FB MealPlan
EAT REAL FOOD & FEEL GREAT
By Kelli & Daniel Segars
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1
Table of Contents
Introduction
3
CHAPTER 1 How to Use This Program
6
CHAPTER 2 Choosing a Calorie Allotment
10
CHAPTER 3 Getting the Results You Want
14
CHAPTER 4 Modifying this Plan to Work for You
19
CHAPTER 5 Working with Barriers to Success
21
CHAPTER 6 Cheat Meals, Cheat Days, Holidays, & Special Occasions
24
CHAPTER 7 The Psychology of Food
27
CHAPTER 8 The Price of Your Diet
29
CHAPTER 9 Proper Hydration for Weight Loss and Health
32
CHAPTER 10 Know Your Macronutrient Percentages
37
CHAPTER 11 “Real” Food and Learning How to Grocery Shop
39
CHAPTER 12 Choosing a Workout Program
42
CHAPTER 13 The Long Term Plan
44
CHAPTER 14 Getting Started on Your Meal Plan
45
Q&A Most Common Questions
48
Disclaimer
57
WEEK 1
Grocery List
Day 1-7
58
59-81
WEEK 2
Grocery List
Day 8-14
82
83-103
WEEK 3
Grocery List
Day 15-21
104
105-125
WEEK 4
Grocery List
Day 22-28
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127-147
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Introduction
Welcome to Fitness Blender’s new 4 Week Meal Plan. We have worked closely with multiple experienced Registered Dietitians to meticulously build this Meal Plan that is meant to demonstrate a
healthy, well balanced, whole foods diet.
The Fitness Blender Meal Plan has been designed so that you can choose from a wide range of
calorie allotments in order to use this program to lose, maintain, or gain weight – depending on
whether you choose a plan to create a caloric deficit, balance, or surplus. No matter what your
goals are, this plan has been built so that it can easily be customized to meet your needs.
Connect to people around the world who are following this same meal plan by using
#fitnessblendermealplan and #fitnessblender on social media.
We have gone to great lengths to try and make this meal plan fun and healthy, reasonable in terms
of food costs, and easy to follow and adhere to. Just one of the features that we think you will be
particularly excited about is the grocery list that corresponds with each week’s meal plan. This
time around, we have even provided rough ranges on quantity of food needed. We know that you
are a working professional, busy parent, overburdened student – or maybe even some combination
of all of those roles – which is why we have engineered this plan to be one that is likely to be able
to fit into and enhance your life, instead of interfere with it.
We have included a wealth of additional information, including entire chapters on everything
from proper hydration to the psychology of food, choosing the right workouts to healthy grocery
shopping, and treating yourself to the occasional “treat meal” – did we mention that this program
allows and even encourages an intermittent cheat or treat meal? Our goal is to teach you how to do
that healthily, how to enjoy food and most optimally fuel yourself.
Additionally, we have provided strategies and solutions for making this meal plan work for your
whole family. It’s unreasonable to expect someone to need two completely different grocery lists,
and two different menus - but most importantly, why wouldn’t someone want their family to eat
healthily, too? With that in mind, we have included tips to make this a plan that you can easily work
into your family life.
We have included what we believe to be a very thorough, question and answer section at the end
of this page, where we have addressed every possible question that we can think of in regards to
this program, healthy eating, and losing, gaining or maintaining weight. Please check this section
if you have questions about this program, keeping in mind that personal health care questions are
best saved for your health care provider.
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Our Philosophy
We believe in balance when it comes to nutrition and working out. You don’t have to be perfect all
of the time; you just need to learn to do your best, most of the time. Aiming for perfection is a great
way to sabotage yourself. This meal plan operates under the principle of teaching you how to eat
right – giving you insight on a balanced breakdown of carbohydrate, fat, and protein, as well as
what portion sizes might look like when you are trying to reach or manage your bodyweight goals.
There are a lot of different ideas out there when it comes to nutrition, but we think ours is one of
the simplest and most sustainable. We want you to learn how to eat well for the rest of your life this is not a diet but a lifestyle change.
This plan is going to teach you how to meet your nutritional needs with real food – not with meal
replacement shakes, powders, or supplements. We aren’t going to rip you off of the chance to
learn how to properly fuel your body with food, we aren’t going to subject you to mystery ingredients, and we certainly aren’t going to line our own pockets by suggesting that you go to the
supplement supermarket to fill up a shopping cart’s worth of things that you don’t need.
This particular meal plan has been built in conjunctions with registered dietitians, based largely
off of the kinds of foods that we regularly include in our own personal diets. We believe in eating
real, whole foods as often as possible, in order to create a diet that is nutrient dense, filling, and
fully capable of supporting an active lifestyle. Whether your goal is weight loss, weight gain, or
weight maintenance, this program is going to make reaching your goals much easier. We have laid
out everything you need to know in a clear, easy to follow format that lists exactly what to eat each
day. The only thing that you have to worry about is your own motivation – which we’ll also address
as we go.
Whether you are brand new to the concept of healthy eating, or you feel like you are a veteran at
making smart food choices, there is a lot to be gained from reading this guide and following this
meal plan (after gaining express approval from your personal health care physician, of course).
Something to keep in mind when it comes to switching from a diet that is largely processed to one
that is predominantly fresh, is that it might take your tastebuds a little bit of time to adjust. They
may be accustomed to those hyper flavored packaged foods that are pumped full of sodium and
manmade additives. It really won’t take very long for your taste buds and your body to start craving
the healthier, fresh options, so stick with it. Spices are an easy way to add flavor and as long as
they are all natural and contain no extra sodium or calorie content; we encourage you to use them
generously all throughout this meal plan.
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Talk to your doctor before starting any
meal plan
It should be noted that while this nutrition plan has been built with registered dietitians, the statements made in this book and the suggested meal plan are based upon personal opinion and are
not in any way to be taken as fact or personalized suggestions or prescriptions for your best health
over your doctor’s advice.
This book is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always be sure to discuss any new diet or fitness program with your health care provider prior to starting, to determine
its appropriateness for you. It is imperative to consult your personal doctor, who has your health
records and health history, about any changes you want to make to your diet or exercise habits.
This meal plan has not been personalized to meet the dietary needs of any one individual, and
things such as food allergies, intolerances, and reactions have not been taken into account. Be
safe, protect yourself, and talk to your doctor before you start.
Change your mindset, change your life
What you need to realize and fully embrace from the start when following this meal plan, is that
you’re absolutely not on a diet. This is not a passing fad, or something temporary. This is a healthy
habit that you are starting today, and sticking to for the rest of your life. It’s only as hard as you
make it, and it’s a lot more difficult if you don’t fully commit to it being a long term lifestyle modification.
Change your mindset so that taking care of your body feels less like punishment and more like a
privilege, because it is.
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CHAPTER 1
How to Use This Program
Making this program work for you;
modifications
We want you to get every ounce of benefit possible from this Meal Plan, and all of the information
in this guide. Read this chapter in order to get a general idea of how to easily utilize this Meal Plan
and make it work for you.
Our 4 Week Meal Plan is meant to be a guideline to help you learn how to eat more healthily for
the rest of your life. There is a lot to be gained by moving through this program with awareness.
Pay attention to the allotments of clean, healthy sources of carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Read
through all of these chapters in order to find ways to make this plan work for you, your family, and
your personal dietary needs and tastes.
Building this meal plan proved to be an immense challenge. Think about sitting down to the dinner
table with ten of your friends or family members. How many of them will have to avoid something
on the table due to an allergy? How many of them dislike at least one ingredient or dish on the
table? How many don’t eat meat or animal products for health, religious, or ethical beliefs?
Everyone has such different taste and nutrition preferences, needs, and concepts about food that
building a menu even just for family and friends quickly becomes an obstacle course. Of course
it isn’t going to be any less complex to build a nutritious, well balanced, tasty, reasonable, month
long meal plan for thousands of people that you have never met in person.
With the help of multiple licensed professionals, we tackled those challenging variables and put
countless hours of research and development into this program to build what we feel is a well
rounded, healthy meal plan that will be appropriate for the general population.
The reason why we bring these challenges to your attention is because we want you to approach
this meal plan knowing that you very likely may have to make modifications to make this meal plan
work best for you, personally. We want you to know that not only is this acceptable, it is expected.
This is not a personal meal plan, meaning that you are going to have to enlist your own
common sense, knowledge, and discipline to make this plan maximally beneficial to your life
and your health.
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We have filled these chapters with “workaround” solutions to every hurdle or variable that we can
think of, including (but definitely not limited to) food allergies, taste preferences, making a meal
plan work for families, food costs and availability, time saving tips, and ways to make meal preparation quicker.
In the designing of the meal plan, and the writing of the book, our priority and intention was to arm
you with everything that you need to know to successfully make your way through this program,
and also to give you what you need to maintain a healthy eating habit once it is completed.
Before you start
We recommend throwing out or minimizing junk food in your house and starting fresh; our general
viewpoint regarding temptation is that you shouldn’t play with it; why give yourself the stress and
strain of needlessly testing and retesting your willpower, over and over again? Talk about cruel and
unusual punishment!
If someone in your family has a sweet tooth, or due to someone else’s preference, junk food is
going to remain a mainstay in your kitchen, do what you can to at least minimize it’s presence.
The concept we do want you to consider is this; why would you want your family – significant other,
kids and loved ones especially – eating unhealthily?
As we’ve said before, this isn’t just about weight loss or physical appearance. This is about avoiding illness and disease, feeling good, and minimizing barriers between you and a long, happy,
healthy life. It’s common sense that you would want the same for your kids, spouse, family, and
friends. Do your best to get your family onboard by getting them interested in clean eating, and
enjoying treats in moderation. Just keep in mind that it is very hard to practice moderation when
large amounts of “garbage” food is readily available in the kitchen.
Making things easier: convenience,
time, cost
Time
We will admit that healthy clean can be harder than eating more processed foods – well worth it,
one hundred times over – but less convenient.
Because we’re working with whole ingredients instead of pre-prepared, microwavable meals, the
time for food prep is sometimes significantly increased. A couple of the meals in this plan could
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take up to 40 minutes (a couple of dinner meals are the only ones with this kind of time commitment) from start to finish, to have dinner on the table. The breakfast items tend to be very quick
and easy to prepare, as are the lunches.
Though it may initially seem like an inconvenience to have to prepare food, you have to think of it
in terms of the nasty ingredients you are eradicating from your diet – we really aren’t just talking
about the lack of vitamins and nutrients, or the calorie and/or fat content. Have you ever examined
the ingredients lists on pre-prepared, packaged foods and meals? It’s ugly. We want you to replace
those unhealthy options with real, healthy food.
We aren’t going to mislead you and suggest that it won’t take effort. Everything worthwhile does
take as least some effort; trust us, this is worthwhile.
On the days when you really don’t have time to prepare dinner, we encourage you to think ahead
with your prep, cooking and assembling your meal at a point in your day or week when you do have
extra time, or in a pinch you can also use a different cooking method than we suggest in order to
speed up the process (for example, microwaving a food item instead of baking it in the oven).
Cost
A lot of people believe that it is much more expensive to eat healthily. Depending on where you
live, there may be some truth to this (read our chapter dedicated to this entire subject), but you
have to take into account all of the costs involved in healthy eating, as well as your own priorities
and values.
For example, consider the health care costs between a person who makes poor nutrition choices,
and a person who takes care of their body by eating well. The person who eats a poor diet may end
up spending thousands of dollars more on health care and health complications, and may also end
up missing wages due to those increased health problems. That’s just the financial side of things,
it’s not even taking into consideration the factor of differences in quality of life.
In the long run, it’s better for your health, and your wallet, to put in the effort to maintain a diet of
healthy foods. Shopping sales, buying things that are in season, and buying filling, cheap, healthy
items like the ones often found in this program (beans, rice, eggs, etc), are just a few of the ways
that you can help keep costs lower.
Convenience
Each week, we provide a grocery list that corresponds with the upcoming week of the meal plan.
You can either make one big grocery shopping trip at the beginning of the week, or you can shop
as you go, though we definitely find it more efficient to make one big trip. The ranges on the
grocery list items reflect the minimum and maximum you might need, and are correlated with the
minimum and maximum calorie allotments. We did this to try and minimize waste and to help you
plan out your week.
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A lot of people find that bulk meal prep, once every 2-3 days, is a great way to fit balanced meals
into a busy schedule. Think ahead and try and get rid of any would-be excuses by being ready for
those challenges before they present themselves.
We recommend that you prepare your lunch in the morning, and take it with you to work, especially
if you don’t have access to a microwave or oven during your working day. Planning ahead for what
you have available to you in various situations is incredibly important. This has worked for us in the
past, and is an easy way to take your healthy eating habits with you in an environment that otherwise can be full of temptations and convenience barriers.
If you are cooking for a large group of people or family, you can loosen the measurements on each
item and prepare the same foods in larger quantity. Try to keep the ratios relatively the same, but
increase the overall amount of food.
The reality is that if somehow you become less able to track the exact amount of each ingredient
that you’re consuming, it’s not going to derail your progress. This is especially true of the fresh
produce in this program.
As mentioned before; we’re trying to teach you how to eat for the rest of your life, not to master
measuring every morsel you eat for the foreseeable future. Part of this program is developing your
own nutrition knowledge and critical thinking skills regarding food.
When it comes to potential challenges that will inevitably pop up in the form of eating out at
restaurants and friend’s houses, holidays, parties, and gatherings that otherwise revolve around
food, you’re again going to need to practice your nutritional critical thinking. With this guide, we’re
hoping to give you what you need to successfully do just that.
This meal plan allows for intermittent “cheat” or “treat” meals (where you are less restrictive and
less monitoring of your consumption). It’s a good practice to plan ahead so that you can utilize
those treat meals at those special occasions. You can read more about how to manage holidays
and more, in the following chapters.
Get started
We hope that you are excited to start this meal plan! It is our goal that by completing this meal
plan, you will gain knowledge that will help you keep making smart food decisions.
We have built this meal plan to try and make sure that you never feel deprived, and you don’t ever
feel like you’re not eating enough. In fact, you might even be surprised at how much food you get
to eat, for such a low number of calories (depending on which allotment you select, of course). We
keep you full in part because of the foods we choose, and also because of the ratios of carbohydrate, protein, and fat that we use to build our menus. We don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or
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unbearably hungry while you follow this program, and because of the way we balance the macronutrients, you won’t have to.
Be excited, and be confident that though changing your eating habits will initially be a challenge,
you will be well rewarded in the form of a healthier body and life.
CHAPTER 2
Choosing a Calorie Allotment
5 Different calorie plans
This program offers five different calorie allotments to choose from: 1600, 2000, 2400, 2800, and
3200 calories. These allotments have been specifically selected because of the wide range of
the population that they will be appropriate for. The one you choose will depend not only on your
goals, but on your daily activity levels.
The lowest allotment we provide is 1600 calories per day. The selection of this as our bottom limit
is for two reasons. The first is that we don’t think it’s easy to get all of the energy, vitamins, and
nutrients that you need while consuming less than that.
Second, the body requires a certain number of calories each day just to maintain basic normal
functions; healing, breathing, keeping the heart pumping, digestion, etc. If a person is being
active (like they should), then they will need an even higher amount of calories to sustain both
activity and fueling bodily functions.
The minimum number of calories necessary to maintain bodily function varies by individual and is
generally referred to as the basal metabolic rate (BMR). That number doesn’t take into account any
physical activity at all – and that doesn’t refer to just workouts; it literally means that it factors in
no movement whatsoever.
To keep the body feeling healthy, strong, and energetic, we strongly advise that you not alter this
plan to consume any less than the minimum option that we provide. There is no benefit to depriving the body from what it needs to be healthy. Additionally, in the long run, trying to live on fewer
calories may actually put the body into starvation mode. Doing so will lower both your overall
health and your metabolism, which makes it very hard to lose fat content.
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The top calorie allotment is 3200. That sounds like a lot, but if you have a very active job and you
workout hard, you may be surprised to find that you burn off that many calories in a day. An intake
of this many calories can be used for healthy weight gain. Unlike the minimum calorie allotment,
you could hypothetically alter this value point (to be higher) in order to be more appropriate for
your needs, to get faster results.
For example, if you are burning off that much energy in a day, and you’re trying to put on weight
and/or muscle content, you could change the portion sizes of each of the ingredients in your meal
plan in order to end up with an even higher calorie value.
Estimating your basic calorie needs
There is a certain amount of thought that needs to go into choosing the calorie allotment that
you want to follow for this meal plan. It’s really not as simple as wanting to lose weight as fast as
possible, and so choosing the lowest calorie allotment we offer. Examining a number of different
variables in your lifestyle, habits, and activities can help you choose a calorie level that is going to
make both adherence and success easier and more likely.
Equations that can help
Everything burns calories; walking out to get the mail, sitting at your desk at work, doing a
strength training routine – all of these things expend various amounts of energy. Throughout the
day, all of that extra movement adds up, and it gets tacked onto your minimum caloric needs, or
your basal metabolic rate (BMR).
There are many different BMR calculators online that will do this work for you, but here’s the general equation in both standard & metric forms:
Standard/Imperial BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Metric BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Use these equations, or the simple calculators available online, to find out more about your minimum calorie requirements necessary to maintain basic bodily function.
Once you have that baseline number, you can utilize equations such as the Harris Benedict Formula, below, to find out how your activity levels change your energy needs.
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The Harris Benedict Formula
• Sedentary; Little to no exercise: Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.2
• Light exercise (1–3 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.375
• Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.55
• Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week) Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.725
• Very heavy exercise (2/day extra heavy workouts) Daily kilocalories = BMR x 1.9
Each of these are just generic, general equations, and they aren’t necessarily going to reflect your
exact needs. However, they may give you a starting place that may be helpful in choosing a calorie
allotment for this plan - because you can switch between calorie allotments, this is something that
you can easily change or adjust depending on how you’re feeling, as you make your way through
this program.
Fitness technology
The fitness industry offers a number of gadgets that boast the ability to give you a relatively
accurate estimation of the number of calories that you burn doing your normal everyday activities
and workouts. Realize that even these gadgets are still providing what ultimately comes down to
an estimate and many/most of them have actually been shown to be highly inaccurate. If you do
choose to use this kind of tech, we recommend proceeding with caution and not putting too much
emphasis on their readouts. We especially recommend avoiding using them long term (longer than
a few weeks). It is healthier to focus on your actual behaviors; how you’re eating and whether or
not you’re working out.
Listening to your body
Along with calculations and gadgets, the signals that your body sends you shouldn’t be ignored. In
fact, you should aim to learn to use them as your primary guide.
If you are following a calorie allotment and find that you are still starving 30 minutes after each
meal, you may want to consider jumping up to the next calorie value. The same goes for trying to
gain weight; don’t override your body’s signals in order to keep eating until the point where you are
uncomfortable.
Learn to listen to your body, and to utilize its messages to help you reach your goals and your optimal health.
Utilizing your caloric expenditure estimates
How you get the estimations is less important than what you can do with them. Once you have an
estimate that reflects your BMR + your expenditure through daily activities and workouts, you can
see how many calories you would need to consume to lose, maintain, or gain weight.
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There’s little benefit to creating a deficit of more than 1000 calories a day. We recommend choosing a calorie allotment that creates a deficit or surplus of roughly 500 calories through diet, under
or over your daily expenditure, if you are trying to lose or gain weight, and a neutral calorie balance
if you are trying to maintain the same bodyweight.
If you are trying to lose weight, you can speed up your weight loss by also creating a 500 calorie
deficit through your workouts. Creating a deficit of more than 1000 calories a day may lead to an
unhealthy rate of weight loss that will make it more likely that you gain it all back, and possibly
damage your metabolism.
There are 3500 calories in a pound. A deficit of 500 calories a day will lead to one pound of fat loss
a week; coupled with a negative 500 calories through exercise, you can create a safe, healthy
weight loss rate of 2 pound a week. This is a sustainable rate of weight loss. If you are trying to
gain weight, add on those extra 500 calories in order to gain one pound a week.
The calorie allotment that you follow might change from day to day, depending on how active you
have been.
For example, if you usually follow the 1400 calorie plan, but one day you tackle an intense lineup of
Fitness Blender workouts on the same day that you had a workday where you were on your feet all
day long, it would actually make sense for you to bump up to the next calorie allotment (in order to
avoid a deficit that is too large in a single day).
The process of finding out how many calories you need to consume to lose, gain, or maintain
weight requires a bit of trial and error. It’s crucial not to panic, but to instead calmly tune into your
body; how it’s changing, how you feel, the way your clothes fit, your body’s tone, your energy levels, and more.
Another thing to consider is the role of “averages” in losing, gaining, or even maintaining weight.
Reaching your goals is not necessarily about being spot on in terms of a perfect balance, day in
and day out. The amount of calories you consume and burn will vary each day; try not to over analyze, but instead realize that it’s the larger picture that matters most – the biggest differences and
the numbers that will create changes are dependent on what happens to your averages over the
course of weeks and months.
Remember, as much as you might feel like you want quick results, it’s more important that you set
yourself up to live a balanced, healthy life, and ironically, it’s also more likely that you are able to
reach and maintain a healthy bodyweight under those circumstances.
The concept that is important to grasp is that your calorie needs are a fluid, fluctuating variable,
on a day by day basis. Use a combination of equations, your body’s signals, and common sense in
order to find the calorie balances that will work for you.
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CHAPTER 3
Getting the Results You Want
Weight Loss, Weight Gain, or Weight
Maintenance
Getting the results you want
In this chapter we aim to give you the information you need to customize this meal plan to work
specifically for you and your goals.
