Beauty...
Be your own
kind of beautiful
Be your own
kind of beautiful
When it comes to staying on a healthy meal plan, it’s not eating out that does the most damage. It’s what you stock your fridge with at home. I mean, think about it. If you have junk in your house, you will eat it.
Here are my tips to snack smart and eat well right in your own home:
The key to avoiding those diet pitfalls is to be mindful of what you are buying. When you are at the grocery store, don’t buy the things you know you’ll end up indulging on. Those cookies that you tell yourself you’ll only have once a week? Don’t even tempt yourself. If you don’t buy crap, you won’t eat crap. End of story. Oh, and you know how they always say not to go to the grocery store hungry? It’s real, people! Don’t do it. If you’re starving, you’re more likely to make some bad choices. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve gotten home and realized I’ve subconsciously stuck some pretty crazy things in my cart. Ice cream, chips, you name it.
I understand how hard this is…especially if you’re shopping for your husband and kids. My husband loves sweets and so do I. Instead of completely depriving them and being branded as the worst wife in the world, offer different options. Believe it or not–my kids (husband included!) love fruit as a substitute. Stick it in popsicle form and it’s even better. If your husband really wants to indulge, make an agreement to hide it. Marriage is all about compromise, right?
As neat as I like to keep my fridge, there will always be a few bad choices hidden. Allow an hour on a Sunday to really take a look at what you’ve been buying. It gives you a good look at what you tend to indulge in and what you need more of. If the condiments/ice cream/frozen foods take over the greens/fresh proteins, then you need to make some changes.
Life is all about the packaging. If something looks pretty and easy to access, we tend to gravitate to it. Your fridge is no different. Use glass containers to highlight your favorite healthy snacks so they are easy to grab when you are craving a little something. I’m talking pre-cut carrots and celery sticks, hummus, almond butter bites, and anything that will satisfy you.
You are probably sick of me preaching the gospel of meal prep but it seriously works, people. For my Bikini After Baby program, Kelly LeVeque clued me in on a little something called The Fab 4. I love structure so this meal equation works well for me. Once I knew what exactly I needed in each meal, it was easier for me to prepare ahead of time so I wouldn’t have to think about it. See below for Kelly’s Fab 4 equation to get you through your week:
FAB FOUR BREAKDOWN FOR EACH MEAL + EXAMPLES:
Protein (4-6 oz or 20g): small burger, chicken breast, petite filet, fish or 4 eggs (mix of yolks and white is preferred)
Fat (1-2 tbsp or 10g): coconut oil, avocado, almond butter, olive oil,
Fiber & Greens: 2-3 cup vegetables, raw or cooked.
Carbs: In one serving size (less than 25 grams) 1/2 cup of berries, one corn tortilla or 1/2 cup rice. Potatoes, corn and peas are considered carbs not vegetables. Beans are 50% carbohydrate, so hummus with turkey and a barley wrap would be a double carb.
For some of my favorite Fab 4 recipes of Kelly’s, check out these links here. I have tried all of them and let me tell you…you’ll be OBSESSED!
Stay tuned for more tips from Kelly on both my blog and Kelly’s, Be Well By Kelly. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing all our recipes and tips. This momma is getting BIKINI READY, Y’ALL!!!!
