Protein Challenge Week 2

Today is a review day in the 30 day Protein Challenge I'm doing. I thought I'd just type it out on my blog. I didn't do as good of a job of taking detailed notes this week since I've been super busy with track meets and practice, but I still think it's pretty accurate.



This week I was focusing on trying to eat more protein at breakfast and lunch, and on days when I knew would be long days, i.e. track meet days. On meet days, I am literally on my feet from the moment we get off the team bus until we board it again at the end of the meet. I spend my time walking from event to event coaching kids and often helping run specific events, setting up/taking down hurdles, or judging a relay exchange. They're long days and I need a lot of extra protein to fuel to the finish.

In this past week, I had two meets. In looking at my food journal, I had different protein approaches to each meet. The first meet, my approach was to graze all day on high protein snacks, then I had a fast food sandwich wrap with the team after the meet. My total protein that day was 132 grams. (Remember that goal for a normal diet is 75-90 grams). On the other meet day, I tried eating a more high protein breakfast and then snacked only when I was hungry throughout the day. I had about 35 grams at breakfast and it carried me through most of the way to lunch, when I had about 20 grams. On this day, I felt like I ate high protein and high carb throughout the day, so I ordered a chicken salad at fast food with the team after the meet. On this day, I ended up with 72 grams of protein.

Comparing the two, both approaches seemed to work well, but I felt better at the end of the day on the second meet and I think it had to do with being more conscious of balancing protein with veggies. I still had enough protein to power myself through the day, but I was also getting all of the other yummy goodness that fruits and veggies have to offer.

My other observation after reading through my notes is that I get better, more balanced meals on days I work at school than I do on days I am at home all day. On school days, I eat breakfast and lunch at school and I love it. There are many healthy options available at both meals at school and best of all, I don't have to prepare it.

This week, I'm trying to be better at prepping food ahead of time so that I can have more protein value in meals I do eat at home or on the go. In my previous post, I wrote all about making salad in a jar and I'm really looking forward to seeing how that translates to my energy level and overall healthy eating when I dig into those this week. Jeff had his first one yesterday, really liked it, and is thinking it's a great idea to do again in the future. I've got another track meet this afternoon so I packed a salad in a jar for my post-meet dinner. No fast food for this girl today! I'm really looking forward to digging in!

This photo is from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com
My mason jar salads look pretty good but a steak salad would be awesome, too!

To read my previous posts about the protein challenge, click below:
30 Day Protein Challenge
Protein Challenge Week 1

Stay tuned in another week to read about how the protein challenge continues!

Salad In a Jar

If you haven't noticed, mason jars are really trendy right now. Just do a Google or Pinterest search and see what you come up with. They are being used for everything from light fixtures to soap dispensers and everything in between, including good old canning and food storage. Here on the farm, we do a fair amount of canning to preserve our garden bounty and Carol also does canned beef every year. We have no shortage of jars around and we're not afraid to use them!

So when this week's Shape Up Montana Weekly Challenge was to make ahead some salads in mason jars, we were completely on board and ready to go! We don't have any garden produce yet, but since we do get a Bountiful Basket every other week, we were able to find some salad recipes that utilized ingredients we had on hand, including lots of fresh produce and grains and some healthy, lean proteins. Yesterday, Jeff, Tom, Carol and I got together and combined our resources and ingredients to put together a whole bunch of mason jar salads to eat throughout the week.

Beautiful jars of Chopped Black Bean and Corn Mason Jar Salad.

The inspiration and recipes for our salads came from an article I found on Buzzfeed. The article featured eighteen recipes, each a different combination of ingredients for mason jar salads. Jeff looked through all of them and found two that worked well with ingredients we already had. When we all got together, Jeff was the task master, too, and coordinated all of the salad creating efforts. The recipes we chose were similar, but contained different ingredients. We made Burrito Bowl Salads, and  Chopped Black Bean and Corn Mason Jar Salad.  Both had southwestern inspiration and flavors, and both had a "dressing" of greek yogurt and salsa.

