It was our first full day in Tulum, and for the first time in a while I felt like I moved through the whole day without rushing myself. I woke up with the sunrise, made coffee, sat outside, meditated longer than usual, unpacked, worked by the pool, and even made it back to the gym for the first time in about a month. By dinner, I was exhausted.
But I wasn't in the mood for one of those meals that tastes like I made it purely because I needed to eat. I wanted something salty, creamy, spicy and actually satisfying.
I also didn't want to cook.
This is exactly why we prep ingredients, not meals. We cook a big batch of white rice every week because it's cheap, easy, and I save the rice water for my hair. We always keep canned black beans in our pantry because they require basically no preparation. And we try to grab a rotisserie chicken when the grocery store discounts them at the end of the day. Then we use the entire chicken.
The meat becomes tacos, salad, soup or a rice plate like this. The carcass becomes bone broth which I use when I need quick protein on the go, plus we add it to Chewy's dry food so it's easier on his tummy. Once I'm finished, it literally feels like I got it for free because I stretched that $5 as far as I possibly could.
I don't track my macros anymore, but I do still like enough structure to know I'm actually feeding myself well. Most of my meals start with the same rough foundation: 100 grams of my protein source, 100 grams of my carb source, and 30 grams of the fun stuff like fats, sauces, toppings, whatever makes the meal taste like something I actually want to eat.
There is nothing magical about those numbers. They're simply easy for me to remember and align with my maintenance goals. This method means I don't have to pull out my phone every time I eat or spend the day calculating what I have "left."
I can just eat. Tonight, my brain couldn't handle another decision. It was saying, "I'm exhausted. But I still want something that tastes really fucking good."
So this was how I responded.
- 100g cooked white rice
- 100g rotisserie chicken
- 50g black beans
- Taco seasoning, to taste
- 30g 0% Greek yogurt
- 30g avocado
- Diced tomato
- Fresh cilantro
Warm the rice, chicken and black beans. Toss the chicken with taco seasoning, then pile everything into a bowl. Top with diced tomato, avocado, cilantro and Greek yogurt.
That's it.
If I don't have taco seasoning, I usually use what I already have: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and a little cayenne if I'm feeling brave.
The Greek yogurt is one of my favorite easy swaps because it gives me the creamy, tangy flavor I'm looking for from sour cream while adding a little more protein. You can also mash the avocado with the yogurt to create a creamy, high protein guac - it is seriously SO good.
The ritual isn't following my bowl perfectly. It's making food fun and functional.
The more I learn to trust my body, the less interested I am in choosing between two extremes:
Track everything.
or
Pay attention to nothing.
There is so much room in between.
For me, using the same portion sizes consistently gives me enough structure to know I'm taking care of myself without requiring me to constantly monitor myself. I created a system so I don't need to obsess, worry or wonder if it's aligned with my goals or my feelings…with this, I get both, always.
What could you make easier to help yourself respond when you're hungry?