One of the most important habits you can create for fitness and fat-loss success is planning ahead.
Failure to plan ahead is one reason why many of us struggle to stay consistent and see the results we want.
Here’s how most of us approach our fitness and nutrition with the busyness of our lives:
Your workouts only happen when the stars align and you can squeeze it in between your work and family. This lack of planning and scheduling leaves your workouts at a very low priority and you become incredibly inconsistent. Even when you do workout, they are rushed and you don’t maximize your time. This is reflected in your results.
Your nutrition and the foods you eat becomes the same thing. Due to a lack of planning ahead, breakfast is something quick or we skip it all together. Lunch is takeout from somewhere and 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 and do not provide the nutrients we need to keep us improving our health.
Imagine the changes you could make by simply planning ahead.
Imagine waking up and your healthy breakfast and lunch was packed and ready to go.
Think about the changes you could make to your energy, weight-loss, and results.
Planning ahead is a key ingredient to your nutrition success this fall 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!
These include some delicious and healthy fall recipes.
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).
Breakfast
Meal 1| Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 scoop vanilla whey
- 1/2 c pumpkin
- 1/3 banana
- 1/3 c full-fat coconut milk
- 2/3 c almond milk
- 1 handful spinach
- Cinnamon
- Blend and enjoy
Directions: Mix ingredients and store in the refrigerator over night. Eat cold in the morning. Add a dash of cinnamon to the top.
Meal 2| Fall Protein French Toast
Ingredients:
- 2 slices sprouted grain or gluten-free bread
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 thumb sized amount of maple syrup
Directions: Mix all ingredients (other than bread) together in a large bowl. Coat each piece of bread generously with mixture. Add to a pan over medium heat. Cook thoroughly. Drizzle on maple syrup when done.
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
- 1-2 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 (1-2 palm sized amount): chicken, turkey, tuna, egg, salmon, shrimp
- 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| Fall 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.
Meal 2| 1 Sheet Fall Fish Dinner
Ingredients:
- Pick 1 Fish (1-2 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, squash, and brussels sprout (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 3| 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 4| Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
Ingredients:
- Roasted Spaghetti Squash Strands
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 diced shallot
- 2-3 minced garlic cloves
- 1 jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 2 fist sized amount kale, spinach, chard
- 1 fist size amount asparagus
- 1 thumb size grass fed ghee
- 1-2 thumb sized amount of parmesan cheese
Directions: Split and scoop out seeds and pulp of spaghetti squash, sprinkle extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425 deg for 45-50 min, use a fork to scoop out the cooked squash. While squash is cooking, cook 1 lb ground bison with 1 diced shallot and 2-3 minced garlic cloves, add 1 jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce and salt/pepper to taste. Sauté greens and asparagus in ghee. Plate meal and add cheese!
Healthy Snacks
Snack 1| Fruit and Nut Butter
Ingredients:
- 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
Directions: Spread butter on fruit and enjoy!
Snack 2| Rice Cake Protein Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1-2 Rice Cakes
- 1-2 Palm Sized Amount of Turkey
- 1 Thumb Sized Amount of Hummus
- Lettuce and Tomato
Directions: Spread hummus on rice cake and add ingredients.
Snack 3| Yogurt Parfait
Ingredients:
- 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
Directions: Mix yogurt and fruit and enjoy!
Snack 4| Create Your Own Protein Shake (drink half)
Ingredients:
- 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
Directions: Blend and enjoy!
Snack 5| Apple Cinnamon Protein Bites
Ingredients (makes 10 bites – eat 1-2 as a snack)
- 3/4 cup oats
- 3/4 cup sliced apple
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon