A Real Day of What a Nutritionist Eats

By Nutritional Weight & Wellness Staff
August 25, 2020

When we asked Melanie to snap pics of her meals throughout the span of the day, we got a real-life example of healthy eating on the go. On the go literally as Melanie was in the midst of packing and moving, and therefore was making do with what she had on hand. Morning was hectic at her old house, which as we’ll see involved cleaning out the refrigerator. Evening brought the first full meal in the new house (new kitchen!). Mel has a knack for presentation, so her meals still look great. They also all have one theme – using what you have on hand.

Your meals don’t have to be picture-perfect to be perfect. They just need to have an animal protein, a healthy carb and a healthy fat See Mel’s examples below (and check out days past of her meals here, here and here.).

Breakfast

Grass-fed steak topped with butter, snap peas, jicama sticks with hummus for dipping

I laughed when I took this image, anticipating what people would think. Dinner … for breakfast,  but hey, it works and it was delicious! I was in the process of moving and cleaning out leftovers in my fridge, so what I had for dinner the night prior became breakfast the next morning. I had a  hunk of steak (my protein for the meal), made even more tasty with some butter melted on top (fat), snap peas (carb), jicama sticks (carb) and my favorite roasted red pepper hummus (carb) for dipping. Fast, balanced, done. Some days are like this!

Lunch

Thai Chicken Curry

Don’t be fooled by a prettier picture, this was lunch in a moving zone too. The best part was all I had to do was pop this in the toaster oven. I often make this balanced Thai Chicken Curry from our Weight & Wellness Way Cookbook and Nutrition Guide and I always double the recipe. That way I have enough curry for a meal, and then I freeze individual portions in glass Tupperware and pop them in the freezer. In advance of busy days, I take one out the night before and   warm it up come lunch. These are also ideal to bring to work straight out of the freezer and  thaw on the desk until lunchtime. File this under “clean out the fridge,” or in this case freezer.

For those curious, the protein is chicken, the carbs are veggies (carrots, bamboo shoots, snow peas, and cauliflower) and the fat is coconut milk.

Snack

Celery sticks, topped with peanut butter and prunes along with a grass-fed beef stick.

This snack features everything that I pretty much always have on hand. Celery keeps for so long in the fridge that it’s easy to just know it’s there for meals or snacks. For snacks I think of celery as a vehicle for peanut butter and in this case prunes too. There I have my carbs (celery and prunes) with my fat (peanut butter). My protein is a beef stick (always have at least two packs for easy snacking). I love prunes because they are proven to be bone-building as they are rich in bone-friendly nutrients like copper, vitamin K, and boron.

Dinner

Grilled grass-fed steak and prosciutto wrapped asparagus with small baked potato on side.

This was our first dinner in the new house! When its summer we use the grill constantly, so for  the grass-fed steak was my protein again. Yes, more steak, some days I repeat proteins and am not bothered by it.The steak and asparagus were done in a flash on the grill. I learned the trick to wrap asparagus in prosciutto (carb and a little protein with the prosciutto) some time ago and have never looked back,.The prosciutto really elevates it to an even tastier side. A baked potato was another easy carb that I  topped with butter (not pictured), my fat for the meal.

Bedtime Snack

½ cup blueberries topped with ¼ cup full-fat canned coconut milk, sweetened with vanilla

Easy, peasy, and I was so ready for bed after a busy day of moving. I mix together my coconut milk with a titch of vanilla extract for an extra bit of sweetness. Blueberries were the berry I had on hand, but any would work. I use coconut milk because I’m sensitive to dairy. If you aren’t, you could opt for 2 tablespoons full-fat heavy whipping cream instead.

For those new here, we always share that a snack of carb (blueberries in this case) and fat (coconut milk) are an excellent way to balance your blood sugar and help get a great night’s  sleep. Sometimes when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be due to low blood sugar, and a healthy bedtime snack like this helps stop that cycle. Sweet dreams!