I've said it once and I'll say it again-abs are made in the kitchen! I think it fair to say that when most people picture their ideal physique it includes a nice set of abs.  Truth be told lots of people have great abs but they are hiding under a layer of fat.  You can do abdominal exercises until you are blue in the face but until you start eating the right amount of the right foods you won't ever see them! I'm currently 7 weeks from my first competition so calories and macros have been on the forefront of my mind.  I do have to say that after over a year of eating clean and counting macros I'm getting better at it! I used to write down a plan every night and constantly be staring at my Fitness Pal app to be sure I was tracking...so exhausting.  But I've found a few short cuts that have made my life SO much easier and hopefully they will help you too!

Every Sunday I go shopping at Trader Joe's-love that place!
My Grocery List-

• 99% Ground Turkey Breast-3 lbs (3 packages at Trader Joe's)
• Frozen chicken breast-3 Bags
• Talapia(or other white fish)-7 Fillets
• Canned Tuna
• Almonds-Dry Roasted/Unsalted
• Peanut Butter-unsalted
• Avocado-3
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Green Beans
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Red Onion
• Spinach
• Egg Whites(3-4 cartons)
• Greek Yogurt
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brown Rice
• Rolled Oats

I usually spend about $150 and it's enough food for about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks(6 meals per day). Once I get home I plan out my meals for the week.  I use the My Fitness Pal App to log my menu and make sure I'm hitting all my macros.  I try to mix up the protein and carb source for every meal to keep it varied.  For example, I won't eat chicken breast for every meal.  I'll have turkey in the morning, chicken for lunch and fish for dinner.  Once I've got my menu I start cooking!

Cooking Methods
Chicken-The simplest way to cook frozen chicken is to boil it. I dump two bags into a big pot and 20 minutes later it's done! This does not add ANY flavor but if you are cool with that it's the easiest method.

Turkey Breast-I mix it up with different seasoning but always use lots of garlic powder(not garlic salt), red chili flakes and onion. These are all guilt free flavor boosters! Last week I threw in some basil and hot sauce for a little Thai Basil spin.  Note-I always use extra lean 99% Fat Free.

Fish-Pan seared, no oil. I usually add cayenne pepper and a little squirt of lemon juice.

Veggies-Roasted is the way to go! Everything taste good spread out on a cookie sheet roasted at 400 for 20 minutes.  I usually add about a teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Lemon juice is a great addition too.

Condiments!
These condiments will become your best friend.  They have virtually no carbs and add a huge flavor boost to anything and everything. I will cut out Tapatio due to sodium once I'm closer to my competition but for now it's fair game!
*Mustard
*Salsa
*Cinnamon
*Hot Sauce

Once I have everything cooked it's time to bust out every piece of Tupperware in the kitchen! I set them all out and measure my veggies and weigh my protein.  You will feel like an assembly line worker so just get used to it! Start to finish it takes me about 2.5-3 hours to make meals for 7 days, how amazing is that! Just a few hours a week spent in the kitchen and I don't have to even think about what I'm going to eat for a week! I can't tell you how much this has reduced my stress...aahhh:).  Not to mention, it gives me ZERO excuses to get off track! Preparation is the key to success and getting those abs!

I label each meal with the day and which meal it is. Yes, I'm a bit neurotic I know!

Happy Cooking~

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