I love a good, quick throw together meal, and this one came as a spark of inspiration when I was looking for something to have for lunch today. I’m a big fan of stir fries, however they can be pretty unhealthy. This one is a veggie-packed version, full of nutrient dense veggies, brown rice and quinoa.
*Please note, I usually keep pre-cooked quinoa and brown rice in the freezer, so it literally took me 10 minutes to throw this together.
Serves 2-3 (depending on serve sizes)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup pre-cooked quinoa
1 cup pre-cooked brown rice
1/2 red capsicum, diced
3 asparagus shoots, diced
1 small can corn, drained
handful of beetroot leaves and stems (or just use spinach)
2 mushrooms, diced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp salt reduced soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
small bunch of coriander, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds
Method:
Heat olive oil on a medium heat in a large wok or fry pan. Add the capsicum, asparagus, corn, beetroot stems (not leaves), and mushrooms. Heat through for 5 minutes until soft.
Add honey, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and lime juice, and mix through.
Add pre-cooked quinoa and rice, heat for another 5 minutes until rice and quinoa are hot, then add beetroot leaves (or spinach if using).
Place on plates and top with chopped coriander and sesame seeds.
This is one of my favourite winter recipes, which will one day be in my book (more on that in the future). Its packed full of veggies, and the beef is rich and tasty.
Beef and mushroom Shepherd’s pie
500g Beef mince
4 Large Mushrooms, chopped
1 Large carrot, diced
½ medium zucchini, diced
½ white onion, diced
2 Handfuls of baby spinach
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and diced
½ cup Red wine
1 cup Beef stock
2 Tbsp Tomato paste
½ Tsp Sea salt
Pinch Black pepper
1 Tsp mixed Italian herbs
1 star Anise
2 Dry Bay leaves
1 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
2 Tbsp Tapioca Flour
2 Tsp Olive oil (for browning meat and onion)
2 Medium Sweet potatoes
Heat a frying pan on medium heat and sauté onion in ½ the olive oil for 8 minutes (or until brown). Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Add the beef mince to the pan, break into small chunks with a spatula. Stir frequently for 10-15 minutes, or until the beef is browned on all sides.
Add carrots, zucchini, garlic, red wine, sea salt, pepper, start anise, bay leaves and herbs, and bring to a simmer.
Add beef stock, tomato paste, mushrooms and tamari, stir and bring to a simmer.
Turn the heat down to low, then cover and simmer for 35 minutes, or until most of the liquid is gone. Stir occasionally.
Once the beef is simmering, you can prepare the sweet potato. Peel sweet potato and cut into large chunks. Place in a pot of boiling water and boil for 10-15 minutes, or until soft (you can check this with a knife).
Drain the sweet potatoes and leave to cool for a few minutes. Once cool, mash with a fork or potato masher. Add the sea salt and a little tapioca flour and mix well (I like to keep mine a little chunky for the texture). Leave aside.
After the beef has been simmering for 35 minutes, uncover and add spinach, stir well and let the spinach wilt. Once it has wilted add the tapioca flour. Stir to combine, the beef should thicken. Take off the heat and leave aside to cool.
Heat oven to 180C. In a medium casserole dish, spread the beef mince on the bottom, ensure you leave around ¼ of the space for the sweet potato.
Carefully spread the sweet potato over the mince evenly, until the mince is completely covered. You can use a fork to add a visual effect on the top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve 2-3. Serve with a side of steamed veggies, garden salad or on its own.
So far, its been smooth sailing, although breakfast was a bit disappointing. Note to self-plain oats with pear and cinnamon sounds nice, but in reality, it still tastes like cardboard.
For snacks I had a simple carrot and garlic soup, and raw carrot sticks. I also didn’t eat all the oats for breakfast, so I popped them in the oven for a baked pear and cinnamon crumble (again not so successful, it needs sugar-why did I not think of sugar!).
Lunch was a nice big bowl of fried rice, with zucchini, garlic, onion and carrot. Luckily, lunch saved me and was really nice!
Dinner was lentil dal with rice and one piece of flat bread. This was super yummy, and I’m so glad I have the garlic for flavoring everything!
