In the Clean Kitchen 12 Week Challenge we do not teach our clients to count calories or macros. We use simple meal “habits” to choose every time you eat, and those habits are split into Level 1 Habits and Level 2 Habits. Depending on your goals (and more importantly, what you can stay consistent at) you will choose which level habits you would like to act at.
If you are a Level 1 eater, one of those big habits is to add any kind of plant to your plate, regardless if it’s a zucchini or a potato. If its a plant you should eat it and not worry about carb counts until you have made it a “habit” of eating plants of any kind every time you eat.
But maybe you are a Level 2 eater and you want to step up your game? Even though we do not count macros, we do offer up a way to understand how to control your intake of certain macros if you felt the need or want to.
Now enters a Level 2 Habit strategy: the Anytime Meal vs Post Workout Meal.
The “anytime meal” is a lower carbohydrate/higher fat meal. Meaning you would eat this type of meal anytime of the day. Usually far outside of a workout or heavy physical activity where you would don’t require a large amount of carbs to restore energy.
The “Post Workout Meal” is a high carb/lower fat meal. Meaning you would bulk up the carbs a little more and keep the fat add-ins to a minimum. This is done because your muscles would need to recover from the workout you just did. IN order to recover, grow and change, you would need to replenish the glycogen stores (carbs/sugar) within your muscles. And the post workout time period is the perfect time to do just that.
Southwest Bowl: 2 ways — “Anytime Meal” and a “Post Workout Meal”
I am a huge fan of any sort of taco bowl. I love taco night. I love mixing all of the flavors together to create a mouth watering explosion in each bite. This is what the Southwest bowl does for me!
I would recommend picking up a bowl to-go for family taco night or planning as your post workout meal.
The Zoodles are an excellent lower carb option for any time of day, while choosing a sweet potato as your base from the hot bar makes a very filling post workout meal choice.
To build your bowl, choose your base then add:
• hot roasted chicken
• black beans
• corn
• diced tomatoes
• avocado
• cilantro
• a squeeze of lemon (slices are at the drink station)
• and some fresh ground salt & pepper on top.
Mix all together and enjoy flavors from the entire combination in each bite!
Packin’ Plant Vegetarian Bowl:
Many times it’s hard to feel satisfied with just plants. Maybe you feel energy deficient or missing protein? This is not the case with this bowl. This combination of protein packed plants will give you plenty of protein as well as a boost of what we call “Smart Carbs.”
If you want complete satisfaction while not skipping a beat and missing meat, say hello to your new friends at Salad Station and give this bowl a go!
Visit the hot bar to build your base for the bowl. Start with a sweet potato. Open it up wide and flatten a little to fill with all of the following goodies:
1 scoop quinoa
1 scoop black beans
1 scoop edamame
avocado
crushed peanut
fresh squeezed lemon for a citrus kick (slices found at the drink station), & sprinkled with salt & pepper on top.
Be sure to mix and mash the avocado throughout and enjoy a meal without meat. If you’re a vegetarian, this bowl is delicious and filling. If you’re a meat eater, you’ll leave questioning if you could become a vegetarian. It’s that good guys!
Hot Chicken Zoodle Bowl:
Can I tell you a secret? I’m not always in the mood for a salad. I love a hot meal. And The Salad Station will fill all my wants from the variety of selections found on not only the salad bar, but also using the hot bar too! This Hot Chicken Zoodle Bowl is so satisfying and provides a level of comfort that sometimes a salad does not. I love the new zoodles at Salad Station. They are a great alternative to pasta and filled with nutrients yet don’t leave you with that dragging, heavy, I-need-a-nap-sensation. My all time favorite zoodle combination has to be this bowl.
First, I start with the zoodle base.
I then add:
• Spinach
• tomatoes
• avocado
• hot chicken (found in the middle of the bar).
• If it’s roasted mushroom day on the hot bar, definitely add the warm mushrooms to heat up this bowl.
• Top with a sprinkle of shaved Parmesan cheese
• freshly ground salt & pepper.
You can request this to be chopped or you can do yourself. I always recommend mixing throughly and enjoying the flavor complexity together in each bite. I hope you love this bowl as much as I do!
By Jeri Krebs
Clean Kitchen Coach and Precision Nutrition L1