Meal Planning February 🩵🫶❄️💕

This month's meal plan is based off of the meal routine I made for myself as described in a post entitled "My Meals." Check it out if you'd like to ☺️:

(https://chelstrainer.wixsite.com/chelstrainer/post/my-meals).

My plan of attack is to work out some meal ideas and scavenger hunt the grocery store for when these items go on sale. Something useful I tried last month was making meals to freeze, which I may also plan for this month.

My goals nutrition-wise this February include eating a fruit or vegetable at each meal (when possible), consuming 110g of protein or more each day, build muscle through body recomposition (so weight maintenance or slight increase), and working on flexibility when eating out or with other people. Now the plan!

Meal 1/Breakfast

Targets: 450kcal or less, 20g or more protein, fruit

Supplements:

• Creatine monohydrate (I think Naked Creatine is the best price, and I like the quality)

• Pre-workout (Alani Hawaiin Shaved Ice is still my #1 choice, and lucky me, I have enough in the pantry to get me through this month 😎 would definitely by more for March if it goes on sale though)

• Collagen gummies, 5kcal (I like a brand called Sijigood, which I buy on Amazon, and I went ahead and just bought the double pack because I like this product a lot)

• Vegan Omega-3 Algae Oil supplement, 10kcal (I would consider starting a subscription of this or buying in bulk because I use it consistently, am not consistent about eating oily fish to get in Omega-3's, and it helps me get some fats in at breakfast)

Supplement Nutrition Notes

15kcal

Supplement Grocery List

[  ] Creatine

[  ] Pre-workout

[  ] Collagen

[  ] Omega-3

Coffee (experimenting):

• Fancy coffee or flavored coffee

• Maybe creamer

• Maybe 1/5 of a protein shake

• Maybe sugar-free sweetener

• Maybe opting for tea

Nurition Notes

30-45kcal

-kcal combined with kcal from supplements leaves 400kcal for food

Coffee Grocery List

[  ] Ground coffee

[  ] Protein shakes or unsweetened almond milk or flavored coffee creamer (I pick protein shake for now! One lasts 5-6 servings and I need to buy them anyway)

[  ] Trying to ween myself off of sugar free sweetener, but might buy it anyways

Meal:

• Fruit: berries (frozen or fresh), apple, orange, banana, peaches (fresh or canned) and/or mango (frozen), 50-110kcal

• Carb: 29g-50g oats, 1-2 packets 100kcal maple brown sugar Better Oats, or 50g dark chocolate Kodiak Cakes, 100-190kcal

• Protein: 170g greek yogurt, 1-2 Oikos Triple Zero Yogurts, 1-2 CarbMaster yogurts, or protein powder, 60-180kcal

• Fat: from Omega-3, 15g-16g nut-butter, 16-17g nuts, 0-110kcal

Breakfast Nutrition Notes

210-590kcal

-can mix and match with 400kcal target in mind

-hit the 20g of protein through protein source and let everything else add bonus protein

Breakfast Grocery List

[  ] Berries (fresh or frozen)

[  ] Apples

[  ] Oranges (fresh or canned)

[  ] Bananas

[  ] Peaches (fresh, frozen, or canned)

[  ] Mango (frozen)

[  ] Oats

[  ] Better Oats 100kcal packets

[  ] Dark Chocolate Kodiak Cakes

[  ] Non-fat Greek yogurt

[  ] Oikos Triple Zero yogurts

[  ] CarbMaster yogurts

[  ] Pea protein powder (Happy Viking, Orgain, Ghost, or other with 20g or more protein)

Meal 2/Post-Workout or Morning Snack

Targets: 400kcal or less, 30g or more protein, fruit and/or vegetable, total kcal for day around 850kcal or less and total protein around 50g or more

Meal:

• Protein: 1-2 Oikos Triple Zero Yogurts, protein shake, protein powder, 90-180kcal

• Fruit: berries (frozen or fresh), apple, unsweetened apple sauce, orange, banana, peaches (fresh or canned) and/or mango (frozen), pear (fresh or canned), pineapple (canned, frozen, or pre-cut fresh), or skip and opt for veg, 0kcal or 50-110kcal

• Vegetable: 10-20 baby carrots, or skip and opt for fruit, 0kcal or 30-70kcal

• Carb: homemade protein bread, TruBar, 2 sheets graham crackers, 29g-50g oats, 1-2 packets 100kcal maple brown sugar Better Oats, skip if fruit and veg are enough, 0-275kcal

