A Lady Goes West

A healthy lifestyle blog by Ashley Pitt

When it doubt, eat the rainbow

By 54 Comments

Talking about food today, my friends. I don’t know about you, but for me, during the weekends, deciding where to go out to dinner or lunch can be some of the toughest decisions I make. (Real-world issues here, people.) So when it comes to the weekdays, I try to eliminate that problem by making my meals at home and sticking to a few regular staples in my rotation. I hate standing in front of the fridge with no idea what to pull out. That’s why I have a few fail-safe items I keep on hand and can put together.

And how do I put a plate together? I think about colors. Because when you’re wondering what to eat, it’s always a good rule of thumb to think about consuming a variety of colors. Some greens, some yellows, maybe some reds, purples and even healthy browns. Clearly, that’s not going to be achievable every single time you eat, but at least a few meals a day should have those valuable vegetables and fruits included. 

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s time for my weekly “What I Ate Wednesday” post, in which I’ve mostly tried to stick to the rainbow rule.

This week’s “What I Ate Wednesday” recap

Whether you use these posts as inspiration or judgment, almost every week, I like to share a full day of all of my meals to give you a glimpse into what’s on my plate. It’s nothing more than an opportunity for you curious eaters to see some real food in action.

What I Ate Wednesday via A Lady Goes

I’m sharing a look at all of my meals from this past Tuesday, which was a healthy weekday featuring lots of colorful food.

Pre-breakfast at 5:30 a.m.

Early morning date bite by A Lady Goes West

One coconut-covered date, along with a to-go mug of hot green tea is all I needed when I first woke up to power me through teaching a super early class at Orangetheory. Yes, Rudy was right there waiting to see what I pulled out of the fridge.

Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.

Oats and tea for breakfast by A Lady Goes West

I came home for a real breakfast before heading back out to teach two more classes. I dined on overnight oats, which are back on the regular in my neck of the woods. This mixture includes plain Greek yogurt (2 percent), rolled oats, vanilla coconut milk, chia seeds, veggie powder and cinnamon. In the morning, I pulled the container out, topped it with a banana and ate it with some hot green tea, sweetened with vanilla coconut milk and stevia.

Lunch at 12 p.m.   

Veggie lunch by A Lady Goes West

Talk about beauty right here. You’re looking at some broccoli roasted in coconut oil (I roast my veggies at 450 degrees in the oven to give them a little brown burnt crisp, which is how I enjoy them), one runny egg, a California veggie burger and half of an avocado. I could eat this meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner and never get sick of it. Carbs, protein and healthy fat, all on one colorful plate. Amen.

Afternoon snack at 5 p.m.

Apple and nut butter snack by A Lady Goes West

I usually buy organic Fuji apples from Safeway, but because I did my latest round of grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s, I ended up with a bag of small Gala apples. Truth be told, they are too small for my liking. I had the apple with a couple tablespoons of crunchy almond butter, and it hit the spot, although I would’ve enjoyed a bit more fruit with each bite.

Dinner at 8:30 p.m.

HelloFresh dinner via A Lady Goes West

This plate consists of panko-crusted chicken, crispy yukon potatoes, mixed greens and creamy chive dressing. A friend of mine sent me a code for a free week of meals from HelloFresh. While the first meal I made was a bit of a fail (tasteless, hard to prepare and not what it was supposed to be), this meal was better. The instructions aren’t as clear as some of the other services I’ve tried, but the packaging is the best, and the meals look and smell great. We’ve got one more to make tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out. By the way, if you’re into the convenience of having fresh ingredients sent to you in one handy box each week making meal-time easier, HelloFresh is worth a shot. Use the code F8QC64 for $40 off your first order.

Dessert at 9 p.m.

Small date bite for dessert by A Lady Goes West

For a little sweet treat, I had this chocolate-covered date, as well as some vanilla coconut milk to end the night. Wasn’t part of my plan to eat the rainbow, but was still a good bite. Always complemented by a little white dog looking on. And that’s it. Hope you have a great day, friends!

Eat the rainbow for #WhatIAteWednesday #food #eeeeeats ... Click To Tweet

Check out more food posts

Why the food pictures? Each week, “What I Ate Wednesday” is a chance for bloggers to showcase their eats to their readers. If you want to see more food recaps to get some meal inspiration, check out some of my posts from the past here. Eat up!

Questions of the day

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?

How’s your week going so far?

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About Ashley

I'm a mom, writer and group fitness instructor, and A Lady Goes West is where I share fitness and wellness tips, as well as stories and learnings from my life in the San Francisco Bay Area.
 
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Comments

    • Ashley says

      Hi Amanda! I like orange foods too — mostly sweet potatoes, but yes, more colors the better. 🙂 hahah I think I’m overdoing the greens lately … oh well! Happy eating!

      Reply

  14. Liz says

    I LOVE gala apples! Sometimes I’ll get other ones if there aren’t organic galas available (which my Whole Foods always has, but some other stores don’t!) and I never enjoy them as much. Also, I noticed your broccoli there. I will sautee broccoli in coconut oil and coconut aminos and let me just tell you, it is SO good! I don’t know if you’ve ever tried it, but it’s still pretty plain and not weirdly overpowering or anything, so it may be worth trying to mix up roasted broccoli sometimes 🙂 It’s how I stir fry veggies too, but I’m usually too lazy to cut up a ton of stuff and I prep my broccoli for work that way. Way quicker than roasting if I’m feeling lazy.
    Liz recently posted…Pregnancy Ramblings & Life ComplaintsMy Profile

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      Thanks Liz! I appreciate the tip. I ALWAYS roast, but I know that sauteeing can be much faster. Haven’t tried coconut aminos yet, so I know I’m late to the party on that one.

      Reply

  15. Alyssa says

    My dog is the exact same way haha! Anytime I’m in the kitchen, there’s a good chance she’s right at my feet 🙂 those dates sound delicious-I’ve actually never tried one, but it’s on my list of foods to buy!
    Alyssa recently posted…Blackberry Chia JamMy Profile

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  21. Khushboo says

    The struggle is SO real- small apples are anything but bueno! Your meals are looking yum nonetheless- glad to see that I’m not the only one who enjoys eating the same handful of meals on rpeeat. I’m just rolling with the whole ‘If it aint broke, don’t fix it’ mindset ;)! The best thing I’ve eaten lately is the sesame-sriracha chicken I made for lunch yesterday- recipe will be on the blog soon!
    Khushboo recently posted…Dining at The TableMy Profile

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