Meatless Monday: What I'm Eating 10 Days Out from a Bikini Show

If you've been following me for a while now, you know since October I've been sloowwly prepping for a bikini fitness competition. Which, somehow, is now NEXT WEEK. *Puke.*

I LIVE to disprove the stereotype that vegans are skinny and weak. This competition has lit a new level of fire under me to up my reps, improve my stretch, and see new definition.

I will be 100% honest though--when I first started this prep, the only experience I had getting shredded and building muscle had been 100% reliant on animal products. My diet last time I got super into bodybuilding was crazy heavy on tilapia, chicken, egg whites, yogurt, boiled eggs, whey, milk, etc. So I WASN'T entire convinced I could do this vegan. Thankfully, our company has SO many vegan meal plans, I knew I at least had a system to turn to. I was just a liiiittle unsure how my body would respond.

Fast forward a couple months and that doubt was completely and utterly crushed, thanks to the progress I was seeing!

10 days out, I'm using our "countdown to competition" meal plan, veganized of course, and here's a sample of the meals I'm eating!

1. Let's start with drinks.
Coffee, Clean Machine BCAAs, and Beachbody Energize, along with 2 gallons of water a day are non negotiables for me. I'm a coffee addict, no shame, BCAAs help me to not break down muscle while I'm losing fat, Energize is BAE, and water is a huuugee must! I'm doing 2 gallons a day all this week and will taper down the week of the show to "only" a gallon or so! I'm also taking this Natural Calm supplement each night to help me wind down and sleep. Stress and insomnia are your worst enemy when trying to change your body!

Protein Pancakes or Oats for Breakfast

My breakfasts haven't really changed over the the last several months--I'm always having either oatmeal or protein pancakes, which entail the same exact ingredients actually...it just depends if I choose to blend them into batter, or eating them as oatmeal. Basically, oats, a vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, Ripple pea protein milk, and some PB2 mixed in. The only difference is I add baking soda if it's being turned into pancake batter, and obviously cook them into pancakes, topped with agave syrup :) I don't mess around with breakfast, and this one is totally macro-friendly and delicious!

Macro Bowls for Lunch and Dinner
The last week I've been keeping things simple: some type of vegetable and protein for lunch, topped with a sauce of choice.

Lately that's been looking like a big bowl of blanched green beans, asparagus, or both, plus some sliced up avocado, tomato, and either some baked tofu, cooked Fieldroast sausage, or beefless beef crumbles. I might top this with BBQ or Trader Joe's Soyaki, but typically I keep it even simpler with some liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, and alwayysss hot sauce or sriracha. It's basically a big cluster of goodness and I could, and do, eat this everyyy day. If I feel fancy I'll saute (in a little vegetable broth, instead of oil) some sliced onions and peppers, or maybe mix up the veggies and do Brussels sprouts or cauliflowers instead. The options are truly endless but this is always a healthy and delicious meal!

Snacks and Seasonings

Okay, a couple random things I had to close this blog post up by mentioning.

Not to be basic butttt....I've been LOVING these rice cakes this last homestretch of prep. They're a great simple carb to fuel up for a workout, plus they're delicious and I'm hooked.

Furthering my basicness, I've been really feeling the PB2, which is a much lower calorie/fat way to still get my peanut butter fix!

One snack I used to have all the time post-workout is a protein rice pudding, which I make with cooked white rice, cinnamon, raising, vanilla protein powder or vanilla superfood powder, and Ripple pea protein milk. I literally just stir it all up and pop it in the fridge and it's SO dang good.

Seasonings that are coming in CLUTCH this prep, are liquid aminos, as I mentioned, plus hot sauce all day every day, and....basic, I know, but spicy mustard! It's zero calorie and adds SO much flavor. Maybe it's due to summertime, but for some reason warm weather makes me think of burgers, so I crave mustard and ketchup on everryythingg...

This should come as no surprise, but my superfoods are snack #1, always! I can't and don't go a day without them. Lately I've been using our cafe latte flavor blended with turmeric and cinnamon into cold brew coffee, and it's SO much yummier, healthier, and cheaper than Starbucks!

As I always try to stress, I am NOT a nutritionist myself--I just have access to ALL the best nutrition programs made by actual nutritionists, registered dietitians, and coaches.

I can't imagine NOT having these meal plans at my finger tips. I would waste so much time Googling and Pinterest-ing and still being hella confused about what to eat and when/how much of it. I played that game for years and it was exhausting and unrewarding. I can't stress enough how much I am a believer in following an expert-made nutrition plan that's right for you, vs. basing your health on what you read in Shape magazine or see on Instagram!

If you don't know where to start, that's where I come in! ALL of my online clients get set up with a meal plan that's right for them. I'm just a message away y'all!