Post-Workout Nutrition Notes

140-635kcal

-to hit 30g of protein, most likely 90-150kcal will come from protein source, and then depending on that choice, adding a carb can fill in the rest

-the protein shakes I like (Premier and Fairlife) have 30g of protein and 150-170kcal, which makes that the best kcal to protein ratio, but sometimes I prefer to eat the protein source versus drink it

-Aiming to be at 850kcal (eaten) or less after this meal, and 50g or more protein

Post-Workout Grocery List

[  ] Oikos Triple Zero yogurts

[  ] Pea protein powder (Happy Viking, Orgain, Ghost, or other with 20g or more protein)

[  ] Protein shakes (Premier or Fairlife Nutrition Plan)

[  ] Berries (fresh or frozen)

[  ] Apples

[  ] Unsweetened apple sauce

[  ] Oranges (fresh or canned)

[  ] Bananas

[  ] Peaches (fresh, frozen, or canned)

[  ] Mango (frozen)

[  ] Pears (fresh or canned)

[  ] Pineapple (canned, frozen, or pre-cut fresh)

[  ] Baby carrots

[  ] Better Oats 100kcal packets

[  ] TruBars

[  ] Graham crackers

[  ] Protein bread ingredients: protein powder, whole wheat flour, eggs, greek yogurt, nut butter (probably almond butter), baking powder, chocolate chips or dried fruit, ripe bananas or canned pumpkin, optional unsweetened apple sauce

Energy Drink (yes, weird for a post-workout occasion, but it helps me with satiety and helps me have a boost for work; for me, 200mg caffeine is my max):

• No to low sugar energy drink with 200mg or less mg caffeine

• Ghost, Reign, and C4 are my favorite brands (I started a C4 Amazon subscription of the peach mango Clean Energy flavor because it tastes nice and the effects are perfect—energy boost but not mega anxiety nor digestive stress ☺️ It's also 0 kcal.)

Energy Drink Nutrition Notes

0-10kcal

-usually I drink it after the meal rather than during

Energy DrinkGrocery List

[  ] Get an Amazon subscription

[  ] Buy them on mark down

[  ] Keep some at home and at work

Meal 3/Lunch

Targets: 400kcal or less, 20g or more protein, vegetable, total kcal around 1250kcal or less and total protein around 70g or more

Meal:

• Protein: 1/4 package ground meat (lean turkey, beef, or chicken), 3oz frozen pre-cooked chicken, 1/4 package pre-cooked shrimp, or 1-2 packages tuna, 70-170kcal

• Vegetable(s): 1/2-1 package Green Giant Antioxidant Blend, 1/2 package Green Giant Tuscan Seasoned Broccoli, or 93-186g Kirkland Stir Fry Vegetable Blend, 35-100kcal

• Carb: 45g brown rice (still plowing through a 12lb bag of Costco rice), 150kcal

• Fat (optional): 15-60g hummus, or skip, 0kcal or 35-140kcal

Lunch Nutrition Notes

255-560kcal

-I like to meal prep these bowls t the beginning of the week, or make them way ahead to freeze and defrost at the beginning of the week

-Aiming to be at 1250kcal and 70g protein

-It's helpful to have some frozen meals for back up, and to have the calorie targets for eating out or with other people

Lunch Grocery List

[  ] Ground turkey

[  ] Ground beef

[  ] Ground chicken

[  ] Frozen chicken

[  ] Frozen shrimp

[  ] Brown rice

[  ] Hummus

[  ] Antioxidant Blend x 4-10

[  ] Tuscan Frozen Broccoli x 1-4

[  ] Kirkland Stir Fry Vegetable Blend

Meal 4/Afternoon Snack

Targets: 200kcal or less, 10g or more protein (if possible, sometimes I just go with carbs and fats), vegetable and/or fruit, total kcal around 1450kcal or less and total protein around 80g or more

Meal+Electrolytes:

[  ] Option 1: 10-15 baby carrots (30-45kcal) + 60g or pre-packaged unit humms (140kcal), 170-185kcal

[  ] Option 2: 1-2 Oikos Triple Zero or CarbMaster yogurts (60-180kcal) + cereal bar or 2 sheets graham crackers (100-130kcal), 160-310kcal

