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EASY MEAL PREP LUNCH: TRADER JOE’S SHAWARMA CHICKEN SALAD
Using pre-made ingredients and components can really streamline your kitchen process and help you experiment with new foods and flavors without having to resort to complicated or time consuming recipes. Introducing a favorite of mine: this ridiculously easy, high protein, veggie-packed chicken salad.
EASY 30-MINUTE DINNERS FOR THE WHOLE WEEK: 5 MACRO-FRIENDLY RECIPES
In today’s post, I’m sharing 5 meal ideas that use 5 totally different flavors to create 5 easy, high-protein meals for your lunch or dinner meals this week. The idea here is that you’ll prepare your proteins at the start of the week and take just 30 minutes to make your meal each night. Whether you’re cooking just for yourself or your whole family, these simple, high-protein 30-minute meal ideas can easily be scaled for multiple servings, and most use easy freezer and/or pantry ingredients that you may already have on hand!
3 BATCH PREP PROTEINS: CARNITAS, CHICKEN TINGA, AND A BREAKFAST SKILLET
Today’s blog post combines these two loves (and gives you some options for a Cinco de Mayo dinner that aren’t the typical hard-shelled tacos). These recipes come from a macro-friendly cookbook that I created, alongside a dear friend and former client, back in 2018. That was six whole years ago, yet the recipes remain favorites in our home.
5 EASY MEAL PREP RECIPES: USING ROTISSERIE CHICKEN FOR SIMPLE, HIGH PROTEIN, MACRO FRIENDLY MEALS
Rotisserie chicken is one of those often overlooked options that can cut down on our cooking time, make our food delicious, and add ease to our busy lives. It comes cooked and ready to eat and is a wonderful, healthful substitute to protein prep at home. Simplicity is key to sustainability in our nutrition and, with that in mind, here are 5 quick, simple meals using rotisserie chicken. Because these recipes are so simple and customizable, the ingredients and directions are merely suggestions.
HIGH PROTEIN WINTER SOUP RECIPE: AVGOLEMONO (CREAMY GREEK CHICKEN & LEMON SOUP)
Indulge in warmth and wellness with our High-Protein Winter Soup Recipe: Avgolemono. It’s a healthy, macro-friendly recipe with easy ingredients and instructions. Experience the comforting blend of creamy Greek chicken and lemon flavors. Discover a delicious and nutritious way to stay cozy this season. Try our easy homemade soup today!
FIVE EASY BATCH PREP PROTEINS
Batch prepping refers to cooking large quantities of food ahead of time so that you can easily throw together a meal when it’s time to pack your lunch for the day or feed your family for dinner. When batch prepping, we can think less about the specific meals we are going to eat for the week, and more about creating the building blocks of those meals. This also makes grocery shopping and any meal planning you may do much easier!
MACRO-FRIENDLY RECIPE: BUFFALO & BBQ STUFFED SWEET POTATOES
We’re all about easy and yummy around here and these BBQ and Buffalo stuffed sweet potatoes check both of those boxes plus some. We plan to make these for the Superbowl and have been enjoying them often during this cold winter season. Hopefully, you and your family will love them too!
BATCH PREP: HOW TO PREPARE EASY MEALS YOU’LL ACTUALLY WANT TO EAT
Meal prep is one of those things that we know can benefit us by cutting down on time in the kitchen and brainpower trying to constantly decide what to eat, but is also exhausting and often ends with tons of uneaten meals. This is where batch prep comes to the rescue, especially when planning meals for your whole family.
TOP MEAL PREP TIPS FROM THE COACHES
We often think of “meal prep” as a meticulous and time consuming routine that ends in perfectly portioned tupperwares full of your meals for the week. The beauty of a flexible approach to our nutrition is that we have the ability to shape “meal prep” into whatever fits our needs and our lifestyles best. We wanted to show the large range of what meal prep can look like for different individuals and their different circumstances, so this week we are sharing our best meal prep tips as nutrition coaches who have our own specific nutrition needs, as well as supporting our clients and their needs.
SIMPLE IS SUSTAINABLE: 5 EASY MEAL PREP RECIPES USING ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
Simplicity is key to sustainability in our nutrition. Here are 5 quick, simple meals using rotisserie chicken that I’ve been loving for yum-factor, making my health easier, and speed in the kitchen. Because these recipes are so simple and customizable, the ingredients and directions are merely suggestions. Feel free to change them up as you see fit!
