A peak into my day for healthy meal and snack ideas: Whipped oats with maple almond butter peach sauce. Grilled salmon and corn salad with sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, and feta. Chicken and veggie lasagna. Fruit and plenty of dark chocolate!
As a college student, I will never have a consistent routine. Just when I get settled into a schedule, it’s time to start planning the next semester. The transition from my recent study abroad trip in Italy to daily lab work and fitness classes is still a work in progress; now all of a sudden Fall is on the horizon, and I’m getting ready for another schedule overhaul.
But I certainly can’t complain. Life never gets boring, and I wouldn’t have done it any other way. 🙂
With that said, I’m recapping my Wednesday to show a “typical”(whatever that means) day of wholesome meals and snacks, and how I work them into my schedule. My goal is not to tell anyone exactly what to eat, but, if nothing else, provide some easy, delicious, healthy recipes and inspiration that you can adapt to fit your own diet and unique needs.
Breakfast
One of the most exciting parts of summer for me (literally, out of everything) is the seemingly limitless supply of beautiful sweet stone fruit burgeoning from local fields. So when I came back from Italy (where fresh cherries and peaches and apricots abounded), I was devastated to learn that the South was struggling with a bad peach crop. I’ve been lucky to find some good ones at the grocery store on occasion, but they’re not expected to last long. 🙁
Which just makes this breakfast that much more valuable. The peach I used in this Maple Almond Butter Peach Whipped Oatmeal was most definitely a good one–ripe and juicy and sweet and all the things a peach should be. And the sauce it makes when heated and stirred with maple almond butter (Justin’s brand), maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla…It’s OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD yummy.
This tastes like it took hours to make, but it actully comes together with very little time or effort! 100% manageable before an early work or schoolday.
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats + 1/2 Tbsp ground flax cooked on the stovetop in 1 cup milk (plus a little water added for the consistency). Ripe banana whipped in at the end of cooking, then a pinch cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and a splash vanilla.
- Chopped up 1/2 ripe peach and added to a little bowl with 2 tsp Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (haven’t tried this with other brands), 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup, pinch cinnamon and splash vanilla, and ~1 Tbsp raisins. Heated 20 seconds in microwave, then stirred until smooth and wonderfully saucy. Poured it all over my fluffy oats then stuck my head in the sauce bowl. Eventually I got to the oatmeal, too. 😉
Lunch
Rather than packing my lunch for work, I’m in the habit of holding out until I get home around 2:30. My breakfast fills me up and keeps me going for quite a while! Plus I’m kind of a snoot about enjoying meals in a peaceful space on my own time-table; I can intermittently study, read, clean, get lost on Instagram, take pictures of my food…you know.
I’m sure pretty soon I’ll need to start packing lunches to-go, and this salad would be perfect for lunchbox days!
The day before, I just thawed out some king salmon (~2.5 oz) that I had frozen in a marinade of Dijon + lemon juice + red wine vinegar + honey + salt and pepper. Grilled it up on my grill pan alongside ~1/2 ear corn-on-the-cob, then tossed it with Romaine, the shaved grilled corn, feta, avocado, red bell pepper, red onion, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes (the ones I brought back from Sicily!), and fresh basil. Finished it off with a quick dressing of 1/8 tsp minced garlic + 1/4 tsp Dijon + 1 tsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp lemon juice + 1/4 tsp honey + pinch salt and black pepper. (If making this, you could double or triple the recipe and use it as you like.)
Served it with some grapes and Beanitos White Bean Chips to round out the meal. (Didn’t think I’d miss the opportunity for a few extra carbs and fiber, did you? Plus the bean chips are a great source of protein.)
Snack
With such a late lunch, you might call this a dessert…but either way, banana and nut butter for the win! Specifically, Wild Friends’s new Chocolate Almond Butter with Crunchy Almond Pieces–a new obsession. This stuff tastes heavenly and is surprisingly low in sugar. (Only 1.5 g in this Tablespoon with my half-banana!)
Plus Celestial Seasonings Mountain Chai Tea with a touch of monk fruit extract and a little 1% milk for an extra pick-me-up.
Perfect for pre-workout munching and a date with my iPad. 🙂
Work-out
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I would be heading off on my bike to teach Stadium Conditioning and/or Total Body at our campus recreation center (and the Swamp…my happy place). But Wednesdays I actually don’t have a class and get to play around with my own workouts.
I was really feeling some cardio, and when it rains every single evening in the summer here in Rainesville, the good ole’ treadmill is a safe way to go.
50 minutes. Started at a light jog and moderate incline. In alternating 5-minute intervals, I increased the incline and decreased the speed; then decreased the incline and increased the speed. Each set moved further to the extremes, until I finished with a big uphill hike and flat run. Fun workout to try if you want to get some miles in and mix up your cardio routine!
Dinner
I had no other major obligations that night. (Wow that’s fun to say…I need to soak in these lax nights while they still pop up over the next couple weeks.) And I got a big craving for this Chicken and Veggie Lasagna, so, even though it was getting late, I went for it.
And I’m very very glad that happened. ??
For busier weeknights though, this lasagna is PERFECT to have as leftovers!
Since my Italy trip, I’ve wanted to make a simpler, more traditional lasagna–just béchamel, cheese, tomato sauce, and maybe a meat. But sometimes yearnings for long-time favorites overhaul my plans. And that’s ok, too. Even though it’s not the “correct” version, I can’t say anything negative about this melty, saucy pan of love, loaded with chicken, spinach, peppers and mushrooms, garlic, cheeses, and tons of flavor.
Dessert
Not even a discussion. My day will end with chocolate as long as I can help it. 😉
If you like things that taste AMAZING, try these two! Salazon 72% Sea Salt and Coconut, and Endangered Species 72% with Espresso Beans. I’ve eaten a LOT of dark chocolate in my time, and these are two of my all-time favorites.
I don’t want to say how late it was when I sat down with a couple squares {each} and my glass of chilled milk. But as I’m trying hard to put on weight, I guess late-late-night chocolate fixes don’t hurt.
With that, enjoy the rest of your week! Happy eating!