The way I eat :)

This is a slightly different format to my previous posts and is more of a journal/personal style account that aims to relate, or share, some “how-to” ideas for possibly changing eating patterns….

As I sit here eating another DELICIOUS meal (and YES I am eating whilst at my computer! Bad habit I know!), I wonder how people can possibly enjoy the bland, tasteless, fatty and sugar-laden fast food they gulp down day after day after day, simply because they have not taken the time to prepare something at home?

I could not imagine NOT indulging my taste-buds in the many delectable fresh tastes, sensuous textures and magical aromas I enjoy on a daily basis for breakfast lunch and dinner. For me to enjoy a meal without loads of fresh fruit, salad or vegetables is simply not possible! I would rather not eat at all than settle for junk!

So this got me thinking that I should probably share some of the ideas I do incorporate into my incredibly busy life, as TIME is often the excuse I hear as to why people feel they need to rely on fast and convenience foods so often.

BUT, before I share, remember:

We ALL have 24 hours in a day
We can CHOOSE how we use these hours
You can INVEST these hours or SPEND them

Watching countless trashy shows on TV is SPENDING time, being on MySpace for hours on end is SPENDING time, and lounging around on our laurels more than we need is SPENDING time!!
(i.e. we get nothing useful in return for indulging in these activities, and time that we SPEND we can never recover…)

However, taking the time to prepare fresh, tasty and nourishing food is INVESTING time, spending 30-60 minutes a day exercising or simply moving, is INVESTING time, and taking time to relax and calm our minds is INVETSING time
(i.e. we improve our health, minimize the risk of disease and more than likely increase the quality TIME we will have available in the future…)

So what are some of these quick tasty and incredibly nutritious ideas you can try? I share only a few here..

Breakfast

· Frozen berries, passionfruit, diced orange, skim natural yoghurt (or low fat flavoured if you prefer), oats all mixed together and VOILA! Delicioso!
o You can try adding cinnamon and/or a tblsp of nuts and seeds for added goodness, flavour and texture.
o If on the run in the morning, prepare this the night before in a container and simply grab on the way out and eat in the car (this is illegal by the way!), on the train, or at work

· Banana, low fat yoghurt and a packet of raw/unsalted nuts
o Super quick and can eat on the run!

Lunch

· Mix tinned sardines in spring-water with mustard and diced onion (try this BEFORE you diss it!!) and serve over a creative salad- incorporate some steamed veggies such as diced pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, etc to add bulk. Try mixed lettuce and baby spinach leaves instead of iceberg lettuce to add extra nutrients and better flavour.
o You can prepare this the night before as you make dinner. I always have an extra container out when I am preparing my dinner into which I compile a large, tasty and CREATIVE salad. You can take the tinned fish separately.
o If you cannot stand the idea of sardines, try tuna, salmon, lean turkey, lean ham, boiled eggs, skinless chicken, left-over sliced lean meat, cottage cheese, etc!

Dinner

· You can put together a tasty meal in a matter of minutes. I am the 10minute dinner queen, trust me!!
· If you have nothing fresh in the fridge, defrost something from the freezer in the microwave. I always have fish, kangaroo, chicken breast or squid rings handy. Everything defrosts well in a matter of minutes in the trusty microwave- if you use the correct settings and get the timing right!
· Whilst this is defrosting, get out a plate/s, and start to compile the base salad. Also, get out a container for lunch the next day.
· Use mixed lettuce leaves and baby spinach as the base. Arrange over plate/s.
· Chop fresh, or use frozen, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc to steam in microwave once the meat/fish is defrosted.
· Choose one of: corn cob (fresh or frozen), sweet potato, pumpkin, brown rice in 90second pouch to steam and serve with dinner (good low GI carbohydrates)
· Dice your choice of tomato, onion, cucumber, capsicum, etc to complete your salad. You can add olives in brine, avocado and/or cottage cheese for extra flavour
· Once the meat/fish is defrosted, choose something to cook it in to add flavour
o For fish I use lemon, lime or orange juice, plus minced chilli and lime (ready-made from supermarket), or minced garlic, and/or dried herbs/spices- there are limitless combinations!
o For kangaroo my favourite is balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, chilli or mustard- I allow it to marinate in this for at least 5 minutes
o For chicken- lemon juice and dried mixed herbs or Pataks Tamarind and Ginger Paste and lime juice
· I will usually grill my selected cut in my trusty Bessemer grillet using baking paper, or a light spray of canola spray.
· Once it is done, I will slice thinly, or dice into chunks, and serve over my sizeable salad! For dressing I use lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salsa or whatever else takes my fancy at the time
· YUMMY! Always delicious and completely satisfying!!

Snacks

· For snacks on the run I usually go for carrots, fruit, nuts or low fat yoghurt- simple and nutritious!

Eating in the way I have described above offers many benefits including a maximal intake of disease fighting and anti-ageing phyto-chemicals, anti-oxidants and fibre, and leaves you with a fresh sense of vitality and well being!

Give it a try!

Even if you can only work on breakfast for now… It’s a start! :)