OUR FAVORITE MACRO-FRIENDLY RECIPE: BUFFALO CHICKEN BAKE
This recipe is one of our most popular, so we’re sharing it again in case you missed it the first time around. Whether you’re tracking macros or not, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser for it’s awesome flavor and generous portion size. It’s easy to throw together and is a healthy meal for the whole family.
MEAL PLANS DON’T WORK, AND HERE’S WHY…
Here at KLN, we don’t do meal plans. A meal plan doesn’t give you an alternative when it’s girls night, when you’re out for drinks after work, or when you’re on the road with your family. Most of all, a meal plan doesn’t take into account that life is chaotic and constantly changing.
MACRO-FRIENDLY ONE-PAN RECIPE: SWEET HARVEST HASH FOR WEEKLY MEAL PREP
How do you make an easy sheet-pan meal even better? You make it macro-friendly with seasonal squash and flavorful protein. Enjoy this simple sheet pan meal and learn how to switch up the ingredients to fit your specific nutrition goals.
A DAY OF EATS FROM THE NUTRITION COACHES
We’ve loved sharing a glimpse of what nutrition for our coaches looks like in the past. As our KLN team has expanded, we wanted to again share the diversity (and similarities) in our approach as we all juggle busy schedules, responsibilities, personal goals, and our love of good food.
SPEEDING UP MEAL PREP
Preparing food for the week doesn’t have to be painful or take up your whole weekend in order to qualify as “meal prep”. Read on for some helpful tips for making the most of your time in the kitchen as a way to streamline your meal prep.
HIGH PROTEIN OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPES FOR EVERYDAY OF THE WEEK
Overnight oats are one of our favorite breakfasts for busy mornings and can also be an easy afternoon snack when you’re on the go or even a yummy dessert at the end of the day. Check out these recipes (one for every day of the week!) and prep your breakfast (or snacks) for the whole week in about 15 minutes!
MEAL PREP FROM NUTRITION COACHES
Just as there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to nutrition, there’s also no one size fits all approach to meal prep. Everyone has different macro targets and every individual can choose how much time is spent in the kitchen in order to hit these targets. However you choose to prep your food should suit your lifestyle and be sustainable for long-term success.
To give you a bit more insight into what meal prep while tracking your macros can look like, we are showing you what a week of meal prep looks like for each of us. While we all follow the same concept of flexible nutrition, our approaches are very different and are dependent on our personal lifestyles.
FUELING FOR PERFORMANCE
For the Crossfitters out there, the 2020 Crossfit Open is right around the corner and that means it’s time to crush some tough workouts. You don’t have to be an elite athlete to prioritize performance; regardless of your level or experience, just making sure that your nutrition aligns with your goals can help maximize both performance and recovery.
SOBER CURIOUS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: HOW ALCOHOL IMPACTS OUR MACROS, BODY COMPOSITION, AND OVERALL PROGRESS
The holiday season often conjures images of festive gatherings, joyous celebrations, and, inevitably, alcohol. For many, these moments include a glass of wine, a cocktail, or a beer to toast the occasion. However, an increasing number of people are becoming "sober curious," re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol. This movement isn't about outright abstinence but about mindfulness and understanding how alcohol impacts our bodies, especially concerning health and fitness goals. Let's explore how alcohol affects our health, particularly in the realms of fat loss, sleep, and overall wellness.
MAKING MACRO-TRACKING BUDGET FRIENDLY
With grocery prices rising, getting high-quality food (especially protein!) can be challenging. In this blog post, I’m breaking down some great budget-friendly grocery options by macronutrients that is perfect for those tracking macros and looking to eat well without breaking the bank.
HAVING A COACH THROUGH “MAINTENANCE MODE”: INSURANCE FOR LONG TERM NUTRITIONAL SUCCESS
A maintenance phase is arguably the most important season of our nutrition since it’s where we can best focus on the habits that help us find harmony with our physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Without the prioritization of changing our bodies, the other aspects of our lives that we value can better be at the forefront. However, that doesn’t mean that body composition can’t remain in the periphery. The foundational habits that we develop before or alongside a focused fat loss phase, with the goal of long-term physical change, continuously support small aesthetic changes over time.
Q&A: HORMONAL HEALTH, SUPPLEMENT SAFETY, AND SET POINT WEIGHT THEORY
The large majority of individuals probably don’t need to worry about their hormonal health. If you are struggling with your hormonal health, that is absolutely an indicator to see an endocrinologist - not a trainer, nutritionist, or wellness influencer! What supports our hormonal health most are the basics that support our overall health: exercising sensibly, giving ourselves time to recover, managing stress levels, eating a balanced and high quality diet and not chronically dieting. Hormonal health is incredibly important, so this is not about minimizing that importants; rather, it’s a reminder that the “boring stuff” is often what we overlook when it should be our first priority.