Seeing the results that you want will take commitment in both nutrition and workout habits. Combining the two is the fastest, healthiest way to reach goals when it comes to bodyweight, body
composition, and wellbeing; you’ve got nutrition covered with this meal plan, make sure that you
check out our free workout videos for the other half of the equation (an entire chapter of this guide
is dedicated to helping you choose the right workout plan).
This meal plan has 5 different calorie allotments, each one providing you with a custom meal plan
to meet that intake amount. Each has also been carefully considered and balanced for carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake (though each will have natural variances).
There are 3500 calories in a pound. That means if you eat 3500 calories in excess of your daily
expenditure over any given period of time, you will gain a pound. Create a deficit of 3500 calories
over any given period of time, and you will lose a pound.
Whatever your goals are – weight loss, gain, or maintenance, use the information from the previous chapter and the equations below to get an estimate of your average, baseline, “maintenance
calories” - the number of calories you burn on an average day, i.e. the number of calories that you
can consume a day without gaining or losing weight. Keep in mind that there are plenty of free
calculators online that will do this math for you. Once you have a rough idea of how many calories
you expend each day, you will be able to better utilize the information below.
Standard/Imperial BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
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Metric BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
After you have your BMR, use the Harris Benedict Formula, below, in order to get an idea of what
your maintenance calories are.
The Harris Benedict Formula
• Sedentary; Little to no exercise: Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.2
• Light exercise (1–3 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.375
• Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.55
• Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week) Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.725
• Very heavy exercise (2/day extra heavy workouts) Daily kilocalories = BMR x 1.9
Once you have your maintenance calories, find your goal below in order to find out exactly how you
can use this meal plan to get there.
How to use this program to lose weight
The ideal rate of weight loss is anywhere from 1-2 lbs per week – it’s not unusual for a person to
drop more weight than that in their first couple of weeks of clean eating and exercise, but beyond
that time period, slow and steady loss is better than rapid loss. Losing weight at a slower rate
makes it more likely that you keep the weight off for good, usually because the methods you have
used for weight loss are sustainable.
We know that a weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week probably sounds painfully slow, but you really
don’t want to drop weight any faster than that, unless you are okay with the idea of someday soon
having to start over from square one because you have gained the weight back. Be patient with
yourself and focus on the things that you can do on a day by day basis, instead of thinking about
the often overwhelming bigger picture.
The most ideal scenario to create a loss of two pounds per week is to create a deficit of 1,000
calories per day – 500 through diet, and 500 through exercise. To be more clear, that’s an expenditure via exercise of an additional 500 calories (over your maintenance calories from the equation
above), and a deficit of 500 calories (lower than your maintenance calories obtained the equation
above) from your diet. Please note that this is the maximum deficit that we would ever recommend
and that
.
As you might be able to guess, a deficit of 1,000 calories a day can feel a little intense. It doesn’t
leave a lot of wiggle room; it takes a good volume of exercise, and there might be times when
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you’re still feeling hungry after you’ve finished a meal. For that reason, we recommend considering
more moderate plans, as well.
For example, a much easier, more reasonable plan to follow would be to create a 500 calorie daily
deficit; 250 through exercise, 250 through diet. That would lead to a weight loss of 1 pound a
week. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it adds up very quickly. You could also choose the middle road
of roughly 750 calories less a day; approximately 375 through diet; 375 through your workouts. That
750 calorie daily deficit adds up to 5,250 calories each week, or 1.5 pounds lost weekly.
• Burned through exercise: 500/day
• Fewer calories consumed: 500/day
• Burned through exercise: 375/day
• Fewer calories consumed: 375/day
• Burned through exercise: 250/day
• Fewer calories consumed: 250/day
• Burned through exercise: 150/day
• Fewer calories consumed: 150/day
Choose one of the above scenarios that work for you and your goals. Next, subtract the number of
“fewer calories consumed” from your maintenance calories – that number will give you an idea of
which calorie allotment of this plan might work best for you.
Because the allotments are in increments of 400 (1600, 2000, 2400, 2800, & 3200), you may need
to round up or down when choosing your calorie intake plan if your goals and consumption needs
leave you in between our preset allotments. You can round up or down to make things easier, or
you can alter each ingredient of the meal plan slightly to meet your exact needs. An easier solution is to alternate using different calorie allotments in order to create the average that you want.
Alternating back and forth between following the two different calorie allotments can lead to the
average you’re aiming for, over the course of a week.
it’s going
to vary from day to day depending on your hunger levels, activity levels, environment, special occasions, food availability, etc. Do your best but realize that it’s not about being perfect every day,
but about ending up with a weekly deficit that leads you to the goals you’re trying to reach – that
takes doing well most of the time, not being perfect all of the time.
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Examine, test, and try the different plans above – there’s no reason why you need to stick to just
one calorie allotment in this plan. For example, if you are cutting 1,000 calories from your daily total
to reach your goal of losing 2 pounds a week, but one day you are feeling overly, uncomfortably
hungry, bump your calorie intake up to the next calorie allotment – even if just for one meal or one
day. On the other hand, if you are very sedentary one day and are feeling overly stuffed by the food
amounts in the calorie plan you have been following, you’re free to drop down to a lower calorie
intake for the day.
Calculate a rough estimate of your daily expenditure. Choose the rate of weight loss that
-
How to use this program to gain weight
The calorie allotments in this program can not only be used for weight loss, they can also be used
to healthily increase bodyweight and/or muscle – it all comes down to which calorie plan you
choose.
Use the formulas above in order to find out what your maintenance calories are. Next, you will need
to choose a goal rate of weight gain from the list below. Find out how many extra calories you need
to consume in a day to meet that goal, and add that to your maintenance calorie estimate in order
to find out which allotment in this plan might work best for you.
• 1,000 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of 2 pounds per week
• 750 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of 1.5 pounds per week
• 500 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of 1 pound per week
• 300 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of .6 pounds per week
Even if you’re trying to gain weight, working out is still essential to overall health and fitness. Keep
in mind that if you are exercising heavily, you will be burning calories. If you do frequent, intense
workouts, make sure that you factor the burn from that extra expenditure into your calorie balance.
Find your baseline, maintenance calorie balance. Choose a rate of gain, and add the
associated daily surplus of calories onto your maintenance calories; select the corresponding calorie
allotment.
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How to use this program to maintain weight
Meal plans are not just for people who are looking to lose or gain weight. Actually, this meal plan
is about a lot more than what you weigh, or how your body is shaped. The goal is to help you build
healthy eating habits, which is why it makes perfect sense for someone who is trying to stay at the
same bodyweight, while learning how to properly fuel their body for good health.
Use the equations above to find out what your daily maintenance calories are. Selecting your meal
plan is easy; you will want to choose a calorie allotment that is the same as your daily expenditure.
If you find that you are becoming more or less active for extended periods of time, you will want to
reassess your maintenance calorie level, and adjust accordingly.
Find your baseline, maintenance calorie balance. Choose a calorie allotment that is the
same or similar to your average estimated expenditure.
Equations, accuracy & modifications
Equations like the ones above can be very helpful for getting a rough estimate of things like BMR,
and daily expenditure. However, it should be noted that they are generic equations that are not
factoring in many of the personal variables of your body. For this reason, if you find yourself not
losing or gaining as quickly as you expected over the course of 21-28 days, you may want to reassess your estimated daily expenditure.
It does take a little bit of trial and error to find what works best for your body, as there is no foolproof way of estimating your body’s expenditure on a minute by minute basis throughout the day.
Use a combination of bodyweight, body measurements, hunger signals, energy levels, and more,
to gauge whether you might need to increase or decrease your daily intake.
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CHAPTER 4
Modifying this Plan to Work for You
Food Availability, Food Allergies, Preferences
Fitness Blender is fortunate enough to have a very diverse, worldwide audience. The only downside to having such a unique group of individuals is that it makes it very difficult to create a meal
plan that will serve all of them, considering the different food allergies, availabilities according to
location, and taste preferences.
This chapter is dedicated to identifying and offering solutions to details of the meal plan that may
need modification for some individuals due to food availability, allergies, likes and dislikes, and
more. If you need more specific guidance, we recommend taking this plan to your doctor to talk
about what modifications you can make in order to tailor the plan to your needs, while keeping the
plan balanced.
Food allergies and intolerances
Food allergies and intolerances are not rare, and it’s not unlikely that many of you will have to alter
some of the ingredients in order to get the most benefit possible from this plan. This plan has been
developed for the general, allergy-free population, meaning that you will have to take an active
role in finding appropriate substitutes for the foods that you need to eliminate. Below we have listed alternatives to some of the most common possible intolerances; these are not exact stand-ins
but are similar in nutritional content to the item being avoided.
Common allergies/intolerances and possible alternatives
– Sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds/butter, hummus, avocado
– If your reaction is limited to strictly peanuts, and you are careful to avoid possible trace
exposure; walnuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews may work, though you will have to
apply common sense and make a smart decision based on your own personal variables, health
conditions, and doctor recommendations.
– There are many different non-dairy alternatives, including but not limited to products
that use coconut, rice, almond, hemp, or soy. The one caveat we’ll remind you of is to check your
ingredient labels. Make sure that your alternative has minimal ingredients, and that you aren’t
replacing your allergen with something just as harmful to your health.
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Gluten – The “whole wheat toast” or pastas the plan calls for can easily be substituted with your
favorite gluten free bread of a similar calorie value. In place of the oatmeal in this plan, you can use
quinoa, lentils, polenta or grits, beans, etc (depending on the recipe). Make sure that you select a
gluten free granola, or make your own. You can also make your own alternatives to these foods at
home, using any of the numerous gluten free flours available. Fortunately, parts of the food industry increasingly caters well to many allergies, providing lots of alternatives.
– Eggs are frequently used as a protein source in this plan. Some of the suitable alternatives in
this plan might be chia seeds, flax seeds, tofu, chicken or pork, tuna fish, etc. (depending on the
recipe); another source of lean protein.
– Eggs, tofu, chicken, walnuts, chia and flax seeds may be suitable options.
– Examine the macronutrient content (carbs, proteins, and fats)
of the food or meal, and find a food of a similar makeup and calorie content as a substitute. There
are many different free apps and online programs that can do this work for you.
Meat – While this plan is heavily plant based, it is not vegan or vegetarian. If you are trying to
adapt this plan fit either of those eating styles here are some suitable substitutions: beans (any
kind), quinoa, lentils, soy/tofu, seeds, nutritional yeast, nuts, etc. Keep in mind that if you’re eating
vegan, you may need to find a replacement source for B-12.
*If you’re working around an allergy, talk to your doctor before starting this program. Make sure
that any product you use as a substitute is not processed on machinery or in a factory that might
also process your food allergen, and be careful of food sources that are often susceptible for cross
contamination (i.e. bulk food bins).
Food Availability
Location
We live in the United States, as do the registered dietitians and nutritionists who were consulted in
building this 4 Week Meal Plan. Though many of the foods will be available outside of the US, there
will likely be things that are harder to attain, depending on where in the world you live. That’s not
to say that this meal plan isn’t something that can still benefit a person outside of the US; many
things can be modified and switched out for similar, more easily accessed or affordable items.
For example, if you know the rough macronutrient (carbs, proteins, and fats) ratio of a food, you
can find a food of a similar makeup and calorie content as a substitute. There are many different
free apps and online programs that can do this work for you.
Admittedly, this will take some active effort on the individual’s part, but it can work well, especially
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in the instances where most foods are available, and there is just the occasional food that isn’t
readily available or affordable. As a bonus, having to find the occasional appropriate replacement
food will force you to take an active role in learning how to make smart food choices for meals and
snacks, which is a large part of the point of this plan and something that you can carry with you
going forward.
Seasonal foods
Depending on where you live, some of the items in this plan may not be available year round. In
the case that you can’t get a hold of a fresh ingredient, preferably frozen, but also canned, will do.
If after broadening your search you still can’t find an ingredient, you will want to replace it with an
ingredient that has similar macronutrient breakdown.
Food preferences
If you don’t like a food that appears frequently in the plan, you can do your best to find a food with
a similar carbohydrate, fat, and protein breakdown, and eat that instead.
There’s room in this plan for making slight modifications to make the switch from a food that you
dislike or are indifferent towards, to a food that you really like. As long as it’s similar in CPF ratios, it
is approximately the same in calorie content, and it meets the “whole foods” criteria described in
the chapters of this book, you can alter details here and there as it suits you.
CHAPTER 5
Working with Barriers to Success
Cooking for a Family, Time Constraints, Cost
It would be misleading to say that it’s always easy to fit healthy eating and exercise into a busy lifestyle. The truth is that it takes effort, planning, and determination. It takes investment in time and
self, and the willingness to sometimes bite the bullet and take the less convenient route in order
to reap a bigger reward. In this case, the potential reward is a healthier, better looking body and a
better likelihood of a longer life.
Everyone has excuses, and most of us have legitimate barriers that make it much more difficult to
stick to a healthy eating plan. In this chapter, we try to offer practical solutions that might make
following this plan, and healthy eating in general, more realistic.
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Teaching your family to eat for health
It can be difficult to hold up a specific individual meal plan or diet when you have an entire family
to consider. Many people with spouses and kids cite their families as one of the reasons why they
can’t stick to a healthy, clean diet.
“It’s too hard to have two grocery lists, to make two different menus for each meal.” “The kids
won’t touch the vegetables.” “I fix myself my healthy meals but then I have to make my children
food and I end up eating the food they eat.” “My spouse likes junk food and I end up eating a lot of
it too.”
The problem with that entire line of rationalization is that your family should also be eating healthily. Remember, this is not a diet, and it’s not just about weight loss or how your body looks. This is
about avoiding preventable illnesses and diseases, and increasing the likelihood of living longer,
happier, healthier lives. Anyone would want that for their family. Be an example to your loved ones,
teach your kids how to nourish themselves, and take care of your family’s health by trying to help
them see how delicious “real”, healthy food can taste, and how much better it makes you feel. We
know that you may not be able to convince everyone to get on board, but do your best and never
give up on challenging them to make better food choices.
Your family may eat more than you, or potentially eat extra items that aren’t listed on your meal
plan for the day (i.e. maybe they choose a different selection of fruit than is listed for you in your
meal plan, or go back for seconds on a piece or two of chocolate), but there’s no reason that they
should regularly be eating processed, refined foods instead of the many healthy foods found in this
meal plan. If those are the kinds of foods that fill the cupboards of your kitchen, we strongly encourage you to consider the health of your entire family, and start to make small changes towards
surrounding yourself and your family with more nutritious options.
Adjusting the serving size of this meal plan & tracking your intake
Another potential challenge is that the menus and meals in this particular plan are specifically
designed to serve one individual. However, in many cases (especially the dinner menus, the meal
when many families are most likely to be eating together) there’s absolutely no reason why you
can’t increase the serving size to make enough to feed a table full of people.
When it comes to tracking your own calorie intake despite having altered the serving size of the
foods in order to feed a family, we recommend not obsessing, but instead to aim to serve yourself
roughly the recommended serving size of each ingredient or item, in roughly the same ratios. Regard the amount of food that the plan called for in a single serving, and dish up your plate to reflect
the approximate amount of consumption, for each item.
Remember, this plan is not intended to help you micromanage and scrutinize every single calorie
that you eat for the rest of your life – part of the idea of this plan is that you start to learn what a
healthy, well balanced meal looks like visually, so that you can apply that information to maintain
weight and benefit from your healthy eating in your everyday life.
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I don’t have time to cook
Everyone is busy. The reality of the situation is that you have to figure out your priorities and make
time. The majority of the meals in this plan are quick to throw together, however, there are a handful of (typically dinner time) meals that may take up to 40 minutes to prepare.
One of the ways that you can work around a busy schedule is planning ahead with your meal prep.
If you have a few days coming up when you know your extra time for cooking is going to be limited,
and you see that a dinner plan is more intensive than you might have time for, take the time and
put in the effort to prepare it beforehand, and pack it together so that it will be ready for you when
you need it. All of these meals pack and keep well for up to a few days.
There are also shortcuts you can take for cooking most of these meals. For example, some of the
things that take up to 40 minutes to prepare in the oven might take 5-10 minutes in the microwave.
Derail any would-be excuses for skipping meals and opting for less healthy convenience foods by
thinking ahead and preparing your meals ahead of time if necessary.
I don’t have time to eat this many times a day – eating on the go
This meal plan has you eating three meals, and three snacks a day. All of that time spent eating
adds up. Depending on your work, school, family, and social life, it might be hard to squeeze in all
of those eating times.
Here’s the thing; we’re not talking about something optional or superfluous like watching a television show, getting a haircut or having your nails done – you need to fuel your body properly. Our
suggestion is to make time, utilizing the tips about meal prep and prep shortcuts if necessary. All
of the meals are easy to prepare ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator, and all of the snacks
are very convenient things that you barely have to sit down to eat. It might look overwhelming
when you consider the entire day’s layout, but in all reality none of those snacks take more than
5-10 minutes to eat.
Ideally, you will sit down and consciously eat all of your meals and your snacks. Obviously, this is
not always an option. If you have to, it is better to eat on the go – at your computer, at your work
desk, on a 5 minute break in the break room, as you’re running around the house getting ready to
leave for the day – than it is to skip meals and not eat snacks in between. Do your best to fit it
all in.
As a reward for making nutrition a priority, you’re going to be kicking your metabolism into high
gear, and you’re going to have an easier time staying at a healthy bodyweight.
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CHAPTER 6
Cheat Meals, Cheat Days, Holidays,
& Special Occasions
For some people “cheat” or “treat” meals are an effective way to temporarily depart from their normal diets in order to indulge in something that they wouldn’t normally eat, without gaining weight
or otherwise thwarting progress toward their health, fitness, and bodyweight goals. Done properly,
it’s a short window of time to forget about worrying about what you should and shouldn’t eat, even
if just for one meal.
These calorie or ingredient splurges are not necessarily for everyone, but we tend to agree with
the concept being a nonessential but potentially helpful way to manage cravings, and lose or
maintain weight without feeling deprived.
We enjoy intermittent cheat meals or cheat days, and we feel like the temporary break from our
normally very clean diets makes us feel recharged and more enthusiastic about our regular eating
habits. It makes us feel grateful for the way we normally eat.
The occasional “anything goes” time period makes it so that there are no forbidden foods, which
in our opinion robs those foods of their power over you. Often times, just labeling a food “off limits”
is enough to make it desirable.
How often can one enjoy a treat or cheat while following this meal plan?
We recommend that you limit your treat meals to once every 7-10 days if you are using this plan to
try and lose weight, and once every 7 days if you are trying to maintain or gain weight.
Engaging in any kind of treat meal during this plan is completely optional, but if you time them right
it can be a very easy way to attend special events, evenings out, and the like, without having to
worry about sticking to this meal plan or your daily calorie allotment.
Use your treats however you like; you can go out to dinner, you can have drinks, you can save the
treats for holiday or family parties, you can cook yourself a feast at home. Whatever you choose
to do, you need to prepare yourself mentally to jump right back into healthy eating and this meal
plan. Being able to snap back to your normal eating habits is probably one of the most important
aspects of including treats in your diet.
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How big can my treats be?
Taking into consideration our guideline above, it should be noted that the size of your “treats” can
alter the frequency in which you can get away with them.
For example, you may find that a serving of dark chocolate once a day is enough to make you feel
satisfied, like you have indulged. You can easily get away with a small (technically healthy), daily
treat like that. But if your treats include a day full of eating until you’re uncomfortable (not a good
practice), you’re going to need to indulge less often – once every ten days at the very most.
More moderate, one-meal treats of a few hundred calories over your daily allotment are less of a
threat, and you could easily get away with one instance of that a week, without making a significant impact on your weekly deficit.
Cheats don’t have to be unhealthy
As you get more comfortable with and more rehearsed at the occasional indulgence and then
immediately returning to your normal eating habits, you should find that you become less afraid of
food and any power it might have over you. In fact, unhealthy food are likely become less appealing to you, as you’re likely going to start to take note of how much better you feel when you’re
sticking to your normal diet.
There is a big difference between cheating in terms of calories, and cheating in terms of unhealthy
ingredients. Over time, start to make transitions in the kinds of foods that you indulge on. Try to
start treating yourself to something that feels indulgent that is still real food, and not necessarily
unhealthy.
There are a lot of relatively clean cheat options that are very satisfying, that won’t make you feel
physically lousy afterwards. It might take some time but work on making the transition from fast
food/packaged food cheats, to cheats of real food.
For example, garlic chicken fajitas and sautéed vegetables, with a side of beans with cheese
melted on top, generous gobs of guacamole, sour cream, and fresh ingredient salsa, with baked
corn chips and a beer on the side – sounds good, right? While you’re probably going overboard in
calories, none of the ingredients are necessarily unhealthy. You’re likely going to have felt like you
have just indulged, but you haven’t necessarily taken in any high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, or
crazy mystery ingredients, especially if you’re cooking at home.
There are lots of relatively clean treat meals like this, and it’s still okay to occasionally treat
yourself to whatever your guilty pleasure is, just try to do it infrequently and try to slowly move
towards having cleaner and cleaner cheats, at least in terms of ingredients.
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Finding balance
The important thing to realize is that moderation is key. Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect indefinitely, you just need to try and do your best the majority of the time.
What to do after a treat meal
A treat should not be a precursor to self punishment. A cheat is supposed to be stress free, so if
it causes you more grief than joy, skip it entirely. Additionally, you should never use exercise as
punishment for overeating.
Drink a lot of water, do your normal workouts, go straight back to this meal plan, and you’re going
to feel back to normal the next day.
Can I drink alcohol while following this meal plan?
We consider alcohol a treat, so you can work it into the plan using the guidelines above, if you like.
