Posts Tagged ‘healthy eating’

Here’s a really quick clip to inspire you to include legumes in your diet. My experience tells me that many of you want to include them but just don’t know what to do with these lovely little beany type things. Have no fear – they are the easiest of things to work with and they’re yummy too. Click play now.

The Smiler Goes Shopping series is all about helping you to build a repertoire of quick, simple, nutritious and delicious meal ideas.

Thank you to the wonderful team at Passionfoods in South Melbourne. They are such a cheery and helpful bunch and would be delighted to help you with your legume queries or any other healthy meal ideas for that matter.

Have you done one of Smiler’s 10 Minute Workouts yet?  Try this one

I have known and admired Flip Shelton for many years. She has done so many amazing things and is full of life and love for everyone around her. Last year I started eating her muesli for breakfast and haven’t stopped – it’s gorgeous!! 

Flip’s motto is ‘Eat like a king at breakfast, a queen at lunch and a pauper at dinner’ and I totally agree. Try it and enjoy the energy boost.

It gives me great pleasure to present Flip Shelton - writer , presenter, broadcaster and muesli maker extraordinaire AND she smiles all the time!  Click play now.

The ‘Smiler loves… series is all about ‘pick me up people’ – people who are positive about their life and are doing stuff to improve the lives of others. Flip Shelton is one of those people.

To find out more about Flip and to order her muesli go here:   http://www.flipsmuesli.com.au/

Post Workout Pic: 
Kate Seddon – she’s a landscape designer in Melbourne
www.ksldesign.com.au

The 2 Hasty-n-Tasty ideas below are specifically for left over roast chicken which, if you are like me, you will have bought at your local chicken shop the night before because you just didn’t have time to roast it at home. And, by the way, you actually do want left overs – they’re the beginnings of another meal! 

The whole objective with the meal ideas is to provide you with a repetoire of super quick, tasty & healthy meal ideas to draw on when time is tight and energy is low. These options will provide you with the nutrition you need to re-charge your body and mind – unlike fast fatty food options which will do the exact opposite.

All I’m suggesting is that you make the wisest choice possible at every meal.  

Oh, and if you haven’t exercised today why don’t you squeeze in a quick ‘Smiler’s Workout ‘   – 5 – 10 minutes is better than nothing and you’ll feel fantastic for it  – come on, your body needs it!  

Pesto Chicken Salad

Roughly chop the cold chicken and mix with good quality pesto.
Add generous amounts of grated cucumber, chopped tomatoes and whatever lettuce or fresh leaves you’ve bought. 
Eat with a piece of toasted rye bread or crackers.  
Enjoy.

Chicken Fried Rice 

Using your favourite pan, fry – in a small amount of oil - a crushed clove of garlic, a chopped onion – any kind- and a small knob of grated ginger
Add left over chicken, rice, a handful of frozen peas & a small tin of corn kernels
Add soy sauce, lemon juice, Mirin & a few drops of sesame oil  and chilli if that’s you
Enjoy.  

There are obviously plenty more ‘left over chicken meal ideas’, what’s yours?    

Also, TOMORROW I’ll be posting a back care & stretching clip so stay in touch - subscribe ! 

 
These ‘Hasty-n-Tasty Meal Ideas’ are just IDEAS so you can add/remove whatever takes your fancy. The whole objective is to provide you with a repetoire of super quick, tasty & healthy meal ideas to draw on when time is tight and energy is low. These options will provide you with the nutrition you need to re-charge your body and mind – unlike fast fatty food which will do the exact opposite. All I’m suggesting is that you make the wisest choice possible at every meal.  

Oh, and if you haven’t exercised today why don’t you squeeze in a quick ‘Smiler’s Workout ‘!!
5 – 10 minutes is better than nothing and you’ll feel fantastic for it  – come on, you know you need it!  

Warm Potato & Tuna Salad

Peel as many potatoes as you need for the amount of mouths you’re feeding.
Cut them in to bite size pieces and steam or boil. I prefer steam.
When cooked place in a bowl & gently mix through a tin of tuna in oil (drained & broken up)
Add finely sliced spinach & rocket leaves & a small tin of 4 bean mix
Squeeze half a lemon over the salad (optional) & season to taste. 
Enjoy.

5 Minute Hearty Tomato Soup

Put a can of tomato soup in to a saucepan.
Add 1 clove crushed garlic& whatever left over vegies, pasta/rice you have in the fridge.
(If no left overs you can add frozen peas & a tin of cannelini beans or similar)
Chop & sprinkle fresh parsley/basil, season to taste
Enjoy.  