MACRO FRIENDLY DESSERT: SALTED CARAMEL APPLE YOGURT BARK
Tracking your macros doesn’t have to be restrictive and in fact, we pride ourselves on coaching our clients on ways to be more flexible with their food choices. We feel it’s important to include foods that you love and that means dessert and sweet treats! This peanut butter salted caramel apple yogurt bark is the perfect sweet treat for this season (or any season, really!) It’s super easy to make and for 22g of protein per serving, it can actually play a role in helping you nail your protein goals!
EMBRACE FLEXIBILITY AND ENJOY SOME PIZZA: TIPS FOR MACRO-FRIENDLY PIZZA NIGHT
When I start working with a client, they typically believe that they can't enjoy pizza AND eat “healthy” at the same time. Their experience tells them that pizza is a “bad” food, it’s a cheat meal, and it will definitely make them gain body fat. But often, that’s a fear of food and diet culture talking. By embracing a flexible approach to eating and incorporating some macro-friendly strategies, pizza can be part of a balanced approach to nutrition. Grab a slice, and let’s dig in!
TRACKING MACROS VS. COUNTING CALORIES: WHICH APPROACH SHOULD YOU TAKE WHEN WORKING TOWARDS YOUR FAT LOSS, PERFORMANCE, AND HEALTH GOALS?
At its core, counting calories is about ensuring you consume a specific number of calories each day. It's a straightforward approach focusing solely on energy intake versus energy expenditure. While this can be effective for weight management, it doesn't address the quality or composition of the food you're eating. Tracking macros, on the other hand, involves breaking down your calorie intake into three key nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each of these macronutrients plays a unique role in your body. By paying attention to the specific amounts of each, you can optimize not only your overall caloric intake but also support your body's functional needs.
CHANGE TAKES TIME: WHY WORK WITH A NUTRITION COACH FOR 6 MONTHS?
At KLN, we require a six-month commitment from our clients, and there's a good reason for it. When you first join us, we take the time to get to know YOU – your habits, history, and what makes your daily life tick. This isn't something we can rush through-- it takes TIME! Time need to see how you live, how you interact with food, and how different factors affect your eating patterns. Getting to know you as an individual - your lifestyle, your needs, and what keeps you motivated - is crucial for providing the absolute best guidance and support from your coach.
3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MEALS MORE FILLING: MACRO-FRIENDLY TIPS FOR SATIETY
If you’re in a calorie deficit and working towards fat loss goals, a main goal should be minimizing any feelings of restriction or hunger so you can maximize adherence to your deficit. This is why we, as coaches, take a strong stance against aggressive and unsustainable deficits. If our hunger is through the roof each day, it’s not very likely that we’ll be able to adhere to that calorie deficit for long. Luckily, there are tools that can help us minimize hunger and, luckily, those same tools also keep us well-fueled and promote our overall health as well.
7 MACRO TRACKING TIPS FROM EXPERIENCED NUTRITION COACHES
We work within a framework of tracking macros to facilitate sustainable progress and, eventually, move away from tracking completely. However, while tracking, there are some ways we can make it easier on ourselves! In this blog post, we’re sharing our favorite tracking tips as “macro coaches,” experienced trackers, and coaches who help our clients make tracking work for them.
MACRO-FRIENDLY ADULT LUNCHABLES: 30+ HIGH PROTEIN SNACK COMBINATIONS
Welcome to your go-to guide for protein-packed snacks designed to keep you energized and satisfied throughout your busy day! When working with busy clients, we like to introduce the idea of an “Adult Lunchable” as a completely valid option for a high-protein snack that helps you meet your macro targets and keeps you fed even on the busiest days. Packed with protein and convenient enough to fit into your hectic schedule, these snacks will ensure you stay fueled and focused with at least 20 grams of protein, without compromising on taste or health. Dive in to discover both smart and delicious solutions for snacking at home or on the go!
TRADER JOE’S: YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PROTEIN PROVIDER - 30 HIGH PROTEIN FINDS
Navigating the aisles of Trader Joes to find high-protein options can be manageable, even with the vast array of calorie-dense novelties and goodies. You can easily incorporate more protein into your diet by focusing on items with lean meats, plant-based proteins, and convenient prepared foods. This guide should be handy to help you make informed choices that align with your nutrition goals. And soon enough, you might find yourself a Trader Joe's connoisseur.