Choosing Healthy Consistently

Hi gang! For me through COVID a lot of my normal day to day routines have come to a halt. I know that is the same for pretty much everyone. With this pandemic, with gyms closing then opening then closing and the world coming to an end, I have had to figure out how to get back to my healthy mindset. I know for me covid was the excuse for letting the healthy meals go away, for eating a mug cookie at 11pm, for drinking a glass (or bottle) of wine every night. I have re-learned how to get back on the healthy track and I just wanted to share some things that have helped me in hopes your goals are the same. 

This post isn’t about losing weight or going on some crazy diet you can’t realistically keep up with. Eating healthy and moving your body everyday doesn’t have to be hard! You just have to set yourself up for success so I just wanted to share a few things that have really helped me, has lowered stress, and most importantly made me FEEL good!

W E E K L Y   S H O P P I N G   L I S T 

Create a weekly shopping list and only go to the store once a week. For me this is Sunday. On Sunday I will hit Trader Joes, Safeway, and if need be, Costco. Making a shopping list of healthy items, has helped me tremendously, especially since I’m working from home. This list varies week by week slightly depending on meals I’ve scheduled out but what I’m listing below are ALWAYS on my list.

My weekly shopping list: 

Produce: 

• 2 cucumbers 
• bag of mini sweet peppers 
• 3 avocados 
• large box of mixed greens salad 
• 1 bag of lemons 
• 1 bag of limes 
• 1 bag of carrots 
• 1 tub of cherry tomatoes 
• 1 bag of broccoli 
• 1 onion 
• bananas 
• seasonal fruit ( berries & apples ) 

Cooler Section: 

• oat milk coffee creamer 
• Starbucks unsweetened iced coffee 
• low fat cottage cheese 
• eggs 
• egg whites 
• feta cheese 
• Fage plain greek yogurt 
• 3 Two Good vanilla yogurts 
• almond milk 

Meats: 

• 1 lb ground turkey 
• small thing of chicken tenders 
• 1 lb ground chicken 
• 1 bunch of canned chicken (Costco) 

Grains: 

• whole wheat English muffins 
• oatmeal 
• low carb tortillas 
• 60 cal Dave’s bread 

Freezer section: 

• turkey bolognese (trader joes) 
• blueberries 
• salmon filets (Costco) 
• spinach 

Sauces: 

• 1 tub of salsa 
• olive oil 
• Dijon mustard 
• sriracha 
• hummus
• smashed avocado cups (Costco, these are GOLD!) 

Snacks: 

• quest protein chips 
• popcorn 
• chomps turkey sticks (trader joes) 

M Y   G O   T O   M E A L S

Here are my staple go to breakfast, lunch and dinners. Obviously sometimes I see a new recipe I want to try but for the most part we stick to the same things week by week. So below are a few ideas for you!  

Breakfast Ideas & Recipes:

Protein pancakes – 

• 2 cups low fast cottage cheese 
• 2 eggs 
• 1.5 cups egg whites 
• 3 scoops protein (I use women’s best, vanilla) 
• 2 cups oats 
• 1 cup frozen spinach 
• 1/2 banana 
• 1 scoop collegian 
• cinnamon 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• occasionally I’ll either add frozen blueberries or dark chocolate chips to the batter 
• blend everything together, I will usually let it sit in the fridge for about a half hour (makes it thicker) then pour some pancakes! This makes alot, they last in the fridge up to a week! To reheat I just plop them in the toaster. Add some maple syrup or peanut butter and enjoy! 

 Breakfast Tacos – 

• scrambled eggs
• feta 
• low carb tortilla 
• avocado 
• sriracha 

Avocado Toast with scrambled eggs 

Two Good Yogurt with seasonal fruit 

Lunch Ideas & Recipes: 

Whole wheat english muffin with mashed avocado, chicken salad and feta 

Chicken salad– (lasts in the fridge for 3 days)

• canned chicken from Costco 
• scoop of plain greek yogurt 
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 
• salt & pepper to taste 
• 2 tablespoons dry ranch packet 
• chopped peppers or cucumber 

Whole wheat English muffin with mashed avocado, egg salad, and feta 

Egg salad – (lasts in the fridge for 3 days) 

• 2 hard boiled eggs 
• scoop of plain greek yogurt 
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• red pepper flakes 

Chicken salad wrap, with carrots on side– same recipe as above, just add in to a low carb tortilla, with hummus. 

