Cheesy Chicken Pasta & Side Salad

Absolutely LOVE this meal! Not only is this meal ultra yummy but it follows my favorite motto: Eat better! Not less!

Here’s what I mean: Going on a diet or trying to eat healthier can seem overwhelming & restricting. I think it’s assumed that in order to lose weight or get healthier you have to eat teeny tiny portions, but that’s not the case. It comes back to needing to consume fewer calories, & nutrient dense foods tend to be low in calories but high in volume. So the more nutrient dense a food is then the larger portion you can probably consume of it without going over your calorie goal. While the less nutrient dense foods (sugar, fried foods, etc.) tend to be higher in calories, so it’s better to consume them in smaller portions.

On my plate I have an ENTIRE bag of mixed greens (I normally have a bag a day), why? Because they are packed with viatmins A(180%) & C(120%) and minerals calcium (12%) & iron (40%), and they have a good amount of fiber (4g). And while they are packed with nutrients, they are extremely low in calories, & entire bag of greens isย  normally 30-40 kcal! So why not just eat the whole bag! It makes my lunch bigger & makes me feel fuller for less calories.

I also have on my plate 139g of zucchini lentil pasta (half a bag of the cheddar sauce flavor from Birds Eye), this pasta comes out to 22g of carbs , while 139gย  of regular penne pasta comes out to about 47g of carbs. I’m able to enjoy double the amount of pasta by choosing an option made mostly from veggies & grains that are lower in calories. .

I thoroughly enjoy eating this way (most of the time) because the more food I get to consume, the more bites I get to take, & the longer it takes me to eat, I think plays a big role on staying fuller longer even though this meal is pretty low calorie. It can be relatively easy to really overdo it on calories when it comes to foods that are low in nutrients but small & quick to eat: candy, chips, etc. And while I believe in flexible dieting so I’ll enjoy those less nutrient dense foods, it will be in proper portions that keep my health & calories in check๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ’ช

.

.

*Meal macros are also accounting for 20g Bolthouse Farms Creamy Roasted Garlic dressing & 4 oz chicken breast๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ˜‹

 

Cheesy Zero Carb Breakfast

Zero Carb Breakfast?!๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿง€

Some questions people may be having:

๐ŸฅšIs this keto? Nope. [only 30% fat]

๐ŸฅšAre carbs bad? 1000% Nope!!

๐ŸฅšIs this a magical fat loss breakfast? Lol… no

๐Ÿค”So then why am I having a zero carb breakfast? Because it fits my macros ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

 

Ever run out of carb macros but still needed to fit in some protein and fat? Yea, that was me a couple times last week ๐Ÿ˜… and egg whites and cheese got me to hit my numbers ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ™ŒI’ve previously enjoyed this meal as a macrocap but I’m had it here as breakfast to save most of my carbs for before and after my workout ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช

You could almost call this like a macro friendly cheese danish ๐Ÿคฃ the way I wrapped the egg whites around the cheese. The trick is low and slow cooking the egg whites for a few minutes and then adding on the cheese for only a minute. The ultimate trick is to get low fat cheese so that you can have a lot of cheese and feel like you’re being naughty ๐Ÿคคย I also (of course) topped mine with some 0 kcal chile lime seasoning from Trader Joe’s because it just makes any dish even better ๐Ÿ˜‹

 

Stay Cheesy Friends!

Easy Cheesy Low Carb Pizza with Warm Salad

Three ingredients to make this dynamite meal! First is the 4 carb pizza from Real Good Foodsย  where they have made CHICKEN THE CRUST ๐Ÿ˜ easy & tasty way to get in some protein and fat macros!

The other ingredients for this meal is a Mann’s Southwest Chipotle Nourish Bowl that comes withย cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, sweet potatoes, black beans,ย chipotle corn salsa & shredded cheddar cheese ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ™Œ and my last ingredient is Steam in Bag Sweet Potatoes from Archer Farms ๐Ÿ 

Such an easy nutrient packed meal that can all be cooked in a microwave and then easily assembled ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿค—

 

Macros: 493 kcal 37P/49C/18F

Counting Calories vs Tracking Macros for Weight Loss

Calories? Macros? What’s the difference?? I get this question all the time. If you received my “Macros Explained” guide, then you should already have some understanding on how calories and macros work, but I thought it be good to break it down a bit more.

Calories are from Macros?

Macros/Macronutrients are made up of Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats, and Alcohol, all of these macros provide energy aka calories. So calories are made of macros, and we use those calories/energy as fuel. Alcohol has no nutrient benefits though so it is often excluded and not counted when tracking macros. Protein, Carbs, and Fats, however are essential nutrients we need for our bodies to run properly. Every food has some amount of one or more of these macronutrients. And while all these macros provide energy, each macro has a little bit of a different roleย  for our bodies.

