weekly meal plan || January 25

Here's what we have on the menu this week! I'm going into week SEVEN (out of eight!) of my Insanity Max 30 program so I'm trying to cut out the extra wine and snacks to maximize my results :)

You can read more about my meal planning strategies here! Ben and I have started a Sunday routine of going grocery shopping right after church since we're already out and about. I love stocking up on all our food in one trip, it makes the rest of the week run a lot more smoothly.

Breakfast
Eggs + Toast + Fruit
Oatmeal + Fruit
Protein Pancakes

Lunch

Dinner leftovers

Salad with chicken or tuna

Dinner

Almond butter chicken satay + brown rice and cucumber salad 

Grilled shrimp and grapefruit salad + noodles for Ben

Chipotle turkey chili with lentils

Roasted veggies and pork medallions

Snacks

Shakeology

Apple + nut butter

Almonds

Veggies and hummus

Hard boiled eggs

What's on your menu this week?

Insanity Max 30 meal plan

I’m officially starting week six of Insanity Max 30, and even though I’ve been killing the workouts and seeing some great results so far, I must admit that I haven’t been really focused or disciplined with my nutrition since before the holidays. The meal plan that comes with Insanity Max 30 is amazing and I haven’t been giving it enough credit. It’s very similar to the 21 Day Fix in that it’s focused on portion control instead of calorie counting, and it really takes all the guesswork out of “clean eating.” Based on your weight, you’re assigned a certain number of portions each day of the basic food groups: protein, veggies, fruit, healthy fats, and carbs. You can use the fun color coded containers, but you also get measurements in cups and tablespoons which is really convenient!

Confession. I’ve been loosely following the nutrition plan, but I haven’t really fully committed because I’ve been full of excuses. First the holidays, then the freezing weather, and I’ve been lazy. Since New Year’s I’ve been eating almost 100% whole foods and have eliminated all processed food and added sugar from my diet, but I’ve been drinking way too much wine and I know I’ve been eating too much. Yes, you can definitely over-eat healthy food! What you eat has a much greater impact on your body than working out, and you honestly can’t “out-exercise a bad diet,” so it’s time for me to eliminate my dumb excuses and get serious! Yes I am torching tons of calories every day, but that doesn’t mean I have the green light to eat like Michael Phelps. I know this program has amazing potential to completely transform my body and I want to live up to that potential and not ruin all my hard work with mindless choices. I only have 3 weeks left, so I’m going to be dialing in on my meal planning and nutrition so I can feel energized and amazing. This does not mean deprivation, it just means focus and intention! No more boredom snacking, wine just because the bottle’s open, or extra bites here and there when I’m not truly hungry. I’ve committed to making 2015 the year I stop holding myself back! #noexcuses

I'm using myself as my own motivation!

HOW I MEAL PLAN

Every Saturday or Sunday, I go through my stash of cooking magazines, cookbooks, and Pinterest and plan out what we’re going to eat for the week. I put together a grocery list as I select recipes and we stock up on all our groceries on Sunday. We buy 85% of our food at Aldi (I’m obsessed), and the rest at Jewel or Trader Joe’s. Ben and I both love food, so we do our best to stick to a “budget” but let’s be real, food is where we do our biggest spending because I looooove trying new recipes and new fun impulse buys. Eeek! Aldi saves us, but we still usually end up spending $100-$120/week on groceries for the two of us, and then go out at least once or twice a week for Chipotle and a date night restaurant. I know this isn’t too bad, but I also know we can do better. We do most of our cooking at home and make our own lunches, but living in Chicago around so many amazing restaurants makes it really easy to spend money!

Love Aldi so much!

DINNER
I start by thinking of 3-4 dinner ideas for the week. Between Ben and me, this is usually enough to get us through with leftovers and we go out on Fridays for “date night.” I follow the Tone It Up meal structure, which means I keep my carbs to the first half of the day so dinner is usually lean protein and veggies with a healthy fat. I’ll usually make a side of brown rice, pasta, or add some carbs for Ben and my lunch leftovers. Sometimes I’ll have a starch like beans, sweet potatoes, and the occasional whole grain, but I’ve eliminated processed carbs (bread, pasta) at dinner because I’ve discovered sticking to “lean, clean and green” really does help me wake up in the morning feeling lighter and leaner. I’m not depriving myself because if I really want bread I’ll eat the damn bread and definitely make room for treat meals or drinks at least a couple nights a week, but I eat to feel good and that’s how I make my decisions! I’ve been able to achieve a balance that keeps me sane and feeling great.