If you like to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner a few nights a week, you can always choose a meal
plan allotment for that day that is lower by the same number of calories you intend to consume via
alcohol that day.
Remember to practice moderation, as there are health repercussions to doing anything in excess.
Summary
“Treat meals”, when done properly, can be a fun and easy way to indulge every now and again
without impacting your weight. It can also be a method to minimize cravings, and to reduce the
power any food might otherwise have over you by being “forbidden”, and thus more appealing.
When you make a food off limits completely, you give it more emphasis and power than it deserves. Once you rob food of its ability to make you fearful of weight gain or overindulgence, you
lower your chance of overindulging on it. Finding balance is key. Give yourself time to find what
works for you.
We have included the option of occasional cheat meals in this plan in order to help you avoid
feeling deprived, and to give you some flexibility when it comes to attending special events and
occasions.
We do recommend that you not have substantial diversions from healthy eating any more than
once every ten days, particularly if you are trying to use this meal plan to lose weight.
In the end, real, healthy food can be just as delicious as any food you might look forward to as a
treat, and it makes you feel that much better physically.
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CHAPTER 7
The Psychology of Food
Motivation, Mindset, Body Image, &
Emotional Eating
Change your source of motivation for better results
Each person’s relationship with their body is complex, as is the way that each individual views
food and exercise. To not recognize and give credit to this concept is to rob yourself of the potential to understand and avoid the possible challenges you might face in reaching and maintaining a
healthy bodyweight.
We realize that this is a sometimes complicated, emotionally charged topic. But no matter what
aspect of food that you’re struggling with, the best advice and approach that we can stand behind
is the notion that food should be used to nourish your body, your mind, and your soul.
Food is not your “enemy” and it’s definitely not anything to be afraid of, though it understandably
may take some time for the anxiety that surrounds eating to dissipate. Take the fear out of food
and you have robbed it of its power over you. Instead of letting it make you fearsome, view food as
the essential fuel that allows you to do the things that you love in life. You have to learn to enjoy
food and appreciate what it does for your body, in order to find a healthy balance with both.
Even if you think that your only pressing goal or interest is in just losing weight fast, ironically your
best bet is still to switch the focus from weight loss, to achieving good health. If you make health
your number one priority, weight loss will naturally follow. It takes a leap of faith but having weight
loss as your sole purpose makes for a weak motivator when it comes down to making smart nutrition and exercise decisions, day in and day out.
Body image
Our media is obsessed with superficial beauty. Advertisers create these flawless, Photoshopped,
unrealistic images to market their products and as a result, a lot of us think we’re failing if we aren’t
meeting those standards of what someone else has deemed beautiful. The matter of the ethical
decision to Photoshop, or to only feature one body type out of the broad range that is actually found in real life – the many shapes and sizes that healthy actually comes in – that’s a whole
different discussion (seriously, don’t get me started). The result, however, is saddening at best. It
creates a society where everyone is trying to look like someone else. It teaches people to dislike
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their bodies enough that they are willing to undergo dangerous starvation diets, or risky plastic
surgeries. It encourages people to measure their self worth by scale weight or pants size. It also
creates a society where healthy just isn’t enough.
The reality is that healthy comes in all different shapes and sizes. The only thing that matters is
health, and you often can’t make that judgment call – nor does anyone have the right to – from the
outside. Respect yourself enough to not compare yourself to others, and to embrace yourself and
all your imperfections, as you make your way towards healthier eating habits.
Overeating & overriding bad eating habits
We often hear from our audience that the part of weight loss that they struggle with the most is
food. They say that they enjoy working out, but “blow it” with their diets.
Food means so many different things to every individual. We use it to soothe ourselves when we
are upset, celebrate when we’re excited, entertain when we are bored. Here are some quick tips to
help avoid falling into motivation ruts or binge eating situations.
– Is it your brain or your belly that wants seconds? Is your stomach full? Would
eating more be overriding the messages that your body is sending you? Would ignoring those signals make you physically uncomfortable?
– Listen to the things that you tell yourself. Are there negative reiterations that
you might end up living up to? Be careful about how you view yourself, and the things you tell yourself; if you reaffirm continually that you are weak when it comes to diet and exercise, your brain
and body will believe it and it will influence your actual behavior.
– If you’re eating out of pure boredom, do something, anything, to try and thwart the
mindless munching. Call a friend, watch a movie, go for a jog, paint, play the guitar, do some stress
relieving yoga, go for a hike; don’t turn to food for entertainment.
– Not only does a food journal make it much more likely that you successfully
lose and keep weight off, it can also be very helpful in understanding your own relationship with
food, pinpointing triggering events and emotions that lead to poor nutrition choices. Understanding your relationship with food can help you derail bad habits. We recommend using this as a short
term solution to provide a quick snapshot of eating habits.
– Beating yourself up about some kind of dietary indiscretion is only
going to lead to guilt, which is going to increase the chances of the scenario repeating itself. Remind yourself that you eat healthily; if you slip up, it’s just a quick diversion from your normal path.
It’s not a big deal. Shake it right off and go back to your healthy habits.
– Both food and exercise have the power to
change your life in positive ways. Try not to use exercise as a punishment for overeating, and don’t
use deprivation of good nutrition as compensation for any kind of indulgence.
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– Step away from your computer, phone, or television and pay
attention to each bite. This will help the body and the brain better register the fact that you have
eaten, lowering the chance of continuing to eat, even though you’re not hungry anymore.
– Try meditation, yoga, or any other kind of workout. Turn on your favorite music and give yourself even just 5 minutes of you-time. Try writing down the things that are causing
you distress; look at the list and figure out which ones you can change, and how you can change
them, distance yourself from the ones that are out of your control.
CHAPTER 8
The Price of Your Diet
The Cost of Healthy Foods vs.
Unhealthy Foods
When talking with people about eating healthy foods, one of the most common rebuttals is that
eating well is just too expensive, especially with a large family.
Though this widely held belief is largely unfounded we can easily see why people believe that
it’s true. All you have to do is walk down the “health food” aisle and look at the price per item and
you could easily rack up a $300 grocery bill for just one person for just one week. When looking
at healthy eating from that perspective, we completely agree that eating food that is good for you
would be too expensive unless you make a very hefty salary. But there is one flaw with this argument, and that is the assumption that commercial “health food” is actually healthy.
When is health food not healthy?
When looking for better food choices for yourself and your family one of the last places you want
to look is in the health food section. This may seem absolutely ridiculous but this is what we mean
when we say to avoid health food; the main reason you want to avoid foods that claim to be healthy
on their label is the fact that they have a label. Real “good for you” food does not have a label 9
times out of 10. When have you ever seen, “Zero Cholesterol, Low Sodium, Low Fat, High Fiber, or
Heart Healthy”, written across an apple, orange, or a bundle of fresh spinach?
But you see it all the time on commercially prepared foods that try to portray themselves as good
for you when in fact they are anything but. Take for example, a “healthy” low fat meal in a box that
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you microwave to replace having to cook for yourself. If you look at the ingredients, it may in fact
be low fat in comparison to other frozen dinners however the list of ingredients does not read like
a recipe but instead is a list of chemicals that provide extra flavor to make up for the fat content
that was removed, and colorings added to make it still look fresh even though its unaltered color
is closer to a gray brown. Also texture additives to try and replicate the creamy/fatty mouth feel
of the fat they removed to make it “healthy”, and of course don’t forget the preservatives to keep
the food from spoiling for the next 5 years. Though the FDA has approved all of these hardly pronounceable chemicals for human consumption, they still don’t know what the long term effects
are in the human body, especially in combination with other chemicals or even medications.
We are not necessarily trying to say that eating foods that use chemical food additives or ingredients is going to harm your health, but we are trying to get across that they will never be as good for
you or have as few side effects as real, unaltered, fresh food.
The real cost of food
Let’s get back to the main point of this chapter, the cost of eating healthy. After cutting out
“health foods” from a grocery list many people will argue that it is still cheaper to eat commercially
prepared food or especially fast food as compared to buying fresh ingredients and cooking them
yourself. After all, how can you ever make a meal from fresh ingredients that has the same number
of calories as a fast food meal deal?
Let’s look at the actual cost per calorie in each starting with the fast food option specifically using
a popular fast food joint’s extra value meal. When this guide was written the cost (where we
live) of a quarter pounder with cheese extra value meal (includes hamburger, medium fries and a
medium soda) was $6.39. In the same meal there are 1100 total calories. Completely ignoring the
fact that this is too many calories to eat for one meal unless you have a total daily allotment of over
3000 calories, this meal breaks down to $0.006 per calorie.
Cooking at home can range widely depending on ingredients, but for this example, let’s go for the
cheapest meal that we eat in our house on a regular basis which is slow cooked beans and rice
with a fried egg or two on top – a nutritious and very filling meal (it also tastes great). The cost
of the ingredients can vary depending on where you purchase them and in what quantities you
purchase them as well. Typically a 20 pound bag of rice is much less per pound than a one or two
pound bag, but I will be incredibly fair and use the average cost per item and not the lowest that
can be found.
There are four ingredients to this meal that are necessary so those are the only items I will be
including.
1. Red Beans (dry): Average cost $1.25 per pound (though can be found cheaper)
2. Brown Rice (dry): Average cost $1.00 per pound (though can be found cheaper)
3. Egg: Average cost $2.00 per dozen (though can be found much cheaper)
4. Salt: Average cost $1.00 per pound
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One pound of red beans makes around 6 cups cooked, so $1.25 divided by 6 gives you
a $0.20 per cup cost of cooked beans.
One pound of rice makes around 7 cups cooked, so $1.00 divided by 7 gives you a
$0.14 per cup cost of cooked brown rice.
The price of one egg is $2.00 divided by 12 which gives you a $0.17 per egg cost if you round
up.
One pound of salt has roughly 26.5 tablespoons so, $1.00 divided by 26.5 gives you a $0.04
per Tbsp cost of salt. Salt has no calories so the cost is translated to the amount of salt needed for
the recipe, then divided by the total number of calories. A typical slow cooked beans recipe takes
roughly 1 tablespoon per 6 cups final product, which adds $0.007 to the cost of a cup of cooked
beans.
A typical meal would consist of one egg at 72 calories, one cup of beans at 225 calories, and one
cup of brown rice at 200 calories. This gives us 496 total calories for this meal.
The cost for this meal would be $0.207 for a cup of beans (including cost of salt), $0.14 for a cup of
rice, and $0.17 per egg, giving you a total meal cost of $0.517
To get the cost per calorie divide $0.517 by 496 (total calories) and you get a cost of $0.001 per
calorie for a home cooked meal of red beans, rice, and eggs.
Well if you just jumped back up to take a look at the cost of the fast food meal you already know
that you are paying six times as much eating the cheap fast food option than you are cooking a
nutritious meal at home in which you can control flavor, ingredients and taste.
You may be saying to yourself, “well yeah but who eats beans and rice?” Most of the world’s population eats beans and rice and so should you if you don’t already. Not only do red beans and rice
together give you a complete protein, but they also provide a very nutritious source of calories,
with 19.4 grams of protein, 14.4 grams of dietary fiber, 5% of your daily calcium, 4% of your vitamin
C, and 34% of your Iron and that is not including the egg. You can even easily add sautéed onions
and mushrooms or other vegetables and make this already tasty dish an even more tasty meal and
still come in under the cost per calorie of the extra value meal.
What about the extra costs?
The above example outlines how cheaply you can eat when going for healthy foods but we all
know that some health food options like avocado, red or yellow sweet peppers, or organic options,
can get very expensive very quickly. The cost per calorie can easily increase above the fast food
price. But what are you really saving in cost when you look at the total impact of eating “cheap”
fast food? Let’s ignore the negative repercussions of eating so much processed food and instead
focus on the excess calories of a typical meal at a sit down or fast food restaurant.
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As the human body adds more fat content a slew of issues start to crop up that are largely preventable. Now that over a third of the American population is obese, health care costs have begun to
rise to deal with the higher prevalence of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types
of cancer among this population. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) an obese person pays on average $1,429 more per year in medical costs than the average
American. That sounds like a lot of room for extra spending towards healthy ingredients over the
course of a year, all which would lower your chances of various diseases even more than the average person, let alone an overweight or obese one.
Monetary cost is not the only extra cost involved with being overweight – consider the biggest
cost; that of length of life. Extreme obesity; those who are more than 80 pounds overweight, live
anywhere from 3 to 12 years shorter than the average person, according to an article done by USA
Today back in 2009.
When choosing which foods to feed yourself and your friends and family, be sure that you take into
account every aspect of the cost of your food choices.
CHAPTER 9
Proper Hydration for Weight Loss
and Health
Why water/fluid intake is important
Proper fluid intake is arguably one of the most important aspects of health and fitness. Though
physical activity and proper diet may be the first things that come to mind when thinking about
how to take care of your body, proper hydration and choosing the best fluids to consume can have
a huge effect on health, weight, and physical ability – all with relatively little effort.
If you were to stop consuming all sources of calories your body could continue to function for
weeks or even months depending on various factors such as current body fat content, physical
activity, genetics, etc. Compare that to not taking in any type of fluid and you find that your body
can only continue to function for around 3 days before it shuts down. The human body is typically 60% water but can be higher or lower than this depending on the amount of muscle tissue an
individual has. Since muscle tissue is around 79% water, the more muscle tissue you have and the
less fat content, the higher the overall percentage of your body will be water. Conversely, the more
fat content you have and the less muscle, the lower that percentage will be.
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Still not convinced that water is important? Consider the fact that water is necessary for the brain
to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters. Water is essential to the muscle tissue and liver
in storing carbohydrates for physical activity. It is the main component of blood that allows it to
flow all over the body. It lubricates joints, regulates the body temperature through blood movement and sweat, and is an integral part of digestion. One of the most important factors of water
in direct relation to health and fitness is that being dehydrated can drastically reduce both your
physical ability and your brain function.
With all these different interactions that water has in the body there is still one that most people
don’t know about but should, especially those trying to lose or maintain bodyweight. This is the
fact that being dehydrated causes your body to become hungry. When dehydrated, your brain will
try to trick you into eating, for two main reasons. The first is that consuming salt will help your body
retain water, so your body will start to crave salty foods, in a typical American diet this tends to be
foods like chips, crackers, and other snack foods. The second reason your body will tell you that
you are hungry is to try to get fluid from various food sources as many foods tend to have a very
high water content, like fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, apples, etc. However many times,
if you don’t already eat a very diverse fruit and vegetable based diet, your body will not know to
crave these high water items so it will go for whatever it can get, often with dire consequences.
Hopefully everyone is now on the same page as to the important role water plays in the human
body, so let’s move on to how much we need to stay at our optimal hydration levels.
How much should you drink?
We wish we had an exact amount to tell you to make it easy, like eight, 8 oz glasses of water each
day (which you have probably heard before but in reality it’s not necessarily the right amount for
everyone). The fact is that each person will have a different amount of water that will be right for
them. The trick to finding your own individual ideal amount of water each day is recognizing the
factors that go into how much you need to drink and knowing that this is a constantly changing
number – even on a day by day basis.
When calculating how much you should be drinking think of these factors:
• In a typical day, do you do a lot of talking? The more you talk the more water you will need to stay
hydrated.
• Are you physically active? The more activity you do in a day the more water you will need to
consume. That goes for everything from housework to jobs that require manual labor.
• Is it hot where you are? The warmer the surrounding temperature is, the more water you are
likely to need due to evaporation from breathing, physical activity, etc.
• Is it humid or dry where you are? If you have a sedentary job that requires a lot of talking then
you will need more water, on the other hand if you are in a humid location and you are exercising
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or doing some other type of physical activity then you will need more water due to an increase in
sweat production to regulate your body temperature.
• What medications are you taking? Do you have any health conditions? Talk to your doctor if your
hydration levels might be different due to personal health scenarios.
These are just a few example situations, but as you can see, there are a lot of environmental variables and situational issues that arise that can change your hydration needs. Many of them can
easily be a day by day factor such as changing weather patterns, and activity demands. Because
of all of the variables, there is no one easy way to calculate what your ideal intake needs might be.
Though coming up with an exact amount to drink each day may not be feasible, there is one generally accurate way to guide yourself to drink more or less to stay in your own optimal level of hydration.
I am sure everyone who reads this book will already be aware of one of the easiest ways to determine hydration levels of their own body though they may not actively think about it in that way...
yet. What I am talking about is the color of your urine.
This is a relatively accurate and simple way to keep tabs on your own hydration level as the color
of your urine can change drastically in relation to the amount of extra water available in your body.
For example, when you are low on fluid your body tries to conserve what it can by concentrating
your urine as much as possible to use only the minimum amount of water it can to flush out waste
products. This water management by your body results in a urine color spectrum that can go from a
dark reddish-brown when severely dehydrated to perfectly clear when overly hydrated.
Keep in mind that the color will be altered when diluted with water, for example when you use a
toilet that holds a reservoir of water in the bowl, your urine will become lighter in color. When
checking this way, be sure to adjust your scale to the lighter end to stay properly hydrated. Ideally
you want to be at the lighter end of the range, keeping only a very slight yellow tint.
Also keep in mind that various medications, antibiotics, and vitamins can have an effect on urine
color. Some can be minor, just barely making the urine more yellow while others can cause a
neon green or blue pigment so just be aware of your own levels and talk to your doctor for more
information.
What to Drink
There are many different sources of fluid and each has its own pros and cons though some options
only have cons. For example you actually get a lot of the water intake you need from the foods you
eat rather than things you drink. Many foods have fluid in them that your body can extract during
digestion to later utilize for other purposes. The typical things you might think of are fruits like
oranges, grapes, apples, melons, etc. - fruits that are typically thought of as “juicy” but there’s
also a lot of fluid content in other foods that you might not typically consider. Pretty much any fruit
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or vegetable will have a high amount of water content that will help contribute to keeping you well
hydrated. Other things like pasta, rice, and beans also have a higher fluid content due to the way
they are cooked. But unless you are incredibly sedentary, fluid intake from food alone is rarely ever
enough, meaning that more concentrated fluids (i.e. water, juice, tea) are still essential.
Water is the most obvious choice for re-hydration but fruit juices, tea, coffee, milk, sports drinks,
etc. are all other forms of fluid that can help to rehydrate the body. But which is best to drink? You
probably already know the answer you just might not be following it; the hands-down best fluid to
drink is water.
Let’s be very clear; for the purposes of weight loss the only thing you should be drinking is water.
There are some options that can be used sparingly like black coffee, or tea. The caveat on those
two items when you’re trying to drop weight is that you need to use minimal or no milk, sugars or
syrups, artificial sweeteners or zero calorie sweeteners – otherwise you can easily start to turn a
seemingly harmless treat into an easy 200-400 calories that you haven’t even really realized that
you’ve consumed. Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are a great source of vitamins and minerals that
can be used for fluid intake from time to time.
It is our opinion that sodas and energy drinks of any kind (regular and especially zero calorie)
should be avoided as much as is possible. We realize that sometimes everyone can get cravings
for certain foods and that depriving yourself and placing a 100% off limits ban, can make these
cravings even worse. So, if you need or want to indulge in a soda from time to time that is fine. Just
be sure to limit it as much as you can as the negative effects from the ingredients far outweigh the
enjoyment they may bring.
As for fruit juices that are commercially prepared, we feel almost the same way about these as
we do sodas. They are not as bad for you as a soda in some cases but they still aren’t nutritionally
worth the calories consumed, as much of the nutrient content is lost during the manufacturing
process. If you can find a version of your favorite fruit juice that is actually 100% juice not from
concentrate and without any added ingredients then feel free to use this sparingly, being sure to
take into account the calories that it adds to your diet.
Again, especially if you are trying to lose fat weight you need to keep your unnecessary calories as
low as possible and drinking only water as your main source of hydration is the best way to do that.
Though you can find other zero calorie drink options, there are always negatives related to ingredients that make that bragging right possible, that water will never have.
The Negative Calorie Effect of Water
In this last section on hydration I want to cover a trick that you can use to help burn a few extra
calories without doing any extra work at all. Unless you are trying to gain weight, burning a few
extra calories with this trick can help add a little edge to your weight loss goals or make it just a
bit easier to maintain a healthy bodyweight. The trick is as simple as drinking cold water. Just put
some ice in your water when you drink and your body will burn a few extra calories. Now admittedly
any cold food or drink will do this but you will only create a negative calorie effect if the food or
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drink you consume starts out at zero calories; which makes water the perfect candidate.
This is how it works; when you drink or eat anything that is lower than body temperature, your body
has to use energy (calories) to heat the liquid up to body temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit
(37 degrees celsius). The number of calories needed to do this is very small but when done again
and again. over days, weeks, months, and years, those “few” extra calories really start to add up.
Here’s the math behind how water burns calories – feel free to read through it but if you just want
the end result then feel free to skip the next two paragraphs. Otherwise, let the math begin.
It takes the human body 1 calorie to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree celsius.
Now the calorie that I am talking about is the one used by nutritional biochemists, which is not the
same thing as a Calorie (upper case C) that you would see on a nutrition label. This is a bit confusing but a Calorie (upper case C) is equal to 1000 calories (lower case c). This distinction is not
made by anyone other than bio-chemists so after you look at this equation you can pretty much
assume every time you see the word Calorie (upper or lower case) it will be in reference to the
calorie you see on a nutrition label. With that said, here’s the equation.
Ice water is around 0°C so it would take 37 calories to bring one gram of water up to body temperature (37°C).
There are 29.573529687517.... grams of water per fluid ounce. We will round down to 29.5 for our
calculations.
37 calories per gram x 29.5 grams per fl oz = 1091.5 calories to raise 1 fl oz from 0°C to 37°C body
temperature.
