I’m Tired of Eating the Same Thing All the Time…
I’m tired of eating the same thing all the time…
It’s a pretty common complaint and one of those things I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard it.
Actually, what you really want is a different flavor.
Okay, maybe a different texture but certainly a different flavor.
If you’re someone who has quite a bit of fat to lose you can get great results just by making some simple changes to your eating habits. Cutting back on alcohol, giving up sodas, reducing restaurant meals and paying attention to how you fill your plate has a huge impact.
But as your hard work pays off and you get leaner it requires more precision.
Specifically, you have to be more precise hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets.
Clients who start tracking their food are usually shocked by what they currently eat. Most meal plans are designed for hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets with limited options. They’re designed to make shopping and meal preparation simple while keeping you on track towards your goal.
Variety can make your job difficult unless you’re really good at meal planning. It’s hard to meal prep and quickly becomes frustrating. It’s a foregone conclusion you’ll fall off the wagon and fail to reach your goals.
One of our biggest beliefs is that food is the Powerball of your workout program while eating is the Powerball of life. Food is energy for our bodies but eating is nourishment for the soul.
We’ve already proven that it’s possible to have delicious food and still reach your goals.
And you’re going to see it’s really not that difficult.
We can make quick and easy changes to the standard foods that make up a cutting diet that make a huge difference in how they taste. We don’t necessarily dislike them; we just get tired of them when they’re fixed the same way all the time.
If we can make the same piece of chicken breast taste worlds away on a different night we’ll be happy to hit our targets by eating it often.
We’re going to take a look at how to make those easy changes that work toward your goals, provide flavor and variety that never gets old without the complexity variety causes.
We’ll use our house as an example and show you how we use the same basic foods to create different flavors, textures and cuisines while still hitting our targets as simply as possible.
Let’s start with dinner because it’s usually the big meal of the day and one you’re usually home to fix.
The protein/carb/veggie model is a tried and true method of hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets while providing a combination of foods that make for a healthy, filling and satisfying meal. It’s made of whole foods that are high in vitamins and minerals and will keep you feeling full.
There are lots of ways to make up the protein/carb/veggie combination. Let’s take advantage of that by listing a few and then see how we can change it up each time to hit our targets without derailing our progress or making it unnecessarily difficult.
If you’ve checked out the recipes on our website you know every Tuesday in our house is Taco Tuesday.
Know us and you know it’s always Hamburger Friday.
We also love Stir-Fry.
Outside of the hamburger, we can change any of them to use chicken or even fish. (Okay, we could make the burger a nice chicken or fish sandwich.)
So, let’s look at each of these and see how to change the flavor dramatically while still working within the protein/carb/veggie model. It makes hitting the targets easy, shopping simple and preparing the meal a snap.
Caveat: the items listed below are always put together so that we hit our calorie and macronutrient targets for the day. That’s always first and foremost. Within those constraints it’s game on for any combination that suits us!
Stay tuned for a list of some of the things we use on a regular basis. (Hint: it’s at the bottom.)
Taco Tuesday
Protein: ground beef, ground turkey, steak, chicken or fish
Carb: tortillas, refried beans and rice
Veggie: onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, lettuce and tomato
Fat: cheese, avocado and sour cream
How to make it different: It’s simple to use ground beef and ground turkey breast to make traditional tacos. Soft or crunchy? Try lean steak and whole chicken breast cut into strips to make fajitas. You can also go for fish tacos if you like. Grab our Taco Tuesday Seasoning recipe for something without preservatives where you control the amount of salt. Mix it up with corn or flour tortillas. Use smaller flour tortillas to make tacos or fajitas or a larger tortilla to make a burrito. Use a corn tortilla and make your own street tacos. Reduce or cut out the tortillas and add a bigger portion of rice and beans to make it more like an entrée at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Use a nice cheddar, queso fresco, guacamole or fresh avocado. Lightly sauté the onions, bell peppers and jalapeños or get a completely different, brighter flavor by leaving the jalapeños raw.
