Food for Thought

Fitness has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Joining my first gym at the age of 13, I’ve spent over the last two decades (don’t do the math) pushing, pulling, lifting, sweating and rearranging 90% of my personal life to fit around my workout schedule. I’ve been hooked on endorphins from the start, so when a little over a year ago, my longtime friend and fellow fitness fanatic asked me if I’d want to join forces in launching a life-style blog, I jumped. Together, Kelly and I started The F Word, where we talk fitness, food, fashion, family and the other fun ways to embrace a fit lifestyle.

Over the past year or so, we’ve become really focused on the food we eat, and completed our certifications in both sports and fitness nutrition. While getting up and working out is a huge piece of maintaining a fit lifestyle, nourishing your body with the proper fuel is an important piece of overall health and well-being.

My theory on food consumption is to strive for balance. Not restricting or depleting anything completely out forever (unless you have medical issues that require it). Not feeling guilt when you eat. Getting the appropriate amounts of pro- tein, carbs and fat daily, while filling your plate with lots of colorful, nutrient-dense foods and drinking a lot of water. And then eating a piece (or two) of pizza if you want.

Truth be told, you will feel what you eat. If you eat junk food, too much food or food filled with ingredients that aren’t really food at all, your body will tell you. If I can give any piece of nutritional advice, it’s to listen to your body.

Here are some of my favorite breakfasts, lunches, dinners and smoothies, and a glimpse into my week of workout fuel.

Breakfast
• 1 cup of cottage cheese (full fat) topped with 1 sliced banana, 2 T almond butter or natural peanut butter, 1-2 T of local honey, 2-3 T of cinnamon
• 1 serving of steel oats with the same toppings as above
• 2-3 eggs sunny-side up on two pieces of oatmeal toast with half an avocado (and hot sauce)

Lunch
• Salads: Mixed greens topped with any handful of toppings – red peppers, hardboiled egg, avocado, grilled chicken, cukes, black beans, roasted asparagus, black olives, tomatoes, goat cheese and superseeds. I usually top my salads with some olive oil and fresh lemon juice and cracked pepper.
• Shredded broccoli or cabbage topped with tuna or chicken, avocado and a quick cilantro chimichurri sauce (throw cilantro, garlic cloves, olive oil, a teeny bit of red wine vinegar, juice from a lime and sea salt/cracked pepper into a blender – make a bunch to keep on hand).
• Grilled/boiled/rotisserie chicken, shredded with mayo (yup, I use real mayo), green grapes, pecans, dill, cayenne, to make chicken salad
• Ground turkey stir fry with whatever veggies you have on hand
• Whatever soup I made for the week

Dinner
Meats:
• Marinated steak (Worcestershire sauce, garlic, olive oil, bay leaf)
• Chicken sautéed in coconut oil with a “breading” of egg, almond flour and shredded coconut
• Fish – Grilled or baked salmon w/seasonings and lemon, grilled “fish packs” of haddock that are wrapped in foil balls with lemon, baked cod with olive oil and seasoning or grilled shrimp with any combo of seasonings. Grilled shrimp tacos – shredded cabbage, pineapple, black beans and the above-mentioned cilantro chimichurri on top
Veggies:
• Coconut carrot fries. Slice carrots into “fries” and sauté them in coconut oil until tender and sprinkle with sea salt or other spices.
• Sliced sweet potato disks, coated in melted coconut oil, sprinkled with cinnamon and roasted in the oven
• Roasted broccoli, cauliflower or as- paragus
• Sautéed Brussels sprouts

Smoothies
Green Smoothie (Breakfast):
• 1 cup pineapple chunks (and a tiny bit of the pineapple juice it’s in)
• 3 big handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 orange, peeled
• 1 banana
• A few ice cubes
PB Chocolate Banana Chia (Post-workout):
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 banana
• 2 T PB2 (peanut butter powder)
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 2 T chia seeds
• A few ice cubes
White Chocolate Blackberry Smoothie (Post-workout):
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop white chocolate protein
• 1 banana
• 1 cup blackberries
• 2 T chia seeds

When I snack, I try to munch on fruit, nuts, homemade trail mix, stovetop popcorn, cut up veggies or a few pieces of dark chocolate. When I stick to a week of nutrition that looks like the one above, even indulging a bit on the weekends, everything works. Everyone has a different goal when it comes to health and nutrition, but overall health and fitness can be found with good balance, a little dedication and some solid prep work. Check out the website for more recipes and nutritional information (and soon-to-be-offered meal plans and workout programs).

Jen Senecal is a certified Nutritionist & health and fitness Blogger at thefwordblog.com