Tag: fat loss

Fit Recipes!

Easy And Beginner Friendly Pumpkin Chili Recipe

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Just in time for Halloween!  Warm up with this chili after the trick or treating.  It will also help you feel more satiated from the high volume and high protein content…so maybe you won’t overdo it on candy…🤞🏻🙌

For this recipe if you can open a can and chop an onion you can make this.  If there was ever a recipe to get you started on your meal prep lifestyle this is it.  It is delicious, high volume, high protein and full of flavor!  The pumpkin blends in seamlessly while adding a sense of sweetness and richness to the chili while  keeping the calories low.  Pumpkin is so versatile!  If you like my recipes and fitness tips remember to share!  We can all reach our fitness goals and enjoy the process too!❤️ 

Serves 8

For 1 serving (443g)

280 calories 

24g protein 

36g carbohydrate

7g fat

Ingredient’s you’ll need:

  • 1 can pumpkin (425g)
  • 1 can black beans (425g)
  • 1 can tomato paste (170g)
  • 1 large can diced tomatoes with chilis (794g)
  • 1 can beef broth (425ml)
  • Some jarred or canned salsa (300g) 
  • 2 tbsp chili powder (30g)
  • 760g ground lean turkey (93% lean)
  • 1 large onion chopped (400-500g)
  • 1/2- 1 tsp ground pink Himalayan salt

Directions:

Add everything to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5-8 hours.  Stir occasionally and chop the ground turkey up as it cooks so it can blend with the chili.  Allow to cool a bit before storing.  When reheating add some water to make it more high volume of you need.  Or top with cheese, sour cream, etc.. and enjoy with cornbread/corn chips if you need more calories and less volume.  Enjoy within 5-6 days of preparing or store portions in the freezer for future meals. 

Need some more fun and delicious recipes to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

This Super Easy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili bulk prep recipe is in Volume 1 as well as many more yummy and versatile quick prep, bulk prep, and sweets and snacks prep recipes.

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fitness Tips

How Turning My Focus To Building Muscle Changed Everything

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When I was a teen and in my 20’s I lost and gained weight more times than I can count.  Each time I repeated the cycle I regained even more weight.  I felt hopeless and broken as I tried to do what I thought worked.  Restrictive diets and lots of cardio.  Always with the focus on weight loss. 

What changed?  I had to switch the paradigm in my mind and habits that had me focused on weight loss.  Instead I had to focus my mind and habits on BUILDING MUSCLE. 

Eating for muscle, training for muscle, sleeping for muscle, hydrating for muscle, reducing stress and recovering for muscle. 

When I focused on muscle.👉 I lost fat, built strength, increased my endurance and drastically improved my overall health markers: blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose management, and triglycerides. 

To go on an empowering fitness journey I suggest this. Rather than focusing on losing weight, adjust your perspective and start focusing on building muscle.

The habits and behaviors needed to build healthy skeletal muscle will yield incredible results not only physique development but in overall health including:

  1. Better Blood Sugar Regulation
  2. Improved Hunger Management 
  3. Increased Mobility
  4. Stronger Bones
  5. And last but not least, Increased Survivability Against Nearly Every Disease!

It does not mean that the process is easy and will happen without effort. 

But those efforts, WORTH IT! 

If you have thought about having me as your coach to support you along your own fitness journey to lose fat, build muscle, and get stronger check out the Online Fitness Coaching page on my website. With my 1 on 1 online fitness coaching service I take out the guess work and create customized activity and nutrition plans for your unique needs and goals while providing support, accountability and education for ongoing success. That way you can start taking action to get the epic and long lasting benefits of improved muscle health.

See my client testimonials.

www.melaniewales-sustainableliving.com

Follow me on Instagram for more tips, free recipes, and full days of eating.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Find loads of high protein and lean muscle building recipes in my E Cookbooks perfect for meal prep and beyond.  Build muscle and lose fat for your long term health one delicious bite at a time.

Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Fitness Tips

How To Deal With Extra Holiday Treats And Tasty Leftovers

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Here is your mindful action plan on how to deal with extra holiday treats and tasty leftovers so that you can live fitter and healthier this holiday season.

  1. Make Less: avoid having left overs 
  2. Swap In Healthier Recipes:  make lower calorie options 
  3. Portion and Freeze: enjoy smaller portions later 
  4. Garnish: crumble a small amount on top to add flavor
  5. Fold In: add a small amount in to add flavor

Keep it simple and go into 2025 stronger and fitter than ever!  

For more nutrition tips, meal ideas, over 100 macro friendly recipes perfect for meal prep and beyond, check out my E Cookbooks. Reach your fitness goals with my easy, family friendly, and delicious recipes!  Find high protein versions of your favorite holiday treats like brownies, cookies, and cheesecakes to name a few.

Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fitness Tips

How To Structure A Festive Holiday Meal Without Tracking

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Did you know that most people do not gain excess weight and body fat linearly throughout the year?  Instead, it actually happens in the 2 months between Halloween and New Years. More often than not It’s also not lost in the subsequent months.  This means the scale can go up 5-10 lbs each and every year…

This does not need to happen to you!  Along with an overall consistent eating pattern, structure your occasional festive holiday meals the following way to reduce or completely eliminate unwanted fat gain. 