As mentioned above, the “Calorie” that you are used to is worth 1000 “calories” so let’s convert to
the version we’re all more familiar with.
1091.5 / 1000 = 1.0915 Calories That means that it takes just over 1 Calorie to raise one fl oz of ice
cold water up to body temperature so it can be used. Again, we will round down for easy math but
keep in mind that the small amounts we have been rounding down also add up over time.
For a more real life situation, let’s say you drink just 1 Liter of ice cold water today. How many Calories would that burn? There are 32 fl oz in a Liter so that would be 1 Calorie/fl oz x 32 fl oz = 32
Calories. So every Liter of ice cold water you drink uses 32 Calories to bring it up to body temperature. Not bad for doing something you need to do any way. But what about the big numbers? 32
Calories is not that much compared to the 3500 Calories in a pound of fat tissue, or is it? What if
you drank an average of 1 Liter of ice cold water every day for a week … a month … or a year? How
much does that 32 Calories add up to then?
• 7 days a week x 32 Calories per day = 224 Calories burned per week
• 29.6 average days per month x 32 Calories per day = 947.2 Calories per month
• 365 days per year x 32 Calories per day = 11680 Calories per year
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Over the course of a year, the simple habit of drinking a liter of ice cold water daily can burn 11,680
Calories – that adds up to the equivalent of 3.3 pounds of fat. I don’t know about you but I think
that’s pretty impressive for just drinking some cold water. That could be 3.3 pound in a year that
you don’t gain, or 3.3 pounds extra each year that you drop, and all without doing any extra work.
Never underestimate the power of water to help improve your health and keep your body running at
peak efficiency. Not only should you be exercising regularly and making healthy food choices, you
should also make sure that you’re keeping hydration a priority.
CHAPTER 10
Know Your Macronutrient
Percentages
Balancing Carbohydrate, Protein, & Fat
CPF Ratios and the quality of your calories
When it comes to weight loss, there is some truth to the expression “eat less, move more”, but you
can give yourself a significant advantage and make the entire process a lot easier by pairing that
concept with a basic understanding of the overall quality of your calories, and your macronutrients
(carbohydrate, protein, and fat).
For example, think of how you might feel after eating a whopping 600 calories worth of chips
straight from the bag. If you’re at all like us, you may very well still be very hungry after a “snack”
like that. I call it a snack because not only is it only a source of relatively empty carbohydrate calories, it’s also not something that you have to sit down and focus on to eat – it’s not a calorie source
that your mind or body is likely to register as a filling meal.
Now consider the way you might feel if you ate the same 600 calories in the form of a real meal.
The same amount of calories will afford you a much more filling plate full of 6 ounces of grilled
chicken, ¾ cup of wild rice, a cup of yams, and a cup of broccoli. That’s a lot of food for just 600
calories! This second option is very obviously going to be much more nutrient dense and it’s also
more balanced in terms of having representation from all three of the macronutrients.
Here’s the thing – not only is this a healthier option from a technical aspect, you will also have to
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take the time to mindfully sit down and eat this plate of food. This is an aspect of a healthy diet
that a lot of people underestimate; eating is an important element of living and dieting and unless you allow your mind to register that you’ve eaten food, you’re likely going to end up back in
the refrigerator in under an hour, because even though your belly is full, your mind is asking “hey,
where’s my dinner?” You may find yourself in the same situation if you eat your meals in front of
your computer, while playing on your phone, or while watching television.
Aside from trying to make your calorie sources as nutrient dense as possible, as often as possible, understanding what each is responsible for, and making sure that you have a good balance of
each, can go a long way in making sure that your body is a highly functioning machine.
Each of the macronutrients plays an important role in how the body functions – everything from
brain activity, to muscle repair, hormone levels, and satisfying hunger.
are responsible for initially satisfying hunger, and are the primary fuel source for
both your brain and your muscle tissue – they are the predominant and most efficient source of
energy during physical activity. That’s why we consider severely low carb diets a particularly scary
and unrealistic plan. However, it should be noted that your body also uses and stores carbohydrate
very quickly, causing hunger signals to return just as quickly, when consumed alone (think snack
foods, chips, crackers, bread, etc.).
Protein can be used as an energy source, but is much less efficient than carbohydrate; when used
as an energy source it can put unnecessary stress on the body, especially the kidneys. Protein is
the building block of muscle tissue, and it is responsible for maintaining and repairing damaged
muscle tissue and ligaments caused by everything from heavy physical activity to everyday living.
Fat is the most dense form of energy but is also the slowest to digest and be converted into usable
energy. The slow digestion is what makes this macronutrient beneficial for controlling your perception of hunger. It is necessary for many different things, everything from transporting fat soluble
vitamins, to production of new cells in the body.
Unfortunately, we see many diet plans and programs in the industry that villainize one macronutrient in favor of another. The most ideal situation is one where you recognize the important role of
each of those macros in a balanced diet.
CPF in this Program
In our meal plan, we suggest a breakdown of roughly 60-20-20 (CPF, Carbohydrate-Protein-Fat).
This ratio provides enough carbohydrate for performing high energy workout programs but it also
provides ample fat and protein to keep your healing rate high and your hunger levels relatively low,
which is a great advantage if you’re trying to drop or maintain weight.
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The exact ratio of CPF varies in this program, which is completely natural and expected. Each food
brings a different ratio to a meal combination, and creating a meal that is tasty, and makes sense
together lends itself to some of that natural variance from meal to meal.
We have meticulously poured over every single meal and snack in this plan to ensure that they
represent a macronutrient ratio that can help you reach and maintain both a healthy bodyweight,
and a healthier life.
Different people may find that another macronutrient ratio works better for their needs – for example, a professional athlete or marathon runner might find that they need an even higher percentage
of carbohydrates to perform at their best – but we believe that this breakdown is the most ideal
for the average healthy, active lifestyle.
CHAPTER 11
“Real” Food and Learning How to
Grocery Shop
The first idea we need to get across is that “health food” and “healthy food” are not always the
same thing. As we have mentioned in other chapters, the foods that are plastered with labels like
non-fat, low-fat, high-protein, low-sodium, healthy, energy boosting, low-carb, etc. are not always
actually healthy foods. These are companies cashing in on terms that the media, fitness industry,
general population, and even doctors throw around to promote products, even though not all of
the terms are closely regulated or defined.
The diet and health industry often takes research done on a particular food or nutrient and exaggerates it so badly that you get people pushing diets that completely cut out foods, food groups,
or even macronutrients like carbohydrates, or fat. This has opened up new markets in the food
industry for items like zero carbohydrate or low carbohydrate meal replacement bars because people have been convinced that carbohydrates are somehow solely responsible for the extra weight
that has been slowly creeping on over the last 5 or 50 years. Other times you get people touting
the benefits of one specific diet because it helped them lose weight, no matter how bad it might
have been for their health.
The years of misinformation and conflicting information about what is good for you and what is
bad, has gotten so confusing that most people have no idea what to believe and many are almost
literally terrified to eat anything at all, thinking that it could make them heavier or unhealthy overnight.
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What is “real” or “clean” or “healthy” food”?
When talking about food, all of the above are obviously relative terms. When asking yourself, “Is
this food healthy or not healthy?” there is no such thing as a yes or no answer. Instead, foods fall
somewhere on a scale of 0-100%, and the specific answer to that question might be different for
each of us, depending on our own body’s needs.
To help you understand we are going to use a few examples. Let’s start with an easy one that
falls on the higher end of the “clean scale”; an apple. All apples across varieties are very similar
nutritionally, so apples varieties would get a 100% clean (or at least a 95% depending on whether or not they are organic which we will talk about later) but not just because of their nutritional
composition. Clean is not just about the nutrient level, but also about how modified the food is
when consumed. We consider a food “real food”, when it is an edible, nourishing item that occurs
in nature, and is eaten in the least possible modified or processed form.
If a food item was dug from the ground, plucked from a tree, bush, or vine and is now in your hand
in the same condition it was harvested in, that’s probably a healthy choice. Fruits, veggies, grains,
beans and nuts, are all easily in this category as long as they are fresh and unprocessed or at least
fresh frozen.
An example on the much lower end of the “clean scale” would be that of a commercially prepared
can of vegetable soup. Once the soup is in your bowl you may be able to see chunks of onions,
carrots, celery, may be even beans, mushrooms, and potatoes, all of which on their own would
classify as clean foods. However, these have now been processed into this soup by someone (or
something) other than you. This is the turning point at which food starts to veer away from being
clean, though it all depends on the other ingredients that also find their way into that can of vegetable soup.
Reading the ingredient label becomes important; never take the word of what is written on the
front of the can, box or bag over what is written in the ingredients list. Going back to the “can of
vegetable soup” example, you can easily find that other than the obvious vegetables you recognize you may find multiple ingredients that you will never find growing in a field. These extra ingredients may be flavor enhancers like MSG (monosodium glutamate), preservatives like benzoic acid,
or artificial colors like Yellow No. 5 or Red No. 40. All of these ingredients have been passed by the
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as being safe for human consumption and so they show up in
different commercially prepared foods. The commercially prepared foods are where you need to
be most careful choosing what you buy and eat.
Though some studies suggest these food additives are safe in certain doses, some studies have
shown that many of them may have side effects and you may want to avoid them when you can. In
some cases, the more you consume, the more apparent the side effects tend to become.
By limiting commercially prepared foods you can not only better control the ingredients you allow
yourself to eat but you can also improve the overall nutritional content of the food you eat by cook-
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ing it only once, when you need it, rather than reheating something that has already been cooked.
Especially in the case of canned vegetables, you lose a lot of the heat sensitive, and water soluble
vitamins and minerals every time they are cooked. The nutritional difference between fresh (raw or
steamed), and that of canned, can be drastic.
The last example we will use is that of food, and I use this term lightly, that is the furthest thing
from clean as you can get. This last group encompasses any food or drink that has little to no “real
food” ingredients. Meal replacement bars, powdered shakes, sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks,
and many other foods like lunch meat, processed cheese, margarine, cookies, candies, chips and
crackers all fall into this category. They have far more unpronounceable ingredients than they do
ingredients that are (or were at one time) real food items like wheat, rice, fruit, milk, etc.
These “man-made” foods should be avoided as much as possible, and though we don’t believe
that any food should be off limits completely, these food items should show up in your diet as infrequently as is possible. Even in the realm of treat meals, these items may be detrimental enough
on your health and sense of taste that they should be eaten incredibly sparingly, even during those
cheat or treat meals.
Organic or regular?
One thing we did not cover above is whether or not organic is a must when eating clean. In our
opinion, organic fresh food options are definitely a plus but in most scenarios not necessarily a
must-have. The choice between organic produce and regular is one that you need to make by
yourself, weighing all of the pros and cons of each in regards to your own standings.
Unfortunately, cost can be an issue that makes organic out of reach for many people. Organic is
ideal, but if cost is a concern, you should still note that the difference in health between regular
and organic produce is minimal in comparison to the difference between regular produce and
commercially prepared foods. Making the jump to fresh food from commercially prepared foods is
the most important change.
If cost is an barrier, here are the foods termed the “dirty dozen”, though it should be noted that
these foods are relatively regularly cycled out & replaced with different items: apples, nectarines,
peaches, bell peppers, potatoes, celery, spinach, strawberries, lettuce, cherries, grapes, and
pears.
Shopping for packaged/prepared items that are used in this meal plan
In this program, we use some bread, dairy, and corn products. The reason why we include them in
the plan, is largely for matters of convenience in terms of easily accessed and prepared foods. Not
everyone has the time, resources, desire, or skill to bake their own bread every day, or milk their
own cows every morning.
You can choose relatively clean versions of these foods by seeking out ones that have minimal
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additives, and that have been minimally processed. You absolutely need to check the ingredients
lists; be an informed consumer. Look for and avoid things like high fructose corn syrup, artificial
sugars, carrageenan, partially hydrogenated anything, food coloring, etc. There are options that
are much cleaner than others. Try to choose options that have as few non-food ingredients as possible.
Supplements and health
This can be a bit of a tricky subject for many people but for us it is very clear.
Supplements have their place but it is not in your cupboard. Unless you have been instructed by
a doctor, dietitian or another health care provider to take a supplement, then they should have no
part of your nutrition.
If you are eating a broad variety of clean foods then you shouldn’t have to take a vitamin or mineral supplement. As for “fitness” supplements like metabolism boosters, protein shakes and bars,
“health” shakes, creatine, amino acids, anabolic steroids, and more – these are mostly useless
(at best). Even the few supplements that may have legitimate scientific data to back them up (like
caffeine or creatine) are not necessary for increasing muscle, dropping weight, improving health
or improving fitness.
CHAPTER 12
Choosing a Workout Program
For Best Results
People like to debate about what portion of being lean or healthy has to do with diet or exercise.
Some say diet is more important – even as extreme as a 90/10 breakdown, others say 80/20, others still believe it’s 50/50.
Personally, we think it’s a moot point. Both are absolutely necessary for a strong, healthy,
good-looking body; there’s no reason to diminish the immensely important role of exercise in order
to highlight the value of nutrition.
With that said, we strongly recommend that you exercise while you make your way through this
meal plan – no matter what your goals are.
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On FitnessBlender.com, we offer over 500 free full-length workout videos for every fitness level,
from beginner to elite. To keep things interesting for our viewers, and because we like designing
new workouts, we put out new videos every week.
We offer a wide range of training types and are boisterous advocates in encouraging diverse
training styles – just like a well-rounded diet, a smartly balanced workout program is essential. We
don’t believe in stagnancy, and we don’t think working out should be boring. Plus, we see true fitness as multifaceted; it’s not just strength, cardio endurance, or flexibility, or anything in between,
but a combination of those things that makes for a fit body.
Our programs weave together many different training types to form what we believe is the ideal
workout plan; HIIT cardio, strength training, Pilates, plyometrics, yoga, stretching, balance, speed,
agility and coordination training. People who follow our Programs see drastic changes in their
weight, body composition and tone, endurance, strength, and flexibility. The only equipment that
you really need for the programs is a set of dumbbells - but we even have bodyweight only plans, if
you don’t have any equipment.
We have programs for many different fitness levels and even accommodate people with busy
schedules. Here’s a brief rundown of the programs that we currently have available; keep in mind
that we are constantly improving and adding to this list, so be sure to check out our website for
our latest. Note: Once you purchase these programs, they are yours to repeat as many times as you
like, at no extra charge.
- This is one of our most
popular workout program formats; people love it because each day, you get to choose the length
of your workout depending on how much time you have; 30 or 50 minutes. It’s a fun and challenging combination of HIIT, strength training, cardio, flexibility and more. It’s great for fat or weight
loss, toning up, gaining lean muscle and strength, becoming more flexible and overall feeling
great.
- Challenging and
highly effective cardio, strength training, HIIT, plyometric, Pilates, circuit training, stretching, yoga,
balance & agility training workouts, to help you get fit as fast as possible. Workouts average out to
55 minutes a day.
FB30 - 8 Week Fat Loss For Busy People - These workouts offer everything you need to get fit in
workouts that are 30 minutes or less. If you live a very busy life, this program can be a great way to
start seeing results, without taking up too much of your time.
Fitness Blender’s 4 Week Bodyweight-Only Fat Loss Program - No equipment? No problem. We
can show you how to get fit using only your own bodyweight.
In addition to these programs, we also offer targeted workout plans, for core/abs, lower body/
butt and thighs, and upper body. We also cater to specific goals, such as adding muscle, becom-
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, or supplementing your personal training plan (marathons, biking, climbing, etc)
with a smart cross training program. If you’re new to exercise, our 4 Week Beginner/Low Impact
Program may be a good place to start.
All of the programs above are available on our website, www.FitnessBlender.com.
Building your own program
If you want to put together your own workout program using our free workout videos, you can do
so without spending a single penny. As a guideline, we recommend HIIT cardio no more than three
times a week, and upper and lower body strength training routines twice a week (each) – or total
body strength training, three times a week. We recommend choosing a warm up before each session, and a stretching workout after each workout.
Our website search tools allow you to search all of the workouts by length, difficulty level, calorie burn, training type, muscle groups used, and more. If you need more guidance, check out the
programs above.
Combine this meal plan with our workout videos or programs and you will see and feel changes in
your body quickly.
CHAPTER 13
The Long Term Plan
What Happens After the 4 Week Plan is Over?
Your goal with this meal plan should be to move through it consciously, and to listen to the feedback that your body gives you while you are eating healthily.
What should I do when the four weeks is over?
Our intention with this meal plan is not to encourage you to count and measure every morsel that
you consume. Instead, we want you to get an idea of what a filling, satisfying, whole foods diet
looks like. We want you to realize how much better your body can feel when you fuel it properly.
Once the four weeks is over, you can definitely restart this plan, using it to establish and strengthen your healthy eating habits. You can also use this plan as a go-to reference when and if you feel
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like you need help getting back on track (i.e. after a vacation, or if you start to find yourself switching back to old habits).
If you still have weight to lose (or gain) after the 4 weeks of this meal plan, you may want to repeat
this meal plan at least once to help you get further along in your goals, to keep yourself motivated,
and to give yourself extra structure and guidance.
Summary
This book is a jumpstart to what we feel is a healthy eating habit. Apply what you pick up from this
book in your nutrition decisions from here on out in order to maintain healthy, well balanced, clean
eating habits, indefinitely.
CHAPTER 14
Getting Started on Your Meal Plan
Getting started
There’s a lot of information in this meal plan, and we understand that it might be overwhelming at
first glance. Here we breakdown how to prepare to start the meal plan, as well as what to expect as
you make your way through the four weeks of this meal plan.
We recommend that you start preparing to start the meal plan right away by tailoring the Week
1 grocery list to meet your needs. Examine the grocery list to determine which of the items you
need, and which ones you already have in your kitchen. The grocery lists are very extensive but
this is mainly because we didn’t want to make assumptions and leave things out (even though
the vast majority of people will already have many of those items). For example, most people will
already have salt, pepper, oatmeal, and other items that have a long shelf life.
The day before you plan on starting this meal plan, go to the grocery store to pick up the foods
from the list. Make sure not to go to the grocery store hungry, as that will make it a lot harder to
stick to your healthy list!
Look over the meals for the upcoming week. Think about the meals in regards to your schedule; do
you see any instances where your schedule might make it difficult to make time to do the prep for
any of the meals? When you see time conflicts, plan to do the prep for that meal the day before, or
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that morning before you leave for work or school. Planning ahead is key for success in following a
meal plan, especially if you have a busy life.
If you have a family who you also cook for, get them involved. Get them excited about trying new
recipes, and maybe even doing some cooking together in the kitchen. If you need more tips on
how to manage following a meal plan when you have a family to take care of, check out Chapter
5 to find out how to make alterations to the meal plan and your own intake when cooking for an
entire family.
Talk to your doctor. You will always want to talk to your doctor before you start a meal plan; though
clean eating like we demonstrate in this meal plan has many positive results, this book is not intended to diagnose or treat, and your personal physician is the only one who can tell you whether
or not this is appropriate for your health needs.
Read through the chapters of this book. We have included a lot of vital information to making clean
eating an easy, enjoyable lifestyle change. Whether your struggle has to do with willpower, taste
preferences, diet boredom, lack of time, or an issue of overeating, there are many reasonable solutions offered in this book.
We have also included a lot of practical information, including how to modify the plan for food
preferences, food allergies, food availability issues, and even how to manage or justify the cost of
healthy food.
Read through all of the chapters to make sure that you are able to modify this plan to meet your
needs, and get the most possible benefit from this meal plan.
If a change in bodyweight or body composition is a goal you’re working towards, we recommend
taking the time to document your starting place before you jump into this meal plan. Scale weight
is an obvious option, but you should also strongly consider taking pictures (front, back, and side),
as well as taking your measurements, and possibly even body fat, if you have access to the resources. The scale can be a misleading way to measure your progress and it often doesn’t accurately showcase the progress you’re actually making.
What to expect
If this meal plan is vastly different from your usual diet, you might have a timeframe of about a
week or two where your body is adjusting to the new foods. Your belly might need a little time to
get used to all of the whole foods fiber, and your tastebuds might take a while to reset themselves
if you are used to consuming a lot of hyper-flavored processed foods.
Spices are an easy way to add flavor without adding any extra calories. As long as they are all
natural and contain no extra sodium or calorie content, use them generously all throughout this
meal plan, at your own discretion. Possible spice options, according to your own taste preferenc-
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es: garlic, pepper, cumin, Italian, chili power, basil, ginger, oregano, rosemary, paprika, red pepper
flakes, etc - just to name a few options.
You may find that these meals are surprisingly filling, and it may even be difficult to eat the quantities of food called for in the plan. If you come into this problem, feel free to reduce your intake, just
realize that this will change your calorie balance, and thus your results. If you do end up having to
reduce (or increase) your intake, do it with all items in that meal or snack, in order to maintain the
macronutrient levels we have planned out. As your body adjusts to whole foods, you will have an
easier time eating the foods as laid out in the plan.
On the other hand, if you are consistently feeling very hungry after your meals, you may need to
increase your calorie intake, or move up in calorie allotment plans. Do keep in mind that during a
weight loss plan, some mild hunger signals will not be unusual, as your body may increase those
messages in attempt to get a neutral or positive calorie balance (the body will attempt to reserve
those fat and energy stores for survival, even if it doesn’t need it).
The first week may feel difficult. It can be a challenge to learn how to manage the time it takes to
do meal prep, and if you have no cooking experience, there may be a little bit of a learning curve.
If you are used to a diet of processed foods, your body may crave those same foods. It won’t take
long for your body and your tastebuds to realize that it likes and even craves real, healthy food.
Make sure that you don’t get discouraged by the adjustments that you may have to make in those
first couple of weeks.