Macro Breakdowns

Protein has the job helping to build and maintain cell structure and muscle mass, because of this it makes it very hard to be put onto the body as fat. It is also the most satiating macro which is why it can best be utilized by having at least 20g of protein at each meal because it will aid in keeping you comfortably full throughout the day. Protein rich foods: eggs, meats, protein powder, and protein bars.

Carbohydrates have the main job of supplying fuel for the body to move and recover. This is why I suggest to have a large amount of daily carb intake around your workout so that you can eat a good amount before the workout to have fuel for the workout, and then eat a good amount after to help with muscle recovery.

Carbohydrates are also broken up into two categories: simple and complex. And the easiest way to determine if a carb is simple or complex comes down to if it is higher in sugar then it is a considered a simple carb, this is because it can be simply broken down by the body to be used for fuel. This is why after having something with a lot of sugar, you may get a โ€œSugar crashโ€ later because your body quickly metabolizes the carbs for energy and then quickly feels drained and wants more.

Complex carbs are carbs that are higher in nutrients and have more fiber in them. They are complex because it takes the body longer to metabolize and digest them which helps us in feeling fuller longer. This is why itโ€™s best to have complex carbs be a majority of your diet as it helps with keeping fullness and hunger levels balanced.

Complex Carb rich foods: potatoes, grains, legumes, fruit, whole wheat or multigrain pasta, bread, wraps, or tortillas. Simple Carb rich foods: candy, cake, chips, refined grains and flour products like white rice, white bread, wraps, tortillas.

Fats have the role of balancing hormones and other bodily functions, which is why itโ€™s recommended that at least 20% of a diet be made up of fats. I typically like to stick with at least 25% to aid in that hormone balance and fat is also satiating (not as much as protein though) so it helps with staying full throughout the day. Fat rich foods: oils, nuts, nut butters, butter, avocado, egg yolks.

So as you can see having the proper ratio of protein, carbs, and fats can help keep our bodies feeling good and running properly.

What Amount of Calories comes from each Macro?

Ok, so now that you have an idea of the different macronutrients youโ€™re probably wondering how the heck this all relates back to dieting and calories? I mentioned earlier that each macronutrient provides our body a certain amount of energy aka calories. Protein and Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram, and alcohol provides 7 calories per gram. Again, alcohol has no nutrient value but is still good to mention as the calories from it DO COUNT toward total calorie intake.

So now knowing that macronutrient grams provide a certain amount of calories I can show you how a calorie goal is made up of macro grams.

Example: Say someoneโ€™s calorie goal is 2000 calories, a simple split of balanced macros could be 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fat.

30% of 2000 calories is 600 calories. Protein has 4 calories per gram, so 600/4= 150g of Protein for this calorie goal

40% of 2000 calories is 800 calories. Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, so 800/4= 200g of Carbohydrates for this calorie goal

30% of 2000 calories is 600 calories. Fat has 9 calories per gram, so 600/9= 67g of Fat for this calorie goal

Now on a side note, if you wanted to track alcohol you would borrow the calories from carbs and/or fats. A 5 oz glass of wine typically has 125 calories, so you could either subtract 125 from the 800 calories from carbs in this example or the 600 calories from fat. If you did it from carbs then your daily carb goal in this case would change to 675 calories and 169g of carbs. In doing this you are able to track alcohol calories without going over your total calorie goal. And if you go over your total calorie goal consistently (no matter if itโ€™s from protein, carbs, fat, or alcohol) then you will gain body fat. Unless you are training optimally then in that case going over calories will cause muscle gain.

Why Track Macros instead of Just Calories?

When trying to decide wether you should just count calories or track macros it all comes down to what is your goal? Do you want to just lose body weight?ย Then just counting calories will definitely get you to lose body weight,ย all you need to do to lose body weight is be in calorie deficit. But if your goal is the lose body fat,ย then having a good macro ratio, along with proper exercise routine, is definitely more optimal.

Why? Because having a more even distribution of macros will let you have a better energy distribution. Let me explain by giving a personal example: I remember EXACLTY two years ago in January 2016, back before I learned about macros and proper training, that I wanted to lose weight so I tried to just count calories and do what I thought I should be doing in the gym. I specifically remember getting a Subway foot long everyday for the week, and I would have half at lunch (no breakfast!) then chug a red bull (because I had no energy), go to the gym to do 30 minutes on the ellyptical, then have the other half of the sandwich after my workout for dinner, and then on the weekends I would eat whatever I wanted and not workout.

I would lose a few lbs doing this because I was putting myself in a calorie deficit by eating less than 1000 kcal a day during the week but (now I know) that majority of what I lost was water weight (not fat!). The reason so many low calorie meal plans, juice cleanses, and detoxes can promise that you’ll lose “5 lbs in 1 week” is because when you drastically cut calories, your sodium and carbohydrate intake will in turn be low so you will then lose a lot of water weight. But is watching the scale go down but no fat come off really what we want?