[  ] Option 3: apple + nothing, yogurt, or hummus (0-180kcal), 70-250kcal

[  ] Option 4: ice cream sandwich or popsicle (100-150kcal) + nothing, carrots, berries, or apple (0-70kcal), 100-220kcal

[  ] Electrolytes: propel, Gatorade Zero, or 1-2 drink mix packets (blended with ice or kept prepared in a jug), 0-10kcal

Snack Nutrition Notes

100-320kcal

-The goal of this meal for me is to satisfy my appetite/desire to eat while working (as well as hunger! Working is hard work 😂), and get me through until my next meal

-I typically eat a snack like this at work, so I like to keep some of these there, but also I eat snacks at home and my boyfriend's house too, so snacks are kept everywhere

-For going out, this is a nice opportunity for ice cream with friends ☺️

-I like to drink the electrolytes for a hydration boost, and just because they taste good and thay gives me something to look forward to in the afternoon at work when I want to go home 😄

Snack Grocery List

[  ] Baby carrots

[  ] Packaged yogurts

[  ] Packaged hummus

[  ] Apples

[  ] Berries

[  ] Electrolyte packets

[  ] Gatorade Zero

[  ] Propel

[  ] Graham crackers

[  ] Cereal bars

[  ] Ice cream sandwiches or popsicles

[  ] (Not listed in the snack options above, but nice to keep around for snack) Dried fruit

Tangential Planning for Keeping Snacks and Other Food at Work So I Don't Spend Extra Money at Work, Make Poor Food Choices, or Cry Because I Don't Have Food and Get Hangry 🙃

Work Food

I often need to eat at work, so it is helpful to keep food there for when I forget or don't want to plan ahead to bring food/hydration. Keeping food at work also helps me to save money because when I don't have snacks or drinks around, I buy them at work (yay gym food!), but it's almost always more expensive than the grocery store (boo gym food prices).

Work Food Inventory List

[  ] 1-3 energy drinks

[  ] 1-2 protein shakes

[  ] Box of graham crackers

[  ] Cereal bars

[  ] Dried fruit

[  ] Bag of baby carrots

[  ] 1-2 bars or other shelf-stable snacks

[  ] 1-2 yogurts

[  ] 1 serving protein powder in jar or shaker bottle

[  ] Frozen meal

[  ] Bottle for water

[  ] Gatorade Zero or pre-mixed DIY electrolyte drink

[  ] Toothpaste + toothbrush (for when food smell is strong 😋)

Meal 5/Dinner + Meal 6/Dessert or Hot Drink

Targets: 400kcal or whatever it takes to land me more or less around 1850kcal for the day, 30g or more protein, vegetable, total kcal around 1850kcal or less (though more now and then is cool for me because my goal is to mostly maintain weight with slight gains and losses accepted) and total protein around 110g or more

Dinner Nutrition Notes

400+/- kcal

-Last month, this was the meal I struggled with most. I wanted to be flexible, but most of the time that ended up becoming me being stressed because I was tired after work and didn't know what I wanted to eat. Being flexible on the weekends was easier because I had more energy to cook or go out with friends, family, or my boyfriend

-To help, I am going to give myself dinner options and similar to the list for work above, I am going to create inventories of food to keep at my house and my boyfriend's house so that I can have easy meals ready and let eating out be more of a choice on week nights, rather than an anxious necessity

-My boyfriend and I are also trying to cook together more, so having some ideas and food ready will help us both so we don't have to plan when we're tired after work or lazy on the weekends ☺️

-Sometimes I also feel hungry after dinner (or just desire to eat again for dopamine, emotions, or stress), so this month I'm planning a 6th meal that will be a dessert or evening drink to help me relax and address my desire to eat. This planning will help night eating be more intentional for me, rather than compulsive and stress-driven.

