado oil. 

Snack: Gluten-Free chips (delicious Milton’s sold at Costco) and hummus and a piece of fruit.

Dinner: Roasted veggies (usually chop carrots, bell peppers and brussel sprouts, drizzle in olive oil and cook at 400 for 10 minutes), cooked gluten-free pasta and a red sauce. I put it all together in a casserole dish and bake for another 10 minutes. There’s plenty for the whole family and leftovers.

Day 2 

Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder

Lunch: Quinoa cooked in coconut milk (it’s so comfort-foody it feels like cheating), with maple syrup and dried cranberries. One cup of quinoa goes a long way and will certainly produce leftovers.

Snack: Blueberry Muffin Energy Balls by the Healthy Maven (I eat 2, and my family is OBSESSED), and a piece of fruit.

Dinner: Crock Pot Chickpea BBQ and Creamy Slaw from Real Food Whole Life.

Day 3 

Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder

Lunch: Any of these delicious Mason Jar Salads from Emilie Eats

Snack: Gluten-Free Chips and Hummus and a piece of fruit.

Dinner: Black bean burgers from Wholesomelicious on cloud bread with sweet potato fries

Day 4:

Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder

 or (if you’d like to switch things up) low-fat bulgarian yogurt with gluten-free granola and blueberries

Lunch: Leftover black bean burger with avocado on a bed of greens with dressing of your choice

Snack: Pumpkin Protein Balls from Clean Food Crush and a piece of fruit.

Dinner: Edamame pasta or a Veggie spiral pasta (make extra! it shrinks!) usually with an Asian-inspired flare. We usually eat the pasta with stir-fry veggies (TONS OF THEM) and my favorite sauce comes from Tastes Lovely.

Day 5:

Breakfast: Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder

Lunch: Any of these delicious Mason Jar Salads from Emilie Eats

Snack: Sliced cucumber, carrots, Gluten-Free chips and you guessed it… Hummus.

Dinner: Quinoa Veggie Power Bowl from Avocado Pesto

I hope you enjoyed getting a few new ideas for meals. 

What are your favorite healthful meals to eat during the week?

 

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. Love this! I’m inspired to eat more fresh, whole foods. Thank you for the great resources. Love that my clothes will “fit like a boss”!!!!

    • Yay! So glad this inspired you. The documentary “cowspiracy” and Kimberly Snyder’s books has kick started me into a great, healthful way of living!

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