BREAKFAST
I’m a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast and lunch, and I’ll go through a phase where I eat the same thing every single day all week. My breakfast rotation is usually either oatmeal, protein pancakes, or occasionally eggs. Usually oatmeal. I prefer sweet over savory in the morning and eat a huge breakfast because it’s my favorite meal of the day and morning is when my metabolism seems to be cranking at the highest levels so I’m starving. There are a lot of people who swear by the Paleo diet and preach the elimination of all whole grains, but I’ve discovered that for me, physically and emotionally I function best with some carbs in the morning and a huge bowl of oatmeal makes me freaking happy. Don’t cut out foods just because people “say so.”

LUNCH
Lunch is usually a giant salad I eat in a serving dish sized bowl, topped with leftover chicken or a can of tuna. I love mixing tuna with mustard or Greek yogurt to make “tuna salad,” and loading up my salad with as many veggies and toppings as I can. I also like to add a couple tablespoons of healthy fats like a sprinkle of cheese (feta or goat cheese), nuts, olives, or chopped avocado. I shake up my own salad dressings from olive oil, vinegar or lemon, a squirt of Dijon, some herbs, and sometimes a sweetener like honey or maple syrup. Chopped apples are good too! I always eat an apple and PB for lunch dessert because I have a huge sweet tooth and this kills my sugar cravings.

SNACKS
On top of my three main meals I always eat a morning and an afternoon snack. In the morning this is usually Shakeology blended with unsweetened almond milk, ice, and occasionally frozen banana, which I have after I workout. My afternoon snack is usually veggies, hummus, and almonds. Again, this fits with the TIU meal structure of keeping fruits and sugars in the morning, and veggies and healthy fats in the afternoon to maintain your blood sugar an energy levels and it works for me! Sometimes I’ll have Shakeology in the afternoon because that’s when my energy dips and Shakeo will rev me back up and keep me full until dinner. The pre-dinner hour around 4-5 pm is when I turn into a bottomless snacky pit if I’m not careful!

THIS WEEK’S MEAL PLAN

Here’s what I’ve got on the line up for this week!

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates and recipes.

Breakfast
Eggs + Toast + Fruit
Oatmeal + Fruit
Protein Pancakes


Lunch
Dinner leftovers
Salad with tuna or chicken


Dinner
White bean and sausage cassoulet
Asian turkey wraps
Grilled steak and fajita veggies
Leftovers
Date night


Snacks
Shakeology
Apple + PB
Veggies and hummus


Do you meal plan, or do you take things day by day?

xo Anna

p.s. How to combine the 21 Day Fix with the Tone It Up plan + a recipe for French Toast Oatmeal

wedding weekend recap (and food and fitness plan!)

Ben and I had an absolutely magical weekend in southwest Michigan celebrating the wedding of his sister Ashley and her husband Peter! We're struggling a little bit with the Monday re-entry process this morning but I wanted to share some of the memories and highlights.

Ashley and Peter planned to be married on an empty lot in his parents' neighborhood, overlooking Lake Michigan. It's one of those beachfront neighborhoods composed mainly of summer cottages, tucked away in the woods and almost completely hidden from the rest of the world. We held the rehearsal in the "Wedding Lot" and then Peter's parents hosted a wonderful dinner in their backyard patio, complete with twinkle lights, bonfire, and s'mores on the beach. 

The sunset lit the sky on fire and then we released wish lanterns into the night.

I also was able to catch up with my parents and both of my little sisters! 

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early in our huge, gorgeous, lakeside "cottage" and got to work! Getting ready with the bridal party is one of my favorite parts of being in a wedding, just having a chance to relax and have fun before the craziness begins. Ashley was an absolutely stunning bride.

This was the first time Ben and I were in a wedding since we got married almost two years ago! I didn't have a chance to take many photos of the actual event, but it was beautiful and perfect. 

Now it's back to reality for a week before I drive home for my best friend's wedding NEXT weekend! This is the craziest fall of my life, but I'm loving every minute of it.

Needless to say, I'm going to do my best to really focus on my clean eating and fitness plan this week to balance out all that cake, pie, and wine.

