Winter Shape Up: Week 4 Meal Plan

Congratulations – you’ve almost made it through the challenge! Welcome to week 4, the final week of the Winter Shape Up! (Looking for the home base Winter Shape Up page? Click here – it has the answers to any questions you might have about the challenge and links to all the weekly content, too!) Thank you all so much for your participation in the challenge – we hope you’ve found it fun and inspiring!

As you know, my friend Gina and I have partnered up to bring you this fun healthy living 4 week challenge to inspire you to kick off the year on the right foot in terms of fitness and nutrition. Gina is a personal trainer, so on her site, you’ll find the weekly workouts for the challenge, including videos. Here on mine, I’ll be sharing the weekly nutrition-focused content, which will feature quick and easy recipe ideas for your meals and snacks.

We’d love to hear how you guys are doing with this challenge! If you share updates or photos on social media, please include #WinterShapeUp and, if you have space, tag both myself (@fANNEtasticfood – follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!) and Gina (@fitnessista) so we can see! 🙂 You are also welcome to snag this graphic to put in your posts or on your blog sidebar, if you want!

Before I get into the plan, please remember that everyone’s nutrition needs are different and will vary based on activity level, age, gender, height/weight, and more. I am a Registered Dietitian, but this meal plan is not meant to be a substitute for personalized nutrition plans or nutrition counseling (like I provide in my AnneTheRD private practice). Above all, use this as a guide, not a concrete plan, and change it as you see fit based on your own hunger levels, preferences, and dietary needs. I’m not including specific quantities/portion sizes because of this – try to eat intuitively and listen to your body. This guide may be too much food for some of you and too little for others. If you’re getting full, save the rest for later. If the meal or snack wasn’t enough, don’t second guess yourself – listen to your body and have something else. If you’re really hungry and try to deny it, it will only lead to overdoing it later or feeling like crap. Honor your hunger, my friends. And same with the other end of the spectrum – stay mindful during your meals, and stop as soon as you start to get full. If you’re distracted, it’s a lot easier to overeat. Your body knows what to do if you just listen to it! Sound good?

A note on drinks: I didn’t include drinks in this guide, but aim to limit sugar-sweetened beverages. If you’re currently having a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, sweet tea, sweet flavored water, etc.), try to cut back by 1 or 2 drinks per week until it becomes an occasional treat vs. a daily habit. Focus on drinking lots of water, some unsweetened tea/coffee (if you’re into it), and the occasional wine or beer, if you like. 🙂 Regarding dessert, I didn’t include it in the plan for simplicity’s sake, but indulgence in moderation is certainly part of a healthy relationship with food. The key is to view dessert as an occasional treat vs. letting it become an everyday habit. If you really want something, by all means allow yourself to have it and really savor it. There’s no point in feeling guilty – eating perfectly 100% of the time isn’t realistic or healthy. Just make sure that when you do indulge, it’s worth it. Choose the real thing, not a diet imitation; stay mindful and stop when you are satisfied. And lastly: for snack ideas – see the end of this page!

WEEK 4 – final week!

Monday, Feb 17 – Sunday, Feb 23

First things first – here are the grocery shopping lists:

Week 4 Standard Shopping List
Week 4 Gluten Free Shopping List
Week 4 Vegan Shopping List

The snack list PDF can be found at the bottom of this post. (It’s the same as last week, but I’ve included some new make-ahead snack recipe suggestion links.) Everyone go say a big thank you to my dietetic intern Jackie for putting the grocery lists together for us!

Day 1

Breakfast:

Perfect Microwave Banana Oatmeal 

• Gluten free option: use gf certified oats
• Vegan option: use a dairy-free alternative (soy, almond, coconut milk, etc.)
• Add toppings as desired (be sure to incorporate some healthy fat like ground flaxseed, chia seeds, nuts, or other seeds!)

Lunch:

A big grain/bean salad. On top of 1 cup mixed greens, throw 1/2 cup any cooked grain you like, 1/2 cup your favorite beans, and any veggies you have on hand. Top with avocado, a little feta cheese if you like, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette (to make, just mix equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar & add a squirt of dijon mustard and of lemon juice).

• Gluten free option: use a gf grain, like quinoa.
• Vegan option: leave out the cheese!

Dinner:

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas 

• Gluten free option: use gf certified tortillas
• Vegan option: omit cheese

Note: take a minute to prepare the next morning’s breakfast (it needs to refrigerate overnight).

Day 2

Breakfast:

Overnight Breakfast Cookie

• Gluten free option: use gf certified oats
• Vegan option: use a dairy-free alternative (soy, almond, coconut milk, etc.)
• Tip: if you don’t have protein powder on hand, try using ground flaxseed instead.

Lunch:

Leftover Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas. Freeze the rest in an airtight container, if applicable (or eat it again if you want)!

Dinner:

Pesto Baked Salmon with Veggies (gluten free)

• Vegan option: use firm tofu instead of salmon.

Day 3

Breakfast:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (gluten free & vegan)

• Consider adding some protein powder or having a piece of toast with nut butter on the side!

Lunch:

Meal out on the town! Enjoy, and remember to eat intuitively and stop when you are feeling full. 🙂

• Tip: pick something with a good mix of fiber (whole grains or fruit) + healthy fat (things like avocado, seeds, nuts, etc.) + protein (meat, beans, etc.).