After my meal prep on Sunday, I have revised my meal plan:
$10 total
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Day 1
Oats with grated pear and cinnamon
Fried rice with chicken, zucchini, carrot and fresh herbs
Chickpea and pumpkin curry with rice
Bone broth, carrot, carrot and garlic soup, Baked oat, pear and cinnamon crumble
Day 2
Toasted oats with stewed pear and cinnamon
Pumpkin, chicken and rice patties with roast potato wedges
Roast pumpkin with sautéed potato, zucchini and onion
Bone broth, baked potato, carrots, Pumpkin seeds
Day 3
Veggie hash with carrot, pumpkin, zucchini and tomato
Fried rice with chicken, zucchini, carrot and fresh herbs
Lentil dal with flatbread
Bone broth, carrots, carrot and garlic soup
Day 4
Oats with grated pear and cinnamon
Pumpkin, chicken and rice patties with roast potato wedges
Chickpea and pumpkin curry with rice
Bone broth, flatbread, carrots, Pumpkin seeds
Day 5
Oats with grated pear and cinnamon
Pumpkin, chicken and rice patties with roast potato wedges
Lentil dal with flatbread
Bone broth, carrots, baked potato
Might end up changing it again, depending on how it goes.
The recipes I used as inspiration can be found here:
Of course, I didn’t make them exactly the same as I didn’t have all the ingredients, I only used what was on my shopping list.
Day 2:
Today was HARD. I was at uni all day, and I had such little energy, that I don’t think I spoke to anyone all day. I swapped around breakfast today, and I had toasted oats with stewed pear and cinnamon. It was slightly better than day 1, but still not great. Lunch was ok, I had to have it on the go, so it was cold, but not too bad. I was hungry by the time I got home, so I had some bone broth, and roasted my veggies. Dinner was great, but not very filling, I was hungry again by about 8.30.
Day 3:
Due to all my hard work over the last few days, I treated myself to a big veggie hash this morning. It filled me up until about 11, which was great! Again fried rice was nice, but a little bland-it really could have done with some salt (must remember that for next year). The flat bread I made to go with the dal tonight was actually really yummy, and I’m glad I included it.
Day 4:
I have caved and decided to sub out 2 potatoes, and sub in 2 Tbsp of sugar, I just couldn’t handle another day of plain oats. On the bright side, breakfast was actually nice today. The best way to do the oats is by grating the pear and adding the cinnamon and sugar, then stewing that with some water, and adding the oats when that’s cooked and letting it cook for a few minutes.
Day 5:
I’m so glad ts the last day today, however I accidentally burnt my roast veggies today (I had a few carrots leftover so I roasted them with the potato). I can’t wait for tomorrow and all the coffee I will drink, I also looking forward to some chocolate and maybe eggs. Its been an emotional roller coaster, I’ve been hungry, tired and grumpy, and I still have to carry on.
Summary:
Live below the line has taught me the value of food and nutrition, and how truly lucky we are to be able to afford nourishing food. It was such an incredible experience, I honestly think everyone should do it during their life. We have so many emotions tied to food, I was all over the place during the last week, but for me, it has an end date, for millions around the world poverty has no end. Today I eat with a grateful heart, and the will to improve the circumstances for those living in poverty. Thank you to everyone who supported me during this last week, and to everyone who donated.
Total amount raised: $261
Goal: $300
Next year: $500
I couldn’t find a good recipe for a fresh, nourishing salsa anywhere, so iv’e created my own. Its super simple, but full of great healthy ingredients.
Super Salsa
1/2 Red Onion
1/2 Red capsicum
10cm Cucumber
2 Tomatoes
1 Bunch Coriander
1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 tsp Chopped red chili
Salt and pepper
Finely dice red onion, capsicum and cucumber, add to a large bowl.
De-seed tomatoes and dice, add to large bowl.
Chop coriander, add to rest of the ingredients.
In a smaller lidded container (I like to use an old small jar) add lemon juice, Olive oil, salt and pepper, and chopped red chili. Shake together to combine, and pour over salsa.
Mix all together to combine and serve.
This is great served with burritos, nachos, with salmon, or just on its own.
A few weeks ago I was talking to someone about what they had for breakfast, the answer was……crumpets! After delving deeper into her diet, I was astonished to find that the rest of her diet was like this too: Toast and jam for lunch, a ham and cheese sandwich for dinner. And of course, she asked me “what do you have for breakfast then?” My answer was: “veggies!”. She thought I was kind of weird for having veggies for breakfast. But honestly, we are meant to have at least 6 serves of veggies a day, and for me, its a great way to pack the veggies in!
