A Simple Strategy to Eat Well and Never Get Bored

I hope you enjoy reading this post! I am a fit foodie at heart, so having a go-to, simple strategy to eat well and never get bored with dinner is really important to me. I’m excited to share with you!

Too complicated. Don’t have time. Family won’t eat it. As a coach, these are excuses I hear all the time. How do you consistently eat healthy food that works for your fitness goals, but also works for you chef skills/schedule/picky eaters?

The thing is, healthy eating can get complicated. There will always be new trends being marketed as the next best thing. There will always be ways to take a simple meal and make it time-consuming and worthy of a “oui, Chef”. How do you cut through all of that and keep things realistic, delicious and nutritious?

The answer is in your strategy.

Having a simple framework for creating healthy meals allows you to plan well, shop well, cook well and most importantly, eat well. Every night. Without getting bored. Let’s get into creating that simple strategy to eat well so you can enjoy healthy food at the table every night!

Key Takeaways…

• 27% of Americans report that lack of willpower is the most powerful barrier between them and change
• Turns out, willpower may not be a the finite resource we once thought it was
• If you stay “on track” Monday-Thursday and fall off track every weekend, you’re spending almost 50% of your time sabotaging your own hard work.
• Studies have shown that the average dinner plate size has grown by nearly 23% since 1900, and portion sizes have grown alongside that.
• Planning ahead leaves little up to change; even if the plan goes sideways, there’s still food in house to make something work.

Why a Simple Strategy Matters for Healthy Eating

It’s just healthy eating. Why does strategy matter?

Think of it as a shortcut. Any extra thought, or time, or will power that you don’t have to spare by dinner time can be cut down or cut out. This is a good bargain for your goals. Healthy eating plays a huge role in how successful you are in achieving your fitness goals. It also happens to be a challenge for a lot of people.

A simple strategy to eat well, meet your nutritional needs and actually enjoy it is the key.

Willpower is an Emotion

Willpower has long been viewed as a finite resource. The we run out of it after particularly long or stressful days. In fact, 1 in 4 Americans report that lack of willpower is the most powerful barrier between them and change. But recent studies show that in fact, that’s probably not the case. Instead, willpower is more like an emotion; it ebbs and flows according to what’s happening and how we feel.

If we rely on willpower to motivate ourselves to cook and eat healthy meals every night, it’s like relying on always being happy and joyful. Regardless of how tough the day was, how fundamentally excited we are to eat healthy foods or how much we love or hate to cook.

Anything you can do ahead of time – like sketching out a simple strategy to eat well – increases the opportunity for success!

Improved Consistency

Maintaining long-term consistency is the biggest success factor when it comes to fitness and health goals. You do not have to be perfect. But the reality is that “when you feel like it” is not enough.

Think about it this way: if you “eat clean most of the time” means that you are super strictly on point Monday-Thursday and then Friday night Happy Hour turns into Saturday cheat day turns into giving up on the weekend (with the intention of “starting fresh on Monday”), that’s…

• 4 days “on” and 3 days “off” every week
• 16 days “on” and 12 days “off” every month
• 208 days “on” and 156 days “off” every year

That means that 42% of the time you’re undoing your own hard work!

Flexible Adherence

The ability to stick to it, aka adherence, matters. But most human beings aren’t so attached to following the rules that chicken and broccoli wins on a nightly basis. A flexible eating strategy improves adherence to a diet plan by allowing you to incorporate foods you enjoy while still meeting you nutritional goals.

Getting Started

Now you know why having a simple strategy to eat well – and eat well consistently – is important. But where do you start? There are a lot of places you could look, but for the sake of effectiveness I’m going to help you focus on dinner. Why? Because it’s that post-4 p.m. time frame that I find most of my clients struggle with most of the time.

Notice that I’m not stopped at the “what” of eating well. Each component of this strategy holds space for how and how much, too.

Set Aside Planning Time

The very first step to creating your strategy to eat well is to take the time to plan. For me, this is 20-30 minutes on Sunday.

First, grab a notebook, a pencil, some cookbooks and your Pinterest account (or you can use my Pinterest board).

Next, take inventory of what’s in your fridge and freezer. Make sure you have the healthy eating pantry staples on hand: grains, broths, proteins, frozen veggies, etc. Use the article below to stay stocked up:

Now, you can use recipes to get inspired OR…

You can use the simplified checklist below!

Keep it Simple: Fit Plate Strategy

Your plate is where it all starts. Seriously. Think about your plate. Imagine it full of high-nutrient, whole foods packed with health benefits and flavor. For example, take a look at the infographic below:

It’s simple. It’s open to personal preference. And it’s highly effective.

Bonus Fit Plate tips:

• Visuals matter: a full plate increases the sense of satiation. If portion control is a challenge for you, consider downsizing your dinnerware. Studies have shown that the average dinner plate size has grown by nearly 23% since 1900, and portion sizes have grown alongside that.
• Slow down and savor each bite. It takes your brain 20 minutes to sense fullness and send the message to stop eating. Put your fork down between bites. Enjoy your meal and company. Give your body the time to feel full and satisfied.
• Try to stop eating before you’re stuffed. Differentiating between appetite and craving, fullness and the need for more, takes practice. But learning to recognize these signals and stopping at about 80% fullness can do wonders for comfort, digestion and body composition.

Plan Around Protein

Protein is arguably the most important macronutrient, especially for you: the fitness focused human. Why? Because it’s an essential nutrient – a fundamental building block of the human body that must be consumed (not made) in large quantities.

Every meal should include some amount of protein. This is a dinner strategy so aim for 1-2 servings on your plate. That’s 25-50 grams of protein, or 1-2 portions that are about the size of the palm of your hand.