Jeff places the first ingredients in the jars. I'm showing off his skills with Vanna hands. 

 What took the most time in preparing these salads was chopping veggies and preparing the ingredients. We were more or less starting from scratch, so all the veggies had to be cleaned and diced, chicken and sweet potatoes had to be seasoned and cooked, corn had to be thawed, black beans rinsed and drained, lettuce was torn, rinsed and spun dry. It was a good thing we had all hands on deck because it would have been a lot of work for one person.

While waiting on a few ingredients to be prepped, Jeff and Tom talked farming as Tom read the latest copy of Progressive Farmer.  

 The first salad we started on was the black bean and corn salad. It contained Greek yogurt, salsa, black beans, corn, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cubed pepper jack cheese, and lettuce. Even though this salad is meatless, the beans, corn, cheese and yogurt will pack a powerful protein punch.

Jeff measures out black beans for each jar.

 We tackled the Burrito Bowl jars next. Ingredients for this one include Greek yogurt, bell peppers, cubed sweet potatoes, cilantro-lime quinoa, diced cooked chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, and lettuce. Again, this salad will be a protein powerhouse as quinoa is high in protein and it also contains chicken, cheese, and Greek yogurt.

Tom and Carol spoon some Greek yogurt into the bottom of the Burrito Bowl jars.

 I think the salad in a jar idea is really great because it allows you to prep some meals ahead of time that can be used later in the week. Jeff and Tom will be able to take them in their lunches while they're working on seeding barley, Carol can eat one for a quick lunch in the house or wherever she is, and I plan to bring a jar to my track meet tomorrow evening. It's a great on-the-go meal for busy people.

Putting lettuce in each jar.

If a person didn't want to spend a bunch of time cutting and chopping, you could use leftover ingredients from meals earlier in the week, or buy pre-cut produce and pre-cooked chicken, etc. I think a person could be really resourceful in using up leftovers from the fridge and making up your own salads whenever odd bits of leftover ingredients are around. 

Screwing lids on jars.

One thing that is important to remember in creating a mason jar salad is to put the wetter ingredients and salad dressings in FIRST. Then progress to drier ingredients as you fill the jar, saving lettuce for last. This way things like lettuce and cheese don't get soggy from sitting in the dressing. Plus, the colorful layers really look great in a clear jar!

Finished! Aren't those layers beautiful?

 When you're ready to eat, just dump your jar out onto a big plate or bowl and chow down. Easy, right?

If you're looking for a fun meal to make as a family that's healthy and delicious, mason jar salads could be just the ticket! Even young kids can get involved in helping and layering ingredients, and you can teach them about nutrition along the way. We had a great time making these together over the weekend and I can't wait to dig in! The four of us will definitely get our ten bonus points for Shape Up Montana, and these will work well for the Protein Challenge I'm participating in, too.

Have you ever made mason jar salads? What are some great, healthy meal ideas you use in your busy house?

Protein Challenge Week 1

Hey Everyone!

It's been several days since my last post. I've been busy with family time over the long Easter Weekend (four day weekend! Yay!).  We had a great time with visits from Katie, Josh, and Brandon, and celebrating Carol's birthday and Easter. How was your weekend?

from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com

Some of you may remember from last week when I posted that I'd be participating in a 30 Day Protein Challenge. It's through www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com. Now that I'm a week in, I wanted to update everyone on how it's going.

The first five days of the challenge were all about data gathering. I recorded what I ate every day, specifically noting how many grams of protein I was consuming. I'm not counting calories, just protein. I'm also noting my mood and energy level, and how much exercise I'm doing. Day six of the challenge I was to review my food journal and identify where I may be able to shift my protein consumption. Day seven, today, is a "rest day," and I'm to eat normally and not worry about writing it down.

from proteinchallenge@beef.org email blast.

What did I learn from the first week?

On average, over six days of recording my consumption, I've been eating 81.7 grams of protein each day. According to the challenge website, a daily goal of protein consumption should be between 75-90 grams per day, so I'm right in the middle of that. Some days I was way over (*ahem*Easter*ahem) and some days I was way under. The meal where I have been consistently getting the least protein is breakfast, as it likely is for many people. But I'm still on track for my overall total protein consumption in a day, so what I lack in breakfast I make up for at lunch or dinner.

