Eating Green

These days my dinners are much the same.

I eat 150g of grilled chicken with 200g of vegetables.

I love broccoli – it has so many great vitamins and minerals and is a delicious low calorie vegetable option.

I usually just have blanched broccoli and beans with a squeeze of lemon, and either crushed chilli or a teaspoon of whole grain mustard mixed through.

Tonight I decided to try something a little different to keep it interesting – a Japanese inspired broccoli salad. I saw the recipe in a magazine and have adapted it to make it work with my eating plan.

What’s in it?

Chopped fresh cos lettuce
Diced cucumber
Blanched chopped broccoli
Blanched chopped asparagus
Chopped coriander
Black sesame seeds

After I blanched the broccoli and asparagus I ran them under cold water and tossed through the lettuce, cucumber and coriander.

For the dressing I’ve combined low-salt soy sauce, sesame oil and mirrin seasoning.

I’ll be topping it with grilled chicken marinated in lemon juice and a dash of low-salt soy sauce.

Delicious way to get your greens!

Banana Chips

I had a spare banana left in the fruit bowl which was beginning to turn an unappealing shade of brown, so decided to use it up!

A colleague had been eating banana chips at work a few weeks ago and gave me one to try – it was delicious! I’d never had banana chips before, and decided it tasted way too good to be healthy.

After doing some research I realised my instinct was right – banana chips you buy in the supermarket are usually deep fried.

It’s been a lazy Sunday afternoon so I did a trial to make my own baked healthier version of the banana chip.

I sliced up the banana and drizzled the sides with a bit of honey. I then sprinkled some cinnamon on the top and put into the oven at 160 degrees for about 30mins. I put the grill on for the final few minutes which made the honey bubble. I flipped them over and baked for another few minutes.

The chips were still slightly soft when I took them out of the oven, but as they cooled they turned really crunchy. I sprinkled a little bit more cinnamon on as I love it.

Not a bad first attempt. I won’t be making these often – the honey means they are still sugary, so best kept as an occasional treat, but at least they are healthier than their store-bought counterparts!

Moroccan mince

I had some uncooked pork mince left over from larb salad the other night so decided to cook up something different.

I cooked chopped onions and mince with a mix of Moroccan spice, paprika, cumin, salt pepper and cinnamon.

Then I added a can of chopped tomatoes, red kidney beans and frozen peas, beans and sugar snap peas.

I sprinkled a tiny bit of caster sugar in the pan to balance the flavours.

I served it on red quinoa – really yummy and high in protein! I think the recipe needs a bit of work, but definitely an easy mid-week winner.

A play on larb

We eat salads every night for dinner so I’m constantly on the hunt for new ideas to keep things yummy and different.

I love spicy food and this play on the Thai dish ‘larb’ is de-lish and super healthy.

I cook lean pork or turkey mince with garlic, ginger, chilli with a dash of soy sauce and oyster sauce. I then add this to shredded iceberg lettuce, mungbean sprouts, grated carrot, red onion, spring onion and more fresh chilli and chopped coriander.

If you want some carbs, it can be served on rice noodles. I also add lentils sometimes.

Super quick, super easy and filling!

Brilliant Breakfasts

Breakfast. I don’t need to tell you it’s the most important meal of the day, I find if I start my morning off in the best way possible, my eating habits for the rest of the day will be healthy.

During the week I rotate between two breakfast choices, both are low in fat, high in protein and keep me satisfied until mid my late-morning snack (more about that later).

Whatever I choose to eat in the mornings, I always make sure I never forget my protein shake!

Home-made Muesli

Call me a sceptic, but I just don’t trust the cereal or muesli which you can buy in the supermarkets. I always find there are hidden sugars, artificial additives or ingredients which are cooked in a way to make them ‘tastier’ (read: fattier!).

The only way to avoid any added extras you don’t want to consume is to make the muesli yourself from scratch.

I really enjoy this process as it allows me to monitor what’s going into the muesli and I can change up the recipe each time!

I am an advocate for keeping ingredients raw – that means not toasting the nuts or the oats. I enjoy the simple flavour and have found this to be one of my favourite meals.

I have ½ a cup of the muesli and add a few organic frozen blueberries and natural un-sweetened low fat yoghurt. If you find this a bit dry, add a dash of skim milk.

The yoghurt gives my body the protein it requires and the Low-GI oats provide me with slow-burning energy to get through the morning.

My favourite muesli combination is plain rolled oats, desiccated coconut, roughly chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamias and dried apricots – try it, I promise you’ll be hooked!

Scrambled Eggs

A very high-protein breakfast indeed and super convenient if you’re short on time in the mornings.

I simply heat up a non-stick pan and crack two eggs straight in, then scramble the eggs with a wooden spoon.

Once the eggs are just cooked, I transfer them onto a bed of raw baby spinach on a plate and season with salt and pepper.

Easy, filling and healthy!

No added milk or cream, if you use free-range organic eggs the flavour is just delicious and satisfying without these added extras.

Remember: Don’t ever skimp on breakfast – it kick starts the metabolism and if you start the day healthy, you’ll finish it healthy.