Tex Mex Chicken Pasta Salad

Tex-Mex Chicken Pasta Salad is one of my new favorites. I start with Barilla Protein+ Pasta so I can feel better about the carbs I am putting into my body. I am not anti-carb, lets be clear–they are necessary for high energy workouts–but without a thyroid I can’t afford to overeat carbohydrates. Protein rich pasta gives me both so I feel more balanced after my meals.

Then we add in some seasoned chicken — I use rotisserie chicken because I can get a whole chicken for $4.00 from Sams Club– a slew of veggies, black beans and a delicious homemade High-Protein Greek Yogurt Zesty Ranch Dressing. Throw in a couple handfuls of spinach, lettuce blend and you have yourself a high-protein, high-figer, low-calorie meal prep for work lunches. One that you will feel proud of for eating. This recipe makes 3 servings so you can eat it all week long.

Weight Loss Post-Thyroidectomy

I have lived every day since 2018 without a thyroid, the brains of a body’s metabolism. I am hypothyroid and will never have that corrected. Weight loss is hard for anyone, but even harder for me.

Here are my rules for weight loss post thyroidectomy.

• I can’t eat processed foods and expect to lose weight. Whole foods make up the majority of my diet—no seed oils, no preservatives. If I make it, I can eat it.
• I can’t starve myself all day and then expect to have the energy to work out. High-protein, high-fiber meals keep me full and fueled throughout the day.
• Because I don’t have a thyroid, I have to make up for it by burning more calories than my body naturally would. My goal? 70,000 run/walk steps a week.
• Losing weight is twice as hard for me as it is for someone with a functioning thyroid, so I need motivation beyond quick results. For every mile I jog, I reward myself with $5 toward new running shoes or workout clothes.
• Mobility is non-negotiable. Every day, I stretch as many muscles as I can to keep my body moving.

Right now, I am focused on putting high-protein, high-fiber meals on my blog, like this Tex Mex Chicken Pasta Salad, because I need them to be there. I need a cookbook of these recipes so that I can hold myself accountable to getting to a healthy weight. I need to lose 15 more pounds to get down to 130, which is where I should be for my height and build. 

More meal prep ideas like Tex Mex Chicken Pasta Salad

Other work meal prep ideas that are as easy as this chicken pasta salad you should know about are High-Protein Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad and Sweet Green Hummus Crunch Salad With Chicken. Both are excellent choices.

Don’t forget about breakfast.

I haven’t had much luck post-thyroidectomy doing intermittent fasting. I can’t keep my energy levels up enough to work-out when I practice it. I would love to know if you have had luck with it. Anyway, I always eat breakfast, but again I want high-protein, high-fiber options to keep me full and help my body recover after my morning workouts. I love High-Protein Ground Beef Egg White Scramble with a Sugar Free Ketchup and this High-Protein Chicken Sausage Egg White Scramble with Spinach.