If you're anything like me and lack inspiration in the kitchen, then making healthy and tasty meals can be a challenge in itself.
I feel like everyone is more health conscious these days (which I don't see as a bad thing!) and while I'm not claiming to be a health expert, I definitely am interested in this sort of thing and think it's important that people know what they're putting into their bodies. But I'm not saying that what I choose to eat it necessarily the best thing for everyone- it just makes me feel good.
I'll start with smoothies...
I'll probably have a smoothie 5 out of 7 days either for breakfast or in between meals to surpress any sugar cravings. There are a lot of mixed feelings about smoothies as some people say they contain a lot of sugar and it's better to eat your fruit not drink it. My view is this- if like me you know you wouldn't eat a lot of fruit everyday then it's better to just whizz it up and drink it. Be realistic with yourself. If a smoothie is probably the only way you're going to get your 5 a day then go for it. And the sugar thing doesn't worry me- we've been trying to cut out sugar from our diets anyway so this is the only source we get sugar from and it's all natural. Can't be a bad thing!
I don't follow any recipes for smoothies so just tend to throw in anything I fancy. I like putting a handful of spinach in there too because it's so packed with vitamins and you can't even taste it. Expect it to turn your smoothie into an ugly green colour though. My top tip would be to freeze your fruit in little bags before hand. That way you don't have to stand chopping everything up and frozen fruit gives smoothies a nice icy/creamy texture.
(First pic)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup spinach
1 orange
1 apple
2 tblsp Greek yoghurt
1/4 cup of water
(Second pic)
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 banana
1 celery stick
1 orange
1/2 apple
some water
And while I'm on the subject of drinks...
LEMON WATER. Definitely my new obesssion. Tastes so good and has endless health benefits. I'll let you look those up for yourself of you're interested. I'll slice one up, throw it in a jug and fill with cold water then leave the jug in the fridge all day ready for me. It's all I've been drinking all month and the biggest thing I've noticed is how much brighter my skin seems without makeup. That alone makes it worth it!
Breakfast...
I'm not a massive fan of breakfasts that take a lot of effort to prepare and can't understand how people can stomach half a dozen eggs aswell as a massive bowl of porridge. I am definitely one of those people who is starving as soon as they wake up but I don't have a massive appetite first thing.
If it's not a smoothie then I tend to just opt for some granola with chopped fruit and Greek yoghurt or a couple of slices of whole grain toast with a little peanut butter and sliced bananas on top. Again I'll either have a big glass of lemon water or a peppermint tea too.
Snacks...
Like I said at the start, I'll usually wiz up a smoothie for a snack as it fills me up good and is so quick! I've been also been loving snak a jacks, crackers with a little cheese or just slices of peppers/carrots. If I need a chocolate fix then ill take some strawberries and smother then in some Nutella. So good and not that bad!
I keep snacks simple and keep preparation to a minimum.
Lunches...
Now I'm at home a bit more I can take time to prepare proper meals to have for my lunches. I like to eat salads at lunch because carbs make give me that dreaded afternoon slump but I make sure I have a massive portion so that it fills me up for a good few hours. I'll always have a slice or two of ham or some grilled chicken (if we're not eating chicken for dinner) or some tuna. For dressings it's either a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of balsalmic vinegar.
Dinners...
I have so many chicken recipes I could now share it's ridiculous. I thought eating chicken almost everyday would be boring so I made sure to make it interesting! We always have chicken with some veg and either brown rice or pasta or homemade potato chips. I can't remember he last time I ate a white potato. Sweet potatoes are SO much better for you and taste really good. To make your own chips I just slice them into thick long chunks, part boil them for 5 minutes then drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and bake for 20 minutes.
My favourite chicken recipe by far was a Hawaiian-esq dish.
I put some pineapple juice, a little ketchup, garlic paste, ginger, chilli powder and soy sauce in a bag then added the chicken to let it marinade for an hour or so. Once that's done I grilled until thoroughly cooked then added a slice of pineapple and grilled for a further 5 minutes until the pineapple was brown around the edges. I served this with cous cous but brown rice mixed with sweet corn and some chopped coriander would be nice too. A small salad drizzled with lemon juice is a good side to go along with it.
I've realised that it takest comittment to eat healthy because you have to put a lot of thought and effort into your meals and your shopping bill almost doubles! It may seem like a chore at first but it's so worth it knowing you're feeding your body good, nutritious, clean food!
I definitely think we'll keep up eating this way for a long time.
If anyone has any healthy recipes they'd like to share then write it down for me in the comment section below!
Xx
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