Outside of a short adjustment period due to diet change, you are likely going to start to feel more
energetic, you may start to sleep better, your clothes might become looser and your body may
start to look more toned, your skin may clear, body aches may lessen, and your mood may improve
– just to name a few of the many positive effects that often come with eating clean. Do remember
to talk to your doctor before you start, just to be safe.
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Q&A
Most Common Questions
Most Common Questions about this program, eating clean, and weight loss
We have tackled just about every question that might possibly pop up regarding healthy eating
and how to use this meal plan in this Question & Answer Section. Even if you don’t feel like you
initially have any questions, there is a wealth of helpful information in this section.
Please check this list before contacting us with questions, as we are typically unable to answer
individual inquiries because of our small team. It’s also important to realize that your personal
health care provider is the only individual who can give you specific health advice and instruction,
for reasons of your safety, as well as licensing laws, scope of practice limitations, and liability.
What if I don’t have access to some of the foods listed in the menus?
Depending on where you live, it may be a challenge to find some of the food items in this meal
plan. If you can’t get a hold of an ingredient, we recommend finding a substitute of a similar macronutrient ratio and allotting for approximately the same amount of caloric intake from that particular
ingredient. For example, if you know the rough macronutrient (carbs, proteins, and fats) ratio, of a
food, you can find a food of a similar makeup and calorie content as a substitute. There are many
different free apps and online programs that can do this work for you.
What if I have an allergy to one or more of the ingredients in the program?
This meal plan has been developed with the general population in mind and it does not take into
account any kind of food allergies. If you have food allergies, it’s especially important to talk to
your doctor before you start any kind of meal plan.
If you are allergic to an item that we use in this program, we suggest choosing a food alternative
that has a similar carbohydrate, fat, protein makeup, and eating approximately the same amount
of calories so that there is no inadvertent calorie surplus or shortage. The chapter in this book on
modifications covers many different options for people who are working around food allergies, as
well as many different alternatives to the food you may be allergic to.
How do I know which calorie allotment is right for me?
Your ideal calorie intake will depend on your goals and your activity levels, and that number may
vary from day to day. Use the calculations in the preceding chapters to get a rough idea of what
calorie allotment in this plan might be best for your goals.
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What should I do if the calorie allotment I picked leaves me hungry or feels like too much food?
We are strong advocates for listening to your body, and we want you to learn to balance your technical calorie needs, with the messages your body is sending you.
We don’t want you to feel uncomfortably hungry or full during this meal plan. If you are feeling
like the calorie plan you chose has you feeling extreme feelings of hunger or fullness, the best
thing to do is reevaluate the calorie plan you’re following. Choosing a different calorie allotment
doesn’t mean you won’t reach your goals, it will just change the date that you reach them – which
is way better than not reaching your goals at all because you have picked a calorie allotment that
is unrealistic and too drastic to stick to. Moving from one calorie allotment to another will have an
insignificant effect on your results, but possibly a game changing effect on your ability to stick
with the plan. Slow and steady wins this race.
What should I do if I can’t eat all of the food laid out for me in my calorie plan?
The foods in this plan allow you to eat a lot of food for your calorie value. If you find that you have
picked a calorie plan that leaves you feeling uncomfortably full, or like you can’t finish eating the
amount that you’re supposed to, you have a couple of different options. You can either move down
one step in calorie allotments, or, you can break up your meals so that you are essentially snacking
all day long. For example, you can save the part of a large meal that you feel you cannot comfortably finish eating, and eat that later in the day (this would be a particularly good option if you are
trying to use this plan for weight gain).
Can I switch back and forth between different calorie allotments?
Yes. Technically, your calorie needs vary from day to day. If there is a day where you know that you
are going to be more physically active than normal (or sedentary, for that matter), you can adjust
your intake in order to accommodate your needs.
There is nothing wrong with sticking to just one plan, either, and that will work just as well as long
as you make sure that on average you create the deficit associated with your specific weight goals.
Aren’t these calorie allotments too high? Won’t I gain weight if I eat this many calories?
In short; no, not at all. People tend to underestimate the number of calories that they need to consume, but also underestimate the number of calories they actually consume.
The absolute minimum number of calories that you should eat each day is 1200 - and that’s if you
don’t move at all. Any less than that and you are risking your health, and making it likely that you
slow your metabolism down, creating a situation where it’s very difficult to stay lean. If you are
doing any kind of physical activity at all, even just bare minimum activity, your calorie needs go up
from there. It is completely possible to lose weight on 2500 calories a day (or more). Depending,
of course, on your actual daily expenditure, you may see better results by choosing what seems to
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be a higher calorie allotment, because you won’t feel like you’re starving, which will make it more
likely that you adhere to this plan and stick with these habits long term. Remember, you don’t want
fast results, you want lasting results.
What if I am between calorie allotments, or my desired intake is not listed as an option?
There are two different options if your needs fall somewhere in between two of our plans.
The first option is to alternate between two plans in order to create the average deficit or surplus
that leads to you reaching your goals. For example, if you have found that you need 2200 calories
to reach your goals, you can alternate back and forth between the 2000 and 2400 calorie plans
(every other day would be ideal) in order to create the deficit or surplus you’re after. This is the
easiest option if you find that you want a different calorie plan outside of the 1600, 2000, 2400,
2800, and 3200 calorie plans.
The next option is to choose the calorie plan that’s closest to meeting your needs, and altering the
ingredients slightly in order to create lower or higher calorie meals and snacks. This one leaves
more room for error, so we recommend the first option.
Isn’t it bad to snack so much? Isn’t it bad to snack after dinner?
Snacking all through the day keeps your metabolism high and your blood sugar levels even.
Snacking often prevents extreme hunger, which can lead to binges and/or poor nutrition choices.
Done properly, as demonstrated in this meal plan, snacking can go a long ways in helping you lose
weight.
A large part of the reason why after-dinner or late-night snacking gets a bad reputation is because
it tends to be on unhealthy foods. People tend to be less likely to reach for clean foods late at
night. There is no magic time in the evening where calories are worth more, and late night snacking will not thwart your progress, especially if you are eating the allotted foods and portions listed
in this program.
What should I do if I am not just cooking for myself, but for an entire family?
In terms of making sure that you are consuming approximately the calories per meal that your calorie plan calls for, there may be some guesswork for some of these dishes – for example, a vegetable stir fry where you have prepared a large batch together. We don’t expect you to measure out .5
cups onion, .5 cup mushroom, and so on, separate from your family’s stir fry.
When it comes to tracking your own calorie intake despite having altered the serving size of the
foods in order to feed a family, we recommend not obsessing, but instead to aim to serve yourself
roughly the recommended serving size of each ingredient or item, in roughly the same ratios. Regard the amount of food that the plan called for in a single serving, and dish up your plate to reflect
the approximate amount of consumption, for each item.
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Remember, this plan is not intended to help you micromanage and scrutinize every single calorie
that you eat for the rest of your life – part of the idea of this plan is that you start to learn what a
healthy, well balanced meal looks like visually, so that you can apply that information to maintain
weight and benefit from your healthy eating in your everyday life.
Though portions will vary, all of the meals and snacks in this program are appropriate for a group,
by just increasing the serving size of each ingredient or food item. There is no reason why your
family should be eating unhealthily while you go on a “diet” – remember, that’s exactly what this
plan isn’t. You aren’t on a diet, you are changing the way you eat for the rest of your life (excluding the occasional cheat or treat day). Do the best that you can in order to get your loved ones on
board, because you want them to live long, healthy lives as well.
There is a lot of helpful information about cooking and following this meal plan with a family in the
chapters of this guide.
How can I measure .5 cups, .75 cups, .5 tablespoons, .75 tsp, etc?
All of the allotments that we have used in this plan are ones that you will find with typical inexpensive kitchen measuring sets. In order to follow this plan easily you will want one for cups; .25 cup
(¼ cup), .33 cup (1/3 cup), .5 cup (½ cup), .66 cup (2/3 cup), .75 cup (¾ cup), and 1 cup, and the
same, for both teaspoons and tablespoons. If you don’t already have them, each of these sets are
usually easily found for as little as a couple of dollars a piece in any grocery. It should be noted that
with spices, you can always change the measurements to meet your tastes, and with fruits and
vegetables, you don’t have to obsess over exact measurements, just try to get close to what your
plan calls for.
What if I don’t have time to prepare the meals as instructed?
Meal prep becomes essential when you have a busy schedule or limited access to a kitchen during
the day. We recommend always looking ahead in the plan by at least a few days in order to spot
meals or snacks that may require some preparation. When you see instances where you know
the meal prep will conflict with your schedule, plan on cooking and packing that food ahead of
time so that you will have your meal on hand and ready when you need it. Many of the snacks and
meals are easy to prepare and pack, but when they aren’t, you can always do the work a day or two
ahead, and the food will keep if properly stored and refrigerated.
How often can I have cheat or treat meals or days and what things can I eat?
We recommend that you limit your treat meals to once every ten days if you are using this plan to
try and lose weight, and once every seven days if you are trying to maintain or gain weight.
Engaging in any kind of treat meal during this plan is completely optional, but if you time them right
it can be a very easy way to attend special events, evenings out, and the like, without having to
worry about sticking to this meal plan.
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Indulging in a treat meal typically means that you can eat whatever you wish for that small period of time, however, it’s a good idea to try and clean up your cheat meals. Healthy food can be
delicious, and there are plenty of meals that feel like a cheat, but are not overly “dirty” in terms of
ingredients. As often as possible, try to eat real food, even during your treat meals (after a little
practice, you’re likely to realize that it tastes way better, anyway!).
There is an entire chapter dedicated to treat meals in this book where you can find out how often
you can indulge and still meet your goals, as well as what to do right after. Be sure and read that
chapter for more information.
Can I rearrange these snacks throughout the day to work with my schedule?
To keep things simple, we recommend following the plan as it is laid out, however, there are some
minor rearrangements that you can do to make this plan maximally beneficial for you, personally.
For example, you may want to move some of the higher carbohydrate snacks to take place 90-120
minutes before your workout session, whenever that may take place. In order to make sure that
you’re still following the plan accurately, you will want to make sure that you only rearrange; move
the snacks around in terms of schedule but don’t alter the meal or snack content or portion, just
exchange the place of one for the other, and have each of those snacks or meals at a different
time in the day.
Can I rearrange meal plan days to meet my needs?
Though it’s best to follow the plan, if you are willing to put in the extra effort to track information
and make sure that you are still following the plan (just in a different order), you can rearrange days
to meet your needs. For example, if you were to have an unusually long work day, you could switch
to a day in the week’s plan that had foods that required less work to prepare and eat.
When should I eat? What time should I eat my meals, snacks?
Breakfast should be eaten shortly after you wake up, and the first snack should be eaten roughly 2
hours after that. Lunch should be another couple hours after that first snack, and so on – basically
you aren’t going any longer 2-3 hours without food. The exact times of those meals and snacks will
depend on your personal schedule and needs.
Black coffee adds an insignificant amount of calories (just a couple per cup), and may be enjoyed
throughout this plan without having to make any other changes to your intake. The same is true of
tea. In terms of juices, teas, and coffees that are not plain, you would have to take into consideration the calories that they will add to your daily intake. Make sure to avoid fake sweeteners, if you
are tempted to choose any calorie-free versions of these drinks.
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Can I drink alcohol while I follow this meal plan?
Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, and it should be viewed as a sort of treat. If you enjoy
a glass or red wine regularly, you can continue to do so but you will have to consider the calorie
value of that wine when choosing a meal plan. For example, if you were going to follow the intake
plan of 2200 calories, you would want to eat 2100 calories of food from the meal plan, in order to
account for that 100 calories of wine.
I would like to eat more meat than is listed in this meal plan, how can I do that?
We have designed this plan to be healthy and balanced in terms of carbohydrate, fat, and protein
ratios, so there is no need to add additional protein. However, if you just want more meat for taste
preferences, you can drop to the next calorie allotment down from the one you were planning on
following, and then add a healthy meat option (chicken, fish, pork) on top of that lower calorie
allotment, in order to bring it back up to the amount you were intending to consume.
I don’t eat dairy at all, how can I cut it out of this plan?
If you don’t eat dairy at all, you can always substitute non-dairy alternatives, making sure that
those alternatives use clean ingredients. You can use whatever kind of milk you want; dairy, rice,
soy, coconut, etc.
What if I am having a meal at a buffet, barbeque, party, or restaurant?
If you have a meal where you won’t be able to pick your ingredients in order to follow this plan, just
keep your food choices healthy, and then return right back to this meal plan for the next meal. You
also have the option of using your cheat meal that this plan allows – read more about how to do
that in the preceding chapters of this guide.
What if I am going on vacation?
It would be very hard to stick to a meal plan while traveling. If you very rarely get to vacation, we
recommend that you enjoy yourself, and jump into this meal plan once you return home, especially
if your vacation spans less than a week. If you are traveling often, or for an extended time period,
you may want to consider putting in the effort to stick to this plan while you’re traveling.
I took a couple of days off from the meal plan, what should I do?
Jump right back in. If it has been less than five days since you followed the plan diligently, start
back into the day that you left off with. If it has been longer than five days, you may want to start
over at day one.
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Healthy food is expensive; what if I don’t have money for the things on the grocery list?
We understand that food cost can be a real issue, especially when feeding a family, that’s why we
suggest doing the best you can to make the healthiest choices you can for each situation. Be sure
to read chapters 5 and 8 to help you make the right choices for your individual situation and needs.
I live with my family and my parents/guardians eat unhealthily. What should I do?
Eating well in a house full of people who don’t can be difficult. The best thing you can do is try and
slowly educate the others in your house as to why you want to eat differently and hopefully get
them on board with you or at least help you get ahold of the foods you want.
The food tastes boring to me, what can I do? Can I add my own spices to these dishes?
When you first switch to this type of primarily plant based diet after eating a lot of processed
foods, especially snack foods, these dishes can seem a bit bland in comparison. Adding your own
spices or more spices than we call for is an easy way to increase the flavor of the dishes without
adding extra calories. Just be sure to use the salt sparingly.
Why are there so many beans in this program? What if I don’t like them?
Beans are filling, very inexpensive, and very healthy. They are easy to prepare and are great a great
go-to addition to any meal of the day. They’re high in fiber, protein, and a number of different vitamins and antioxidants.
We recommend investing in a slow cooker (typically found in any big box grocery for anywhere
from $12-30) and using dry beans (which are incredibly cheap) to make your own beans throughout this Meal Plan. That way you save even more money, and you can control all of the ingredients
and sodium content (versus canned beans) – plus they taste better homemade! While they take
longer to cook, it takes very little prep time and the leftovers are easy to reheat and reuse. This
this easy slow cooked beans recipe. If you don’t have the time, energy, or desire to make your own
slow cooked beans, you always have the option of purchasing canned.
If you really dislike beans overall, lentils, potatoes, yams, rice, or whole wheat pastas, are all relatively suitable replacements.
Why are there so many eggs in this program? What if I don’t like/don’t eat them?
Eggs are a very cheap, high quality source of protein. They are easily prepared and easily accessible. If you are worried about the cholesterol content of eggs, be sure to talk to your doctor before
starting this plan, but typically the accompanying high amount of fruit and vegetables evens things
out.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
54
If you don’t like or don’t eat eggs, some of the suitable alternatives for this plan might be chia
seeds, flax seeds, tofu, chicken or pork, tuna fish, etc. (depending on the recipe); another source
of lean protein. If you have an allergy to eggs, you may want to check out our vegan meal plan.
I don’t like or eat ________ listed in this plan, what should I do? Likes & dislikes.
Everyone has their own food preferences, so it would not be unlikely that you dislike at least one
food used in this program. Do what you can to replace the foods you don’t like with a healthy food
of a similar carbohydrate, fat, protein ratio, and of a similar calorie content.
Do I need to shop organic?
Ideally, yes, however, we understand that shopping organic can be very expensive. There are
some foods that are more important to shop organic than others (listed below). Don’t feel discouraged if you can’t afford organic foods, as eating the regular versions of fruits and vegetables is far
better than eating packaged, processed foods.
If cost is an barrier, here are the foods termed the “dirty dozen”: apples, nectarines, peaches, bell
peppers, potatoes, celery, spinach, strawberries, lettuce, cherries, grapes, and pears.
Are these serving sizes for cooked or uncooked foods?
Usually the calorie content reflects cooked foods – for example, a cup of cooked rice, beans, or
oatmeal. The plan will always indicate whether you should measure for cooked or uncooked food.
The grocery lists are huge! Do I really need to buy all that stuff?
We have tried to make the grocery lists incredibly thorough, but if you look through the lists, you’re
going to find that you probably already have a lot of these things in your kitchen (salt, pepper, oatmeal, etc). It’s a good idea to take a rough inventory of your kitchen, and cross off the things that
you already have, before you go shopping.
After the Week 1 Grocery List, all of the following weeks list things that you will find in the Meal
Plan over the course of the next week – it does not necessarily mean that you need to buy more of
that item – be sure to check the list for food items that you have leftover from the previous week.
Especially things that tend to be purchased in large quantities and keep for a while; oatmeal, uncooked pastas, salad dressing, honey, nuts, spices, dry beans, etc.
When it comes to the few packaged foods in this program, can I make them at home?
Definitely! If you have the time and resources to make homemade bread, and the like, go for it. It’s
always healthier to cook at home, where you have precise control over what does and doesn’t go
into your food.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
55
What should I do once I have followed the entire 4 weeks of this meal plan?
There is enough variety in this meal plan that it is completely okay to repeat this program. We
especially recommend repeating this plan if you have a ways to go to meet your health and weight
loss goals. If you are new to clean eating and need the extra guidance of a plan, there is benefit in
repeating this meal plan more than once.
With that said, our hope with this meal plan is that you pay attention as you work your way through
it, and that you read all of the information in these chapters in order to learn how to eat in order to
properly fuel your body.
Copyright © 2017 Fitness Blender
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced or redistributed in any form, stored in a retrieval system, displayed on the internet or
transmitted in any form by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of
the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.
Neither the publisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas,
procedures, and suggestions in the book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding
your health require medical supervision. Neither the authors nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage
allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
The recipes and meal plan in this book are to be followed as written. The publisher and authors are not responsible for your specific
health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. This book and plan has been written for the general, healthy, allergy-free
population. This is not intended for women who are pregnant or nursing or children under the age of 18. The publisher and authors
are not responsible for any adverse reactions to the information, foods, or recipes contained in this book. Always talk to your doctor
before making any dietary changes.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
56
Disclaimer
This program has been built for healthy individuals with no health contraindications. It has not been customized to cater to any
individual, regardless of their age, weight, allergies, nutritional needs, personal health, health conditions, cooking experience, health
risks, past, current or future injuries, illnesses, or diseases. Meet with your doctor and get complete medical clearance before beginning this or any other meal plan. The owners of Fitness Blender and authors of this program have no medical experience or titles whatsoever and cannot suggest which foods or meal plans or programs may work specific to an individual’s health status or conditions. If
and when you follow the meal plans in this program, or the program itself, you do so at your own risk.
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Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
57
Week 1 Grocery List
Produce
Produce
Center Store
Frozen
Apples (4-5 each)
Zucchini (1½-3¼ cups
Canned Red Kidney
Whole Kernel Corn
Asparagus (1 bunch)
or 2-3 each)
Beans (½ cup-1 cup or
(1 small bag)
Avocado (3-4 each)
Cilantro (1 small bunch)
1 can)
Mixed Berries,
Fresh Baby Spinach
Fresh Basil
Instant Brown Rice
unsweetened (2-4 cups
(5 -10 cups or
(1 small bunch)
(1¼-3½ cups)
or 1 small bag)
1-2 5oz Bags)
Rosemary (1 small bunch)
Canned Black Beans
Bananas (2-3)
Blueberries (1-2 cups)
Broccoli (3½-6½ cups
(½-1¾ cups or 1-2 cans)
Meat Department
Seasoning/Spices
Canned Cannellini Beans
Chili Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
Chicken, breast boneless
(½-1 cup or 1 can)
or 1-2 bunches)
skinless (9-16½ oz)
Canned Chickpeas
Flakes
Brussels Sprouts
Firm Tofu (about 90 cal.
(1¼-2½ cups or 1-2 cans)
Garlic Powder
(2-3½ cups)
per ¼ cup or 1 package)
Granola (~200 cal. per
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Cumin
Butternut Squash
Lean Ground Beef
cup or ½-1 cup)
(½-1¼ cups)
(3-5 oz)
Natural Peanut Butter
Honey
Carrots (8-14 each)
Lean Ground Turkey
(2½-7½ Tbsp or
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Cauliflower (1½-4½ cups
(3-6 oz)
1 small jar)
Minced Garlic
Salmon (3-5 oz)
Old Fashioned Oats
Nonstick Cooking Spray
Cherry Tomatoes
(½-1 cup)
Olive Oil
(3½-6½ cups)
Plain Rice Cakes, Lightly
or 1 bunch)
Dairy
Clementine Oranges
Butter (1 tsp-1½ Tbsp)
Salted (~35 cal. each
(5-10 each)
Eggs (8-15 each)
or 3-6 each)
Cucumber (1-2 each)
Feta Cheese
Popcorn, Air Popped
Eggplant
(2½ oz-4 oz)
(~30 cal./cup or
(1 small-1 medium)
Hummus (about 70 cal./
3-15 cups)
Grapes (1½-6 cups or
2 Tbsp, ¼ cup-½ cup)
Reduced Sodium Tomato
1-2 bags)
Lowfat Cottage Cheese
Sauce (1⅓-3 cups or 1
Green & Red Bell Peppers
(1-2 cups)
28 oz can)
(4-6 each)
Lowfat Milk (¼-¾ cup)
Unsalted Dry Roasted
Lemons (1 each)
Mexican Style Salsa
Almonds (3-5¼ oz)
Mushrooms (¾-1 cup
(about 10 cal./2 Tbsp or
Unsweetened Raisins
or 1 8oz package)
½ cup-1⅓ cup)
(1-3 Tbsp)
Pineapple (¾-1¼ cups)
Mozzarella Cheese
Whole Wheat English
Portabella Mushroom
(½-1 cup)
Muffin (~130 cal. each
(1 each)
Plain Whole Milk Greek
or 6-8 each)
Potatoes
Yogurt (½-⅔ cup)
Whole Wheat Penne
(1 small-1 medium)
Shredded Cheddar
Red & Yellow Onion
Cheese (½ cup-¾ cup)
Pasta (1 small box)
Whole Wheat Tortillas
(1-2 each)
(~130 cal. each or
Strawberries
7-12 each)
(2 ½-4½ cups)
Red Wine Vinegar
Sweet Potato (2-3 each)
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 1
BREAKFAST
Banana Almond Overnight Oats
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Old Fashioned Oats
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Lowfat Milk
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
unsalted, Dry Roasted
Almonds, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 ½ Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Honey
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Salt
Dash
Dash
Dash
Dash
Dash
Preparation
Combine oats, milk, Greek yogurt and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Top with sliced banana, almonds and honey.