Dinner Ideas & Recipes: 

Monster Salad- 

• mixed greens 
• cucumber
• chick peas 
• feta cheese 
• cherry tomatoes 
• avocado 
• cooked quinoa 
• dressing of your choice. I make it with a homemade balsamic, or Bolthouse yogurt dressings are awesome! 

Turkey/Salmon Tacos- 

• ground turkey or grilled salmon 
• avocado 
• sweet potato 
• kale 
• feta cheese 
• carb smart tortillas 

Turkey Bolognese w/ Brown Rice Pasta- 

I get frozen turkey bolognese from Trader Joes and make it with their brown rice & quinoa pasta. Super quick and easy weeknight meal plus healthy! 

Spinach Avocado Chicken Burgers- 

• 1 lb ground chicken 
• 1/2 cup spinach chopped fine
• 2 tbsp cilantro chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons oat or almond flour 
• 1 tbsp avocado oil 
• 2 tsp garlic powder 
• 2 tsp onion powder 
• 1 tbsp dry ranch powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper 
• 2 tsp chili lime powder (trader joes) 
• juice of 1 lime 
• 1 avocado 
• mix all ingredients together in a bowl, form into 5-6 burgers. Grill for 5-6 mins on each side. 
• We eat these in lettuce wraps, on salads, or ontop of quinoa with cooked veggies. They are so yummy and awesome leftovers! 

M O V E   Y O U R   B O D Y 

I think exercise is meant to be an enjoyable activity, yet social media has turned it into a “must do” for those on a journey for weight loss. Our culture praises thin bodies , six pack abs and harmfully encourages eating less and exercising more as a means to get there. I think viewing “having” to move your body to loose weight isn’t helpful at all. Moving your body daily should be an enjoyable activity where the focus is on much BIGGER benefits than the number on the scale, like –

• stress management
• better sleep
• increases circulation for better skin
• digestion help
• increased creativity
• social connections 
• promote goal setting 
• mood booster and better sense of self 

You might be asking now how you get into a routine? Exercising doesn’t just mean spending hours at a gym. There are plenty of ways to get your body moving and all it takes is 20- 60 minutes a day! There are plenty mornings that I am dragging and feel like “ugh I don’t have the energy today” but knowing how good I will feel after im done, I always manage to make it happen. For me moving my body motivates me for the rest of my day. I come out with more energy than I went in with. I promise if you give it two weeks of moving your body consistently you will crave it everyday and it will just become apart of your lifestyle. 

Ideas to move your body – 

• hiking – this you can do with friends and explore new places 
• signing up for a workout app – Sweat, BetterMe, Mamele, NTC 
• gym membership – planet fitness is as low as $10 a month! 
• local walking trail 
• try new classes – Pilates, yoga, hot yoga, barre, spin class, 9round, orange theory 
• join a running group 
• create a home gym (I’ve linked simple and effective gym equipment here)

Need a little extra boost? 

On the days that I am really dragging or just want to have an extra productive workout ill take a pre workout. Pre workout powders and drinks use to scare me but I have found some really awesome ones with no jitters, headaches or weird tingly feeling. 

• celcius– my favorite! 
• bumped up (pregnancy and nursing safe! For my pregnant moms or soon to be pregnant) 
• naked energy (vegan) 

And when all else fails spoil yourself with some new gym clothes! Getting new gym clothes every once in awhile always gives me a little boost to get moving! I’ve linked some of my favorites lately below

Adidas swift runner / nike air max / Adidas NMD_R1 / wireless airbuds / holy grail hair ties 

Lulu dupe leggings / biker short / free people crop / FP henley crop / love tank 

I hope this helps you all with wherever you are at in your journey. I am no gym or health expert, I just know what has helped me get back on track and feeling like my best self so I wanted to share!