I love big veggie hash’s (big random fry-ups of veggies), breakfast salad’s and veggies juices. So I’ve picked out a few awesome recipes for you to try if you don’t already have lots of veggies in your diet. Even if you start simple: Have a poached egg with grilled tomato and mushroom.
This week I finally got around to purchasing a copy of Optimal Health the Paleo way by Claire Yates, and I much say this thing is INCREDIBLE! Its not just a cookbook….Its 143 pages full of scientific based nutritional information, and Claire has presented it in a really easy to understand way. She goes through additives, allergens, hormones, stress, gut health, inflammation, macronutrients, micronutrients, and the list just goes on. I was amazed at just how much love and time Claire has put into this gorgeous work of art.
Simply, Claire has summised everything you need to know about nutrition and the role it plays in your health, then gives you the ultimate guide to how to change your habits! Its a book I can confidently recommend to others who want a simple health eating plan to get them into the realm of good health. And its a book I will personally use to guide my diet.
I have been on Paleo for 2 weeks now as part of a dietary intervention study at uni. I have noticed quite a few changes to my health. Firstly I have noticed that I am less hungry, and I want to snack less. This is a great feat for me as have an issue with always being hungry. Secondly, my skin is looking amazing! I haven’t had this kind of skins in quite a few years. And thirdly, I have more energy. Now in the afternoon, I don’t feel like I need another coffee, its just all uphill!
This weekend I used Claire’s recipes to do my meal prep (as well as some recipes from Eat Drink Paleo). I made:
Carrot and sweet potato bites: These were a huge hit at the family Easter BBQ, even for those that are big meat eaters.
Sweet potato salad: Another hit at the family Easter BBQ, everyone was surprised at how tasty it was.
Roasted eggplant, cauliflower and warm chicken salad: This on is just gorgeous, and is going to be my lunch during the week. It was so easy to out together
Butter Chicken: Again, another super simple recipe that only really took 20 minutes from start to finish.
Herb and chili chicken: This was amazing, I just popped everything into a big baking dish and literally left it for a hour, and tada-Done!
Honestly, get your hands on a copy of this, Claire has put her heart and soul into this book, and you can really tell. This is the kind of book I would love to one day be the proud author of.
Find out more about Optimal health the Paleo way, Claire Yates, and how to re-set your health over at her website: http://optimumhealthpaleo.com/
I hope everyone had an amazing Easter weekend, full of rest, relaxation, treats, family and love <3
I know lots of people are still on holiday until next week, but I’m back in action this week, and I’m ready for the remainder of the Uni semester as well as filling the blog with yummy recipes and nutrition posts.
So here is my (slightly) overdue stuff I heart post:
1. The Paleo diet and Claire Yates cookbook “Optimal health the Paleo way”
I picked up this book from work after months of swooning over it, and I spend Friday morning reading the entire first half, which is full of some fantastic nutrition information. Claire is full of so much wisdom, and I just love her book! If you get a chance, grab a copy. I made the Carrot and sweet potato bites you see on the far left, they were a huge hit at the family BBQ I was at over the weekend.
I stopped wearing a face full of make up a few years ago, it was mostly because I couldn’t afford it (student life right), but my face has loved me for it! I now can be proud of my own skin, rather than hiding behind a layer of chemicals. My mum also helped me to make the choice to move to natural makeup, so now, I could probably eat everything I put on my face. And our skin is our largest organ, so it absorbs everything! I love not wearing makeup, and I think it should be an everyday trend rather than for a #nomakeupselfie.
On that note, here is what would be my Perfect day: Wake up early, refreshed and energised, next to my man. Then, cuddles and a coffee in bed with a chat. Then off outside to exercise with the sun rising, yoga, walking the dog, or the beach. Next would be a big, gorgeous breakfast full of eggs and veggies. Then work. In a perfect day I would be seeing clients as a Nutritionist, inspiring and educating people to live a fulfilling and empowered life. Lunch would be more veggies and of course a cup of tea. The afternoon would be filled with blogging and creating new recipes, as well as a bit of gardening. Then its time for some more exercise, another walk, or yoga, or some running. I’d then make an exciting, nourishing meal, and share it with my closest friends and loved one. There would be wine, and nibbles and music. And then finally at the very end of the day, I would sit down to read something awesome.
Sounds awesome huh! What does your perfect day look like?