MORNING SNACK
Hard Boiled Egg & Apple
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Hard Boiled Egg
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
Apple
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Preparation
As desired.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
59
LUNCH
Chickpea Veggie Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chickpeas, Canned,
drained and rinsed
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Frozen Corn, cooked and cooled
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Chopped Cucumber
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Salt & Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Minced Garlic
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Honey
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Lemon Juice
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Feta Cheese
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 ½ oz
Vinegar
Preparation
Combine chickpeas, corn, tomatoes, cucumber and basil in a large bowl. Add olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar, honey and lemon juice to a small
sauce pan. Heat on low and whisk until combined. Pour over chickpea mixture with salt and pepper and stir until mixed throughout. Top with
feta cheese.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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AFTERNOON SNACK
Yogurt, Granola & Strawberries
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Preparation
Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and strawberries; repeat with remaining yogurt, granola and strawberries.
DINNER
Beef and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers with Baked Potato
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Large
2 Medium
2 Medium
3 oz
3 ½ oz
4 oz
4 oz
5 oz
Brown Rice, Cooked
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Diced Onion
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Reduced Sodium Tomato Sauce
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Baked Potato with Skin
½ Small
1 Small
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Green Bell Pepper, cut with top
removed
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Microwave bell pepper for 3 minutes. In medium skillet, sauté onion and ground beef until no longer pink and internal
temperature reaches 155°F (Suggested spices: garlic, cumin & salt & pepper to taste). Add brown rice, mix until combined and stuff into pepper.
Top with sauce and cheese and cook for 30 minutes. Poke holes in potato and microwave for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes.
Serve next to stuffed pepper, topped with yogurt, salt and pepper.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
61
EVENING SNACK
Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter & Banana
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Natural Peanut Butter
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Banana
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
Plain Rice Cakes, Lightly Salted
Preparation
Spread peanut butter on rice cakes, top with bananas.
Meal Plan Day 2
BREAKFAST
Bell Pepper & Mozzarella Breakfast Sandwich
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Eggs, Scrambled
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
Salt & Pepper
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Bell Pepper, Chopped
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Mozzarella Cheese
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Cooking Oil
Clementine Orange
Preparation
In a small skillet, sauté bell pepper until soft but still crunchy. In a small bowl, beat eggs, adding 1 tsp water for each egg and salt and pepper.
Add to skillet with peppers and stir, cooking until eggs are firm.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
62
MORNING SNACK
Cottage Cheese & Pineapple
Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Top cottage cheese with pineapple.
LUNCH
Vegetable Quesadilla with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Brussels Sprouts, roasted
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Zucchini
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cup
Spinach
1 Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
Avocado
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
Cooking Oil
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Black Beans,
Preparation
Brussels Sprouts: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place Brussels sprouts in baking dish lightly cover with cooking oil, salt, and pepper. Place in oven
for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally. Quesadilla: Warm small skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and sauté zucchini until
golden brown. Add spinach until wilted. Suggested spices: garlic, cumin & salt & pepper to taste. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Place tortilla in pan and for 1600, 2000 and 2400 calorie recipes, add zucchini, spinach, beans and cheese to half. Fold other half of tortilla onto
ingredients and cook until golden brown. For other recipes, place one tortilla in pan, add those ingredients and top with remaining tortilla. Serve
with avocado, salsa and Brussels sprouts.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
63
AFTERNOON SNACK
Berry Smoothie
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Frozen Mixed Berries,
unsweetened
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Banana
½ Small
½ Small
1 Small
1 Small
1 Small
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Spinach
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
Preparation
Blend berries, banana, yogurt and spinach in a blender until smooth (add a splash of water or milk to help blend if necessary) Suggested/
optional spices: cinnamon, mint or vanilla.
DINNER
Baked Salmon, Brown Rice, & Cauliflower
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Salmon
3 oz
3 ½ oz
4 oz
4 ½ oz
5 oz
Tomatoes
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Minced Garlic
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Fresh Basil, chopped
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Olive Oil
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Brown Rice, cooked
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place salmon fillets on baking sheet and top with garlic, tomatoes and basil. Bake for 12-15 minutes until internal
temperature reaches 145°F. Coat cauliflower with olive oil and roast until golden brown and tender. Cook brown rice according to package
directions and fluff with a fork. Serve salmon and tomatoes over brown rice with cauliflower.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
64
EVENING SNACK
Popcorn & Apple Slices
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Cup
2 Cups
3 Cups
4 Cups
5 Cups
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ⅕ Medium
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Apple, thinly sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 Medium
Blueberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
Popcorn, air popped
Apple, sliced
Preparation
Pop popcorn. Core and slice apple.
Meal Plan Day 3
BREAKFAST
Fruit & Yogurt Parfait
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Preparation
Layer half of yogurt, granola and fruit in a bowl and top with remaining ingredients.
MORNING SNACK
Grapes & Almonds
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Grapes
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
¾ oz
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
65
LUNCH
Mediterranean “Flatbread”
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
Baby Spinach
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Mushrooms, sliced
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cherry Tomatoes, halved
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Chickpeas
Mozzarella Cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake tortilla without toppings for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and top with tomato sauce - then sprinkle spices of
choice (Suggested spices: Italian, basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic etc). Next, add baby spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, chickpeas and cheese
to tortilla. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut “flatbread” into 4 pieces and serve.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Carrots with Hummus
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Medium
3 Medium
4 Medium
4 Medium
4 Medium
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
66
DINNER
Chicken and Veggie Tortillas
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Green Bell Pepper, sliced
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Red Bell Pepper, sliced
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Onion, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Tomato, chopped
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1 oz
1 oz
2 oz
2 oz
2 oz
Cumin
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Chili Powder
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Garlic Powder
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Whole Wheat Tortilla
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Brown Rice, cooked
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
⅓ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Salsa
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cooking Oil
Preparation
Add cooking oil (or cooking spray) to a large skillet and sauté chicken until browned. Then add bell pepper, onion, tomato with seasonings and
cook until vegetables are soft, but still crunchy and meat is cooked thoroughly. Top with avocado cilantro and salsa, serving with brown rice and
whole wheat tortilla.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
67
EVENING SNACK
Berry Smoothie
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Frozen Mixed Berries,
unsweetened
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Banana
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Spinach
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
Preparation
Blend berries, banana, yogurt and spinach in a blender until smooth. Add cinnamon and/or vanilla for extra flavor.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 4
BREAKFAST
Veggie Wrap with Asparagus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Asparagus, roasted
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Eggs, scrambled
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Salt and Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Bell Pepper, sliced
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Avocado
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Cherry Tomatoes, halved
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
Cooking Oil
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place asparagus spears on baking sheet and coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray and roast for 5-7 minutes. In a
small bowl, beat eggs, adding 1 tsp. water for each egg and salt and pepper. Lightly coat a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and add
bell peppers, cooking until soft but still crunchy. Add eggs and cook until firm. Place egg/pepper mixture onto a tortilla shell and top with
tomatoes and avocado. Serve with asparagus.
MORNING SNACK
Almonds & Clementine
Almonds, Dry Roasted, unsalted
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
69
LUNCH
Rosemary Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
3 oz
3 oz
4 oz
4 ½ oz
5 ½ oz
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
Tomato, sliced
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Baby Spinach
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sweet Potato, sliced thin
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Large
1 Large
Salt and Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Olive Oil
Chicken Breast, Boneless
Skinless, grilled
Cooking Oil
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix cauliflower with olive oil and roast for 12-15 minutes. Place sliced sweet potato on a baking sheet and lightly coat
with nonstick cooking spray, salt and pepper on both sides. Roast until crispy. Season chicken breast with rosemary and grill until internal
temperature reaches 165°F, about 10 minutes. Serve chicken breast on whole wheat english muffin with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato
‘chips.’
AFTERNOON SNACK
Popcorn & Apple Slices
Popcorn, air popped
Apple, sliced
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Cup
2 Cups
3 Cups
4 Cups
5 Cups
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ½ Medium
Preparation
Air pop popcorn and slice and decore the apple.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Whole Wheat Penne with Beans and Veggies
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Broccoli
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Cherry Tomatoes, halved
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Spinach
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
Cannellini Beans
Lemon Juice
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté broccoli and tomatoes until soft but still crunchy. Add
spinach and cook until wilted. Add beans, lemon juice and cooked pasta. Serve, topping with feta cheese. Feel free to substitute cheese or
beans with another type.
EVENING SNACK
Roasted Chickpeas & Fruit
Chickpeas
Cooking Oil
Chili Powder
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
¼ tsp
½ tsp
¾ tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F and dry chickpeas thoroughly. Place on baking sheet in even layer and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Roast for 2030 minutes and shake pan to rotate chickpeas every 10 minutes. Bake until golden brown and outsides are crispy but insides are soft. Toss with
chili powder or other seasoning of your choice.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 5
BREAKFAST
Egg & Avocado English Muffin
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Avocado, sliced
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
To Taste
To Taste
To Taste
To Taste
To Taste
Black Pepper
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Olive Oil
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Carrots, sliced
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 ½ Cups
Preparation
Toast English Muffin. Top with sliced avocado, red pepper flakes, black pepper, sunny side up egg, olive oil and cherry tomatoes. Serve with
sliced carrots.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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MORNING SNACK
Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter & Raisins
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Natural Peanut Butter,
unsweetened
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Seedless Raisins, unsweetened
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
3 oz
3 ½ oz
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
Olive Oil
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Broccoli
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Plain Rice Cakes, Lightly Salted
Preparation
Spread peanut butter on rice cakes, top with raisins.
LUNCH
Mushroom Burger with Broccoli
Portobello Mushroom
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F and coat broccoli with olive oil. Roast for 12-15 minutes. Form lean ground meat into patties and grill until internal
temperature reaches 165°F. Grill portobello mushroom until tender. Place on bun and top with avocado.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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AFTERNOON SNACK
Popcorn & Apple Slices
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Cup
2 Cups
3 Cups
4 Cups
5 Cups
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ½ Medium
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Eggplant, sliced and
cut into 1” pieces
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Zucchini, sliced
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Asparagus, cut into 2” pieces
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Mushrooms, sliced
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Olive Oil
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Salt and Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Red Kidney Beans, Canned,
drained and rinsed
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Reduced Sodium Tomato Sauce
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Popcorn, air popped
Apple, sliced
DINNER
Vegetable Penne
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and mushrooms for about 30-35 minutes. Combine cooked vegetables, Kidney
beans, tomato sauce and cooked pasta. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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EVENING SNACK
Grapes & Almonds
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Grapes
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
¾ oz
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
Natural Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ½ Medium
1 ½ Medium
Strawberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Blueberries
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Meal Plan Day 6
BREAKFAST
Banana Berry English Muffin
Preparation
Spread peanut butter onto both halves of English Muffin and top with sliced banana. Serve with sliced strawberries and blueberries topped
with Greek yogurt.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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MORNING SNACK
Carrots with Hummus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Large
3 Large
4 Large
4 Large
4 Large
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
LUNCH
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Wrap
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Cubed Butternut Squash
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Onion, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
Ground Cumin
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
Salt and Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Brussels Sprouts
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Black Beans, Canned,
drained and rinsed
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Avocado
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
Feta Cheese
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 ½ oz
Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Cooking Oil
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F and coat butternut squash cubes and onion with cumin, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until squash is
tender. Coat Brussels sprouts with cooking oil or nonstick cooking spray and roast for 10 minutes. Mix squash with black beans and place into
tortilla shell. Top with avocado, feta cheese and cilantro. Serve with Brussels sprouts.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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AFTERNOON SNACK
Almonds & Clementine
Almonds, Dry Roasted, unsalted
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
DINNER
Lemon Pepper Rosemary Chicken with Broccoli and Sweet Potato
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
5 ½ oz
6 oz
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Salt and Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Sweet Potato
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 ½ Large
1 ½ Large
Butter
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
3 Cups
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 ½ tsp
Chicken Breast, grilled
Rosemary, chopped
Cooking Oil
Broccoli, roasted
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray chopped broccoli with cooking spray and season with lemon pepper seasoning. Roast for 12-15 minutes. Season
chicken breast with rosemary, salt and pepper and grill until internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 10 minutes. Poke holes in sweet potato
with fork and microwave until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Serve chicken breast with roasted broccoli
and sweet potato seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with butter.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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EVENING SNACK
Strawberries, Yogurt & Granola
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Preparation
Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and strawberries; repeat with remaining yogurt, granola and strawberries.
Meal Plan Day 7
BREAKFAST
Veggie Scramble Muffin
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
½ tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Bell Pepper, chopped
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Mushrooms, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cherry Tomatoes, halved
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
Egg, scrambled
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
4 Each
Clementine Oranges
Preparation
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté bell pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are soft but still crunchy. In a small
bowl, beat eggs, adding 1 tsp. water for each egg and salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook until eggs have firmed and are no longer runny.
Add cheddar cheese, fold into omelet and serve with English muffin and orange.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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MORNING SNACK
Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter & Raisins
Plain Rice Cakes, Lightly Salted
Natural Peanut Butter
Seedless Raisins, unsweetened
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Preparation
Spread peanut butter on rice cakes and top with raisins.
LUNCH
Chicken and Black Bean Quesadilla
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Brussels Sprouts, roasted
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Zucchini
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Spinach
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Grilled Chicken Breast,
Boneless and Skinless
2 oz
3 oz
3 oz
3 oz
4 oz
Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cooking Oil
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Warm small skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and sauté zucchini until golden brown. Add spinach until wilted. Heat large
nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place tortilla shell in pan and for 1600 & 2000 calorie recipes, add zucchini, spinach, chicken, beans and
cheese to half. Fold other half onto ingredients and cook until golden brown. For other recipes, place one tortilla in pan, add those ingredients
and top with remaining tortilla. Serve with salsa and Brussels sprouts.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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AFTERNOON SNACK
Grapes & Almonds
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
¾ oz
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Green Bell Pepper, sliced
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Red Bell Pepper, sliced
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Onion, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Tomato, chopped
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 ½ Large
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Ground Cumin
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Chili Powder
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Garlic Powder
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Brown Rice, cooked
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
Cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
DINNER
Tofu Veggie Wrap
Cooking Oil
Firm Tofu, Cubed
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and sauté bell pepper, onion, tomato and tofu with seasonings. Cook until vegetables are soft, but still
crunchy. Top with avocado and cilantro, serving with brown rice and whole wheat tortilla shell.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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EVENING SNACK
Cottage Cheese & Pineapple
Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Top cottage cheese with pineapple.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Week 2 Grocery List
Produce
Meat Department
Center Store
Seasoning/Spices
Tomato, diced (¼-1 cup)
Chicken Breast (9-16 oz)
Granola (~200 cal./cup)
Cinnamon (2½-3 tsp)
Apples (7-10 medium)
Salmon, Fillet (3-7 oz)
(2½ cups + 2 Tbsp-
Cumin (1-2 tsp)
Cilantro, fresh (3-4 Tbsp)
Ground Turkey (3-6oz)
4¾ Tbsp)
Taco Seasoning (2 tsp)
Green Onions
Shrimp, cooked (3-6 oz)
Almond Milk,
(1-2 medium)
[can be substituted for
unsweetened (7-13 cups)
Potato (2-4 medium/
Lamb or Chicken]
Apricots, dried
large + ½-1 cup)
Spinach, fresh
(½-1½ cups)
Dairy
Almonds, sliced
(2-3¾ cup)
Eggs (5-9)
(1½ cups)
Basil, fresh (10-14 leaves)
Plain whole milk Greek
Dates, pitted (16)
Blueberries
yogurt (¾ cup-1¾ cup)
Cherries, dried (1 cup)
(1¾-2½ cups)
Reduced fat cheddar
Vanilla extract
Parsley, fresh (2-3 Tbsp)
cheese, shredded
(1¼ tsp-1½ tsp)
Banana (2 medium)
(½-1 cup)
Cocoa powder,
Celery (5-12 stalks)
Ricotta cheese
unsweetened (2 Tbsp)
Red Bell Peppers
(¼-⅓ cup)
Broth, vegetable, low
(4-5 medium + ¼-½ cup)
Provolone cheese
sodium (2-3 cups)
Lettuce, shredded
(¼-½ cup)
Peanut butter (3 Tbsp +
(1-1½ cups)
Tomato, diced
(1⅓-2¾ cups)
Avocado, cubed
(½-1 cup diced)
Arugula (1-2 cups)
Dill, fresh (2-4 Tbsp)
Lemon Juice (4-6 tsp)
Onion (1-1½ cups)
2 tsp-2 Tbsp)
Frozen
Corn, frozen (½-1 cup)
Carrots, frozen
(½-¾ cup)
Cauliflower, frozen
(1½-2¼ cups)
Broccoli, frozen
(½-1½ cups)
Black Rice (1½-3¼ cups)
Pine nuts (2-3 Tbsp)
Flaxseeds (1-2 Tbsp)
Popcorn, Air Popped
(4-9 cups popped)
Hummus (¾-1½ cups)
Rice, brown
(1½-2¼ cups)
Carrots (½-¾ cup)
Olive Oil (8-13 Tbsp)
Green Bell peppers
Honey (2 tsp-1 Tbsp)
(¼-¾ cup)
Chia Seeds (¼-⅔ cup)
Garlic (1-2 cloves)
Beans, garbanzo
Crimini Mushrooms
(1-2 cups)
(Baby Portobello)
Rolled oats (½-1 cup)
(1-2 cups)
Applesauce,
Poblano Pepper, seeded
unsweetened
and diced (2 each)
(½-1½ cups)
Mint, fresh (2 Tbsp)
Apple cider vinegar
(1 Tbsp)
Quinoa (½-1½ cups)
Whole wheat penne
(1-2 cups)
Whole wheat couscous
(¾-1½ cups)
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 8
BREAKFAST
Bean Burrito
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Eggs, scrambled
1 Large
2 Large
2 Large
2 Large
2 Large
Black Beans, Canned,
drained and rinsed
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Tomato, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Scramble egg(s) in a small pan. Place all ingredients on the tortilla, and roll up tightly, starting at the bottom.
MORNING SNACK
Cinnamon Apples & Raisins
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, cored and diced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
Cinnamon
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. (Oranges are a good substitute for raisins).
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Herb & Cheese Stuffed Baked Potatoes
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Cilantro, fresh, minced
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Green Onions, sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Potato
1 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
Preparation
Wash and slice produce. Cook potato in the microwave until soft. Top with cilantro, onions, yogurt, and cheese.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Celery, cut into sticks
2 Stalks
3 Stalks
3 Stalks
3 Stalks
4 Stalks
Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Preparation
Wash and cut produce. Serve with side of hummus.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Lasagna Noodles,
whole wheat, cooked
4 Each
4 Each
5 Each
7 Each
9 Each
Spinach
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Ricotta Cheese
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
Tomato Sauce
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Basil, fresh, sliced
5 Leaves
5 Leaves
6 Leaves
6 Leaves
6 Leaves
Preparation
Cook noodles according to package directions. Heat oven to 350°F. Place a small amount of spinach, cheese, sauce, and basil on each noodle.
Roll noodles up, and place in an oven safe baking dish, top with more sauce and cover with foil. Place in oven, and bake for about 30 minutes or
until roll-ups are heated through.
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
85
Meal Plan Day 9
BREAKFAST
Granola with Fruit and Almond Milk
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 ¼ Cups
Almond Milk, unsweetened
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Dried Apricots
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Blueberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Walnuts
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Raisins
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 ½ tsp
2 tsp
Preparation
Pour granola into a bowl, and top with fruit and almond milk.
MORNING SNACK
Trail Mix
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
86
LUNCH
Vegetable Soup
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Large
1 Large
1 ½ Large
1 ½ Large
2 Large
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Broth, vegetable, low sodium
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Parsley, fresh, minced
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Black Pepper, ground
To Taste
To Taste
To Taste
To Taste
To Taste
Potatoes, sliced
Preparation
Add all ingredients to a pot. Bring to boil then simmer until veggies are soft. Dish will require slightly longer cook time if using fresh ingredients.
(We also suggest adding Italian seasoning and bay leaf for a more flavorful soup).
