33 Simple “Eat Clean” Meal Ideas – Paleo approved!

As many of you know I am constantly cooking. I created this blog because I was on a complete cooking binge. I still have a million recipes to share from this summer, soon enough they will be all yours. As of now, I rarely cook anything “new”. At school, you can either find me in the kitchen, singing in an English accent somewhere around town with my BFF4L Mary, or… in the kitchen. But really. Always there. If I’m not in the kitchen cooking, I’m in the kitchen cleaning whatever it was that I was just cooking. And if I’m not cleaning or cooking, I’m anxiously waiting for whatever is in the oven. My life pretty much consists of attempting to complete my school work on time while constantly cooking, eating, and waiting to work out (which is at approx. 4 pm everyday). I’m so exciting, I know. Spare me the comments on my boring life. I guess you can say I’m already taking after my mother a little earlier than I thought. Before I ramble on, let me get to the point of this post. Specifically on this blog I post more elaborate meals. The truth is, (shocker of the century) half of my meals look boring as hell. I try to spice them up as much as I can but sometimes there’s just no time. So, there was no giant strategy to the fact that I’m only posting 33 meal ideas. These were just the scrap photos on my IPhone. And considering I take a picture of almost everything I eat, these were the ones that looked semi-appetizing. My breakfast this morning looked like a pile of dog shit. Therefore; I did not photograph it. I’m really getting a handle on this whole blogging thing aren’t I?


Chicken, shrimp, vegetables, and a half of a sweet potato. It doesn’t get any more boring than that. This dinner was put together quickly. The most preparation I did for it was to grab it out of Tupperware and throw it in the microwave.


Another really easy meal. 4 oz. Turkey Burger with an egg and a piece of ham. The turkey burger was already made. I just fried the egg and slice of ham and there was my meal. (I use Boars Head Deli meats)


Scrambled eggs, some spinach inside, and guacamole on top. This looks pretty, but took less than five seconds. This is a meal that anyone can make. I constantly hear complaints about how people “don’t know how to cook”. Which is fine. But let me tell you in one sentence how to make this. Put your stove on medium-high heat apply pam to your frying pan insert eggs & desired fillings in the frying pan and plop on some pre-made or homemade guacamole. Okay so that was a run-on sentence but I’m just dramatizing how simple it really is! YUM! (P.S I used Wholly Guacamole)


Chicken, sweet potato, greens. Every damn day. Just do it. Don’t be scared.


My favorite breakfast. I usually eat it every day for breakfast until I get sick of it, which is rare. 1 Applegate chicken sausage, 1 (or 2) eggs, spinach and mushrooms. Bomb.com

The brown rice cups, which you can buy anywhere, are very simple and delicious. They come in plain brown or white rice, no added ingredients, and they take 1 minute to heat up. I add sautéed vegetables and any protein I have to my rice. In this case, I added my paleo pesto coconut tilapia to my mix of food.


Sautéed tomatoes are extremely overrated. When you sauté a tomato you can either make a sauce out of it or put it in eggs like I did! They are delicious with garlic which adds great flavor to your meal. Another simple recipe!


Another favorite meal. 1-2 cups of sauerkraut with mustard & 2 Applegate Chicken & Apple sausages. I am obsessed with Applegate’s chicken and apple sausages and I suggest them for anyone looking for a flavorful and healthy protein without the work! I usually add sautéed mushrooms to this meal which adds flavor and bulk to an already small meal.


I rarely buy deli meat. The packaged stuff is disgusting and most deli meats have fillers. Every now and then I’ll buy a pound of Boars Head turkey breast. It is really great for on the go meals and snacks like this! I just pealed two of my romaine lettuce leaves, topped it with turkey, mustard & zucchini. This would also be great with guacamole or avocado slices!


Same meal as pictured above…found the mushrooms.


As you can see I’m quite the spokesperson for Applegate’s products. This is a classic meal that my dad used to cook all the time. Applegate Hot Dogs and Eggs. Don’t knock it till ya try it.


Random pile of balsamic chicken, random veggies, homemade tomato sauce. It’s fun to put everything you have in your fridge in a bowl and see what happens…

Picnic style meal. Minus the bun, and the sweaty Frisbee games, and the beer. 5 oz. Turkey Burger, 1 medium sweet potato cut into fries, a big pile of veggies. Mushrooms & hot sauce on the side. (Where the hell was the ketchup?)


5 oz. Ground Beef, Peppers & Onions, Crushed Tomato sauce, and of course…an egg on top.


Egg on everything… Salad filled with veggies and chicken! For dressing I use olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette, salt & pepper (sometimes), and Mrs. Dash Italian Blend. Delicious.


Van’s Gluten Free Waffles are AMAZING! So delicious and a perfect treat if you aren’t feeling very paleo. This meal is about 400 calories and is my ultimate favorite. Avocado/guacamole on top of the waffle, turkey burger on top of the avocado, egg on top of the turkey burger.


