Nutrition with MRS T

Nutrition is big in the Thielen family. Adam and I really try and watch what we eat "most of the time";) We are not perfect, we like to live life, and we do eat poorly every once in a while. Overall we try and be conscious about what we are putting into our bodies. We want to raise our children in an environment where candy isn't given out daily, soda is not given with dinner, our kids are active, and where fruits and veggies will be eaten every day. 

Now trust me I am no way the healthiest eater. I am not gluten free, dairy free, eat only veggies type of girl. I like sour path kids, skittles, ice cream, etc. I actually probably have one of the biggest sweet tooth's ever lol..but I love the saying, everything in moderation. Eat your licorice, or have the chips and salsa but make sure your not over indulging...again, everything in moderation. Also make sure your keeping moving. Working out is a big part of mine and my families life and it helps us feel so good (it also helps me feel less guilty when I eat that licorice or pizza haha, partially kidding;). You don't have to look perfect, be the skinniest, or most ripped. I think if your feeling good about yourself and feeling healthy then thats all that matters. I know when I am eating my healthiest I notice a difference in the way I look and feel. When I try and avoid the sugar or processed snacks I feel a heck of a lot better and way more energized. Don't try and be perfect, just try and be the healthiest you that you can be! 

I wanted to share some of my favorite foods, meal ideas, and health tips with you! I hope you can take something out of this post, whether that being some new foods to try or trying to make more of a plan of what foods you will eat on a daily basis! Also, if you check on my blog under favorite recipes you can find some other great meal/ snack ideas. I hope to upload another post in the near future with more recipes I like. 

Here are some pictures of foods we eat a lot of in the Thielen household!

Below are some meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! I have breakfast for lunch a lot of the time too..because who doesn't like breakfast foods?!:)

Breakfast: Greek yogurt with granola, protein pancakes, 2 energy balls and cereal, eggs and toast, toast with almond butter and jelly, Isagenix shake, Blueberry oatmeal, add cinnamon and 2 energy balls

Lunch: Isagenix shake, chicken quesadillas, Isagenix bar, Annie's Mac and cheese, homemade wheat tortilla pizza- (red sauce, chicken, turkey pepperoni, shredded cheese (whatever toppings), Leftovers from night before

Dinners: Grilled Chicken, sweet potato fries, and a vegetable; Homemade Nachos- organic ground beef, lettuce, greek yogurt, shredded cheese, salsa, tomatoes, etc; Fish Salads- lettuce, red pepper, fish of choice, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, craisins, mini apples, whatever else you'd want; Hamburgers on whole wheat buns, mixed/sliced sweet and red potatoes, asparagus 

Snacks: Wheat thins with string cheese, chips and salsa, nuts, dried mango (from Trader Joes is amazingggg), greek yogurt, energy balls, popped popcorn, kettle korn, apple with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips, fruit, kind bars etc.

*With breakfast/ lunch or snacks I try and add in a fruit or two. With dinner I make sure to have at least one vegetable.)

*I drink water throughout the day and I also have two cups of green tea each morning. I usually have lemons in my water, which is a great antioxidant. We do not drink soda, juices, etc in our house. If anything, Adam enjoys Bai every once in a while, which you can get from Costco.

Isagenix Products

I include Isagneix products into my daily eating routine. I have a meal replacement shake once a day, usually either for breakfast or lunch. Adam and I both used to do the "business" side of it so that people could sign up and buy the products. We just weren't big fans of having to promote it all over our social media so we decided to stop. I do like most of the products so one day I might want to start it up again but as for now we are busy enough with other things and don't have time. My brother runs a site where he signs people up so if you are interested in getting these products or even learning more check out this site https://www.thielen19.com ! To give you my honest opinion I do like most of the products but honestly some of them are not my fav. I stay away from the cleanse (it's made me throw up a couple of times), and Adam and I both are not a fan of the protein bars (I love the meal replacement bars). Now Adam, my mom, and other people love doing the cleanse and can handle the way it tastes, so maybe its just my stomach. I'm not trying to steer you away from trying the products but I just wanted to give you my thoughts. Below I will outline my favorite products that I take almost everyday.  Adam also takes more of the products then I do and he loves them. They have been very helpful for him during the football season and offseason. 

