Today (Thursday) marks Day 7 of our 40-day Fat Loss Challenge. I
measured in on Day 1 at 24% (calipers) and today was at 22%! Woo-hoo!
A 2% difference in 1 week is a big deal! I'll show you some progress
pics soon so you can see what it looks like. I'm also using my
heart-rate monitor (twice) and have been surprised at how little amount
of calories it says I'm burning during my workouts. I'll get into more
detail on that in another post soon too.
Today, I'm sharing one of the meals I've been eating- a Grilled Chicken
Salad and I always make multiples at a time so I can just pull the
assembled salad out of the fridge and I don't have to spend time
reprepping.
Step 1 is to always have grilled chicken on hand or prepare enough for
several salads. If I'm just cooking 4-8 chicken breasts at a time, I
use a grill pan. Spray that pan with cooking spray, and heat to
medium-high heat. I pound my chicken breasts a little so they are
thinner and cook evenly. My seasoning of choice is Mrs. Dash, which I
put on both sides, then cook for about 4 minutes per side or so until
they are cooked through, and let rest before eating so they stay moist.
I measure my chicken to 4 ounces and show you below what that looks like
if you don't have a kitchen scale. See the bell pepper beside for
reference.
A super simple salad I enjoy is with prewashed spinach/kale/romaine,
bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a little fat free dressing. Buying
the prewashed lettuce is awesome and they tend to stay pretty fresh in
the bag, but I find my salads stay fresh in the tupperware too for
several days.
One of my favorite things to do is chop veggies and I'm not sure why.
To chop my peppers, I cut off the top and bottoms, then slice them
open, removing the core. Then chop into strips and finally, a smallish
dice.
Grab a big handful of greens and add in the other ingredients. I leave
the tomatoes whole since they're small and so they don't start getting
my salad all wet. I think these tupperware containers hold 3 cups. If
I'm eating this meal for 2, 3, or 4, I might add a small side potato or
1/2 cup of rice to bring in more carbs so I'm more satiated.
When it's time to eat, I always transfer the salad to a nice bowl
because I really don't like eating out of tupperware unless I have to
and I did that a lot when I was training for my competition. Had to eat
in the car or at my son's swimming lessons or wherever.
If I'm eating this meal for 2, 3, or 4, I might add a small side potato
or 1/2 cup of rice to bring in more carbs so I'm more satiated. Even
though it may only save a little bit of time, making several salads at a
time ends up being so much more convenient during the day than having
to prep each one individually. I'd say my grilled chicken can last up
to a week in the fridge, but I try to eat it all in 5 days to be on the
safe side.
What would you like to know about meal plans, prep, training etc? I'd
love to hear and use your comments for future blog posts. :)