Dinner:

Quinoa Salad with Pecans & Cranberries (vegan & gluten free)

• To add some more oomph to this dish, add some beans (white beans or chickpeas would go nicely) or meat, if you like, and serve with a side salad!

Day 4

Breakfast:

Homemade egg sandwich. On a toasted whole wheat/grain English muffin, add two cooked whole eggs, one slice tomato, a couple slices avocado and/or one slice cheese, and wilted baby spinach, plus some salt/pepper to taste.

• • Gluten free option: use a gf certified English muffin.
  • Vegan option: use tofu or tempeh instead of the eggs and no cheese.
• Quick tip: cook the eggs and wilt the spinach in the microwave! For the eggs, in a microwave safe bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray/oil, whisk 2 eggs. Microwave on high 2 minutes. The eggs should be fully cooked! For the spinach, simply place a huge handful of raw fresh baby spinach on a plate and pop it in the microwave on high for about a minute, or until wilted. 

Lunch:

Leftover Quinoa Salad with Pecans & Cranberries (vegan & gluten free)

Dinner:

Easy Skillet Chicken (gluten free).

• Vegan option: use firm tofu, tempeh, or extra black beans instead of chicken. 

Day 5

Breakfast:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

• Quick tip: make in the microwave instead – 2 minutes on high, then stir in the pumpkin at the end.
• Gluten free option: use gf certified oats
• Vegan option: use a dairy-free alternative (soy, almond, coconut milk, etc.)
• Add toppings as desired (be sure to incorporate some healthy fat like ground flaxseed, chia seeds, nuts, or other seeds!)

Lunch:

Repeat your favorite Winter Shape Up lunch! What was it? Another idea: enjoy some of the leftovers in your freezer from previous weeks!

Dinner:

Easy Lentil Veggie Burgers (vegan & gf), enjoyed as a sandwich with a salad. (Or simply atop a large salad.)

Day 6 (Weekend!)

Note: for weekend days, I’ve just included brunch and dinner since I know many people tend to eat a late, larger breakfast/brunch and then just have some snacks between then and dinnertime. If you’re not a fan of this approach, feel free to repeat your favorite of the previous breakfast/lunch ideas instead!

Brunch:

Scrambled Egg Muffins with toast and/or fruit.

• Gluten free option: use ground flaxseed or GF flour instead of spelt flour.
• Vegan option: Baked Oatmeal with non-dairy milk and 1/4 cup silken tofu in place of the egg.

Dinner:

Re-make your favorite dinner recipe from this challenge! 🙂 What was it? I’d love to hear! Another idea: eat up some of the leftovers in your freezer from earlier weeks!

Day 7 (Weekend!)

Brunch:

Meal out on the town! Enjoy, and remember to eat intuitively and stop when you are feeling full. 🙂 Not in the mood to go out? This is your chance to get creative, or you can enjoy your egg casserole leftovers. 

Dinner:

Leftovers from the night before!

Daily Snack Ideas

Choose a variety of these each day based on hunger levels. Some days you might need a snack or even two or three, while other days you might not need one at all. Focus on how you feel. Hunger levels change daily based on activity and a host of other factors, so don’t expect to feel the same every day. For snacks, just like meals, focus on a good mix of carbs, protein, and healthy fat to keep you satisfied.

Here’s the downloadable PDF with some easy snack ideas/things to pick up at the grocery store (these are not necessarily included in the overall grocery list in most cases): Winter Shape Up Snack Ideas.

Make-ahead snack recipes:

• Nutty Protein Granola Bars (gluten free if you use GF certified oats)
• Cranberry Quinoa Peanut Butter Power Bars (gluten free if you use GF certified oats)
• Zesty Lemon Zucchini Muffins
• Whole Wheat Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins
• Vegan & Gluten Free Granola Bars (vegan, gluten free)
• Chocolate Coconut Almond Balls (gluten free, vegan if you use cacao nibs in place of dark chocolate)
• Peanut butter chocolate chip balls (gluten free, vegan if you use cacao nibs in place of dark chocolate)

Looking for the main Winter Shape Up page where you can find the introduction information and links to each week’s meal plans and workouts? Click here.

Sponsors:

Sponsors: White Plum | Sabra | Reebok | Cabot | Sizzlefish | Stonyfield | FitFluential

My final week 4 featured sponsor is Sizzlefish! If you haven’t heard of Sizzlefish before, it’s an online home delivery company that ships you pre-portioned (in exact USDA recommended 4-oz servings), high quality seafood. The fish is shipped flash-frozen and arrives packed in dry ice. I love this because you can just throw it straight into the freezer, and then take it out to thaw whenever you’re ready to use it!

Sizzlefish was started by a fellow runner, Rob, who said he came up with the idea while out on a training run, since omega 3 fatty acids (which fish are a rich source of) are so beneficial to athletes. Rob said they’ve been careful to choose the best suppliers in terms of not only fish quality but sustainability, too, which I love.

For this giveaway, Sizzlefish has offered to ship 2 lucky winners their Omega-3 Protein Mix, which is a $75 variety pack of high omega-3 fish. Yum! Comment below up to once per day with how thing are going for you during the challenge and each comment will count as an entry! I’ll randomly select a winner after the week is over (Sunday night/Monday morning) and notify them directly by email. Good luck, and thank you again for participating in the Winter Shape Up over the past few weeks!