I know now that I could never get past losing 5 lbs because I didn’t understand that fat loss takes time in a calorie deficit to happen. I would lose 5 lbs the first week or two and then weight loss seemed to stop, so I would then just give up and go back to my normal eating of pizza, wings, and beer all the time. But fat loss is a slow and steady process at losing 1-2 lbs a week, and this CAN be done with a moderate (not drastic) calorie deficit. This is why I think tracking macros is more optimal over just counting calories because it is something that is sustainable! It allows you to focus that a majority of your food intake is coming from high nutrient foods that are packed with micronutrients that allow you to have stable energy and hunger levels even while eating lower calories, and it allows you to “treat yo self” with fun foods without worrying that you are blowing all your progress.

Tracking Macros isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle that let’s you learn what macro ratio fuels your body best, what types of food fuel you best, what portions are enough to fuel you best, and learning all of that let’s you see that there are NO good or bad foods! Tracking macros let’s you learn all of this so that sticking to a calorie deficit is easier and more sustainable, and then when you reach your goal weight and/or you want to go back to eating without tracking, you will have a better understanding of how food fuels you and be able to use those habits for the rest of your life!

Want to learn how to set up your own macros? Enter your email below to get a FREE “Macros Explained” Guide that also explains how to figure out your own macros.

Want macro/nutrition coaching from me, a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist? Check out my coaching services which range from me just setting up macros to macros with meal ideas to more in-depth online training and nutrition coaching that involves weekly check ins with phone calls.

 

 

Turkey Zucchini Burger Patties

This is FOR SURE the best use of ground turkey I’ve ever done! Who knew lean ground turkey could be SO juicy! The water from the zucchini for sure helps! I want to try this again with extra lean ground turkey and see if that will still keep it juicy. Using the extra lean will bring the fat grams way down ๐Ÿ‘Œ

I made a HUGE batch with 44oz so I made 11 patties, but I’ll give the guesstimated recipe for 1 lb of ground meat since that’s what most people get.

Ingredients:

1 lb of meat

3 stalks of green onion,

200g zucchini

Chile lime seasoning

The newest MVP for my meal prep is the new Chile lime seasoning from Trader Joe’s ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ™Œ 0 cal ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ 100% delicious!

Directions: Grate zucchini and green onion (I used the food processor grate option to made this REALLY simple), next combine meat, zucchini, onion, and seasoning in a bowl (just use your hands ๐Ÿ˜œ) and form into 4 patties.

Cook patties on a heated skillet/pan (DO NOT put them on the grill, they will fall through!) cook them on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, then enjoy ๐Ÿคค

Do you guys love turkey burgers?! If not, then this will convert you! ๐Ÿ˜† My bf’s uncle liked them and he hates turkey!

Vegetarian Cheesy Lentil Tacos

Oh Em Gee guys! My lunch on this #MacroMeatlessMonday was freaking delicious! Why do I not buy lentils more often?! ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”

Seriously a great substitute for taco meat!

I bought already steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s and seasoned them with garlic powder and Chile lime seasoning ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ˜‹ I heated up 3/4 cup of the lentils for my taco filling here and topped them with light Swiss cheese from TJโ€™s with the bomb macros 7P/0C/2.5F per slice(check my TJs Haul for the packaging deets๐Ÿ‘Œ)

I used my favorite mini street flour tortillas from Mission that are soooooo soft and only 13C each๐Ÿค—ย And I had some Chile lime seasoned shaved Brussels sprouts to add more volume and a serving of veggies to my meal ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿค—

Seriously solid #Meatless meal you guys! .

Macros: 482 kcal 36P/68C/8F ๐Ÿ‘Œ

Crunchy Chicken Tacos & Cheesy Bean Tostada

Felt like a winner on this Taco Tuesday ๐ŸŒฎ๐ŸŒฎ๐ŸŒฎ

I almost lost it when I found out how macro friendly these El Pasoย crunchy tacos shells are ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ 50 calories and 6g of carbs each! ๐Ÿ˜

 

Added in some of my pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe’s that I seasoned with lime juice and chile lime seasoning๐Ÿ˜‹ some red onion and reduced fat Mexican cheese๐Ÿคค .

And because I LOVE volume eating aka eating MORE for LITTLE CALORIES! And because wasn’t having enough chicken to fill three taco shells I made a little tostada with half of my extra shell with cheese and a side of refried salsa beans from TJ’s and crumbled the other half shell for some crunch in my massive side salad with sliced grape tomatoes and 2 tbsp Bolthouse Farms Cilantro Avocado Dressing ๐Ÿฅ— (Only 40 calories!)

