You’ve heard the saying ‘abs are made in the kitchen’ right? If you’ve ever read my blog or followed me on instagram for any period of time you definitely have because I pretty much live and die by that. Do you need defined abs all the time? Hell no. Is it sustainable for most us to be J.Lo level ripped all the time? I say no. Do you want your most ripped, lean core (aka ninja turtle abs) for that beach vacation? (Notice I said YOUR most ripped because mine will be different and Gigi Hadid’s will always be like 5 levels above that and that’s fine.) If you said, ‘duh’ I am here for you! Here’s exactly what I eat in a day to lean out AND maintain my muscle. Note: I believe in balance. I love tacos and wine and family movie night is really only complete with cauliflower crust pizza. I will treat myself and that will not destroy my goals. With nutrition, there are times to be more strict and times to responsibly indulge and you have to figure out the balance that makes you feel YOUR best mentally emotionally and physically. Eating like this, for me is definitely when I am trying to maintain muscle but lean out a little bit.
Breakfast: Don’t even look at me until I’ve had my almond milk latte. With that in hand, it’s time for day’s biggest meal. Why? One: I have so much going on right now and I need a lot of energy in the morning. Two: Anything you eat at breakfast should be burned off before bed so you can really use this time to add things like fruit or anything high in carbs. For these reasons, I eat one of two things: avocado toast or a big freaking bowl of oatmeal. I’ll share both recipes on my instagram stories so check them out there. You know I only make things that are quick and easy.
Lunch: Salad. I am not a huge cook. I do my best, but I am hardly about to write a cook book anyone would read, so rely on outside help for lunch probably more than I should, but part of my personal development the last few years has really been accepting it’s okay to ask for help. I love Sakara, a plant-based meal-delivery service. I eat 3 meals a week from Sakara and the rest is either stuff I throw together at home (usually salad with chicken breast) or leftovers from dinner. Check out Sakara.com and use code XOBETHANN if you would like to try it out out.
A Sakara favorite; the Beauty Blend salad with avocado, seasonal veggies and green-goddess dressing! Clean, organic, ready-to-eat meals only at Sakara Life!
Dinner: This is where it gets tricky for a lot of people and moms can definitely attest to that. I mean, when there are chicken nuggets and mac and chees staring me in the face how am I suppose to say, no?! Honestly, sometimes you gotta eat that, but when I am trying to be clean and lean I love to have lean protein like chicken breast or ground turkey for dinner. I have veggies on the side like cauliflower rice (I use the frozen kind) or corn on the cob. With my turkey, I love having protein pasta or spaghetti squash and organic, no sugar-added tomato sauce. I actually had that for dinner last night.
Snacks: I eat every 2-3 hours so you can imagine there are loads of snacks through out the day. Some favorite right now are Dannon Light and Fit smoothies – they’re just great on-the-go sources of protein. Bob’s Better Bars are always in my bag. They’re organic, gluten-free and have 6 grams of protein! Greek yogurt with diced peaches is great for when I am home and I always have these in the fridge in case a hunger emergency strikes. The whole family LOVES them.
Drinks: Obvs if you’re trying to lose weight, it is best to avoid liquid calories because they’re typically nutritionally deficient, but whatever, drinking nothing but water is a one-way ticket to bummer town. There are plenty of liquids out there that are a.) not tedious… sorry, water and b.) nutritious AF. I drink bone broth, dandelion tea, Pamplemousse LaCroix and a glass of red wine almost everyday. I know bone broth can be polarizing and I’ve had some myself that had me thinking this stuff was NOT for me. Now I buy pre-made bone broth at Erewhon or Kreation because it tastes so much better and takes a lot less work. My acupuncturist makes his bone broth in an instant pot and he swears by that method.
That’s it – a typical day during a clean period of eating. There are definitely days/periods that are more indulgent, but we all know how to eat whatever we want, so I figured this would be more useful! If you find any new treats you like, tag me on instagram so I can enjoy them with you and don’t forget to listen to your own body and keep making choices that make you feel your best!
