A day's worth of lazy girl meals that helped me lose fat, gain muscle, and maintain my physique for 4 years
Rachel Hosie
- You can simultaneously be a "lazy girl" and a healthy girl (or any other gender).
- As a health reporter, I rely on a selection of simple, tasty, high-protein meals.
If you want to live your best "lazy girl" life but still hit your health and fitness goals, that's entirely doable.
As a fitness and nutrition reporter who cut her body fat percentage in half four years ago (and has more or less kept the same physique since), I rely on a selection of easy, tasty, high-protein meals and snacks.
If you need some inspiration for how you too can live your best, healthy "lazy girl" life, I've created a sample day of eating.
But remember, all bodies are different and require slightly different amounts of food and nutrients. To lose fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit, and what this means for you will depend on your weight, activity levels, gender, age, genetics, and more.
We all have different preferences and tastes too, so what works — and is sustainable — for me, might not necessarily work for you.
For this reason, it's best to see someone's daily diet as inspiration rather than a meal plan. Dietitians and nutritionists have previously told Insider that influencers sharing "What I eat in a day" posts can be problematic for various reasons.
"It may create a false illusion of what 'healthy eating' looks like or what people should be eating, which can trigger disordered eating," registered dietitian Tai Ibitoye told Insider.
You shouldn't compare your diet to someone else's in a negative way and it's important to take what people online say they eat with a pinch of salt, but there's nothing wrong with discovering new recipe ideas and meal inspiration.
With that said, here's an example of a day of "lazy girl" meals I eat, which are easy, tasty, and nutritious.
Breakfast: Overnight protein oats
Overnight oats are the ultimate lazy girl breakfast: You make them the night before so don't have to do anything in the morning (except add a dollop of peanut butter), and you can even make multiple portions in one go to see you through a few days.
My overnight oats always contain oats (of course), Greek yogurt or skyr, chia seeds, protein powder, almond milk, and either mashed banana or grated apple. Sometimes I add sultanas, cinnamon, or cocoa powder, depending on the flavor I fancy. I like to top my oats with berries (frozen or fresh) then I cover and chill in the fridge overnight, before adding the all important dollop of peanut butter in the morning.
Find more of my favorite lazy girl breakfasts here.
Lunch: Chicken, cheese, sweetcorn, and red pepper quesadilla
If there's melted cheese involved, sign me up. I love making quesadillas with leftover veggies and chicken, or sweetcorn straight from a tin. One of my favorite combos is cheddar cheese, BBQ chicken, sweetcorn, and roasted red peppers.
Simply warm a frying pan on a medium heat, place a wrap in the pan, add your (pre-cooked) toppings, and once the cheese is melted and everything is warm, fold the wrap in half, remove from the pan and enjoy.
Find more quick, easy, high protein lunch recipes here.
Snack: Protein smoothie
Protein smoothies are a great way to have a serving or two of fruit while getting a protein boost, thus keeping you feeling fuller for longer. They only take a couple of minutes to make too.
I always make mine with frozen fruit of some kind, protein powder, and almond milk, and then make various additions, such as peanut butter, oats, seeds, avocado, and yogurt, depending on what flavor I fancy.
One of my favorite combinations is frozen banana, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, peanut butter, almond milk, and oats.
Find more snack recipes here.
Dinner: Stir-fry
A stir-fry, particularly with pre-prepared ingredients, has to be the laziest healthy dinner. I'm a big fan of making stir-fries, particularly when I'm short on time but want to eat something nutritious and high in protein.
You can choose whatever protein source you like but I typically use chicken. I heat some sesame oil in a wok on a high heat, fry diced chicken breast until browned, then add in chopped vegetables and cook for a few minutes longer.
Then I add noodles and stir-fry sauce, cook for a couple more minutes before adding a sprinkle of nuts and plating up.
Find more "lazy girl" dinner recipes here.
Dessert: Creamy raspberry pudding
Truth be told, I'll often have some ice cream or chocolate with fruit after dinner, especially if I've had a decent amount of protein that day. However, if I want to get some more protein in before bed, I might make this simple raspberry mousse.
The BBC Good Food recipe calls for just quark (low-fat cream cheese), icing sugar, frozen raspberries, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Find more high-protein desserts here.
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