Three scrambled eggs topped with a ridiculous amount of veggies and BBQ Pulled Pork.


Chicken can get so plain. There are so many ways to spice up your plain chicken in the kitchen. Add any Mrs. Dash seasoning and it will change the game. You can also add salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. I cook my chicken with a bunch of veggies. Killing two birds with one stone!


One egg with egg whites. 1/2 avocado. Mushrooms. 6 oz. Chicken.


Egg Muffins! I will be posting millions of egg muffin recipes…coming soon 🙂


Mock chipotle. Brown rice, vegetables, chicken, beans and Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie packs!


The perfect paleo breakfast. Eggs, Applegate turkey bacon and a Turkey Burger.


More chicken ideas! Top and cook your chicken with almost anything and I guarantee it’ll turn out delicious. This has BBQ sauce and mushrooms and peppers on the bottom.


Three eggs over easy. Does it get much better than this?


Ground Turkey and Chicken with crushed tomato sauce and spinach, sautéed in some garlic!


The leaning tower of…everything you need in life. Zucchini, Canadian bacon, and really runny Eggs.


Spaghetti Squash! Cut your squash in half and leave it in the oven (on a tray, facing down) on 400 degrees for about half an hour. Continue checking, cooking time may vary depending on the size of your squash. Sautee cut up tomatoes in garlic and olive oil to act as your “sauce”. Sautee peppers & onions and your serving of protein. My favorite protein to eat with spaghetti squash is ground turkey!


Simple circle cut sweet potato fries with a bunch of chicken, mushrooms and green beans.


Egg whites, lox, avocado, and a small serving of sweet potato. These four ingredients are essential in my diet. Avocados and sweet potatoes may or may not keep me sane. The hint is to keep your sweet potatoes in the oven for as long as possible… they will cook so much that they will taste like candy. When eating an avocado, it can be a bit bland. Adding salt and pepper to the top of your avocado is quite the game changer. Maybe even some hot sauce or garlic powder.


Egg whites and a turkey burger, with hot sauce. Bowl of fruit with ground flax seeds and a tablespoon of almond butter! (Styrofoam plates are so in right now)


Delicious spinach salad with vegetables and raspberries! Adding fruit to your salad really switches things up and reminds you that life isn’t as boring as it seems.


Two eggs, Canadian bacon, sweet potato & almond butter. Another perfect paleo breakfast!


Yummy BBQ Chicken topped with spinach (sautéed in garlic) and a Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie pack!

The Six Random Pieces of Advice – Food, Gains & Life

I have been writing a post on productivity for awhile now, and can’t seem to complete that and my homework all at the same time… multitasking schoolwork is not my strong point. So, today, I started rambling on in my post on productivity and came up with this. It didn’t go a long with my point of focus for my future post, so I figured it deserves it’s own.