Stir-Fry Wednesday
Protein: ground beef, lean sliced steak, chicken or shrimp
Carb: brown rice, white rice and noodles
Veggie: broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn, water chestnuts, asparagus, carrots
Fat: avocado oil, peanut oil and sesame oil
How to make it different: Steak or chicken would be obvious but we often use ground beef, ground turkey breast or a combination of the two to change it up or reduce the fat content. Different types of noodles from Soba to Lo Mein to a batch of leftover spaghetti can make it completely different from the usual stir-fry with rice. You can use a variety of your favorite vegetables to suit your taste or, if you’re tight on time, buy and keep flash-frozen stir-fry vegetables from the grocery store. The type of oil you use can make a noticeable difference in the flavor as well.
Here’s a quick recipe for a nice stir-fry sauce that doesn’t use any oil (for 8 ounces beef). 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, ¼ teaspoon ginger (or use fresh chopped), 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Make it up early and let it meld in the refrigerator. Use one additional clove of garlic in the pan when you begin. Once everything is going well, add the sauce and let it cook to flavor everything.
Hamburger Friday
Protein: ground beef (Okay, okay you can use chicken, turkey or fish if you really want a change.)
Carb: hamburger bun, bread, chips and French fries
Veggie: lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeño and mushrooms
Fat: cheese, mayonnaise and avocado
How to make it different: You wouldn’t think you could change up the traditional hamburger we’ve all grown to love but it’s really not difficult. Along with different flavors of chips or seasoning the fries with different spices, grill the patty over charcoal for a completely unique flavor or cook it in an iron skillet under a press. Use a whole wheat bun, one with sesame seeds, a brioche bun or make a patty melt with some slices of bread. You can go Cowtown and sauté the onions with jalapeño and mushrooms or go for the traditional backyard barbeque method of raw onion with your lettuce and tomato. Try cheddar, pepper jack, Swiss or use Gouda with that brioche bun. Using different seasonings like Montreal or Chicago instead of the usual salt and pepper can make a big difference.
Let’s not leave out the traditional protein/carb/veggie combination using chicken, fish or steaks. When you alternate them with the things above they suddenly become delicious because you’re not eating them every night. If you’ve ever seen our Secret To Yardbird, Single-Pan Quick Chicken or Chicken Tortilla Soup recipes they’re variations on the same theme with wildly different tastes and textures. You can even use The Secret To Yardbird to grill the chicken for the fajitas.
Of course, you can make the chicken recipes with beef or fish, too.
Lean cuts of steak, just like chicken or fish, can be prepared with various spices to match them to different cuisines. Serve them with couscous, potatoes, rice, quinoa or pasta for a completely different meal. Veggies provide you with an endless variety of options to suit your taste and desired flavor.
Chicken Tortilla Soup also follows the protein/carb/veggie model, especially when served with chips, pico de gallo, refried beans or tortillas. So does our Hearty Beef Stew.
A meatloaf served with your favorite vegetables does, too. (Don’t the breadcrumbs in the meatloaf count as the carb? Use lean ground beef, ground turkey breast and ground chicken breast all mixed together.)
Don’t forget spaghetti with red sauce can have a variety of lean meats in it and, when served with your favorite vegetables, fits the protein/carb/veggie model neatly.
All of the meals listed above follow the model, allow you to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets, make shopping simple and they’re certainly not “eating the same thing all the time.”
As you can see we’re able to mix things up so we get the variety in flavor and texture we love while still keeping it simple. We rarely use anything less than 96% lean ground beef. We also use the leanest steaks we can find. (If you’re fortunate and you look around enough you can find a local farmer who will raise grass-fed beef for you. If it’s done properly it will be extremely lean.)
We purchase ground turkey and chicken breast instead of plain ground turkey and chicken in order to keep the fat content as low as possible. Compare the two and you’ll be shocked by the difference. There are times we’ll mix ground beef with the turkey breast or chicken in order to reduce the fat content and change up the flavor. I would much rather eat my daily calories from fat in the form of cheese, nuts, nut butters, avocado or butter than to consume a fatty meat.
We buy fresh or in bulk when we do our shopping. We’re able to make multiple meals with varying flavors and textures that have the same underlying calorie and macronutrient content. This makes meal prep and sticking to the plan as easy as possible.
Don’t worry we’re also going to show you how to mix up breakfast in order to keep it fresh, too.
Most people, whether it’s through necessity or routine, are usually okay with eating pretty much the same thing for breakfast. I do love eggs but like anyone else, I like to change it up from time to time.
