Pescatarian Meal Prep Week

Eating at 30%+ protein while doing my best to eat mostly vegetarian can be tricky at times. Here is my meal prep / meal plan for the week that I put together one Sunday evening.

Meal 1: Egg White Burrito & Fruit
1/3rd cup egg whites, 1/4 cup low fat shredded cheese, high fiber tortilla or slice high fiber bread, sprinkle of cayenne. 8 strawberries.

Meal 2: 5 oz Coconut or Greek yogurt, 3 homemade protein bites

Meal 3: Salad: 2 cups mixed greens, 1 oz feta, 1/3rd cup edamame, 1/4 cup pecans, sprinkle of dried cranberries, 3 tbs balsamic vinaigrette. Side of 1/2 can chunk tuna in water with 1 tsp each mustard & relish.

Meal 4: 1/4 block tofu baked with teriyaki, sauteed spinach with garlic.

Meal 5: Grilled meatless sausage, 1 oz cheese, 2 tbs bruschetta, 8 flax seed crackers.

Room for dessert? 1 oz 80% cacao with 4 oz red wine.

  

Non-Meat Protein

Yes I could say "Vegetarian Protein", but for some unknown reason the V-word seems to turn some people off. Not sure why - it's not like they're in jeopardy of turning into hippy-mountain-men that wear flower headbands or something... No offense to hippy-mountain-men that wear flower headbands.

Whether we want to face reality or not, non-meat protein is not only good for our bodies, the fact is it is EXTREMELY good for our environment. Still can't get out of my head one of the six documentaries I watched last month on my weekend mini-binge, "Cowspiracy." I already don't eat that much meat, but since watching that film it really made me want to go back to more plant foods again. Even if you don't care much about your health, or animals, or regular things like those that normally people can regularly brush off, you can't consider yourself friendly to the earth if you eat meat on a regular basis. I like to conserve water, energy, and I've always wanted to save trees. If things like that are important to me, I have to face the facts.

Anyway, it's time to eat healthy delicious food with protein that can both help you feel full and conserve (or help grow) muscles during weight loss and strength training.

 

All this talk about complete proteins that vegetables don't have, when there's actually a lot. Here's a little article with easy recipes too from Greatist: http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins

21 Meals With Lots of Protein & No Meat  

Vegetarian Taco Salad

I've been trying to look up new salads to make to bring to work since I've been rather bored of the ones I've been making for the past 3 years, that haven't varied too much.

I like Mexican food and have been trying to eat less meat (even though I don't eat much anyway) so for this week's meal prep I tried putting together something of a taco salad bowl, which came out delicious!

Chopped romaine lettuce, organic pinto beans, organic cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, pineapple salsa & Tapatio.

Previous I had thrown in ground turkey,  so if you're not vegetarian, there's another healthy option. 

Food Pyramids Around The World

It's interesting to see the differences in the way people eat around the world, or they way they believe they "should" eat.
Notice that most of the diets emphasize an almost unlimited amount of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide the body with a direct source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, water and a wide variety of antioxidants.

Grains and cereals in the diet should come from whole grains. The refining of cereal to white flour diminishes the nutrient content of the food while raising the glycemic affect on the body (not a good thing! Especially for diabetics).
The meat or protein source in most of the pyramids emphasizes foods that are low in saturated fats. 

Which one you think would be best for you? 

The Latin American Diet

 

The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

The Mediterranean Diet

 The Asian Diet

All of the pyramids emphasize daily activity.
Only the USDA pyramid (most likely influenced by number of political agendas) pushes for a higher intake of meat, diary and cereals. Most of the other pyramids place a higher emphasis on fruits and vegetables as the main course of the meal.

There is a big healthy difference between eating whole grains and cereals and refined grains and cereals. The carbohydrates that you eat should be low glycemic carbohydrates whenever possible. There is also a big difference between eating essential fats (omega 3 and omega 6 oils) and non essential fats like partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat) and saturated fat.

The USDA pyramid does not distinguish between the type of grain/cereal, the type of protein source nor the type of fat being eaten.
A moderate intake of alcohol is the equivalent of one glass of red wine daily.