4. This incredible Lady: Yuna (Singer/Songwriter)
I’m in love with her album Nocturnal, I don’t usually post about music, but this is just too good not to share. Its full of lovely sparkly songs and gorgeous lyrics. Its my spring anthem album at the moment, Plus its fantastic to sing along to <3
Easter is a time of year where we all over indulge on our favorite chocolate treats, its hard not to with the endless supplies of branded Easter eggs everywhere. But honestly, what are we really celebrating? For me its a time of self awareness, family, and connecting with my spirituality. No, i’m not Christian, but the days off always give me a chance to do some deep thinking. This year I would love for you to be more aware of what you are feeding your body and why. Here are my 3 ways to help you have your healthiest Easter EVER!
One of the easiest ways to put on a few extra grams over Easter is by over consuming sugary, fat laden chocolate. Let me tell you now, its not ok to spend a whole day eating chocolate, you are setting yourself up for disaster. Instead of buying expensive branded chocolate this year, buy the ingredients to make your own. See my Healthy little treats post for some great treat ideas, or try my Cherry ripe truffles for something a bit different.
This is especially important for kids, if we are teaching our kids that chocolate is something to be revered and that its ok to eat that much of something, then we are helping them to live a life of over-indulgence. Why not give your kids a small gift instead-like a book, pj’s or even a chicken!
Its also a great time to point out how nutritious eggs really are. Eggs are nutrient rich and are a great addition to a healthy diet. Eggs are a source of at least 11 various vitamins and minerals, as well as having high quality protein, omega 3 and antioxidants. In particular eggs are a great source of folate, vitamin A, zinc, iron, and iodine. Eggs are very versatile and can be incorporated into a variety of foods and meals. Eggs can play a vital role in the diets of kids who are fussy, as they provide a wide array of nutrients.
Easter is the perfect time to get outside with your loved ones to exercise. Why not try a hike, or play a new sport together, or take the dog for a beach walk. With those extra hours over this holiday, instead of lounging on the couch, just do something a little different. Maybe you have always wanted to try a new exercise-bike riding, yoga, swimming, roller skating. This long weekend, make the effort to actually try it.
With the kids, have some good quality play time. They want to build a fort-why not? Playing pirates with some old boxes-go for it! Maybe its even time to plant your veggie garden. Get the kids involved and find out what to plant this time of year.
I love eggs, with all their versatility and variety of nutrients. Eggs are nutrient rich and are a great addition to a healthy diet. Eggs are a source of at least 11 various vitamins and minerals, as well as having high quality protein, omega 3 and antioxidants. In particular eggs are a great source of folate, vitamin A, zinc, iron, and iodine. Eggs are very versatile and can be incorporated into a variety of foods and meals. Eggs can play a vital role in the diets of kids who are fussy, as they provide a wide array of nutrients.
So with that, here are my favourite egg recipes from around the internet:
1. Egg white and greens frittata from The Healthy Chef
There is something deliciously rewarding about making your own tasty granola. I usually make a batch over the weekend to enjoy with my weekday smoothies, or with Greek yogurt and figs. I even have it on its own as a healthy snack during the day. Plus you can add your own preferences to make it even better!
The thing to remember with granola is a low heat, and slow cooking process, you don’t want to burn or overcook it, the nuts just need to be toasted.
This granola is full of energy boosting nuts, slow release oats, and packed with protein from the seeds. And of course, just a hint of sweetness from the honey, vanilla and spice. Not that you need to be any more sweet lovely!
1 cup Rolled oats
1/2 cup Ground almonds
1 cup Mixed nuts (I like Brazil, Hazelnuts and walnuts)
1/2 cup Mixed seeds (Pepitas, Chia, Sunflower, Sesame)
1 cup Dried fruit (Cranberries, Apricots)
1/2 cup Desiccated coconut
1/4 cup Coconut flakes
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 cup Coconut oil
3 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats and ground almonds.
In a food processor, process the mixed nuts, until there is a variety of sizes (I like to keep it pretty chunky)
Add the processed nuts and seeds to the bowl.
Chop the dried fruit and add to the bowl.
Add coconut, and spices, mix thoroughly.
In a small jug mix together the coconut oil, honey and vanilla, then pour over the dry mix, and combine.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper, and spread granola mix over.
Bake at 160 degrees for 30-40 minutes, check every 15 minutes to prevent overcooking.
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