Top protein choices include:

• Chicken – boneless, skinless breast or thigh; lean ground; whole roasters
• Turkey – boneless, skinless breast or thigh; lean ground; whole roasters
• Lean beef/bison (85% or leaner) – whole cuts or ground
• Pork – tenderloin, lean ground, low sodium deli ham
• Fish – tuna, salmon, haddock, cod, swordfish
• Shellfish – shrimp, lobster, clams, scallops
• Soy products – tofu, tempeh, edamame
• *Eggs – 1 whole + 4 whites is about 20 grams
• *Dairy – cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, kefir
• *Moderate protein sources – beans, lentils, legumes, peas

*Starred sources of protein should either be counted as protein and fat, or protein and carbs.

On the list…

Plan protein choices a week at a time so that it’s not left up to chance. For example you might grab 1 whole chicken to roast for two meals, lean beef for burgers, a pork tenderloin, 1 filet of fresh haddock, frozen shrimp and chicken sausages at the store. All of these freeze well.

Shop in Bulk

To save yourself a future shopping trip and money, consider a getting a membership to a wholesale retailer like Costco or BJs. They often carry high-quality protein options at lower prices. Just be ready to buy and store in bulk!

Prioritize Produce

Up next: produce. Produce is an essential part of your healthy eating strategy because it provides a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that promote physical and mental well-being. Plus, non-starchy produce is a low-calorie way to add volume to your plate.

After you’ve chosen your protein, think veggies:

• Fill half of your plate with vegetables
• Eat the rainbow
• Mix it up for variety’s sake: leave some veggies raw, roast or grill others, pickle some or buy pickled options

For example:

If you’re roasting chicken, throw onions, carrots, turnips and mushrooms onto a sheet tray and roast alongside.

The next night when your roasted chicken becomes chicken salad, serve it on top of arugula and top your salad with pickled onions, and raw tomato, cucumber and carrot.

When you grill pork tenderloin or burgers, slice zucchini and squash lengthwise, season with salt and pepper, spray with olive oil and throw them on the grill next to your protein.

On the list…

Keep in mind that you won’t be eating all of the vegetables you buy on day one. Some vegetables hold up better than others: carrots, squashes, onions. Other vegetables you’ll want to use up in a few days: greens, tomatoes, green beans. Still others are great to have in the freezer for “oops” situations: peas, corn. You can even use the canned goods aisle for a change up: beets, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm.

Fiber Focused

If protein is the MVP of your healthy eating strategy, and produce is the workhorse, fiber is the Unsung Hero. Both protein and fiber provide staying power to foods, which helps you stay energized and satiated between meals and snacks. In addition to its other health benefits, a high-fiber diet can help promote weight loss—even without other significant diet changes.

After you choose your protein and your produce (which by the way has some fiber power of it’s own), look to choose foods that are fiber-full:

• beans
• legumes
• whole grains
• lentils
• split peas
• sweet potatoes
• skin-on fruit

The Savior of Carbohydrates

Carbs get an unfairly bad rap. But note that everything listed above is a carb. Fiber is the reason these foods are labelled as complex; it’s the reason they’re a vital component of this simple strategy to eat well!

To use the meal plan started above…

Peel, dice and roast sweet potato chunks with your roasted chicken.

Cook a large batch of quinoa to eat with your chicken salad (and have some leftovers for lunch).

Steam a bag of frozen peas to serve along side your pork tenderloin and grilled squash. Bonus: peas are a decent source of vegetarian protein, too!

Get Wild with Flavor

The title of this article is “A Simple Strategy to Eat Well and Never Get Bored”. This section is dedicated to the never get bored part.

Whether it’s a chicken breast, a cheese burger or a protein shake, food should taste good. Here’s how to do it:

You’ve got your protein. Vegetables are on the list. You know what kind of good-for-you complex carb you’re serving alongside. Now…what’s your FLAVOR profile?

• Fats – avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oils, cheese, olives
• Fresh herbs – parsley, dill, mint, cilantro, basil, thyme
• Dried herbs – cumin, chili, cinnamon, garlic powder, curry
• Acid – citrus and vinegars
• Hot sauce

*I group fat under flavor because, well, it is. And using fats strategically is a great way to boost flavor and enjoyment without loading on too many calories.

Think about flavor profiles you love. Cuisines and cultures that intrigue you. You can make one sauce and pair it with multiple meals. Or take one meal and eat it 30 different ways.

Putting It All Together

This is my favorite part! I’ll break down a full week for you so that you have a clear visual of how to get started with your own strategy.

Monday:

Roasted chicken (protein) + roasted onions/mushrooms/carrots (produce) + roasted sweet potato (fiber/complex carb) + gravy and apple slices

Tuesday:

Leftover chicken (protein) + arugula salad with cucumber, tomato, red onion (produce) + quinoa (fiber/complex carb) + sliced avocado + homemade balsamic vinaigrette + roasted pumpkin seeds

Wednesday:

Grilled pork tenderloin (protein) + grilled squashes (produce) + baked beans (fiber/complex carbs/protein) + fresh herb/garlic chimichurri

Thursday:

Grilled shrimp (protein) + simple green salad (produce) + grilled whole wheat pita (fiber/carb) + yogurt tzatziki/fresh lemon juice/fresh mint/dill/parsley and garlic

Friday:

Turkey burgers (protein) + lettuce/tomato/onion and a side salad (produce) + roasted sweet potato fries (fiber/complex carb) + slice of cheese/Dijon/ketchup

Saturday:

Pan seared cod (protein) + roasted peppers/onions and chopped lettuce/tomatoes (produce) + corn or whole wheat tortillas (fiber/carb) + avocado/hot sauce/cilantro

Sunday:

Beef ragu (protein) + tomato sauce (produce) + whole wheat pasta (fiber/carb) + Parmesan cheese