>>Food<<

Breakfast

-Oatmeal with Greek yogurt

-Protein pancakes

-Eggs and whole wheat muffin

Morning snack

-Shakeology blended with unsweetened almond milk, ice, and frozen banana

-Yogurt and fruit

Lunch

-Huge salad with tuna, apple and PB

-Dinner leftovers

Afternoon snack

-Veggies and hummus

Dinner

-Butternut squash soup with turkey sausage

-CHILI! 

-Baked chicken and quinoa

{it's going to be a short week for me since I'm driving back to my hometown Wednesday night to start prepping for my best friend's wedding!}

>>Fitness<<

I'm dialing it up a notch this week so I can look my best in my next bridesmaid dress! I'm planning to split my workouts and do a morning and afternoon session (30-45 mins each).

Monday

AM: Kayla Itsines Arms/Abs circuit, 15 minute HIIT routine

PM: Kettlebell Circuit

Tuesday

AM: Power walk, 20 min PiYo

PM: Bodypump (full body strength)

Wednesday

AM: Kayla Itsines Abs/Cardio circuit + upper body strength routine 

PM: none

Thursday

AM: Cardio circuit

PM: PiYo

Friday

AM: Kayla Itsines Legs/Cardio circuit + upper body strength routine

PM: none

Sat/Sun

WEDDING WEEKEND! 

AM: Run if I get a chance

PM: Dance partyyyyy!

Let's make it a great week!

Food and Fitness Plan // September 15-20

I want to start sharing my weekly meal plan and workout schedule so I can hold myself accountable and give you a glimpse of how I set up my week! If you're trying to eat healthy or lose weight, going into the chaos of Monday with at least some sort of plan is critical to avoid the pitfalls of unexpected situations (brownies in the office, happy hour drinks, forgetting to pack a lunch...) and the same goes for workouts. 

It's so much easier to stay motivated when you can wake up and know exactly what you need to do, otherwise you give your brain a chance to talk yourself out of it! Motivation is a mind game and it takes a little bit of effort and focus to get into a consistent routine of planning, but once you start dedicating aside time every week to set yourself up for success, all of a sudden it will be a habit.

My mantra for this week is "no excuses" because Ben and I are finally heading into our weddingpalooza season! I can't believe it's mid-September already. Between the two of us we're either standing in or attending four weddings within the next five weeks! Plus our own anniversary is in the mix as well. It's officially crunch time to look fabulous in my bridesmaid dresses (and counteract all the wine, champagne, cake, and pie I'm going to be consuming)!

So here's my MASTER PLAN for this week! I'm going to be following the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan with my Challenge Group that starts today, but I'm mixing in my own workouts because I'm currently participating in the Tone It Up Frisky Fall Challenge and also doing Kayla Itsine's Bikini Body Guide circuit program! I love to mix it up to keep myself from getting bored.

>>Food<<

I tend to get into routines and eat the same or similar things every day for all meals except dinner. The 21 Day Fix containers are listed as colors.

M1 || 7:30 am

Shakeology blended with unsweetened almond milk, ice, and possibly banana (red, purple)

M2 || 9:30 am

Muffin and eggs (yellow, red) OR yogurt, fruit, oats (yellow, red, purple) OR protein pancake (red, purple)

M3 || 12:30 pm

Dinner leftovers OR a salad with tuna, apple with almond butter on the side (2 green, red, purple, orange, 2 tsp)

M4 || 3:30 pm

Veggies and hummus (green, blue)

M5 || 6:30 pm

Monday: Zoodles with marinara and chicken (greens, red)
Tuesday: Butternut squash soup with turkey sausage (greens, red, yellow?)
Wednesday: Salmon and quinoa salad (red, green, yellow)

Thursday/Friday/Saturday is where it gets fun: we're heading to Michigan to celebrate my beautiful sister-in-law's wedding! I'll do my best to make healthy choices but I am for sure going to relax and enjoy the weekend with my family. I'm planning to bring my workout clothes and weights with me so I can sneak in a workout here and there!

>>Fitness<<

Monday: 1 mile jog + Kayla Itsines Week 5 Legs/Cardio Circuit + Bikini Arms
Tuesday: 45 min power walk + Bikini Abs + Love Your Abs
Wednesday: Kayla Week 5 Arms/Abs Circuit + HIIT
Thursday: 3 mile run + Thai Tush
Friday: Kayla Week 5 Abs/Cardio Circuit + TIU Quickie
Saturday/Sunday: Rest/Run/HIIT, going with the flow!

Let's make it a great week!