Quick and Easy Fat-Loss Meal Plans!
Next week we are kicking off our 2020 Online Nutrition Coaching Program.
This program is dedicated to helping you crush your health, fat-loss, and workout goals in 2020 by learning exactly what and how much to eat.
We're making improving your diet as simple as possible and customizing it to you and your goals.
One of the most important skills we teach our Nutrition Coaching members is to simply plan ahead.
Think about how most of us approach our nutrition with the busyness of our lives: Breakfast is something quick or we skip it all together. Lunch is takeout from somewhere. Dinner is the only meal we make unless of course it's takeout again because we ran out of time.
We constantly run into situations where we have no plan and we're left hungry. Then we go for the most convenient food, which is often the least healthiest and contains the most calories. Do this day over day, and those excess calories keep us gaining weight.
Imagine the changes you could make by planning ahead. Imagine waking up and your healthy breakfast and lunch was packed and ready to go. And it was super simple and easy to make. Think about the changes you could make to your energy and weight-loss.
Planning ahead is a key ingredient to your nutrition success in 2020 and we're here to help!
To get you started, we've created a list of quick and easy fat-loss meal plans that you're going to LOVE!
Quick note on portion sizes: A big part of fat-loss is learning to control portion sizes to avoid overeating.
As you will notice in the menu's below, we make portion sizes easy by measuring them against the size of your palm (protein sources), the size of your fist (vegetable sources), the size of your small cupped hand (carbohydrate sources), and the size of your thumb (fat sources).
Photo source: Precision Nutrition
Let's get into your quick and easy fat-loss meal plans. Enjoy!
Breakfast
Meal 1| Protein Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
1 small cupped-hand sized quick oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1 thumb size amount of peanut butter
1 small cupped-hand sized amount of blueberries
1⁄2 a scoop vanilla protein powder (whey or plant based protein powder)
Directions:
Mix ingredients and store in the refrigerator over night. Eat cold in the morning.
Meal 2| Peanut Butter Dream Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 a banana
1 cup ice
1 thumb sized amount of natural peanut butter
1 fist size amount of baby spinach
1 thumb sized amount of cocoa powder
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Directions:
Blend and enjoy!
Meal 3| Vegetable Scramble
Ingredients:
2 eggs, scrambled
Half a fist sized amount of: diced bell peppers, onions, mushrooms broccoli (pick one or choose a few)
1 thumb sized amount of sliced avocado
1 slice of whole wheat or gluten free toast
Directions:
Scramble eggs in a bowl. Sauté vegetables in a pan until cooked. Add egg scramble to pan with vegetables and mix until eggs are cooked. Plate the eggs and add avocado on top.
Lunch
Meal 1| Chicken Avocado Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
2 large lettuce leafs
1 palm sized amount of rotisserie chicken (no skin)
1 thumb sized amount of hummus
1 small cupped-hand sized amount of tomatoes and cucumbers, diced
(on side) 1 small cupped-hand sized amount of fruit: blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, or a combination
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Spread hummus on lettuce wraps. Add chicken and tomatoes and eat like a wrap.
Meal 2| Vegetarian White Bean Salad
Ingredients:
1 can white beans, drained
1/2 a fist sized amount of red onion, diced
1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/2 a fist sized amount of red bell pepper, diced
3 thumb sized amounts of olive oil
1 thumb sized amount of lemon juice
1 small cupped-hand size amount of parsley, diced
1 small cupped-hand size amount of cilantro, diced
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This makes multiple servings that you can save for the week.
Meal 3| Make Your Own Protein Salad
Ingredients:
Pick 1 Base (1-2 fist sized amounts): romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula
Pick 1-3 Vegetables (1 small cupped-hand amount): tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots
Pick 1 Protein Source (1 palm sized amount): chicken, turkey, tuna, egg, salmon
Pick 1 Fruit Source (1 small cupped-hand size amount): strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
Pick 1 Fat Source: (1 thumb sized amount): almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cheese
Pick 1 Dressing: (1 thumb sized amount): oil and vinegar, balsamic
Directions:
Put all ingredients on plate in the order they are listed above and then add dressing.
Dinner
Meal 1| 1 Sheet Fish Dinner
Ingredients:
Pick 1 Fish (1 palm sized amount): Haddock or cod
3 thumb sized amounts of almonds
1 clove garlic
1 thumb sized amount of olive oil
1 small cupped-hand sized amount of sweet potato (peeled and sliced)
1 fist size amount of asparagus
Directions:
First make the topping for your fish. Add almonds, garlic and olive oil to food processor or blender. Cover baking sheet with tin foil and lightly coat with olive oil or cooking spray. Add fish to sheet and then top with almond topping. Add asparagus and sweet potatoes to pan. Cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until fish flakes apart.
Meal 2| Chicken Sausage Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 palm sized amount of sliced chicken sausage
1 fist sized amount of sliced green and red bell peppers
1 thumb sized amount of sliced avocado
1 small cupped-hand size amount of jasmine rice
1-2 thumb sized amount of salsa
Directions:
Sauté chicken sausage, onions, and peppers in a pan until cooked. Cook white rice. Put white rice into a bowl or plate and top with chicken sausage, onions and peppers. Top with avocado and salsa.
Meal 3| Sweet Potato Bison or Turkey Chili
Ingredients:
1lb of ground bison or turkey
1/2 fist sized amount of onion
1 fist sized amount of bell peppers
1 fist sized amount of mushrooms
1 fist sized amount of sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
2 thumb sized amounts of chili powder
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of paprika
1 can (16oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup of marinara sauce
1 tsp of cilantro
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Directions:
Sauté onions and garlic in large Dutch oven. Add bison or turkey and lightly season with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Once meat is cooked, add mushrooms and peppers until cooked. Add tomatoes and marinara sauce and add rest of seasonings. Add sweet potatoes and bring chili to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, add cilantro, and cover until cooked.
Pre-Workout Snack
Eat your snack 30 minutes to 1 hour before your workout with 10-20oz of water.
Snack 1| Fruit and Nut Butter
Directions:
Pick 1 Fruit (1 small cupped-hand size): apple, strawberries, banana
Pick 1 Nut Butter (1 thumb sized amount): peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter
Spread butter on fruit and enjoy!
Snack 2| Toast and Nut Butter
Directions:
Pick 1 Slice of Toast: whole grain, gluten-free
Pick 1 Nut Butter (1 thumb sized amount): peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter
Spread butter on toast and enjoy!
Snack 3| Yogurt Parfait
Directions:
Pick 1 Greek Yogurt (1 small cupped-hand amount): Plain or vanilla
Pick 1 Fruit (1 small cupped-hand amount): blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, banana, raspberries
Mix yogurt and fruit and enjoy!
Snack 4| Create Your Own Protein Shake (drink half)
Directions:
Pick 1 Protein Powder (1 scoop): whey or plant based powder: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry
Pick 1 Frozen Fruit Source (1 small cupped-hand sized): blueberries, strawberries, dark cherries
Pick 1 Vegetable Source (1 fist size amount): spinach, kale
Pick 1 Fat Source (1 thumb size amount): peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, unsweetened coconut, cocoa powder
Pick 1 Liquid Source (1 cup): unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, water, oat milk
Blend and enjoy!