I have great news!!! That's what COACHES are for!! We are here to HELP you -- to break your 21 Day Fix meal plan down in SIMPLE terms so it's easy to understand, you feel confident that you know where to start and what to do.
If you haven't already checked out my blog post about "How to Create your own 21 Day Fix Meal Plan"...make sure you check it out! If you have, and meal planning still hasn't completely clicked for you...read on...I'm going to show you exactly how I simplify my 21 Day Fix meal plan.
First things first...you need to figure out your calorie bracket. I follow the 1,200 - 1,499 calorie bracket:
As you see...the colors we need the most containers for are RED (protein) and GREEN (veggies).
So, I prep most of my REDS and GREENS together and base the rest of my snacks around my main meals.
Examples:
Balsamic Chicken with Zucchini and Onion
Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms
YELLOWS! "Add ins"
I usually choose 1-2 Yellows (starchy carbs) to prep each week...I consider these "add ins" when I feel like I need a little extra energy, or if I'm feeling like I want to eat more than protein and veggies. Great "add ins" for these meals would be whole wheat pasta or quinoa. I choose to eat my Yellows only when I feel like my body needs them. As a coach, I work (sitting) from my computer on social media, so my body doesn't require a ton of extra starchy carbs for energy. Sometimes I add my Yellows in as a snack (Whole Wheat Crackers) during the day instead of adding them to my meals. You also have the option to replace 3 Yellows with one glass of Red Wine at the end of your week. So, choose your Yellows carefully, and make sure you eat them before 6pm! :)
GREENS!
I usually keep raw veggies on hand for the days I haven't checked off all of my Greens. I find that unless I eat a salad during the day at some point, I usually have some Green Containers left over, so I count Raw Veggies as one of my daily snacks. I know...not the most tempting snack...but, we are FUELING our bodies so we see results, right?! :)
PURPLES!
Purples are simple! Keep Fruit in your house, and when you are craving energy or something sweet...eat your fruit! :) You may also use your fruit serving to add to your Shakeology. We always keep a mixed bowl of fruit in our fridge, and apples and bananas on the counter where I can see them! Must eat fruit before 6pm!
BLUES!
I also consider Blues "Add ins". Sometimes I add a Blue container of Cheese to my meal, or I add Avocado to my salad, Hummus with my Raw Veggies, or I snack on Almonds.
ORANGES!
Oranges are "Add ins" for me as well. If I eat a salad, my Orange container for the day is always Salad Dressing. If I don't eat a salad, I have sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds as a snack.
TEASPOONS!
I usually count my Teaspoons as the Coconut or Olive Oil I cook with. If I cook with Organic coconut oil/olive oil spray and I don't use much...I count my Teaspoons as All Natural Peanut Butter :) I usually eat my 2 Teaspoons of Peanut Butter with an Apple, or in my Shakeology, or maybe even on a piece of whole wheat toast if I feel like I need energy before a workout!
QUICK REFERENCE
If I'm short on containers, I prepare these things to snack on throughout the week:
REDS - Shakeology, Boiled eggs, or Cottage Cheese
GREENS - Raw Veggies (or cooked ones if you prefer)
PURPLES - Fruit
YELLOWS - I'm rarely short on Yellows (lol don't we all love starchy carbs??), but if I am I usually save them for a glass of wine at the end of the week (3 yellows)
BLUES - Cheese, Hummus, Avocado, Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios
ORANGES - Salad dressing or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc)
TEASPOONS - Oils or Peanut Butter (peanut butter wins 9/10 times! ha!)
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This is how I typically plan for the week:
Add all REDS (4 proteins) and GREENS (3 veggies) to my meal plan FIRST.
Then, I pretty much pick and choose my other containers depending on what I'm in the mood for that day. I like the freedom of being able to choose, and as long as I know I have 2 fruits, 2 Starchy Carbs, 1 Healthy Fat, 1 oil/seed, and 2 tsp of oil to cook with OR peanut butter left after my main meals are prepped and scheduled (4 proteins and 3 veggies)..those are pretty easy things to throw into my eating plan without too much thought.
Here is what my meal plan ends up looking like :)
If this STILL seems confusing...no worries...if I am your coach, I will happily walk you through it. Once you follow the 21 Day Fix meal plan for 1-2 weeks, you will be a pro! :)
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