I also have been charting my mood, or "hangriness," as I've been thinking of it in my mind. I do get a little more irritable if I haven't eaten. First thing in the morning is a challenge for me, especially before I've eaten or had coffee. Not sure what to do about that since I don't want to eat a huge meal right before going to bed. Probably best to just keep warning people and try my best to not be grumpy out loud.

I'm also noticing that when I exercise, it seems to curb my hunger pangs and keep my mood positive. Maybe I need to jump out of bed and do some jumping jacks??? I feel less hungry longer during and right after exercise, but then it hits like a ton of bricks and I want to eat ALL OF THE FOOD like RIGHT NOW!

Here is a sample of a day from my food journal. 

I also struggle on the days I have track practice after school because it's a long time from lunch to dinner. School lunch is at noon, practice from 4-6, then half hour drive home, then maybe eat dinner by 7 or 7:30. Some days, I get my own workout in before track practice, too. Noon to 7:30 p.m. is a looooooooong time.

One other thing I have noticed is that I do a pretty good job of balancing proteins with fruits, vegetables and grains. I don't eat a ton of highly processed foods and do a pretty good job of eating produce. So that's good!

After reviewing my food journal and thoughtfully considering my eating, exercise, and emotion patterns from the past six days, here are some strategies I am going to try going forward throughout the challenge--

- Eat more protein during breakfast. I might have to do a little cooking ahead or having more protein options on hand, such as nuts and cheese.  

- Have a protein-centered snack in late afternoon to tie me over until dinner. Maybe consider having a small snack on hand for after practice on the drive home, too.

- Shift less protein from dinner time to keep balance throughout my day on days when I am having a higher protein breakfast and snacks.

For me, being on track with the total amount of protein I am getting is great. The learning and changing process is more pertaining to when I get my protein throughout the day and strategizing how best to fuel my active lifestyle. It would be good to research whether or not an active person requires more protein, and how much more.

Over the next week, I'm going to be attempting to put my new strategies of shifting protein consumption into play. Stay tuned in about a week to hear about my progress!

30 Day Protein Challenge

Every once in a while it's a good idea to take a step back and look at and think about what you're eating. About thirty minutes ago I learned about the Beef It's What's For Dinner 30 Day Protein Challenge and I decided rather spur of the moment to do it. This is not an April Fool's Day Joke.


Even though the challenge is being put on by Beef It's What's For Dinner, the challenge itself is not beef-specific. Rather, it's about simply eating a balanced diet that includes 25-30 grams of lean protein in each meal. I decided to do it for a few reasons. First, I really don't actually have an idea of how much protein I eat in a day, so it will be nice to simply learn more about my eating habits as they currently stand. Maybe I'll learn something and be able to make a smarter shift in my diet. Second, my family ranches, so I'm all about learning to find new ways to eat beef as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Third, I think it's a good idea to be mindful of what we are eating, so journaling on and off for a month will likely help with that.

I've already taken the first step toward completing the challenge. I printed off the calendar they have on their website and I'm starting this first week with simply journaling about what I'm eating, noting how much protein, and noting how I feel after I eat what I eat.  Since I also love fitness, and fitness and fuel go hand in hand, I'm also going to journal about my fitness activities and how/if they are being affected by what I am eating.

Throughout the challenge, I'll be blogging about my progress and what I've learned, as well as hopefully posting some images of protein-rich balanced meals I'm eating, and how I'm fueling my fitness and recovery. You can follow along here on the blog, or on my FB page, or on my Instagram, which is (at)katie(dot)r(dot)bangs. I'm excited to give this challenge a try and to share what I'm learning with each of you!

Think you're interested in participating in the 30 Day Protein Challenge, too? Click on over to Beef It's What's For Dinner to get started! There's no cost to participate. Just like anything else, you'll get out of it what you put into it.