The U.S.D.A. Food Guide Pyramid

The Vegetarian Diet

 If I were going to make a food pyramid, the base of mine would be vegetables, with whole grains, fruits, legumes & beans coming up next. This would be like the Mayo, Latin & Vegetarian bases. Healthy fats with plant oils, nuts and Omega-3s would be the next level, like Vegetarian, Asian, and Mediterranean. Second to the top would be dairy, eggs, and other lean proteins like Latin, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, and Asian. At the very top would be sweets and meat, like Asian, Mediterranean and Latin food pyramids. :)

EAT ME Week: Day 3

PROTEIN!

I am going to extend my right to bias on my personal blog & talk more about vegetarian sources of protein, but will still include a few top options for all the carnivores out there.

Two of the best reasons why you should be focusing on protein in your diet if you are losing weight is 1) it helps keep you full, and 2) it helps maintain your muscle mass, so you lose more fat instead of muscle.

My Top 5 Vegan Sources of Protein:
Pinto Beans
Quinoa
Peanut Butter
Chia Seeds
Organic Soy (in soy milk, tofu, etc.)


Here is a list of great complete vegetarian proteins, from Greatist: http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins





My Top 5 Non-Vegan Sources of Protein:
Greek Yogurt
Eggs/ Egg Whites
Chicken
Tuna
Whey Protein Supplements (powder, bars)

As a bonus, I will add my favorite food: Cheese!

Other Great Sources of Protein:
Spirulina (read about it!)
Salmon
Hemp Seed
Turkey
Nuts (Peanuts, Almonds & Pistachios are high in protein)
Tempeh
Cottage Cheese
Peas

Have you heard me talk about alkaline foods? Here is something to put in a little perspective the next time you go to the grocery store:

 

Enjoy! :)

~Samantha

EAT ME Week: Day 2

FIBER!

Yes. Eat more of it. 80% of you do not get anywhere near your recommended daily amount. For females, you should be consuming AT LEAST 25-30 grams of fiber a day, and males at least 35 grams. Don't stop there though - aim for 50+! Fiber helps keep you fuller longer, helps stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and keeps your food digesting regularly through your system.

Some of my favorite ways to get more fiber in my diet are beans, avocados, edamame, and leafy greens like spinach and kale. Eat fruits & veggies WHOLE - instead of just the juice. The pulp is what has the fiber and keeps your blood sugar steady when eating carbohydrates. For the love of god, eat your carbs! The good, natural amazing nutrient-rich source that is complex carbohydrates will do your body amazing whether you are trying to lose weight or just be healthy. Here is a handy-dandy info-graphic I stole from one of my Pinterest boards

My favorite "cheating" ways to get more fiber in? High fiber cereals (watch for added sugar), high fiber bread (whole grains, minimally processed) and fiber bars (watch for sugar content again.) I'm also a huge fan of Quest bars, which are usually about 17 grams of fiber & 20 grams of protein! You can also throw in Chia or Flax seeds into salads or smoothies for an added boost! Both are also high in Omega-3s! Double boost!

Check out easy ways to get more fiber, via SparkPeople: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=442#_a5y_p=1976719

Dinner in Under 350 Calories!

I have a mini-vacation coming up in a few weeks which includes me wearing a bikini in public for a good majority of the time. Cue me keeping an even closer eye on what I eat & how much of it!

Dinner tonight in under 350 calories: 

Baked Teriyaki tofu, penne pasta with lemon garlic shrimp, tomatoes & Parmesan and sautéed spinach. 

 

Here's all that's in it (special thanks to MyFitnessPal as always for the detailed food database):

• 1/4 block organic firm tofu
• 1 TBS teriyaki Sauce
• 8 medium shrimp
• 1/3rd cup organic brown rice penne pasta
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/2tsp olive oil
• 2tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1tbs crushed garlic
• 2tbs Parmesan cheese
• basil & ground pepper

Total: 335 Calories, 26g protein, 22g carbs, 12g fat, 2g of fiber & just 390mg of sodium.

*Please note: I eat about 5 times a day, with dinner usually being my largest as the rest are about 250-300 calories.  I do not support eating under a healthy amount.