My House Food Inventory List

[  ] Tuna packets x 2-10

[  ] Frozen chicken

[  ] Frozen vegetables

[  ] Popsicles or ice cream sandwiches

[  ] Halo Top

[  ] Frozen meal x 1-3

[  ] Microwave rice or pasta

[  ] Near East Parmesan Cous Cous

[  ] Berries

[  ] Tea

[  ] Hot cocoa

[  ] Electrolytes

[  ] Cereal bars 1-2

[  ] Protein shakes 1-2

[  ] Chocolate

My Boyfriend's House Inventory List

[  ] Tuna packets x 2-10

[  ] Frozen chicken

[  ] Frozen vegetables

[  ] Popsicles or ice cream sandwiches

[  ] Halo Top

[  ] Frozen meal x 1-3

[  ] Microwave rice or pasta

[  ] Near East Parmesan Cous Cous

[  ] Berries

[  ] Tea

[  ] Hot cocoa

[  ] Electrolytes

[  ] Cereal bars 1-2

[  ] Protein shakes 1-2

[  ] Chocolate

Wrapping It Up

Off I go to the store to shop for February! I'm excited to try some new strategies for my nutrition this month, and I hope you find something in my plans that benefits you. Below is a master grocery list for the meal plan listed above. Have a wonderful month! ☺️💕🩵

Master Grocery List

[  ] Creatine monohydrate (Amazon)

[  ] Pre-workout  (Amazon or GNC)

[  ] Collagen gummies (Amazon)

[  ] Omega-3 Algae Oil (Amazon, Costco, or grocery store)

[  ] Ground coffee (on salse at grocery store)

[  ] Protein shakes (Costco)

[  ] Sugar-free coffee sweetener (Amazon or Marshall's)

[  ] Oikos Triple Zero yogurts (Costco and/or mark down at grocery store)

[  ] Greek yogurt (Costco and/or mark down at grocery store)

[  ] CarbMaster yogurt 2-10 (grocery store)

[  ] Pea protein powder (Happy Viking, Orgain, Ghost, or other with 20g or more protein; Amazon or mark down at grocery store)

[  ] Berries (Costco and on sale at grocery store)

[  ] Apples (mark down at grocery store)

[  ] Unsweetened apple sauce (grocery store)

[  ] Oranges (fresh or canned) (grocery store)

[  ] Bananas (grocery store)

[  ] Peaches (fresh, frozen, or canned) (grocery store)

[  ] Mango (frozen) (Costco or grocery store)

[  ] Pears (fresh or canned) (grocery store)

[  ] Pineapple (canned, frozen, or pre-cut fresh)(grocery store)

[ ] Nut butter (Costco or grocery store)

[ ] Eggs (optional) (grocery store)

[  ] Baby carrots x 1-2 (grocery store 1-2 bags)(can keep at work)

[  ] Better Oats 100kcal packets (Amazon)

[ ] Dark Chocolate Kodiak Cakes (grocery store; can also buy frozen waffles when on sale 😋)

[  ] TruBars (Costco)

[  ] Graham crackers (grocery store)

[  ] Protein bread ingredients: protein powder, whole wheat flour, eggs, greek yogurt, nut butter (probably almond butter), baking powder, chocolate chips or dried fruit, ripe bananas or canned pumpkin, optional unsweetened apple sauce (Amazon and grocery store)

[  ] Energy drinks (Amazon and mark down at grocery store)(keep some at home and some at work)

[  ] Ground turkey (mark down or sale grocery store)

[  ] Ground beef (mark down or sale grocery store)

[  ] Ground chicken (mark down or sale grocery store)

[  ] Frozen chicken x 2 (grocery store or Costco)(keep a bag at home and boyfriend's house)

[  ] Frozen shrimp (mark down or sale grocery store)

[  ] Brown rice (Costco)

[  ] Hummus (grocery store)

[  ] Antioxidant Blend x 4-10 (grocery store) (keep at home and boyfriend's house)

[  ] Tuscan Frozen Broccoli x 1-4 (grocery store) (keep at home and boyfriend's house)

[  ] Kirkland Stir Fry Vegetable Blend (Costco)

[  ] Electrolyte packets (grocery store)

[  ] Gatorade Zero (grocery store)

[  ] Propel (grocery store)

[  ] Cereal bars 1-2 boxes (1 for work, and one for boyfriend's house and my house)

[  ] Ice cream sandwiches or popsicles x 2 boxes (work + split for my house and boyfriend's house)

[  ] Tuna packets x 2-10 (grocery store or bulk Amazon)(some for my house and boyfriend's house)

[  ] Halo Top

[  ] Frozen meal x 1-6 (home, work, boyfriend's house)

[  ] Microwave rice or pasta

[  ] Near East Parmesan Cous Cous

[  ] Tea

[  ] Hot cocoa

[  ] Chocolate

*I ran out of steam, so to fill all the inventories and complete all the meal prep, another round or two of shopping may be necessary