I usually take an e-plus energy shot or an amped nox pre workout. I love the e-plus energy shots because they have caffeine in them and since I don't drink coffee they are a life saver on days I am feeling sluggish and need a little boost. 

Isalean Bars- These are great on the go bars. They are awesome because they are meal replacement bars, so you don't have to worry about if your getting the proper nutrients. They are also pretty filling, especially if you add in an apple or some kind of fruit. The dairy free chocolate peanut butter is my favorite kind (especially when it's been in the fridge a couple hours). 

Isalean shakes - I love the dairy free chocolate Isalean meal replacement shakes. I make them in the blender a certain way that I just think is soooo good (at least I think so)...

*I use the shake packet, almond milk, half a banana, a handful of ice, small scoop of wheatgrass powder, scoop of Dynamic fruits & greens espresso flavor ( I think this does the trick of making it taste so amazing...plus your getting your serving of fruits/greens with a scoop), and sometimes a handful of flaxseed.

If I am making the strawberry kind I use either almond milk or water, half a banana, ice, and the Strawberry shake packet.

IsaPro Whey protein- Great protein for post workout or even if you need a little extra protein throughout the day. The taste isn't the greatest thing ever but it's definitely not bad. I use a scoop of the protein in the energy balls I make and in pancakes. You can choose between the chocolate or vanilla kind. 

Natural Accelerator- I just started taking this the last few months and it seems legit. It's supposed to boost your metabolism and help you burn fat. 

**Below are two examples of what I'd typically eat in a day

DAY 1:

Morning- Protein pancakes.. I love the Kodiak pancake and waffle mix and I usually add in a scoop or two of Isagenix Protein.

Lunch- Post workout- Chocolate Isagenix meal replacement shake

Snack- Energy balls, wheat thins with cheese, sun chips, RX bars, etc.

Dinner- Oven tacos (ground turkey, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, guac), mixed green salad with poppyseed dressing

Snack (I try and eat it before 8:30 so its not too close to bedtime) popcorn, sun chips, chips and salsa, kettle Korn, energy balls etc.

DAY 2:

Morning- If I workout in the morning which I like to do then I would take my Isagenix meal replacement shake after that for breakfast.

Lunch- Greek yogurt mixed with granola. English muffin with peanut butter & jelly

Snack- Energy balls, wheat thins with cheese, sun chips, RX bars, etc.

Dinner- Flavored grilled chicken, sweet potato fries, and sweet corn

Snack (I try and eat it before 8:30 so its not too close to bedtime) popcorn, sun chips, chips and salsa, kettle Korn, energy balls, etc.

So I'm slightly obsessed with Trader Joes and luckily we have one within ten minutes of our home. For those of you who have never been you need to check it out sometime. I usually can't buy all groceries there because they don't have everything a Super Target/Cub Foods has but I love my unique snacks/groceries that I can get there. I thought I'd share some of my favorite things from TJ's below.

I also love nuts.com I get many different things from nuts.com but these are some of my favorites. - Organic dried mango (sooo amazing), almonds, dark chocolate chips, carob chips (super good in energy balls/pancakes), cashews, organic popcorn kernels, flaxseed, chia seeds, wheatgrass powder (great in any smoothie), mulberries, goji berries, and more. One of my favorite snacks is mixing a bunch of the nuts together and eating it. For instance I'd mix almonds, salted cashews, dark chocolate chips, mulberries, goji berries, and pistachios... makes for a super yummy and energy fueling snack. Pretty much everything from this site comes in organic or not, which is awesome. It's free shipping over $90 which is not that hard to hit. And they deliver right to your door. I don't order from here too much because the snacks usually last us awhile, but our family has loved the snacks from here so I thought I'd share. 

I hope you guys took something out of this post and maybe even found some new foods/snacks to try. I really think it's all about balance. When you choose the healthier options I think that will help you feel your best and look your best as well. It's not about being the skinniest or this or that. Now days with so much body shaming going on we have to all be supportive of one another and realize not every body is the same and it takes more work for some then others to achieve there best self. I wanted to write this to give you tips about food options, meal planning but also to let everyone know that it IS ok to be yourself. You shouldn't have too starve or deprive yourself of things just to look a certain way. Just try and stay active everyday, try not to overindulge ( I even need to work on this sometimes), and just try and focus on what foods will help you feel your best everyday. 

xoxo,

 

MRS T