When I make my meals, I always first and foremost want them to taste good. That is my number one requirement. Secondly, I want them to be as fresh and simple as possible, so using as little ingredients as possible, and raw veggies when applicable. I also almost always want a meal that is high in protein.
I want to feel good from my meals, and I want them to leave me feeling energized, and filled, but not stuffed/bloated/tired.
I eat FREQUENTLY throughout the day so I don't ever really have a huge meal in one sitting. I have 3-4 meals which I eats snacks around.
I'm going to use this pesto and zucchini noodle dish as an example of how I create the portions and will list the ingredients & steps after! Hope you love it and learn something from it! It was sooo yummy :)
First, using zucchini noodles instead of regular pasta reduces calorie intake. It's not about not eating carbs, or eating keto. It's about eating carbs that provide lots of nutrients & vitamins, rather than carbs that leave me feeling full, bloated, and tired.
Carbs are amazing. I eat high carb meals all the time, I just again pick the carbs that are the most nutrient dense. When it comes to portioning zucchini noodles, I go for 2-3 cups. That is a typical serving size recommendation. (42 cal 8g carbs)
I added cherry tomatoes for more nutrients, and flavor. These are low calorie, and just more carbs. I added 1/2 cup. (16 cal 4g carbs)
Onto protein:
I used the Trader Joe's Meatless Ground "Beef". It is a great protein source which I need to help maintain the muscle I have, and even help me grow more from working out. The serving recommendation for this is 1/3 cup.
1/3 cup has 60 calories, and 9g protein.
9g of protein is good, but for my daily protein goal, this is not enough. So I doubled this, making it 2/3 cup of ground "meat."
So : 2/3 c. is 120 calories & 18g protein.
Onto fat- The Pesto:
Fats are just as great as carbs and proteins. I need all three macronutrients, and benefit from all of them. For my fitness and nutrition goals however, I want to eat as much protein as I can whilst staying in my calorie goal of about 1800-1900 calories.
Keeping all of that in mind when adding the pesto, I checked the serving recommendation for this kale pesto from Trader Joe's (that I just love), which is 1/4 cup for 180 calories. Since I want to save most of my calories for carbs and protein, I decided to do half of the recommended serving, which brought this to 2 tbsp for 90 calories.
So this whole meal came to 268 calories: 24 g carbs, 11 g fat, 25 g protein.
Since I am eating 3-4 meals per day with lots of snacks in between, this meal works for me, and my dietary needs. I aim for 1700-1900 calories, with a ratio of 40/30/30 carbs, fats, and proteins. Making my meals fit into that just takes a little bit of tweaking.
I know it may seem like a lot of work! For me, it just helps me feel good to eat more nutrient dense meals. It also helps me reach my fitness goals, and most importantly it allows me to eat all the delicious foods that I love, all at the same time.
I am working on creating plans for people. If anyone is interested, I will be offering this as a service in the near future!
Let's get to the recipe. This one is soo simple. & so good!
Ingredients:
2 cups spiraled zucchini "noodles"
1/2 c. sliced cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp. vegan kale pesto
2/3 c. trader joes beefless "ground meat"
All I did for this meal was cook the meat in a skillet, on medium heat until fully cooked.
I ate the zucchini noodles raw because I love them cold and crunchy, but you may sauté them if you like, as well as the cherry tomatoes. Then I just mixed in the pesto, and the "meat.
that's all it is!
Will this leave me stuffed for hours?
Absolutely not. I'm going to say it again, I don't eat to be stuffed.
And again, I eat in a way that gives me mini energy boosts throughout my day. I eat a large breakfast, followed by protein snacks, and then a meal like this followed by more snacks, another meal similar to this, a dinner, and more snacks.
Eating frequent meals keeps me feeling energized, and boosts my metabolism, and also keeps my muscles fueled because I am always including protein!
This meal is just one bit of many meals I eat and here's how it would fit into my average day:
Breakfast : 500 calories
Snack : 150 calories
THIS: 268 calories
Snack: 150 calories
Meal: 350 calories
Snack : 150 calories
Dinner: 300 calories
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I hope this helps clarify questions about portioning and why my meals might not seem super huge!
Lastly, this is a lot of effort for meal planning and I understand that this is not for everyone. I am an athlete and have been learning about nutrition for years. It is absolutely not necessary for you to design your meals as I do in order to feel good, to eat healthier, or to eat plant based. This is just what I do to reach my fitness goals.
Thank you so much for your continued support, love and encouragement. I have been hearing from so many of you how much you love my meals, recipes, and are inspired to eat more vegetables. I am so so so so grateful for you all!! :)
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