The salad looks like A LOT I know but the greens, tomatoes, and dressing come out to about 60 calories! Adding volume to your meal with low carb veggies is a great way to obviously get in those high nutrient veggies ๐Ÿ˜‰ but having MORE FOOD (no matter the calories) will have you leaving the meal feeling fuller longer!

 

Solid meal packed with so much volume for such manageable calories ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ™Œ celebrate Taco Tuesday at home with this one ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‘Œ

Macros: 491 kcal 38P/47C/16F

Low Carb Tacos๐ŸŒฎ

Craving tacos but want to keep it low carb? Here are some of my favorite low carb tacos I’ve created ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ™Œ I love using lettuce cups or romaine hearts in replace of tortilla shells as it can help keep tacos lower in carbs, fat, and calories ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ™Œ this allows to add in avocado and have a side of carbs (beans, rice, or chips) without making the macros too high ๐Ÿ‘

4 oz lean ground turkey with marinated in Frank’s hot sauce before baking) with cherry tomatoes, chopped green bell pepper, corn, franks hot sauce, and nonfat plain Greek yogurt. I love using nonfat Greek yogurt in replace of sour cream because it’s lower in fat and calories and higher in protein ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช//230 kcal 24P/11C/8F .

ย 4 oz spicy shrimps (marinated in Frank’s hot sauce before baking) with 1/3 avocado, cherry tomatoes, chopped green bell pepper, and corn๐ŸŒฝ//199 kcal 31P/15C/7F

4 oz spicy tilapia (marinated in Frank’s hot sauce before baking) with 1/3 avocado ๐Ÿ˜‹ simple but tasty ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿฅ‘//182 kcal 22P/5C/10F

4 oz lean ground turkey with 1/3 avocado, and Frank’s hot sauce ๐Ÿ”ฅ//252 kcal 23P/5C/15F

*Macros are for 3 tacos๐ŸŒฎ๐ŸŒฎ๐ŸŒฎAll pretty simple, tasty, and (my favorite) EASY to make ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ

Tilapia Taco Night

Super Easy and Macro Friendly Tilapia Taco!

 

I bought frozen tilapia at Target (Simply Balanced brand) that has GREAT macros! 5g of protein and under a gram of fat per oz ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ Once I thawed out the filets I marinated them with Frank’s hot sauce and laid them on a nonstick cooking sprayed foil lined pan and sprinkled a generous amount of Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning (because 0 calories ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ) and bake it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. The fish comes out sooooo moist and flakey, I pull the filets apart a bit to make taco assembly easier ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œ

 

 

While the fish was baking I cooked on the stove some Knorr Mexican Seasoned Riceย ๐Ÿš super delicious! Took 7 minutes to make and had great flavor ๐Ÿ˜‹ Half a cup of cooked rice was is only 135 calories ๐Ÿ’ช and 23 carbs ๐Ÿ™Œ I opted to use my favorite low carb Tumaro’s Wrap as my taco instead of the flour tortillas my family was using because those wraps fit my macros best because they are lower carb so then I could have more rice and a beer๐Ÿ˜

 

 

Topped my taco with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and some guacamole ๐ŸŒถ๐Ÿฅ‘ paired my meal with a corona light ๐Ÿบ (only 99 calories ๐Ÿ‘ I added in alcohol carbs which adds 25g of carbs to my meal)

 

Total macros for this meal: 501 calories with 36P/67C/11F ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘Œpretty good for a taco and beer night ๐ŸŒฎ๐Ÿบ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿคค

 

*Everything can be found at Target!

Chicken Street Tacos with Low Carb Spanish Rice

Simple but tasty chicken street tacos with low carb Spanish rice ๐Ÿ™Œ ๐ŸŒฎ๐Ÿš

How is the rice low carb? Because it’s cauliflower rice ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‘Œ mixed with diced white onion and tomatoes ๐Ÿ… with some Chile Lime seasoning from Trader Joe’s๐Ÿ”ฅ a cup of my cauliflower Spanish rice is 12g of carbs while a cup of regular Spanish rice is 40g of carbs๐Ÿš So if you’re looking for a lower carb rice option or want more volume for 40g fo carbs then cauliflower rice is the way to go ๐Ÿ‘ I opted for the lower carb rice because I wanted to get in a serving of veggies and my tortillas were higher in carbs (13g each)๐ŸŒฎ and I didn’t want this meal to be too carb heavy as it’s high in fat with avocado๐Ÿฅ‘ and cheese๐Ÿง€

 

But my SUPER soft flour tortillas from Mission were seriously SO delicious and worth every carb๐Ÿ˜‹ I bought my chicken pre-cut and marinated fajitas style from Grocery Outlet from Tysonย ๐Ÿ— kept the rest of my tacos simple and fatty by adding in some jalapeรฑo cheese, fresh avocado, cilantro, and lime juice ๐Ÿ‘Œ