Experiment to find out how often you need to eat in order to balance your hunger, energy and cravings. If you have no idea where to begin, six meals per day is a good place to start. If I’m out of the house for 6 hours I bring 3 meals with me. I know, that might sounds nuts, but this girl gets hangry! So what if your boyfriend eats three meals per day and refuses to snack in between meals? He is not you. Let your own body tell you when you are hungry and respond only to it.

“So what do YOU eat, Robin?”

I get this question a lot from clients and I tell them the same thing: “I follow the Metabolic Effect program and I eat food that makes me feel good.” I give these clients a sample of my daily meals but I also make sure to tell say that this should not be their personal meal plan. Each individual must put in the work to find out what works best for his/her individual body. Try something, make mistakes, try again, repeat, hone your skills.

Robin’s Meal Plan Sample (NOT your meal plan)

• Wake up — coffee, water with BCAAs
• Breakfast — oatmeal and side of veggies, or eggs and veggies, or protein shake and veggies
• Breakfast #2 — oatmeal and side of veggies, eggs and veggies, sweet pot-apple-nuts
• Lunch — power supply meal or big ass salad with sweet potato or rice
• Snack — BCAAs, coffee, protein shake and veggies
• Dinner — power supply meal or big ass salad with sweet potato or rice
• Snack — BCAAs, greens powder, dark chocolate, apple, peanut butter

SUPER EASY RECIPE HACKS:

Sweet Potato 

Nutrition — Clean Carb

Easy Prep — Stick with a fork 4 times and microwave 7-8 mins.

• Half cooked sweet potato sprinkle cinnamon, dash salt, pat of butter
• Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie: 6 ice cubes, 1 scoop vanilla protein, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp    nutmeg, 3 heaping T cooked sweet potato
• Sweet pot-apple-nuts: Cut half of one apple into small cubes, combine with a small handful of nuts, sprinkle cinnamon on top and saute in 1 tsp butter until apples begin to soften, add cooked sweet potato cut into small cubes (skin optional) and heat thru. Salt to taste

Eggs 

Nutrition — Protein (whole eggs are awesome but if concerned about high cholesterol use a ratio of one whole egg and one egg white)

Easy Prep — Heat pan to medium high add butter, coconut oil or fat of choice to just cover pan when melted, add any chopped fresh or frozen veggies (onions, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, peppers, brussels sprouts, cauliflower) and heat until softened, break eggs directly into pan and scramble with veggies, add salt, pepper and spices (basil, tarragon, oregano, red pepper)

Oatmeal

Nutrition — Clean Carb (and optional Protein)

Easy Prep — 1/2 cup dry oatmeal, cover with water and microwave 60-90 sec. Add 1 scoop protein powder, stir adding water if necessary for consistency of your choice. Add cut fruit (apples, oranges, blueberries, strawberries, melons), add small handful of nuts or small scoop nut butter, salt and cinnamon optional

Vegetables

Nutrition — Fiber

Easy Prep — Cut up small and microwave in bowl for 60 sec, or saute in coconut oil or butter until soft or wilted. Add salt, pepper, butter/avocado/vinegar and other spices

Big Ass Salad

Nutrition — Protein and Fiber

Easy Prep — Chop spinach, romaine, arugula, mixed greens, or kale (steam first), add as many steamed or fresh veggies as you want, add one half cup cut up fruit (apple, pears, grapes, orange, grapefruit), add protein (leftover any lean protein, meat or fish, scrambled eggs), add salt, pepper and additional spices (basil, tarragon, oregano, cilantro, mint), add fat (avocado, nuts) and dressing (balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, make-your-own)

Chicken

Nutrition — Protein

Easy Prep — Rotisserie from grocery store, or cut small and saute in coconut oil until no longer pink thru. Lightly sauce with balsamic vinegar or sauces based from coconut milk/oil, can cook beef or pork similarly too

• Chicken salad: 1 cup cooked chicken cut up, add 2 T avocado and mash, add salt and pepper, wrap in large romaine lettuce leaves or eat over other leafy greens

Not Quite Soup

Nutrition — Protein, Fiber, Carbs

Easy Prep — Steam or Saute vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, carrots, onions, anything), cook rice, potato (cut up) or quinoa. In saucepan heat lots of veggies, your choice carb, cooked protein (cut up) and add a tiny bit (1/4 cup) of prepared soup like tomato basil or butternut squash just enough to make things saucy but not quite soupy (do not add salt because prepared foods usually contain too much salt as is), add pepper and any additional spices and heat through

Quick Iced Coffee                                                                  

Nutrition — Caffeine

Easy Prep — Starbucks Via add full packet to heat proof cup, add 1/4 cup hot water, optional sprinkle of cinnamon, stir and fill cup with ice. As ice melts you will have a strong delicious 8oz iced coffee.