Don’t wait to get “back on track” in the New Year.  Start now and go into 2025 your strongest and fittest yet!

  1. Start with salad loaded with fresh veggies and a light dressing. Skip including cheese/nuts/avocado/heavy dressings.  Hydrate with seltzer/sparkling water.  
  2. Fill a single entree plate. Can include- 1 piece of a bread or roll, 2-3 sides (each the size of a handful) and plenty of the leanest protein on offer.  Season with salt/pepper/hot sauce/ and a light amount of gravy per preference.  Pair with a glass of wine/ diet soda/ or other favorite low or zero calorie beverage.  
  3. Choose 1 portion or 2-3 two bite size portions of your most loved dessert(s).  Pair with fresh berries and greek non fat yogurt instead of whipped cream or ice cream.  (My protein creme recipe found in Volume 2 of my E Cookbook works great to go with any traditional dessert.) Pair with a hot beverage such as coffee, tea, or sugar free/fat free hot chocolate.  

Eat slowly, Savor each bite, and Enjoy your time with Friends and Family!  

You’ve got this!  

For more nutrition tips, meal ideas, over 100 macro friendly recipes perfect for meal prep and beyond, check out my E Cookbooks. Reach your fitness goals with my easy, family friendly, and delicious recipes!  Find high protein versions of your favorite holiday treats like brownies, cookies, and cheesecakes to name a few.

Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fitness Tips

The Best Holiday Fitness Gifts

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This season give your loved ones something that will help them crush their fitness goals.

Discover this carefully curated list of my 10 favorite holiday fitness gifts. These amazing products and services are the ones that I have vetted, trust, personally use, and find helpful.

  1. Commit 30 Planner for organizing and scheduling work and life’s to do’s and for creating and tracking goals
  2. Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon for the why’s and how’s to life long health and strength
  3. Carbon Diet Coach App for nutrition tracking and guidance
  4. Coach Mark Carroll for Building the Bikini Body Guides and high quality resistance training programing
  5. Buff Bunny for gym and lifestyle clothing
  6. BC Strength for home fitness equipment
  7. Versa Gripps for when your legs are strong but the limiting factor is your grip
  8. Outwork Nutrition for Pre workout and Build Whey Protein Powder. Use my coupon code “MELANIE10” for 10% off your first order. Use my Outwork Nutrition affiliate link to shop. https://outworknutrition.com/?ref=dkNH36V5xmUfmm
  9. Lakanto for zero calorie sweeteners to make all your healthy treats extra amazing
  10. Fitbit Inspire Watch and Activity Tracker for tracking steps, workouts, and monitoring health metrics like resting heart rate

On the personal side, I worked for years to develop, create, and write E Cookbooks dedicated to macro friendly meal prep. They contain over 100 recipes, meal ideas, and tips to help you tackle one of the hardest aspects of a fitness journey: eating well day in and day out for years. Check them out via the link below. They are worth it!

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find all the recipes I have personally created and used consistently for years to lose fat, build muscle, and keep off over 140 lbs!

Follow me on Instagram for more tips, free recipes, and full days of eating.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fitness Tips

The Best Meals and Snacks For A Fat Loss Diet

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The best meals and snacks for a fat loss diet include choices that are high volume, high fiber, high protein and lower in calories.

Including meals and snacks that fit this criteria help to ensure better satiety and hunger regulation. This makes it easier to stick to the calorie deficit required to lose fat.

In addition, a high protein diet is crucial for muscle retention while dieting. Otherwise the risk of muscle loss during dieting makes any weight loss results less sustainable. Aiming for 1g of protein per pound of ideal bodyweight everyday is a great target.

It’s also important to include foods that are delicious and flavorful. Any fat loss diet that lacks the opportunity for food enjoyment requires unnecessary levels of will power. When we feel overly restricted and bored, diet adherence disintegrates.

Next is a list of some of my favorite meals and snacks to include in a fat loss phase.

  • Air Popped Popcorn seasoned with grated parmesan cheese and garlic powder
  • Fresh Fruit such as sliced apple dusted with cinnamon
  • Frozen Fruit such as mixed berries sprinkled with cocoa
  • Hearty Soup or Stew packed with a lean protein source and loads of vegetables
  • Huge Salad filled with a variety of vegetables, a lean protein source, and a light dressing
  • High Protein Homemade Baked Treat such as chocolate brownies made with greek yogurt instead of butter and protein powder instead of wheat flour
  • Fruit And Protein Smoothie containing a scoop or two of flavored protein powder and frozen strawberries and bananas

I highly recommend putting the time in to learn how to turn your favorite foods and recipes into healthier versions by swapping in better ingredients. My e cookbooks are filled with ways to do this. They are also filled with over 100 of my tried and true recipes for soups, dressings, brownies, cookies, smoothies, and so much more!

Click for details. https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

They contain all the recipes I have personally created and used consistently to lose fat, build muscle, and keep off over 140 lbs for years!

