Tag: mealprep

A Day In The Life, Fitness

Traveling & Keeping on Track!

Previously In The Life Of Erika

Summer time is when most families are traveling and ours has been no exception. We have been to San Diego, Coeur d’Alene, and Maui this so far this summer. I know, I know that’s a lot of travel in a short amount of time with a baby. Those tips, tricks, and “how does she do it?” will be saved for another blog post! Getting back on topic… As most of you know I have been working on losing baby weight and getting back in shape, which is still going well, and the most important part is not letting myself get derailed while traveling with my little family.

Before I get too far into this topic, I want to give you a little background information. When I first started this journey 4 years ago I has ZERO self control when it came to eating out or attending events where food would be around, food I knew I shouldn’t be indulging in. I pretty much became a hermit, I had a horrible relationship with food. It gave me anxiety, made me depressed, and negative. Looking back, the amount of self control I’ve gained over the years amazes me. I am so proud of how far I have come! I now see food as fuel and do my best to make better choices when I do find myself eating out.

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I don’t know about you guys, but when I am traveling I find it hard to take a bunch of prepped food with me. A day or two sure, but 5 days worth of meals is A LOT! Instead I take ziplocks of my protein with me, grilled chicken (if I can), and completely prepped meals if I can. In situations where I find myself at a restaurant I look over the menu carefully and look for things that would be cleaner options. Now lets be real for a moment… When I look at a menu I really want the pasta or a cheeseburger, and it can be hard to go with something else. In those moments I reflect on why I eat the way I do and train the way I train. I have goals. Will that cheeseburger or pasta help me reach my goals? Probably not. Not to say that you should deprive yourself and never ever have food like that, I mean come on! We’re human, well at least I am… I will indulge in something like that when I have a refeed/free meal. Do I regret it? Absolutely NOT!

When eating out I typically order a meal with either chicken breast or sirloin steak, some form of steamed veggie, and a carb (potatoes or rice). Some people feel awkward about making special requests on their orders. In my opinion, you’re paying for it so get exactly what you want! Ask for your chicken without any sort of glaze, ask for steamed veggies not cheesy, ask for plain garlic mashed potatoes and not loaded, it’s okay! You’ll come to find that eating cleaner while eating out can still be satisfying and delicious. My favorite part about making those choices in food is that I am not bloated! The other nice thing is that I don’t feel like I’m going into a food coma after.

Making small choices daily can help you change your life and create a long term healthy lifestyle!

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Fitness

Meal Prep For The New/Busy Mom

Previously In The Life Of Erika

So I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot meal prep in mass quantities. Right now I’m lucky if I get to eat enough times a day regardless of having prepped meals, and then the food spoils before I do get the chance to eat it. So a couple of weeks ago Jordan and I decided to hit up Costco for our latest grocery needs and I hit the mother load of meal prep essentials for the new/busy mom!!! I have switched from my fresh veggies and meats to the just as healthy but much more convenient frozen versions. Did you know that you can literally buy a 10 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts for $20 at Costco?? Overall I was paying more for the unfrozen chicken, and I could never remember to put it in the freezer before it would go bad so it was a total waste of money. Now I’ve got this massive bag in my freezer and I can easily pull out what I need in the morning and it’s thawed by the time I need it! I usually prep one breast at a time and it gives me enough meat for two meals. The greatest thing about it is that it will not go bad on me!!


When it comes to the veggies they also have massive bags of fresh frozen ones. I grabbed a giant bag of broccoli, green beans, and asparagus. The broccoli and green beans were only around $6 a bag, such a great deal!! Of course asparagus was more expensive, it always is no matter what but its amazing and so worth the $10 per bag at Costco. I’ve mainly been using the broccoli because I’ve been craving it all the time, for whatever reason. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the giant bag, to find several smaller microwavable bags inside of it. Each smaller bag gives me enough veggies for about 3 meals or so and they taste SO fresh! They are never soggy or mushy, they always come out perfectly and it makes it so much easier than chopping up a giant crown of unfrozen broccoli by hand. Switching to frozen foods has cut my meal prep time in half!!

For my carbs I’ve basically stuck to white rice, yeah I know everyone always says use brown rice but I make white rice fit my macros and most of the time I prefer it. I throw it in the rice cooker while I’m either continuing to prep other food or playing with Grayson and it’s a no brainer, I measure it out when it’s done and I’m good to go! A new staple for me and a yummy way to get my fats in are these individually packaged cups of guacamole. I LOVE guac, it was my biggest craving when I was pregnant and it has just stuck with me since I guess! Anyway they are 80 calories per container and I don’t have to do any sort of measuring, I scoop it out into my rice and mix it in for some extra yummy flavor. Take my word for it, it’s BOMB!!

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Another new staple in my diet are Kodiak Cakes, pancake/waffle mix that is a great source of protein! It also feels like you’re getting a yummy cheat treat, while fitting your macros perfectly. Many people like to make their own protein pancakes from scratch, which is also great but I am not someone who has the time to do that most mornings. These are a quick and easy way to get a meal in and change things up from my usual eggs and oats. They are also delicious, my husband will tell you first hand because he pretty much eats them every morning too! Costco has them for a limited time, so stock up while you can!!

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I hope this post was helpful to some other moms who have been struggling to find some balance between taking care of themselves and their little ones! Happy prepping!!