My breakfast is usually egg whites, an egg, some type of breakfast meat and a carb. But I can still easily switch it up depending on what I do with them.
It’s a snap to whisk the egg with the egg whites and make an omelet. You can use some frozen broccoli with the breakfast meat and traditional French seasoning with a little bit of cheese for a delicious and completely different flavor. Pair it with a Lender’s French Toast bagel and you won’t believe you’re actually losing fat while you’re eating so deliciously.
Other days, I’ll use some beans with frozen peppers and onions, add low-fat cheddar or pepper jack and make a refried bean omelet. It pairs beautifully with tortillas, hot sauce and a bit of pico de gallo on top. It’s still eggs with a carb and a fat but they’re completely different flavors.
For another change of pace, I’ll make an egg white omelet, cook the egg over-easy, break it over the top of the egg whites and let the yolk run over and flavor the omelet. Serve it with some toast or an English muffin.
I mentioned using frozen broccoli or peppers and onions because they’re quick and easy but I don’t think there’s anything better in an omelet than leftover grilled asparagus. Use your favorites. Keep some of the leftover bell peppers and onions from Taco Tuesday for that refried bean omelet. It will help you hit your targets, it’s delicious and it’s quick and easy.
You can also change up your breakfast with our Protein-Balanced Pancakes or steel cut oats – with a bit of protein powder to help boost your protein intake – nuts, coconut flakes and, my favorite, some chocolate chips and a teaspoon of pure maple syrup.
It’s even easy to make a breakfast cereal work for you by mixing your favorite flavor of protein powder in some ice-cold milk. Toss in some nuts and fruit and you’ll have a breakfast that hits your targets, is quick to make if you’re in a rush to get out the door and still has some whole foods in it.
We eat all of these foods on a regular basis while hitting our calorie and macronutrient targets. No matter whether we’re cutting, bulking or just enjoying maintenance calories for a bit we always have a plan for eating. The foods, and their amounts, are calculated in advance to make sure we hit those numbers.
We’re just like you. We don’t want to eat the same old thing every day and we don’t want to spend hours preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner. But we don’t want to undo all of our hard work, either. We’ve learned over time, through trial and error and with a little practice; you can eat different flavors while hitting your targets and without slaving over the stove for hours each day.
We believe you can live a wonderful life, enjoy great food and great times with family and friends and still achieve the body of your dreams. You can enjoy all the fun times with delicious food that won’t wreck your progress while getting the most out of your time, money and effort.
When you can eat deliciously on a daily basis, getting to your goal and staying there is effortless. It makes enjoying that cheat meal or the awesome vacation you worked so hard for guilt-free.
And that’s the way it should be.
Remember, as I’ve said before, you can’t always eat whatever you like but you can always like whatever you eat.
Regards,
Henry
Here’s the list of stuff we love that works well for hitting our targets. Use these as a start and begin developing your own.
Old El Paso Fat-Free Refried Beans (regular or spicy), Pop Chips, Baked Lays, Baked Tostitos, Ore-Ida Fast Food Frozen French Fries, Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce, Lender’s French Toast Bagels, Bay’s Sourdough English Muffins, Nature’s Own Whole Wheat Bread, Pepperidge Farms Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, Kraft Mexican-Style Four Cheese 2% Milk Cheese, Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese Wedges, Kirkland Signature Cage-Free Liquid Egg Whites, Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Eggs, Della Organic Brown Basmati Rice, Barilla Whole Wheat Pasta, RiceSelect Tri-Color Couscous, Jones Uncured Canadian Bacon, Morningstar Farms Spicy Breakfast Sausage Patties, La Banderita Tortillas, Smucker’s Simply Fruit Jelly, Spice World Minced Garlic, Spectrum Coconut Oil Non-Stick Spray, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, Fini Red Wine Vinegar, Ottavio 100% Pure Avocado Oil, Perdue Frozen Chicken Breasts, 96% lean ground beef, Greenwise Organic Ground Turkey Breast, Perdue Ground Chicken Breast and Skinny Beef 98% lean ground beef.
Sign up to receive more tips, recipes and tricks for building a lifestyle that produces lasting results.
No spam, no junk and you can unsubscribe at any time.