So, how ’bout it… I like food!

 

A more accurate description is more like, I love food. I love the smell of freshly baked bread. I love the crunch of fresh hot chips (particularly with melted cheese and bacon bits and creamy ranch sauce). I love the icy coldness of an old fashioned ice chocolate. And it’s not just the food, it’s the socialness of it all – spending Friday nights with the family that own the Italian restaurant down the road screams comfort; knowing there will be a bag of malteasers for Adam and GF cupcakes for me at Mum and Dads house shouts love; walking out to get coffee and a nice snack screams relax!

 

None of which is a bad thing. At all. Except when you are also too tired and not bothered to cook four out of five nights… And there is still nothing in the cupboard even if you maybe could  be bothered.

 

Enter in heavy duty food strategy!

 

Here is what I know for sure:

 

- I’m spot on five foot tall, which means a 1200 calorie ‘diet’ is maintenance for me as opposed to weight loss for the rest of you normalites. This was confirmed in conjunction with a dietician so don’t fear for my health, fear for those hot chips and take away joints which will lose some significant income due to our absence

 

- therefore, my eating and meals must be mindful. Planning my meals ( yep, all of them!) and eating Lyndal portions are critical. As is listening to my body, not my delicious food loving brain.

 

- I must be organised. We learnt from the Saturday night stubborn-off, that if dinner is not planned (or lunch for that matter) neither of us will be able to make a decision and pizza is ordered

 

- Routine works for me and I have no problems working on a fortnightly main meal rotation. Adam has to not mind as I am the master chef of the killers.

 

- I don’t enjoy cooking on days I work. I don’t like feeling rushed, or standing up any longer than is necessary. I’m not lazy, there is just no sun anymore so I get a bit crabby. So if you’re going to make me cook, make it freaking snappy!

 

 

So with that in mind, and a multitude of multi tasking, I set off in search for some easy and quick recipes. Thank God for iPads and MotoGP, because it gave me a good few solid hours of research, and we went with the more whole foods limited procesed foods idea. Hot tip: Instagram is great right now with lots of foodie photos, blogs are also an amazingly rich source of new recipes.

 

Our fortnight of dinners looks like this:

 

Zucchini Fritters – Woolworths website 

Rainbow Salad – Oh She Glows Blog

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup – Happy Housewifey (last weeks Team Friday link up!)

Chicken pot roast – Masterfoods Recipe base

Sausage and Potato hot pot – Dolmio Slow Cooker base

Beef Roast with Vegetables

Chicken Risotto – Rice Cooker recipe – heard about on twitter!

Beef stroganoffs – Weight watchers recipe

Chicken pyjamas – Dolmio Recipe Base ( no snitty, plain chicken breast used)

Chicken, avo, cheese melts

Sundried tomato and Vegetable bake – Dolmio in a jar

Tomato Soup with crusty bread – Mummy Issues Pt 2 blog

 

 

I am using the slow cooker a lot recently – I put it in overnight while we are at home and it normally makes enough for three meals for us, total winner! I am also a firm believer in jar sauces and recipe bases – I know that won’t sit well with everybody, however for me they ensure that I am eating meals that I otherwise never would and make my life a million percent easier. Brands and sauces vary greatly in their nutritional value, so I try to stick (mostly) to tomato based ones and add a whole heap of veggies to them regardless.

 

Most of these will be our lunches as well (generally for the day after!) – we are normally out of the house from 7am to 6pm so we try to have BIG lunches and not so big dinners. And that is where our snacks get super important. Not to mention breakfast – I’m not sure how Adam goes with that meal, aside from his old faithful coffee! Mostly I will have a vanilla yoghurt with some gluten free muesli alongside a sugar free red bull – I don’t particularly like coffee, so think of it as my morning ‘ coffee’! At times I will have a blueberry bagel, or a piece of toast with a microwave scrambled egg. If I don’t have that at breakfast then it becomes my morning or afternoon tea. I have one to two snacks a day – a banana or kiwi fruit, plain rice crackers with hummus, a smoothie cubes smoothie (if I’m at home, or after dinner) plain corn chips with salsa, pistachios or a freddo. And yes, I actually do crave those snacks – a far cry from the king sized twirl and a bag of potato chips girl I was a year ago! I also try to online shop as much as possible – its all about the avoiding temptation, not getting frustrated with people or having to hunt for things and keeping on track with budget!!

 

I’m excited for these meals – it felt SO good to spend not even a few hours to find some winter recipes and do the grocery order, and has saved a whole lot of stress. I also know that eating healthy will ensure that I also feel  a lot better… My body will be thanking me, and not with the crazy stomach and full on migraines!

 

Like I have said, these are the tools and tips that work for me – that like anything, I know I need to set time aside to specifically do! I do hope that it has been useful for you and if you would like any further info – receipes, brands I have found great, apps that keep me on track, meal planner printables – please dont hesitate to let me know in the comments or drop me an email!

 

Next week :  Exercise for the person who got sick notes for more PE lessons in high school than actually participated in.

 

Whats this post? Its a TEAM FRIDAY POST!!! Which means its all about food, fitness and feeling fabulous! Go over and check out the other links