What I Eat in a Day 4

During the summer, my workload gets pretty hefty. Long hours on the computer and many, many phone calls occur during the 8 weeks that I work on a seasonal job for our family businesses. In order to keep my stress levels manageable, I take our meals back to basics. Anything that can be prepped ahead in batches on my meal prep day will go a long way in cutting down my time in the kitchen during the rest of the week. I also go back to packing lunches for my kids several days a week.

This day’s worth of food is typical for when I’m knee-deep in computer work. Everything is either already prepped, can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes, or can be baked without me babysitting the stove.

Breakfast: I made a batch of my Vanilla Maple Overnight Oats. They’re full of fiber and lightly sweetened to start my day right. I topped the oats with freshly chopped nectarines and strawberries and sprinkled on some hemp hearts for a healthy dose of essential fatty acids.

Lunch: During the warm months, I love a big salad for lunch. I use my family-sized bamboo bowl to pile in a bed of mixed greens (a blend called Super Greens from Sprouts). On top I have diced green apple, cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, and a sprinkle of sprouted pumpkin seeds. I dressed this simply with some balsamic vinegar. Easy peasy.

Snack: Normally I’m a bit peckish in the afternoon hours. However, since I spent a lot of the day sitting at the computer, I wasn’t feeling hungry. I opted for a quick walk around the block to get away from the screen and some water with lemon when I got home. I try to listen to my hunger cues instead of force in food  because I’m “supposed to be hungry.” It works well for me.

Dinner: I took 10 minutes to chop and season some baby Yukon Gold potatoes and toss them in the oven (425 degrees for 35 minutes).  While they baked, I took a few minutes to read with my kids and get some house chores done. When the potatoes were done, I used them as the base of a burrito bowl with some more Super Greens mix, black beans, salsa, and some more hemp hearts. Some avocado would have been great on this, but sadly, I was all out.

I hope this gave you a few ideas for when you’re pressed for time. With a good meal plan and prep day in place, you can stay healthy even when you’re busy! Which meal are you going to recreate?

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