The Six Random Pieces of Advice from a 21-Year-Old Crossfit Chick

1. The better you eat, the better you’ll feel. How many times have you crushed that pizza and felt like absolute shit after it? And how many times have you felt like shit after eating a salad? Okay, so you all know how I feel about salad, but it is a good reference to a healthy combination of food. A healthy salad, stuffed with vegetables and chicken, can do no harm. A pizza, with sausage & pepperoni & bacon & yes, vegetables, will still send you right into hibernation stage. A nap will most likely occur. Your homework will be put off, and so will your workout. One dominos pizza & cheesy bread later and all of a sudden my life sucks, im so fat, I wish I didn’t do that, I have no friends, pizza is my boyfriend/girlfriend. And those are just some of the negative thoughts caused by overeating or binging on greasy food. Don’t act like you’ve never experienced that. Food makes you happy for a moment, then all of a sudden it plants you at the bottom of a black hole, that you eventually crave a few days later. Some people ask how I’m so “stable” all the time. I laugh because if they were in my head they’d realize I don’t always “have it all together”. But I do pride myself on my positivity, motivation & stable thoughts. I can thank food for that. No, not dominos. Chicken, beef, vegetables, fruits & other healthy carbs. Thank you for making me feel the best I can every day.
2. Fuel your body to fuel your workouts. Over the summer I experienced a serious change in my diet. Not only was I gluten & dairy free, but I learned to eat the right foods to fuel my workouts and inevitably make “gains”. Before I started to eat for performance, I typically ate around 1,500-1,800 calories a day. I tried to keep my caloric intake towards the lower end of that spectrum, and never even thought twice about upping my calories. The second I told one of my Crossfit trainers how much I typically ate, he responded with, “That’s rabbit food”. Over the summer I was eating 2400-2600 calories on high activity days, and about 2000 on low activity days. I didn’t gain a pound of fat, which went down 2%. Keep in mind, I wasn’t exactly eating for weightloss. I was eating to build muscle, which will lead to fat loss. Every meal had large servings of protein, veggies, and a healthy fat or carb. On heavy deadlift or squat days, I ate more carbs and red meat post wod. I brought a container or 4 oz ground turkey meat and 4 oz sweet potato to eat DIRECTLY after my workout. I used to love my pre-workout carbs. Banana’s with peanut butter on a piece of toast was my go-to. I started concentrating on eating almost no carbs before my workouts. My trainer explained to me that if you load yourself with carbs, the only thing your body will burn during your workouts is those carbs. By not eating carbs before a workout, your body becomes more efficient in burning fat throughout and after your workout. My pre-workout meal would typically be chicken/beef & avocado. I stopped eating nut butter and lara bars. With all the food I was eating, I was constantly energized. I never had headaches, I could make it through the day without a nap, and the groggy feeling during wods was very rare.
3. Making gains is not a bad thing, ladies. It’s kinda fun for me to say “make gains” because typically you use the word gain by saying “I don’t want to gain weight”. I had to put that statement out of my head, because I sure as hell did gain “weight” this summer, or muscle mass. My muscles grew, which inevitably replaced fat with muscle. Muscles appeared that I didn’t even knew existed. Yes, my back broadened, and my thighs became large and in charge, in the healthiest most satisfying way possible. I formed a great starting point for myself and my body. I was focusing strictly on strength, and I saw some serious improvements in that as well as performance. I’m currently focusing on endurance. Maintaining my strength while adding some cardio back in. I do not have a naturally lean, athletic build. Therefore; the cardio is helping to shape me. And no, I’m still not looking at the scale. What girls need to do is stop looking at the scale. Start measuring, start eating productively, and thinking positively. You don’t have to give up the sacred elliptical all together, if it’s what you like, continue to use it. Just add some weights in there. The more muscle you have, the more fat you lose, how much clearer does it have to be? Once I lose fat, replace it with muscle, I will become a better crossfitter instead of just being “really strong”…
4. Don’t be afraid of being powerful. …Which is what girls are typically afraid of…being strong. Yeah, it’s fun to be cutesy and flirtatious and innocent but who says you can’t be girly and be strong as F$%#. Do you know how empowering it is, as a women, to be able to lift really heavy shit and throw it back down? That satisfying & strong scream from the bottom to the top of your squat is enough adrenaline to last you the week, and the look on guys faces when they see you whipping out pull up after pull up? (Pull Ups…I’ve yet to perfect you, so maybe I’ll experience this one day). The more powerful state the body is in, the more powerful the mind is. That’s what gets girls in trouble, their mind. We are CRAZY. Girls are crazy, and we can thank our wandering minds for that. Let your body overpower your mind, and you will see results.
5. Listen to your trainers. There are so many times when I get to the gym and I just want to “take it easy”. I lower my weight on the barbell, and my mind is typically wandering elsewhere. Everybody has those days, but a good trainer knows the difference between needing a rest day and being lazy. I am so guilty of this. There have been many times that I’ve either underestimated myself or was feeling lazy and put less weight on my bar. After reflecting on these times, it’s a very good feeling when your trainer comes over and either tells you to put more weight on, or puts it on themselves. It feels good because it’s a sign that they see your potential and they know you can do better even if you don’t believe so. This is one out of a million ways that every trainer has inspired me. Make your trainers your best friend, tell them your worries and doubts because they will help you overcome them. Tell them your goals because they will be on your ass about completing them. In the end, there is only so much that the trainers can do. You have to be as dedicated to bettering yourself as they are to helping you.
6. Relax. This is advice that took me a long time to take. Don’t stress that you didn’t have time to get a workout in, if it’s actually a priority, you’ll make sure to get it in tomorrow. Don’t stress that you ate something a little unhealthy one night with your friends. You know how to eat healthy, you’re just living. Live in the moment. If you sit in your house and wait for results they won’t happen. The more you stress about losing weight, the less likely you’ll be able to lose weight. Don’t even think about losing weight…think about your workouts and your goals and the weight will come off naturally. Relax and take it day by day. Know when to say no to a cookie, and know when to let yourself eat something you typically don’t eat. Go out with friends and find adventure. It burns way more calories than sitting on the couch waiting for your next meal. And lastly, surround yourself with people that believe in your goals, not people that will roll their eyes at the sound of your drive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zvqNHDTf8Y <– Watch this.

Paleo Pesto Coconut Tilapia

Coat 6 4 oz Tilapias in homemade (or not) Pesto.


Put about 1/2 cup coconut flour and two tablespoons of shredded coconut on a plate.


Lather your tilapia in the coconut.

Repeat for all six pieces of tilapia. Put a thin layer of leftover pesto on top of the tilapia, and sprinkle coconut. I added a small amount of olive oil and salt to the top of this before I cooked it. Cook on 350 for about 15 minutes and enjoy!