Banana Almond Egg White Oatmeal

28 February, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

Morning boot camp means today is definitely an AM sweat day. If you read my Fuel Your Morning post, then it should come as no surprise to you that this is a perfect Spring Break Slender Down post-sweat breakfast. It has complex carbs, quickly absorbed protein, and healthy fats, meaning I’ll have no problem making it until lunch. Banana Almond Egg White Oatmeal | The Slender Student

Banana Almond Egg White Oatmeal
Calories: 365 | Fat: 11.8 g (Sat Fat: 1.9 g) | Carbohydrate: 43.6 g | Fiber: 6.7 g| Protein: 23.5 g

ingredients:
1 C water
1/2 C instant oats
1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 C liquid egg whites
1/2 small banana
1 T almond butter
optional: 1 packet Splenda, cinnamon, vanilla extract

directions:
1. In a small pot, bring water to boil. Add in oats and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Turn heat down to medium.
2. When almost all of the water is absorbed, stir in the egg whites and protein powder. Stir until all of the water is absorbed and the egg whites have cooked in. There shouldn’t be excess liquid.
3. Top with banana slices, almond butter, and optional extras!

For more tips and meal suggestions, follow me on Instagram and check out the Spring Break Slender Down Facebook album!

Also, if you wanna show off your Slender Spring Break Meal Plan creations, tag me on Instagram or Twitter and add #springbreakslenderdown!

Spring Break Slender Down Swaps + Freebies

27 February, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

If you’re reading today’s post then you must’ve it through yesterday’s shocking announcement: spring break is less than two weeks away! Fortunately, there’s the Spring Break Slender Down meal plan, a no nonsense set of meal suggestions that will help you become the lean, mean, poolside-laying, (slender) margarita-sipping machine that I know you are.

Today’s post should give you a better idea of how to make the meal plan your own.
The swaps can be used to change up the meals I suggested yesterday. Just make sure you check the nutrition information per serving before switching things around, as everything will have different calorie and nutrient content. Of course this list isn’t all-encompassing so if there’s something you have a question about incorporating into the Slender Down, let me know!

Freebies should get you through the day by either adding some spice to your meals or giving you something free to snack on between designated meals. Keep in mind that not every meal plan can work for everyone, so if you’re absolutely starving while on the Slender Down, you should think about adding 100-200 calories to the plan.

For more tips and meal suggestions, follow me on Instagram and check out the Spring Break Slender Down Facebook album!

Also, if you wanna show off your Slender Spring Break Meal Plan creations, tag me on Instagram or Twitter and add #springbreakslenderdown!

Spring Break Slender Down Meal Plan

26 February, 2013 by Claire | 1 Comment

So, uh, spring break is really soon. That means bikini pictures plastered all over Facebook is really soon.

If that thought has sent you running into the back of your closet, looking for the nearest maxi dress, chill. I’m here to help. Today’s post is a meal plan that will have you treating your body well during these dire times. It’s nothing extreme, because that’s not what I’m about. But, depending on your goals and your starting point, it could help ya trim down a bit before it’s time to tie the knot in your bathing suit top.

Now, as a warning, these meal plans have calorie counts on them and they get pretty specific regarding their source. If that totally freaks you out, ignore it and follow my meal suggestions in terms of portions and ingredients, making appropriate swaps as needed. The calorie count is just there for those that are interested. If you’re in that pool, I’d suggest downloading either the MyFitnessPal or Calorie King apps to your phone so you can keep track on the go.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see how I’m following the meal plan. I’ll be posting Spring Break Slender Down suggestions in case you need further inspiration from the list below. Those are just jumping off points for you to get creative.

Sound good? Let’s continue.

Here’s the meal plan to follow on days when you don’t hit the gym. Those freebie calories can be used for a post-dinner snack like a Deep Chocolate VitaTop, or throughout the day for the little things you can’t live without– a sprinkle of grated cheese, a spoonful of salad dressing on your green salad.

*Non-starchy vegetables include things like broccoli, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, etc. Basically not potatoes, corn, beans, winter squash, pumpkin, etc.

This is the plan to follow on days when you hit the gym, which should happen 3-5 days a week for about an hour of combined cardio and strength training. Aim to burn at least 300-400 calories. Freebie calories can be used the same way you did on your rest days.

*Have your pre-workout snack 30-60 minutes before you start sweating, whether it’s before breakfast or between your lunch and afternoon snack.

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If you have questions, please post them in the comments and I’ll try and help you the best I can! No single meal plan will fit everyone’s needs, so let me know if you have an issue and I’ll see how I can tailor things to suit you.

Also, if you wanna show off your Slender Spring Break Meal Plan creations, tag me on Instagram or Twitter and add #springbreakslenderdown!

Shredded Chicken 3 Ways: No Mayo Chicken Salad

29 January, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

Remember yesterday’s shredded chicken prep? Well here’s how to turn a serving or two of the plain stuff into my super simple no mayo chicken salad. Want a bonus round? Use the same recipe for tuna salad or egg salad.

No Mayo Chicken Salad

ingredients per desired 3.5 ounce serving of plain chicken:
2 T fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 t mustard
1 T Craisins
2 T chopped celery
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1. Combine everything in a plastic bowl or bag and refrigerate. Aaaaand…yeah, that’s it.

Be sure and come back tomorrow for my Asian take on the shredded chicken! You can use it for salads, stir fries, or as I’ll show you, in a delicious baked eggroll.

If you appreciate the ease of simply heating up a nutritious meal that you actually prepared, try some of my other make-ahead meals: Recipe Week 1, Recipe Week 2, My Fit Dupes, and, of course, Overnight Oats.

Shredded Chicken 3 Ways: Prep + BBQ Chicken

28 January, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

This year I’m committing myself to a better balance of my time. Last semester, if I wasn’t in class or in the library, I was in the kitchen prepping meals for the blog, squeezing in a workout that I was truly too exhausted to do, or taking the hurried pre-downtown shower to try and maintain some semblance of a social life. I found myself spread way too thin and felt constantly stressed by things that shouldn’t stress me out. Now I’m striving to take control of the things I can, let go of the things I can’t, and, most of all, enjoy these last few months I have here surrounded by all of my friends.

It might sound trivial to free up time by preparing make-ahead meals, but you’d be surprised by how how effective this practice can actually be. This week I’m going to be sharing the preparation for shredded chicken and three different recipe variations you can do with it.

Today, we’ll start with how to cook and shred the chicken. I’ll also share how to make some insanely versatile BBQ chicken. Tomorrow we’ll do my no mayo chicken salad and on Wednesday, I’ll give ya the recipe for Asian shredded chicken that you can stuff into baked eggrolls.

directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350° and coat a baking sheet with PAM nonstick spray or a little oil.
2. Season your chicken with salt and pepper and bake on the baking sheet for 20-25 minutes (depending on size), flipping halfway through.
3. When the chicken is cooked through, it will be white throughout and the juices will run clear. Remove from oven and let cool until you can handle it.
4. Shred the chicken either using your hands or by using a mixer.
5. Divide the chicken into ~3.5 ounce portions and separate them into plastic baggies. You decide how many servings of each type of shredded chicken you’d like. For example, I opted for two servings of BBQ chicken, two servings of chicken salad, and one serving of Asian chicken. Your total number of servings will depend on how large your package of chicken was.
6. Add 2T BBQ sauce per desired serving of BBQ chicken and let it marinade in the fridge for at least an hour.

You can use the BBQ chicken on salads, pizzas, sandwiches, quesadillas, or my favorite, a BBQ bowl!