Critique my diet

[Alta]

Me: 40yr old male, very active. Crossfit 5 days a week, and typically back country ski on weekends or walk 18 holes in the summer. Mountain bike, play hockey, run here and there as well. Probably somewhere in the 15% BF range although I do not weigh myself or worry too much what I look like. More concerned with performance in the gym.

Looking to tweak my diet a bit. My day to day Mon-Fri looks like:

Morning: I skip breakfast. It's bad, but I'm just never hungry first thing. Coffee every morning.
9AM 2 scoops whey protein/water
10:30AM lean protein and salad, oil&vinagrette dressing, 1/2 cup dry curd cottage cheese
noon: workout
1:30 protein shake, another meal usually consisting of rice and protein or salad/protein
5PM dinner, usually what my wife cooks. Spaghetti, lasagna, fajitas, stew or casserole (usually high fat, high carb)
8PM snack, usually popcorn and unsalted butter, or fruit. Sometimes I break down and eat candy because I have a terrible sweet tooth, but that can be cut pretty easily.

Saturday/Sunday:
bacon, eggs, toast hashbrowns at least one of the days. That or an omelette with ham
Clean lunch, usually chicken salad
Whatever for dinner (Pizza, burgers, whatever I get my hands on)
Typically snack on whatever as well all weekend.

Looking to lean out a bit, try to hit the 12% BF range. Ran my macros and came up with a TDEE of something in the 3000 calories per day range.

My question here.

I have read about carb cycling and intermittent fasting. Because I skip breakfast, would that be a good option for me? Or should I just figure out how to eat in the mornings?

I can't really change what I eat for dinner. My wife likes to cook, and she gets a little offended if I eat chicken breasts after she cooked a big dinner for me.

I know I am getting enough protein (likely hitting 200g per day or more?) but I might be light on the clean carbs and high on the fat. Looking for a few easy tweaks here and there to my routine. I don't need a lot of variety either, I'm a creature of habit. No problem eating the same thing day after day, it doesn't other me much.

Anyone want to weigh in and make some pointers?

[>Good Luck<]

Me: 40yr old male, very active. Crossfit 5 days a week, and typically back country ski on weekends or walk 18 holes in the summer. Mountain bike, play hockey, run here and there as well. Probably somewhere in the 15% BF range although I do not weigh myself or worry too much what I look like. More concerned with performance in the gym.

Looking to tweak my diet a bit. My day to day Mon-Fri looks like:

Morning: I skip breakfast. It's bad, but I'm just never hungry first thing. Coffee every morning.
9AM 2 scoops whey protein/water
10:30AM lean protein and salad, oil&vinagrette dressing, 1/2 cup dry curd cottage cheese
noon: workout
1:30 protein shake, another meal usually consisting of rice and protein or salad/protein
5PM dinner, usually what my wife cooks. Spaghetti, lasagna, fajitas, stew or casserole (usually high fat, high carb)
8PM snack, usually popcorn and unsalted butter, or fruit. Sometimes I break down and eat candy because I have a terrible sweet tooth, but that can be cut pretty easily.

Saturday/Sunday:
bacon, eggs, toast hashbrowns at least one of the days. That or an omelette with ham
Clean lunch, usually chicken salad
Whatever for dinner (Pizza, burgers, whatever I get my hands on)
Typically snack on whatever as well all weekend.

Looking to lean out a bit, try to hit the 12% BF range. Ran my macros and came up with a TDEE of something in the 3000 calories per day range.

My question here.

I have read about carb cycling and intermittent fasting. Because I skip breakfast, would that be a good option for me? Or should I just figure out how to eat in the mornings?

I can't really change what I eat for dinner. My wife likes to cook, and she gets a little offended if I eat chicken breasts after she cooked a big dinner for me.

I know I am getting enough protein (likely hitting 200g per day or more?) but I might be light on the clean carbs and high on the fat. Looking for a few easy tweaks here and there to my routine. I don't need a lot of variety either, I'm a creature of habit. No problem eating the same thing day after day, it doesn't other me much.

Anyone want to weigh in and make some pointers?

To be fair, this is not a diet. .. simply put, these are eating habits

IMO you stand to gain a lot if you work towards a better structured eating plan.. if you are unable to overcome obstacles like mentioned above, then there is not much point in talking about "diet" ...

You could probably benefit a touch by including breakfast while maintaining other eating habits. It may be a bit tough for the first week or so but once you put food in your system early, you'll quickly see how misurable missing the meal will become. By having that fuel in the morning you will train your body to not need to constantly store energy for the long period between going to bed and your 9am meal... probably 9-12hour stretch there I assume.. that long without food certainly seems like to much to me ...

A few better choices and you'll definitely see an improvement in energy

Good luck!

[Alta]

Steel cut oatmeal and honey for breakfast? Something along those lines? I enjoy oatmeal but hate the instant stuff. I was nuking eggwhites at the office but that didn't last long. Kitchen smelled like farts when I was done.

I can also add something in around 7 or 8PM like yogurt or peanut butter and toast? Something along those lines?

Anything else that pops out as terrible? I like to think my eating habits are pretty normal, and when I want to really diet it's not a big adjustment for me. Meals are prepared and planned, and I don't really cheat. I'm looking for more day to day maintenance tweak suggestions.

[>Good Luck<]

Steel cut oatmeal and honey for breakfast? Something along those lines? I enjoy oatmeal but hate the instant stuff. I was nuking eggwhites at the office but that didn't last long. Kitchen smelled like farts when I was done.

I can also add something in around 7 or 8PM like yogurt or peanut butter and toast? Something along those lines?

Anything else that pops out as terrible? I like to think my eating habits are pretty normal, and when I want to really diet it's not a big adjustment for me. Meals are prepared and planned, and I don't really cheat. I'm looking for more day to day maintenance tweak suggestions.

Fair enough.. 12% is an incredible challenge for me so I suppose I shouldn't even comment...