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.
www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fitness Tips

How To Master The Nutritional Content Of Your Own Recipes 

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As you dive into the world of meal prep take your own favorite bulk recipes including soups, stews, and baked goods and find out the nutritional content with the easy steps outlined below.

First, grab a notebook and keep it handy with a pen in your kitchen. 

Next, weigh out each ingredient you are using in your total recipe and jot that down. 

Then, decide the number of servings you want that recipe to be.

Divide each of the ingredients by the number of servings you have chosen. 

Those numbers and ingredients are what you will track in your food tracking app or log book. 

To figure out your portion of the prepared mixed meal to eat, weigh out the total cooked weight of what you made and jot that number down too. 

Divide that number by the number of servings. 

This is how much you portion to eat.

Make sense? 

It does take more effort up front, but the results from having accuracy in your portions and how much you are eating more then makes up for the effort. It also gets easier with practice. 

Some nutrition coaching apps like Carbon Diet Coach have a recipe function. You input all the ingredients and then add in the prepared weight of the food and voila. Pick any portion and it does the macro calculations for each unique serving for you. This is what I do.  I’ve been using Carbon since it launched in 2020!  I highly recommend. 

Find more meal prep tips, ideas, recipes and more in my e cookbooks.  This info comes directly from The Art Of Meal Prep For Sustainable Living Volume 2.  Click below for details.

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fit Recipes!

Great Snacks For Losing Fat

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When it comes to a successful fat loss phase, sticking to a calorie deficit is a must.  These 2 low calorie snacks help curb cravings and increase satiety with their bright and refreshing flavors and volume.  

Fat Loss Snack #1: Savory Salsa and Fresh Veggies

Use any low calorie salsa (check label and avoid any with added sugar) as a dip and fresh sliced veggies as “chips”.  I especially love a spicy salsa during fat loss phases to help curb appetite even further. Veggies that work great with salsa include sliced cucumbers, peppers, carrots, and celery.  About 50 calories for 1/4 cup of salsa and 100g sliced veggies.  

Great paired with chicken and cheese quesadillas made using low carb wraps for a complete low calorie and high protein meal. 

Fat Loss Snack #2: Light and Sweet Berries in Jello

Using flavored sugar free jello and any combo of berries prepare the jello according to box directions and stir in 250g of berries.  Set in the refrigerator overnight or for 4-6 hours.  About 130 calories for a huge bowl!  

Great paired with greek yogurt for a complete low calorie and high protein meal. 

Need plenty of meal prep ideas, recipes, and tips to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. Find over 100 macro friendly recipes and so much more.

    https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

    Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

    www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

    Fitness Tips

    Start Meal Prepping Now With 2 Simple Prep Ideas

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    Want to start meal prepping so you can have an easier time reaching your fitness goals but have no idea how to begin making it a habit? Here are 2 simple quick prep ideas to get you started.

    Prep Idea # 1: Cut up some veggies so they are ready for snacking and use a store bought dressing as a dip.

    Prep Idea # 2: Prepare bananas for protein smoothies. Simply peel ripe bananas, break or slice into chunks, place in a freezer bag and freeze. Add a few pieces along with water, ice, and protein powder to a blender so you can make delicious smoothies in a matter of minutes.

    Meal prep doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about planning and preparing ahead so when those feelings of hunger strike it’s easier to make choices that align with your goals.

    Need plenty of meal prep ideas, recipes, and tips to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. Find over 100 macro friendly recipes and so much more.

    https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

    Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

    www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

    Fit Recipes!

    Easy Protein Packed Frozen Yogurt Recipe

    melaniewalessustainableliving

    Make your own protein packed frozen yogurt using the Ninja Creami.  This is one of my favorite recipes that I’ve come up with based on my simple protein creme  recipes.  

    Mix and match protein powders and pudding mixes, crunchy and fruity mix ins, use cocoa, cinnamon, or other flavorings and spices to create an endless variety of flavor combos.

    Like so many of my recipes use this as a jumping off point and get creative.  

    Once you try it you will never go back to store bought frozen yogurt!  

    Serves 1-4 (calories and macros will vary slightly depending on the ingredients you use)

    Calories and Macros for the whole thing 

    500 calories
    70g protein
    45g carbohydrate
    4g fat

    INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:

    • 300ml 1% milk
    • 300g non fat greek yogurt
    • 40g protein powder of choice
    • 20g sugar free fat free instant pudding mix
    • 30g monk fruit granulated zero calorie sweetener

    DIRECTIONS:

    Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.  (Don’t have a Ninja Creami?  Add ice when bending and enjoy like this as a thick milkshake.) Pour into a Ninja Creami container.  Freeze for 24 hours.  Using the Ninja Creami blend using the light ice cream function.  Blend again using the re spin function.  Add mix in’s, if using, and use mix in function.  Enjoy right away!  

    Pro Tip: Meal prep in bulk and keep in the freezer for anytime you want a delicious and satisfying protein packed frozen yogurt. 

    Need some more fun and delicious recipes to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. 

    https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

    My simple high protein protein creme recipes can be found in Volume 2 as well as many more yummy and satisfying sweet treats including recipes for my lighter and protein filled take on cookies, cheesecakes, frostings, and so much more!

    Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

    www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving