Ten Weeks Of Dieting
I'll start with a quick update about where things stand 10 into dieting for my fitness competition. In short, everything is tracking right along. I've lost an inch off most body parts - except for my waist where I've lost about 3 inches and my weight has come down about 11 pounds to about 152 pounds. My body fat has come down 5% as well. In total, I’m aiming to lose another 10 lbs or so goal weight of 143 pounds) for my show. This seems doable over the next 9 weeks.
10 weeks into dieting at my coach's house in a teeny, tiny show bikini (this isn't THE bikini for the show, we just tried one on for pictures).
This week my calories and carbs got cut a little, and my cardio and steps increased. Normally I love cooking, but I'm feeling a little hungry and droopy and not the most creative, so this week I'm going to share some very easy ideas for food prep. Nothing fancy, but they are easy, flexible, and surefire formulas for getting your protein and veggies in.
Egg White Omelets and Scrambles
For my third meal of the day (my third breakfast) I almost always make myself an egg white omelets or scrambles. When I'm in a hurry and impatient, chances are that I'll be having a scramble! How this comes together is as follows: get out a non-stick skillet, lightly spray with cooking spray, add veggies (spinach, roasted red peppers, artichokes, mushrooms, broccoli - whatever sounds good), pour in some egg whites, sautee and voila! A veggie, protein filled meal.
Depending on my macros, I'll pair this with a carb to complete my meal - usually some potato or sweet potato. If your fat macros are low, egg whites are a great way to get protein in without added fat.
Sheet Pan Meals
One of my "rules" for this dieting is to be able to prepare and eat dinners that my whole family will eat. Before this prep, I'd seen recipes on Pinterest for sheet pan meals, and one night I decided to give it a try, and it has now become a staple for pulling dinner together that will likely stay after prep is over. Here's my basic formula: chicken tenders, veggies, seasoning of choice, and a very light misting of olive oil spray. (You could swap the chicken for shrimp or tilapia). I've prepared sheet pan fajitas, greek chicken and veggies, and balsamic chicken and veggies. So far, sheet pan fajitas are my favorite and my family loves them too.
This was Sunday's night meal: Italian sheet pan chicken. I tossed together the veggies I had on hand with some garlic and Italian seasoning (frozen broccoli, radishes, carrots, and shallots) and roasted them at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Then I added the chicken and roasted for another 20 minutes (flipping the chicken 10 minutes through). For the finished meal I tossed together the chicken, veggies and some brown rice pasta (to fit my remaining macros for the day) and drizzled with some balsamic glaze.
Crockpot Cooking
Preparing shredded meat in the crockpot is also a staple of competition prep. Once a week I cook up some chicken, pork tenderloin, or roast beef that I use for various meals throughout the week. The formula is very easy: protein, flavoring (buffalo sauce, salsa, green verde salsa, lemon pepper, cajun seasoning, etc.), liquid (broth or water). I throw it all in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours and then shred it with a fork. Then it's easy to add a carb, veggie, and/or fat to complete a meal. Below is a recipe for shredded beef that I got from my host mother when I was an exchange student in Mexico back in college. It's prep friendly (high protein, low fat), but the flavor is out of this world.
Clelia's Shredded Beef
Beef roast (for prep, I would opt for a lean cut like a sirloin roast)
Rough chopped onion and carrot
Garlic, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, and salt
Combine ingredients in the crockpot with a cup of water and cook on high until the beef will shred with a fork. Remove the onion and carrot, shred the beef, and remove any excess liquid. Sprinkle the shredded beef with oregano ( a tablespoon or so) and 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Serve as street tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, or tostadas.
With the shredded beef I made a bowl with 6 ounces of beef, 1/2 a cup of cauliflower rice (out of carbs for the day!), tomato and lettuce while my kids and hubby made themselves street tacos. I made a 2.5 pound roast, which made dinner for two nights this week.
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