This post reviews what I eat in a week – just a typical week in my home.  Please note that it does not include everything I buy, as I do add in additional snacks and go out to eat.  As a general rule of thumb, I eat when I’m hungry until I’ve had around one serving.  I do typically stop eating before I am full.  Much more detail can be seen below.  Please consult your health professional before making changes to your diet. (Cover image source.)

A typical week

I’m a meal planner, to an extent.  I like to have an idea of how many meals I’m planning on eating in, if I’m going to be hosting guests, what lunch meetings I have booked, and I buy fairly exact amounts of food accordingly.

I’ve always been someone who hates the idea of wasting food.  In my home, I rarely throw away food and I try to enjoy everything while it’s still good.  Throwing away food causes me stress and a feeling of guilt, and since it’s something that’s relatively easy to avoid, I throw away as little as possible. You’ll notice that I do purchase a bit more than I need, but I’m expecting that some things will last a bit longer so that I won’t have to sprint to the shops the moment the week is over.

I’m also a big fan of using the coupons that are sent in the mail from Kroger-branded stores, because they actually include products I purchase regularly.  I’m not typically a couponer, but when it’s sent to me and it’s literally what I purchase each week, why not? (Insider’s tip: If you shop at any Kroger stores – City Market, Mariano’s, and King Soopers are my go-tos – they literally send you coupons for things you actually buy.  Not sponsored, but something I love about our local Kroger stores.)

Separately, I also go to our local farmer’s market at least once per week. It helps me to make sure that I’m eating seasonally, more natural (as pesticide-free, grass-fed, actually local) as possible, and I love that I’m helping smaller, local farms along the way!

What I eat in a week

This week is a shorter one for me.  I have three breakfasts to plan, two lunches, three nights of dinners, and four days of snacks.  The other meals that will fill my days include going out to eat or meetings.  I’ll each also typically have one Emergen-C, one vitamin D, and a multi-viatmin each day.

In general, I like to eat a traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner with at least a mid-morning snack.  I sometimes add in a mid-afternoon snack if I’m feeling extra hungry.

(source)

My grocery list

Produce

• Blueberries (1-2 packs)
• Asparagus (1-2 bunches)
• Green Peppers (3)
• Dates (1 package)
• Pre-Mixed Salads (2)
• Clementines (1 bag)
• Avocados (2)
• Lemons (2)

Meat

• Chicken Breasts (2 – 1 in the fridge, 1 frozen)
• Bone-In Pork Chops (comes in packs of 2 at the farmer’s market)

Canned Goods

• Baked Beans (1 can)

Dairy

• Small-Sized Goat Milk
• Eggs (do these fit in dairy?)

Bakery

• Red Velvet Cake Pops (3)

Dry Goods

• Luna Bars (3)
• 100 calorie popcorn
• Green Tea + Honey
• Emergen-C (1 box)
• Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

Fish

• Fresh Poke

Meals

Breakfasts

Almost everyday, I have the same thing.  I have two hard-boiled eggs, half an avocado, a cup of tea, and some fruit.  This week, I’ll be having a handful of blueberries or a clementine, but sometimes it’s an apple or whatever I’m feeling specifically that week.

I no longer drink coffee, but put a spoonful of Vital Proteins collagen peptides in my green tea. I prefer to start my day with hot water + lemon, if time allows, though that depends on my morning schedule.  (See how and why I stopped drinking coffee here.)

Lunches

I can pretty much bank on having leftovers from the dinners listed below as lunches for the two days that I mentioned.  However, in case I’m feeling extremely hungry or a meeting gets cancelled, then I’m ready to go with a quick pre-packaged salad.

They’re surprisingly delicious and very fresh – I actually found a lady-bug in mine last week after I brought it home from the farmer’s market!  While they’re a bit more pricey than making a salad from scratch, I find that I’m more likely to use the pre-packaged options for lunches because I don’t give myself much time during the day to pull something together. My favorite salads include mixed lettuce, cucumber, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and I top with olive oil, crushed pepper, and tajin.

Dinners

One night a week, I grab a poke bowl for dinner, typically on the day I go to the grocery store.  I’ve found that the options at my local Mariano’s are actually pretty delicious and fresh, especially for being much more affordable than going out to grab poke or sushi at a restaurant once per week.

Other nights I’ll have a piece of meat with some vegetables on the side.  I typically end up buying my meat from the farmers market so that I know more about how the animals were raised. With the portions available, I typically end up eating half of it, leaving half of it for lunch the next day.

After dinner, I’ve lately been in the mood to finish off a glass of goat milk (don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it) or red velvet cake pop.  It’s the perfect finisher to end off my day of eating.

(a big jumble of awesomeness I call dinner – though not from this week)

Other Foods/Snacks

I usually don’t end up planning my snacks, because I don’t know how I’ll feel across the day and I prefer to leave it up to the moment.  Do I want something sweet or salty?  Do I want something warm or cold?  Since I don’t know how I’ll be feeling, I like to stock up on healthy options so that I’m rarely turning the direction of the sweets jar. The snacks options I have available currently are dates, Luna Bars, and popcorn.

When I go out to eat, I try to be thoughtful of what I’m feeding my body, choosing something that both looks appetizing and like it fulfills a variety of food groups.  I’ll usually end up eating half of whatever it is and will bring the rest home for lunch the next day or for dinner if something gets cancelled or pushed back. Your girl loves her leftovers over here!

What I need more/less of…

I somewhat recently met with a nutritionist that pointed out that I don’t eat enough protein. I recently started marathon training and really do recognize how much protein helps me to feel satiated for longer, so it’s something I’m going to try to intentionally include in my meals going forward. If you all have any tips for this, please let me know.

Just a reminder that this does not include everything that I eat in a day.  I do not count calories, but I feed my body when it is hungry.  Also, I’m a big believer in chugging a glass of water before I eat.  A lot of the time, when I’m hungry, I’m actually dehydrated, so it helps to balance out my appetite.

What do you feel you need more of or less of in your diet?

What are you craving right now that is unique to this season of your life?

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter where I share exclusive recipes, posts, and life hacks to help you attain your best life!

Create a great life!