AFTERNOON SNACK
Apple Slices with Peanut Butter
Apple, sliced
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 tsp
2 tsp
4 tsp
5 tsp
2 Tbsp
87
DINNER
Baked Chicken with Dill Pine Nut Rice
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chicken Breast
3 oz
4 oz
4 oz
4 oz
5 oz
Black Rice, cooked
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
2 tsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Pine Nuts
Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in an oven safe dish, and bake covered for 30-45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Meanwhile, cook black rice according to package directions with onion, dill and pinch of salt. Steam broccoli for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add
pine nuts to rice, and stir. Serve chicken with broccoli and rice mixture on the side. (Suggest cooking Chicken topped with dill, onion slices and
lemon slices, for flavor. add salt and pepper to taste).
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
88
Meal Plan Day 10
BREAKFAST
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Almond Milk, unsweetened
2 Cups
2 ½ Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
4 Cups
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
5 Tbsp
Flaxseeds
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
4 Cups
4 ½ Cups
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
MORNING SNACK
Popcorn & Apple Slices
Popcorn, air popped
Apple, sliced
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
89
DINNER
Mexican Style Rice Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Brown Rice
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Black Beans, Canned,
drained and rinsed
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Tomato, diced
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Avocado, cubed
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Preparation
Wash produce. Prepare rice according to package directions. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, and serve.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Celery, cut into sticks
1 Stalk
3 Stalks
3 Stalks
4 Stalks
4 Stalks
Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ½ Medium
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Preparation
Wash and cut produce. Serve with side of hummus.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
90
DINNER
Salmon with Dill; Lemon and Arugula Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Arugula
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Salmon Fillet
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
7 oz
Dill, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Lemon Juice
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
3 tsp
Olive Oil
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 ½ Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Black Pepper, ground
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Add half of lemon juice to salmon. Bake salmon in oven safe dish for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches
at least 145°F. Toss remaining ingredients with arugula, and serve alongside salmon.
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
91
Meal Plan Day 11
BREAKFAST
Vanilla Almond Chia “Pudding”
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Almond Milk, unsweetened
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 ¼ Cups
2 ½ Cups
Chia Seeds
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
Honey
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Blueberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Preparation
Combine almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla and sweetener in a medium bowl. Store in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Stir before serving,
adding water as needed if pudding becomes too thick. Top with blueberries and serve.
MORNING SNACK
Cinnamon Apples & Raisins
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, cored and diced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ½ Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
Cinnamon
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Raisins
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
92
LUNCH
Chickpea Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Garbanzo Beans,
drained and rinsed
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Tomato, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Lemon Juice
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
Cucumber, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Red Bell pepper, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Onion, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Parsley, fresh, chopped
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Walnuts
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Raisins
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and serve.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Trail Mix
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
93
DINNER
Rosemary Chicken with Brown Rice and Cauliflower
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Chicken Breast, boneless skinless
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
6 oz
Rosemary, fresh, chopped
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Brown Rice, cooked
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Preparation
Cook rice according to package directions. Steam cauliflower until soft. Add olive oil to a skillet on medium heat. Coat chicken with rosemary,
and cook chicken breast until done. Remove chicken from the pan and serve w/ cauliflower and rice.
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
94
Meal Plan Day 12
BREAKFAST
Apple Pie Smoothie
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, cored and chopped
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 Medium
2 Medium
Oatmeal
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Almond Milk, unsweetened
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
3 Cups
3 ½ Cups
Cinnamon
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
Unsweetened Applesauce
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Ice
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Blueberries
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cup
Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Preparation
Blend all ingredients together in a blender.
MORNING SNACK
Blueberries, Yogurt & Granola
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Preparation
Mix yogurt with vanilla (and small amount of honey if desired). Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and blueberries; repeat with
remaining yogurt, granola and blueberries.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
95
LUNCH
Beet, Egg, and Veggie Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Spinach, fresh
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Egg, hard boiled
2 Large
2 Large
2 Large
3 Large
3 Large
Carrot, matchstick
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Black Pepper, ground
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Preparation
Place spinach on a plate. Mix olive oil, vinegar, and pepper in a small bowl for dressing. Top spinach with egg, veggies, and dressing, and serve.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Trail Mix
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Walnuts
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Raisins
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
96
DINNER
Chicken Quinoa Veggie Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chicken
3 oz
3 oz
4 oz
4 oz
5 oz
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Quinoa
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Spinach
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Carrot, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Onion, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Prepare quinoa according to package directions, substituting vegetable broth for all/part of water in which quinoa is to be cooked. Sauté
chicken with oil in a pan over medium high heat until cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (seasoning suggestion: salt, pepper, cumin and
paprika). Remove chicken and sauté spinach, carrot, and onion over medium heat until soft and spinach is wilted. Mix veggies and quinoa in a
bowl. Serve with chicken.
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
97
Meal Plan Day 13
BREAKFAST
Breakfast Burrito
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Egg, scrambled
2 Large
3 Large
3 Large
4 Large
4 Large
Potato, diced
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
Tomato, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Green Bell Pepper
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Black Pepper, ground
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Sauté potato, tomato, and pepper in a medium pan until soft (suggested seasonings: cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and salt). Add eggs, and
scramble. Place all ingredients on the tortilla(s), and roll up tightly, starting at the bottom
MORNING SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Celery, cut into sticks
1 Stalk
3 Stalks
3 Stalks
3 Stalks
4 Stalks
Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Preparation
Wash and cut produce. Serve with side of hummus.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
98
LUNCH
Whole Wheat Pasta Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Provolone cheese, cut into cubes
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ¼ Tbsp
Preparation
Cook past according to package directions. Sauté pepper in olive oil over medium high heat until soft (seasoning suggestion: salt pepper,
Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion). Mix pasta, provolone, and pepper in a bowl and serve.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Popcorn & Apple Slices
Popcorn, air popped
Apple, sliced
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
4 Cups
4 ½ Cups
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 ½ Medium
Preparation
Pop popcorn. Core and slice apple.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Ground Turkey Meatballs with Whole Wheat Couscous
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Turkey, ground
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
5 oz
6 oz
Cumin
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Black Pepper, ground
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Onion, diced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
Parsley, fresh
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Garlic, minced
1 Clove
1 Clove
1 Clove
1 Clove
2 Cloves
Whole Wheat Couscous, cooked
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine turkey, cumin, pepper, onion, and parsley. Form mixture into meatballs. Bake covered for ~1 hr or until
meatballs reach internal temperature of at least 165°F. Prepare couscous according to package directions, and serve alongside meatballs.
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
100
Meal Plan Day 14
BREAKFAST
Granola with Fruit and Almond Milk
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 ¼ Cups
Almond Milk, unsweetened
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Dried Apricots
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
2 tsp
2 tsp
4 tsp
5 tsp
2 Tbsp
Preparation
Pour granola into a bowl, and top with fruit and almond milk.
MORNING SNACK
Apple Slices with Peanut Butter
Apple, sliced
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
101
DINNER
Black Rice and Shrimp
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
3 oz
4 oz
6 oz
6 oz
6 oz
Black Rice, cooked
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Tomato, diced
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Mint, fresh, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Lemon Juice
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Shrimp, cooked
Preparation
Prepare black rice according to package directions. Combine shrimp, tomato, and mint in a bowl. Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Toss
with shrimp mixture, and serve (salt and pepper to taste).
EVENING SNACK
Almond Date Cherry Bites
Almond Date Cherry Bites
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Preparation
Ingredients; Almonds, sliced (1 ½ cups), Dates, pitted (16), Cherries, dried (1 cup), Vanilla extract (1 tsp), Cocoa powder, unsweetened (2 tbsp).
Blend the nuts in a food processor until they are crumbs. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse until all is sticky and combined. Roll the mixture
into 20 small balls. Place on a plate, and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. This makes enough for the rest of the week.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
102
LUNCH
Mushroom Poblano Burritos
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Poblano Pepper, seeded and diced
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Taco Seasoning
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Lettuce, shredded
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 ⅓ Cups
1 ⅓ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Black Beans, canned,
drained and rinsed
Preparation
Sauté mushrooms, peppers in a pan over medium high heat until soft. Mix in taco seasoning. Add beans to pan and cook until heated through.
Place all ingredients on a burrito, and roll up tightly starting at the bottom.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Blueberries, Yogurt & Granola
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Blueberries
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Preparation
Mix yogurt with vanilla (and small amount of honey if desired). Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and blueberries; repeat with
remaining yogurt, granola and blueberries.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
103
Week 3 Grocery List
Produce
Meat Department
Center Store
Frozen
Apples (6-10 each)
Boneless, Skinless
Almond butter
Mango (½-1 cup or
Asparagus (1 bunch)
Chicken Breast
(3-9 Tbsp or 1 jar)
1 small bag)
Avocado (1-3 each)
(12-20 oz)
Canned black beans
Pineapple (¾-1½ cups or
Bananas (5 each)
Cod (4-8 oz)
(1-2 cans)
Basil (1 bunch)
Firm Tofu (~90 cal./
Canned red kidney beans
Sweet Potatoes
Blueberries (2-4 cups)
¼ cup or 5-10 oz)
(1 can)
(½-1 cup or 1 small bag)
Broccoli (2 cups)
Pork, chop boneless
Granola (~200 cal./cup)
1 small bag)
Brussels Sprouts
(4-8 oz)
(¼-1 cup)
(½-1½ cups)
Salmon (4-8 oz)
Instant brown rice
Apple cider vinegar
(2½-3 cups)
Balsamic vinegar
Mayo, light
Chia seeds
Mozzarella Cheese, part
(2 tsp-1 Tbsp)
Coconut
Crushed red pepper
Butternut Squash
(½-1 cup)
Baby Carrots
(1 small bag)
Dairy
Seasoning/Spices
skim (1¼-2½ cups)
Natural peanut butter,
Celery (1 pack)
Mozarella Cheese Stick
unsalted
flakes
Cherry Tomatoes
part skim (2-4 each)
(3 Tbsp-8½ Tbsp)
Curry powder
(2-4 cups)
Eggs (1½-2½ dozen)
Oats, quick cooking
Dijon mustard
Garlic powder
Cilantro (1 bunch)
Feta Cheese (3-5 oz)
(1-2 cups)
Clementine Oranges
Hummus (~70 cal./2 Tbsp
Olives, black sliced
Ground cinammon
(7-10 each)
or ½-1 cup)
(2-4 Tbsp or 1 small can
Ground ginger
Cucumber (1-2 each)
Lowfat Milk (2-3 cups)
Plain rice cakes, lightly
Honey
Lemon pepper seasoning
Fresh baby spinach
Orange Juice (2 tsp)
salted (~35 cal. each
(3-5 cups)
Plain whole milk greek
(2-4 each)
Low sodium soy sauce
Garlic Cloves
yogurt (~200 cal./cup)
Quinoa (2-4 cups)
Nonstick cooking spray
(3-4 or 1 jar chopped)
(2¾-5½ cups)
Reduced sodium tomato
Olive oil
Salsa (~10 cal./2 Tbsp)
sauce (1 28oz can)
Onion, dried
(2-4 Tbsp)
Tuna, canned (1-2 cans)
Oregano
Unsalted, dry roasted
Sesame seeds
Grapes
(1½-5 cups or 1-2 bags)
Green & Red Bell Peppers
(2-3 each)
almonds (2-5 oz)
Vanilla extract
Green Beans (½-1 cup)
Unsweetened raisins
Minced onion
Baby Kale (1-2 bunches)
(1½-3 Tbsp)
Lemons (1 each)
Whole wheat bread
Mixed greens (6½ cups)
(~100 cals/slice)
Green Onions (1 bunch)
(3-5 slices)
White Onions (1-2 each)
Whole wheat penne
Parsley (1 bunch)
pasta (1 small box)
Pear (2 small)
Whole wheat pita 4
Potatoes (1 medium)
inches (4-7 each)
Strawberries
Whole wheat tortillas,
(2⅓-3½ cups)
8 inches (2-4 each)
Zucchini & Yellow Squash
(1-2 cups or 3-5 each)
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 15
BREAKFAST
Bell Pepper & Feta Breakfast Sandwich
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Eggs, scrambled
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
Salt and Pepper
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
¼ tsp Each
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Sparingly
Bell Pepper, chopped
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Mozzarella Cheese
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Cooking Oil
Whole Wheat Bread
Clementine Oranges
Preparation
In a small skillet, sauté bell pepper until soft but still crunchy. In a small bowl, beat eggs, adding 1 tsp. water for each egg and salt and
pepper. Add to skillet with peppers and stir, cooking until eggs are firm. Add cheese and place on Bread (toasted if desired), serving with
orange.
MORNING SNACK
Banana with Peanut Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Peanut Butter, Natural
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Hummus and Veggie Wraps & Fresh Fruit
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 ½ Each
2 Each
Hummus
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Spinach, fresh
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Red Peppers
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cucumber, sliced
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Carrots, shredded
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Feta Cheese
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Pear
1 Small
1 Small
1 Small
1 Small
1 Small
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Place tortilla on a flat surface and spread hummus over 2/3 of the tortilla. Top evenly with lettuce, vegetables, and feta cheese. Roll up tightly,
starting at the bottom.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Yogurt, Granola & Strawberries
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Preparation
Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and strawberries; repeat with remaining yogurt, granola and strawberries.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Chicken with Asian Vegetables & Brown Rice
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Green Beans, Yellow and
Green Squash
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Chicken Breast,
boneless skinless raw
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
7 oz
8 oz
Brown Rice, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Spice, Garlic Powder
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F and cover baking sheet pan with third of olive oil. Toss green beans and squash with 1/3 of olive oil and soy sauce.
Season chicken with the remaining 1/3 of olive oil and garlic powder. Place chicken and vegetables on sheet tray and bake until meat is
thoroughly cooked about 30 minutes depending on size and thickness. While chicken and vegetables are cooking prepare brown rice according
to package directions.
EVENING SNACK
Blueberries & Yogurt
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Blueberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
¾ Cup
Preparation
Wash blueberries place on top of yogurt (option: use frozen blueberries and blend with yogurt for smoothie).
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 16
BREAKFAST
Tropical Smoothie Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Banana, frozen
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Mangoes, frozen
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Pineapple, frozen
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Coconut
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Blueberries
Preparation
Combine the banana, mango, and pineapple in a blender. Add Greek Yogurt and blend until smooth. Pour into bowl and top with coconut,
granola, and blueberries.
MORNING SNACK
Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter & Raisins
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Natural Peanut Butter,
unsweetened
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Seedless Raisins, unsweetened
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Plain Rice Cakes, Lightly Salted
Preparation
Spread peanut butter on rice cakes, top with raisins.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Curried Egg Salad Sandwich with Side Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Egg, hard boiled
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
3 Each
Avocado
¼ Each
½ Each
½ Each
¾ Each
1 Each
Dijon Mustard
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Green Onion, chopped
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
Apple Cider Vinegar
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
¾ Tbsp
¾ Tbsp
Curry Powder
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Salad Mix
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Cherry Tomatoes
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
5 Each
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Preparation
Add eggs, avocado, dijon mustard, green onion, apple cider vinegar, and curry powder together and mash. Place in the pocket. For the salad,
combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over salad mix. Add tomatoes.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Grapes & Almonds
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Grapes
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
2 Cups
2 Cups
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
¾ oz
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Tofu Stir-Fry with Greens and Brown Rice
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Brown Rice, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Red Pepper, fresh
¼ Medium
¼ Medium
¼ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
Firm Tofu, cubed
¾ Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Baby Kale, chopped
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Green Onions, sliced
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Sesame Seeds
Dash
Dash
Dash
Dash
Dash
Preparation
Cook rice according to the package directions. Sauté tofu and olive oil in pain until tofu is golden brown on all sides. Add the red peppers and
sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add in kale, green onions, garlic, and soy sauce and sauté for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
EVENING SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Hummus
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Carrots
9 Each
9 Each
9 Each
10 Each
12 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
110
Meal Plan Day 17
BREAKFAST
Egg & Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Zucchini, chopped
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Egg
2 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
4 Each
Nonfat Milk
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Oregano, dried
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Basil, fresh
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Brown Rice, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
⅓ Cup
1 Cup
Red Kidney Beans, canned
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Feta Cheese
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Preparation
In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook zucchini. Once golden brown, remove from pan. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, and
oregano. In same skillet, pour in egg mixture and scramble. Add fresh basil to eggs. Prepare brown rice according to directions. In a bowl,
assemble the zucchini, eggs, rice, beans, tomatoes, and top with cheese.
MORNING SNACK
Apple Slices with Almond Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Almond Butter
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Mediterranean Pizza
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
Tomato Sauce, canned
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
Mozzarella Cheese, part-skim
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
Baby Spinach
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
Cherry Tomato, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
Green Pepper, sliced
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
1 Each
Black Olives, sliced
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Salad, Mixed Greens
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F. Arrange pita on round baking sheet and spread tomato sauce on pita. Add cheese, spinach, tomatoes, pepper, and olives.
Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown. Top mixed greens with olive oil and vinegar.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Almonds & Clementines
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
Clementine Orange
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Salmon with Pineapple Salsa, Quinoa, and Asparagus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Pineapple, frozen,
thawed and drained
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
White Onion
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Cilantro, chopped, fresh
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Cider Vinegar
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Red Pepper, ground
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
Salmon Fillet
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
7 oz
8 oz
Quinoa, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Asparagus, fresh
10 Each
10 Each
10 Each
10 Each
10 Each
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Preparation
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat a nonstick pan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Cook fish until it
flakes easily when tested with a fork. Top with salsa. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Sauté asparagus in a pan with olive oil.
EVENING SNACK
Blueberries with Yogurt
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Blueberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
¾ Cup
Preparation
Wash blueberries and top or mix in to yogurt (option: use frozen blueberries and blend with yogurt for smoothie).
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 18
BREAKFAST
Blueberry-Chia Overnight Oats
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 oz
1 ½ oz
Nonfat Milk
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
Quick Cooking Oats
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Chia Seeds
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Blueberries, fresh
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Preparation
In a bowl, mix the milk, yogurt, vanilla, oats, chia seeds, and half of the almonds. Then stir in half of the blueberries. Top with the remaining
blueberries and almonds. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
MORNING SNACK
Hard Boiled Egg & Grapes
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Egg, hard boiled
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Grapes
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Butternut Squash, Kale, and Black Bean Wraps & Fresh Apple
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Butternut Squash, frozen
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Baby Kale, fresh
½ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Olive Oil
½ tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Black Beans, canned,
rinsed and drained
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Mozzarella Cheese, part-skim
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Apple
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Preparation
Heat skillet over medium heat and add squash with 3 tablespoons of water; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and stir in kale and olive oil
and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in black beans. Cool mixture. Once cooled, place mixture in tortilla and top with mozzarella
cheese. Roll tortilla from the bottom up. Enjoy apple on the side.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Banana with Peanut Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Peanut Butter, Natural
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Baked Potato
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Chicken Breast,
boneless skinless, raw
4 oz
6 oz
7 oz
8 oz
8 oz
Parsley, fresh chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Brussels Sprouts, frozen
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Potato, baked
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°F. Toss Brussels sprouts with half of the olive oil. Coat chicken with the other half of the olive oil and top with parsley. Place
chicken and Brussels sprouts on pan that has been coated with non stick spray. Cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Cook potato in the microwave until soft. Cut open potato and top with Brussels sprouts and serve alongside chicken.
EVENING SNACK
Cheese Stick & Apple
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Mozzarella Cheese Stick,
part-skim
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Apple
½ Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 19
BREAKFAST
Egg Frittatas, Wheat Toast, and Orange
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Egg
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
3 Each
Nonfat Milk
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
6 Tbsp
Baby Spinach, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
6 Tbsp
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Peanut Butter, Natural
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Clementine Orange
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Whole Wheat Bread, toasted
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat muffin pan with cooking oil or nonstick spray. Beat eggs and milk in a bowl until blended. Add spinach
and cheese and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until set. Pair frittatas with whole wheat toast and
peanut butter. Finish with fresh clementine.
MORNING SNACK
Yogurt, Granola & Strawberries
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Preparation
Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and strawberries; repeat with remaining yogurt, granola and strawberries.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Tuna Salad Sandwich with Mixed Greens
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Tuna, canned, 5 oz
1 Each
1 Each
1 ½ Each
2 Each
2 Each
Celery, sliced
½ Medium
½ Medium
¾ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Onion, dried
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
½ Tbsp
Dijon Mustard
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Salad, mixed greens
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Preparation
Mix together yogurt, tuna, celery, onion, and mustard until combined. Serve in pita. Serve mixed greens with olive oil and vinegar.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Apple Slices with Almond Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Almond Butter
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Baked Potato
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Chicken Breast,
boneless skinless, raw
4 oz
6 oz
7 oz
8 oz
8 oz
Parsley, fresh chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Brussels Sprouts, frozen
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Potato, baked
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°F. Toss Brussels sprouts with half of the olive oil. Coat chicken with the other half of the olive oil and top with parsley. Place
chicken and Brussels sprouts on pan that has been coated with non stick spray. Cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Cook potato in the microwave until soft. Cut open potato and top with Brussels sprouts and serve alongside chicken.
EVENING SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Hummus
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Carrots
9 Each
9 Each
9 Each
10 Each
12 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
119
Meal Plan Day 20
BREAKFAST
Ginger Pear Oatmeal Smoothie
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Nonfat Milk
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Oats, quick cooking
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Pear, sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Banana, sliced
½ Small
½ Small
¾ Small
¾ Small
1 Small
Ice Cubes
4 Each
4 Each
4 Each
6 Each
6 Each
Ginger, ground
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Cinnamon, ground
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
⅛ tsp
Almond Butter
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Preparation
Add all ingredients and blend until smooth. If you desire a thicker smoothie add more ice cubes.
MORNING SNACK
Hard Boiled Egg & Grapes
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Egg, hard boiled
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Grapes
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Chicken and Avocado Salad Jar
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Dijon Mustard
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
Cucumber, sliced
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Brown Rice, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Chicken, cooked and cubed
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
7 oz
8 oz
Avocado
¼ Medium
¼ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
Salad, mixed greens
3 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
Preparation
Prepare brown rice according to directions and allow to cool. Cook chicken in a nonstick skillet with nonstick spray until thoroughly cooked
then cube. For the dressing, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, and mustard. Use a 32 ounce or larger mason jar. First pour in the dressing, then
cucumbers, followed by the brown rice, next the chicken, and finally the mixed greens and avocado. Top with lid. Shake jar before eating.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Almonds & Clementines
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
Clementine Orange
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
3 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Pasta with Zucchini
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Zucchini, quartered and sliced
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Tomatoes, canned, diced
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
White Onion, diced
¼ Small
¼ Small
½ Small
½ Small
¾ Small
Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 ½ Each
2 Each
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Preparation
Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Heat olive oil and sauté the onions until soft and add the zucchini and cook for an additional
10 minutes then add the tomatoes and garlic and simmer on low for about 20 minutes (feel free to add mushrooms or half with zucchini). Serve
zucchini sauce over pasta.
EVENING SNACK
Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter & Raisins
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Natural Peanut Butter,
unsweetened
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Seedless Raisins, unsweetened
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Plain Rice Cakes, Lightly Salted
Preparation
Spread peanut butter on rice cakes, top with raisins.
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Meal Plan Day 21
BREAKFAST
Breakfast Pita with Fresh Banana
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Egg
2 Each
2 Each
4 Each
4 Each
5 Each
Salsa, prepared
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Mozzarella Cheese
⅛ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Banana
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Preparation
In a bowl, mix eggs together. Cook in a pan with nonstick spray. Add scrambled eggs, salsa, and cheese to pita. Enjoy banana on the side.
MORNING SNACK
Yogurt, Granola & Blueberries
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Blueberries, fresh
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and blueberries; repeat with remaining yogurt, granola and blueberries.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad with Fresh Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Quinoa, cooked
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Sweet Potato, frozen
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Baby Spinach, fresh
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Black Beans, canned, rinsed
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Avocado
¼ Medium
¼ Medium
¼ Medium
¼ Medium
½ Medium
Olive Oil
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Strawberries
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°F. Drizzle sweet potatoes with olive oil on a sheet pan and roast for 20-25 minutes. Prepare quinoa according to directions. In
a bowl, layer spinach, quinoa, beans, and top with roasted sweet potatoes. Enjoy sliced strawberries on the side.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Apple Slices with Almond Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Almond Butter
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Grilled Pork with Broccoli and Quinoa
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Pork Chop, boneless
4 oz
6 oz
6 oz
8 oz
8 oz
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Broccoli, fresh chopped
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Quinoa
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Olive Oil
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Feta Cheese
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Season with lemon pepper seasoning and grill pork chop until completely cooked through. Cook quinoa according to directions. Steam broccoli
until bright green. Flavor quinoa with feta cheese. Drizzle broccoli with olive oil.
EVENING SNACK
Cheese Stick & Apple
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Mozzarella Cheese Stick,
part-skim
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Apple
½ Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Week 4 Grocery List
Produce
Produce
Center Store
Center Store
Apple, red (size of a
Spinach, baby (2½-3½
Almond butter (1 jar)
Tortillas, corn, small
tennis ball, 4 each)
cups or 1-2 bags)
Almonds, dry roasted
(~50 cals. each, 2-4)
Avocado (1-2 each)
Strawberries
unsalted (½-1 cup)
Tortilla, whole wheat
Bananas (2-4 each)
(2½-4¾ cups)
Bagel, whole wheat
(~130 cals. each, 4-10)
Blueberries, fresh
Tomato, medium (1 each)
(~200 cal. each, 2 each)
(1-2 cups)
Tomatoes, cherry
Beans, black canned
Broccoli (1-2 cups)
(small container)
Beans, white canned
Cinnamon
Cabbage, red, shredded
Zucchini (green and/or
Bread Crumbs, whole
Coconut
(1 bag)
yellow, 2-3 medium)
wheat
Honey
Chia seeds
Italian Seasoning
Chocolate, dark
Olive Oil
Chicken, breast boneless
(~150 cal. per oz)
Oregano, dried
Spice, chili poweder
Carrots, baby (1 bag)
Celery, sticks (4 each)
Cilantro (1 bunch)
Cucumbers, slices ¼”
Meat Department
Seasoning/Spices
skinless (12-22 oz)
Rice Cake (~35 cal. each)
(½-1 each)
Pork, boneless chop
(5-11)
Spice, lemon pepper
Garlic, diced (2-4 cloves)
(3-5 oz)
Granola
Taco seasoning
Grapes (2-6 cups)
Salmon (3-6 oz)
(~200 cal. per cup)
Vanilla
Shrimp, extra large
Mustard, Dijon
Vinegar, balsamic
(16-20 count, 1 lb)
Oats, rolled old fashioned
Vinegar, red-wine
Green beans, whole
(1-1½ cups)
Lemon, juice
(small container)
Lettuce, mixed greens
(4 cups)
Lime, juice
dry (¼-½ cup)
Dairy
Orzo (½-¾ cup)
Frozen
Cheese, cheddar
Pasta, whole wheat
Asparagus, chopped
shredded (1-2 cups)
penne (1½-3 cups)
(¾ cup)
Brussel sprouts (¾-1 cup)
Cheese, cottage whole
Peanut butter, natural
(small container)
(1-2 cups)
(1 jar)
Butternut squash
Mint, chopped (1 bunch)
Cheese, feta (2-5 Tbsp)
Pecans, chopped
(½-1 cup)
Cheese, mozzarella stick
(2-3 Tbsp)
Cauliflower (1 cup)
Corn (½-1 cup)
Onion, red (1 each)
Onion, white (1-2 each)
part skim (3 each)
Peppers, roasted red
Onions, green (1 bunch)
Cheese, ricotta whole
(1 jar)
Mango (¾-1½ cup)
Orange, clementine
milk (1-2 cups)
Pesto (2-4 Tbsp)
Peach (¼-½ cup)
Egg (1-2 dozen)
Popcorn, air popped
Peas (¼ cup)
Potatoes, shredded
(1-3 each)
Orange, fresh small
Greek yogurt, whole
(30 cal. per cup)(3 cups)
(size of a tennis ball
(3½-6¾ cups)
Quinoa (¾-1c cups)
(1 bag)
peeled, 1 each)
Hummus (¾-1½ cups)
Rice, brown (¾-1 cup)
Raspberries (1¼-1¾ cups)
Parsley, fresh (1 bunch)
Milk, nonfat (1-2 cups)
Roll, whole wheat
Pepper, green (1 each)
hamburger (2 each)
Pepper, orange (1 each)
Salsa (2-4 Tbsp)
Pepper, red (1 each)
Tomatoes, diced can with
Portobello Mushroom,
italian herbs low salt
large cap (1 each)
(1 can)
Red Potato (1-2 each)
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 22
BREAKFAST
Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Oats, rolled, old fashioned
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Blueberries, fresh
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Pecans, chopped
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Honey
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Cook oats according to package directions. Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Top with blueberries, yogurt, pecans and honey.
MORNING SNACK
Hard Boiled Egg & Grapes
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Egg, hard boiled
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Grapes
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
127
LUNCH
Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Avocado
½ Each
¾ Each
¾ Each
½ Each
1 Each
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Baby Spinach
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Mash avocado and beans together in a bowl using a fork. Stir in cheese. Spread mixture on wrap and top with spinach. Roll and cut in
half to serve.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Carrots with Cottage Cheese Dip
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Cottage Cheese, whole
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Black Pepper
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
¾ tsp
¾ tsp
Baby Carrots
8 Each
8 Each
10 Each
12 Each
16 Each
Preparation
Mix black pepper with cottage cheese. Use carrots for dipping.
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DINNER
Salmon with Brown Rice & Roasted Broccoli
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Broccoli
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
Brown Rice, cooked
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Salmon
3 oz
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
Italian Seasoning
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F. Put small amount of cooking oil in pan ( or spray pan with nonstick spray). Rub salmon with both garlic powder and Italian
seasoning (salt and pepper if desired). Coat broccoli with olive oil. Place salmon and broccoli on pan, place in oven and cook until salmon easily
flakes with a fork.
EVENING SNACK
Rice Cakes & Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese Stick, part skim
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 ½ Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 ½ Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
129
Meal Plan Day 23
BREAKFAST
Florentine Hash Skillet
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Potatoes, shredded, frozen
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ⅓ Cups
Baby Spinach, chopped
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Egg
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp
2 ⅔ Tbsp
2 ⅔ Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 ⅓ Tbsp
Preparation
Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Layer potatoes and spinach into the pan. Crack egg on top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover,
reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the hash browns are starting to brown on the bottom, the egg is set and the cheese is melted,
around 7 minutes.
MORNING SNACK
Bagel with Peanut Butter
Whole Wheat Bagel
Peanut Butter, natural
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅔ Tbsp
Preparation
Toast bagel if desired. Spread peanut butter on bagel.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Southwestern Corn & Black Bean Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Corn, frozen
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Lime, juice of one
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Black Beans, canned
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Tomato, diced
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
¾ Medium
1 Medium
Red Cabbage, shredded
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 ½ Each
2 Each
2 Each
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Whisk juice of lime, oil, cilantro in a large bowl. Add the corn, cabbage, and tomato and toss to coat. Scoop up salad with tortilla. Heat or eat
cold. Suggest adding paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper as seasonings.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Yogurt, Granola & Strawberries
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Preparation
Place half of yogurt in bowl and top with granola and strawberries; repeat with remaining yogurt, granola and strawberries.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Pesto Crusted Chicken with Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussels Sprouts
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chicken Breast,
boneless, skinless
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
5 oz
6 oz
Pesto
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Butternut Squash, frozen
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Brussels Sprouts, frozen
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Olive Oil
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°F. Top chicken with pesto and bread crumbs. Toss squash and brussels sprouts in olive oil. Spray a pan with nonstick spray
and place all items on the pan and bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked (suggest covering with foil).
EVENING SNACK
Popcorn & Dark Chocolate
Popcorn, air popped
Dark Chocolate
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
3 Cups
½ oz
½ oz
¾ oz
1 oz
1 oz
132
Meal Plan Day 24
BREAKFAST
Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Quinoa, cooked
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Apple, chopped
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Dry Roasted Almonds,
unsalted, chopped
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
Nonfat Milk
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Cinnamon
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Vanilla
½ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Preparation
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add quinoa, apple, and nuts into a bowl. Add the milk and vanilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
MORNING SNACK
Banana with Peanut Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Peanut Butter, Natural
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Orzo & Grape Salad with Feta and Mint
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Orzo, cooked
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Seedless Grapes, halved
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Feta Cheese
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Mint, chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Red Onion, chopped
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Cook orzo according to package directions. Whisk oil and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Add grapes, feta, mint, onion and orzo into the
dressing. Mix until combined.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Blueberries with Yogurt
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Blueberries
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
¾ Cup
Preparation
Wash blueberries and top or mix in to yogurt (option: use frozen blueberries and blend with yogurt for smoothie).
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Italian Roasted Pork Chops with Green Beans and Red Potatoes
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Pork Chop, boneless
3 oz
3 oz
4 oz
4 oz
5 oz
Green Beans, whole
fresh or frozen
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Red Potato, quartered
1 Small
1 Small
1 Small
2 Small
2 Small
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Parsley, fresh
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Italian Seasoning
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray pan with nonstick spray. Season pork with Italian seasoning. In a bowl, combine potatoes, green beans, olive oil,
and parsley. Place pork, potatoes, and green beans on pan and cook until pork is thoroughly cooked. (suggestions: add Italian seasoning, garlic
powder, salt and pepper to potatoes and green beans).
EVENING SNACK
Almonds & Clementines
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Dry Roasted Almonds, unsalted
½ oz
½ oz
½ oz
1 oz
1 oz
Clementine Orange
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
135
Meal Plan Day 25
BREAKFAST
Breakfast Taco
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
3 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
Egg
2 Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 Each
5 Each
Salsa
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Strawberries, fresh, sliced
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Preparation
In a bowl, beat eggs. Over medium heat in a skillet with small amount of cooking oil add the eggs and cook until the eggs are cooked through.
Heat tortilla in second pan, and divide the eggs between the tortillas. Top with salsa and cheese.
MORNING SNACK
Yogurt with Pecans & Honey
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Pecans, chopped
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Honey
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Top yogurt with pecans and honey.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
136
LUNCH
Grilled Chicken Sandwich Cali Style with Pasta Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chicken, boneless, skinless
grilled
3 oz
3 oz
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
Whole Wheat Hamburger Roll
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Avocado, cubed
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
Baby Spinach
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
1 Cup
Cherry Tomatoes
4 Each
4 Each
6 Each
8 Each
8 Each
Red Onion, diced
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Green Pepper, diced
¼ Each
¼ Each
¼ Each
½ Each
½ Each
Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Olive Oil
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Preparation
Heat skillet over medium heat. Coat skillet with cooking oil. Thoroughly cook chicken in skillet (can also grill if desired). Whisk together olive
oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add pepper, onion, tomatoes, and pasta and mix together. Serve chicken on roll topped with avocado and
spinach (suggest mashing avocado with garlic powder, pepper, and salt then spread on bun). Serve pasta salad on side.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Apple Slices with Almond Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple, sliced
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Almond Butter
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
137
DINNER
Squash and White Bean Sauté
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Zucchini/Squash,
fresh, diced
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ½ Cups
1 ¾ Cups
Oregano, dried
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
White Beans, canned, rinsed
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Tomato, chopped
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Feta Cheese
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Brown Rice, cooked
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add zucchini/squash, oregano and stir to combine. Reduce
heat and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and stir in beans, tomatoes, and vinegar and cook until heated. Remove from
heat and stir in feta cheese.
EVENING SNACK
Rice Cakes & Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese Stick, part skim
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 ½ Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 ½ Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
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Meal Plan Day 26
BREAKFAST
Ricotta & Yogurt Parfait
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Vanilla
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 ½ tsp
Whole Milk Ricotta
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
Raspberries, frozen
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Dry Roasted Almonds,
unsalted, chopped
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Chia Seeds
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
Preparation
Combine yogurt, ricotta,and vanilla in a bowl. Top with raspberries, almonds and chia seeds.
MORNING SNACK
Hard Boiled Egg & Grapes
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Egg, hard boiled
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Grapes
½ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Roasted Portobello Mushroom Sandwich and Creamy Pasta Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Portobello Mushroom, cap
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
1 Large
Pesto
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅔ Tbsp
2 ⅓ Tbsp
Whole Wheat Roll
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Baby Spinach
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Green Onions, chopped
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Egg, hard boiled, chopped
½ Each
1 Each
1 ½ Each
2 Each
2 Each
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked
Greek Yogurt
Preparation
Brush mushroom cap with pesto on each side and broil in oven on pan with nonstick spray for 4 minutes on each side. Place the mushroom
on the roll top with tomato and spinach. In a bowl, mix yogurt and dijon mustard together. Add egg, onions, and pasta to yogurt dressing and
combine.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Bagel with Ricotta & Strawberries
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
Ricotta Cheese
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Strawberries, fresh
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
Whole Wheat Bagel
Preparation
Spread ricotta on bagel half. Top with strawberries. (or eat berries on the side)
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Chicken Fajita Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chicken, boneless, skinless
sliced into strips
3 oz
4 oz
4 oz
5 oz
6 oz
Red Pepper, sliced into strips
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
Green Pepper, sliced into strips
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
1 Each
Orange Pepper, sliced into strips
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
White Onion, sliced into strips
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
½ Each
Olive Oil
2 tsp
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Avocado
¼ Each
¼ Each
½ Each
⅓ Each
½ Each
Brown Rice, cooked
⅓ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°F. Combine chicken, peppers, onions, olive oil and taco seasoning in a bowl and mix well. Place chicken, peppers, and onion
mixture on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook until chicken is throughly cooked. Cook brown rice according to
directions. In a bowl layer brown rice, cooked chicken/pepper/onion mixture, and avocado.
EVENING SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
Baby Carrots
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
9 Each
9 Each
10 Each
10 Each
12 Each
2 Each
2 Each
4 Each
4 Each
6 Each
Preparation
Wash and cut produce. Serve with side of hummus.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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Meal Plan Day 27
BREAKFAST
Breakfast Sandwich with Fresh Orange
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Egg
1 Each
2 Each
3 Each
4 Each
5 Each
Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
5 Tbsp
6 Tbsp
Orange, fresh
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Whole Wheat Bagel
Preparation
Beat eggs in bowl and add cheese stir to combine. In a nonstick skillet, spray nonstick spray and over medium heat cook egg and cheese
mixture. Top bagel with cooked egg and cheese to make a sandwich..
MORNING SNACK
Yogurt with Banana
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Banana
½ Medium
½ Medium
½ Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Preparation
Top yogurt with sliced banana.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
142
LUNCH
Mediterranean Chicken Wrap with Mixed Green Salad
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Chicken Breast, boneless,
skinless, sliced into strips
2 oz
3 oz
4 oz
4 oz
6 oz
Hummus
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Roasted Red Peppers
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Baby Spinach
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cucumbers, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Lettuce, mixed greens
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Cook chicken in a nonstick skillet with small amount of cooking oil over medium heat. Lay tortilla flat and spread out hummus. Add cooked
chicken, peppers, spinach, and cucumbers. Roll up in tortilla. In a bowl, mix oil and vinegar together and add salad greens and combine.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Carrots with Cottage Cheese Dip
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Whole Milk Cottage Cheese
½ Cup
⅔ Cup
⅔ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
¾ tsp
¾ tsp
Baby Carrots
8 Each
8 Each
8 Each
12 Each
16 Each
Preparation
Mix lemon pepper with cottage cheese. Use carrots for dipping (if you don’t like lemon pepper feel free to substitute desired spice; garlic
powder and Italian seasoning also work well).
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Pasta with Asparagus and Ricotta
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta, cooked
½ Cup
¾ Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ¼ Cups
1 ⅔ Cups
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
White Onion, diced
3 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
Garlic, diced
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
White Beans
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
Canned Tomatoes, diced with
italian herbs, low salt
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ½ Cups
1 ¾ Cups
Asparagus, frozen, chopped
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
5 Tbsp
5 Tbsp
5 Tbsp
Preparation
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet then add onion and garlic for about 3 minutes. Next add asparagus and sauté for 2 minutes. Finally add tomatoes
and beans and simmer for about 4 minutes over low heat. Mix in cooked pasta until well combined. Serve with ricotta cheese on top.
EVENING SNACK
Rice Cakes & Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese Stick, part skim
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
2 Each
2 ½ Each
3 Each
4 Each
4 ½ Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
144
Meal Plan Day 28
BREAKFAST
Fruit Smoothie Bowl
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Mango Chunks, frozen
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 ¼ Cups
1 ½ Cups
Nonfat Milk
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
Peach Chunks, frozen, thawed
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Raspberries, frozen, thawed
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¾ Cup
Vanilla
½ tsp
½ tsp
1 tsp
1 ½ tsp
1 ½ tsp
Dry Roasted Almonds,
unsalted, chopped
1 Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
1 ⅓ Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Coconut
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Chia Seeds
1 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp
Preparation
Combine mango, yogurt and vanilla in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour smoothie into a bowl and top with peach slices, raspberries,
almonds, coconut, and chia seeds.
MORNING SNACK
Banana with Peanut Butter
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Banana
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
1 Medium
Peanut Butter, Natural
½ Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
1 ½ Tbsp
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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LUNCH
Spinach, Bean & Cheddar Quesadilla
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
4 Tbsp
1 Each
1 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Cucumbers, sliced
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
Lettuce, mixed greens
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
2 Cups
Olive Oil
2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 ⅔ Tbsp
Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
Grapes
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Spinach
Cheddar Cheese
Whole Wheat Tortilla
Preparation
Heat tortilla in a nonstick skillet. Sprinkle half the cheese, then spinach, and beans followed by the remaining half of cheese. Fold the tortilla
over and press down to seal. Press down until the bottom is brown and then gently flip lightly brown the other side. Serve with salad and grapes.
AFTERNOON SNACK
Veggies with Hummus
Baby Carrots
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
3 Tbsp
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
9 Each
9 Each
10 Each
12 Each
16 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
2 Each
Preparation
Wash and cut produce. Serve with side of hummus.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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DINNER
Chili Lime Shrimp over Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
5 Each
8 Each
12 Each
14 Each
16 Each
Chili Powder
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
Quinoa, cooked
½ Cup
¾ Cup
¾ Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
Peas, frozen
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
¼ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
1 Cup
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
Shrimp, extra large
Lime Juice
Preparation
Cook quinoa according to directions and add peas in the last 3 minutes of cooking. Stir in 1/2 of the lime juice. Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss
cauliflower with 1/2 of the olive oil and place on pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. In a a bowl combine the other 1/2 of the lime juice, chili powder,
and shrimp. In a nonstick skillet heat the rest of the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté shrimp until cooked roughly 4-5 minutes. Plate quinoa/
pea mixture and top with shrimp and cauliflower. (feel free to sub shrimp for chicken. Replace each shrimp with 1/2 oz of chicken).
EVENING SNACK
Apple with Ricotta Cheese
1600cal
2000cal
2400cal
2800cal
3200cal
Apple
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
1 Each
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
⅛ Cup
¼ Cup
⅓ Cup
½ Cup
½ Cup
Cinnamon
⅛ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
½ tsp
½ tsp
Preparation
Preheat broiler and place sliced apple on baking sheet and broil for about 10 minutes until tender. Mix ricotta and cinnamon and top apple with
mixture.
Fitness Blender 4 Week Meal Plan
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