Smoked Chicken Coleslaw 

Slice a smoked chicken breast & mix through store bought coleslaw (not dressed)
Add 1/2 continental cucumber, grated & the juice of 1/2 lemon
Add a dollop of low fat coleslaw dessing/mayo (the cucumber/lemon makes a lot of juice so you won’t need much)
Freshly chopped dill really tops this off if you can get your hands on some but no biggie if you can’t.
Enjoy.

Last Monday I wrote about my ideal week of exercise and it was one of the most popular posts I’ve done to date (‘3 ways to lift your libido’ ranks highly as does ‘The top 10 reasons for becoming a regular exerciser’).

Here is part 2 in the ‘Mantra Series’: My idea of an ideal week of eating; my hope is that it will encourage you to ‘eat well’ every week for the rest of your life and you’ll be so glad to know that eating well most definitely includes all your favourite indulgences.

Breakfast 

I start every day with a banana and a coffee (skim milk). This is part 1 of my breakfast, part  2 is my main breakfast which I usually eat when I get to work.

Most Sunday nights I make a big batch of Bircher muesli which takes me through til Wednesday. I eat it with fresh or tinned fruit.

Fruit toast is another regular breakfast of mine, just with honey & sometimes a smidgen of ABC (almond, Brazil & cashew) spread.

At least one day each week I have what I call an ‘egg pancake’. I crack 2 eggs in to a nonstick pan, break and swirl the yolks around & cook for a couple of minutes on both sides. I eat it on a piece of grainy toast with tomato sauce on.

Mid morning/afternoon snacks (only if you are physically hungry)

I rarely eat snacks because I try to ensure my breakfast and lunch take me through however if I do get hungry I usually go for a piece of fruit, a small smoothie/vegie juice/yoghurt. If you feel reallyhungry it might pay to change what you eat for breakfast, either eat a bit more or a bit better – ie. most commercial cereals don’t keep you going very long, not like a good muesli does.  

Lunch

What I choose for lunch depends on what I have on my agenda for the afternoon/evening but as a general rule I eat a ‘light lunch’ of protein and vegetables.  I will either have a salad, sushi, soup or small sandwich (the sandwiches they make these days are far too big- share it with a friend). I often take left overs to work for lunch.

Dinner

I will always have some form of protein for dinner, mostly fish, legumes & chicken, occasionally a juicy eye fillet. I have no ban on carbs for dinner however I’m careful to keep the portion size in check – no more than a cup of rice, pasta or potato is what I work on.

Drinks

Most days I have a hot water & lemon when I first get up. Throughout the day I only drink water except for a strong coffee when I get to work. I don’t have any fizzy drinks/bottled juices/vitamin waters and generally only drink alcohol on weekends (it zaps me of energy). On days when I’m working late I’ll have an organic vegetable juice in the afternoon.

Indulgences 

My favourite treats/indulgences are dips & crackers, Andrew’s hamburger/chicken souvlaki, ice cream, licorice and mint chocolate. I try to keep my treat nights to 2 per week although I do tend to have 1 piece of licorice after dinner if it’s in the house. NB. I very rarely have treats in the house.

Portion sizes

If it’s fat – I work on a teaspoon/thumb tip

If it’s ‘heavy’ carbs I work on no more than 1 cup/fist

If it’s ‘light’ carbs I work on no more than 2 cups/2 fists

If it’s protein I work on ‘palm of the hand’ size

My philosophy

Eat fresh non-processed food, varying in colour and nutritional value. Eat only what my body needs and occasionally what my mind wants. 

Bon appetite!

Love,

Smiler

Eating well is so hugely important for well being, I just can’t encourage you strongly enough to ‘do it’ daily. It’s really not that hard to do and the benefits are so worth it. If you eat well you live well; you can expect good energy levels, quality sleep, better concentration and tolerance to stressors plus it makes weight management heaps easier! 

When you eat well your skin glows, your eyes sparkle and your smile beams as you breeze happily through your day conquering your ‘to do list’ without a glitch. You’re laughing? Please, this is how my life goes everyday! Ok, I admit there are exceptions like hangovers, PMT & SPT (sole parenting tension)  but as a general rule I can testify to noticing a major difference between eating well and eating poorly.

To eat well the one thing you really you do need is ‘fore-thought’. For instance, last night I cooked enough rice for Pip & I to have for dinner as well as some for her breakfast (brown rice pudding: brown rice with soy milk and vanilla) and some for my lunch (put rice in to a container with a tine of tuna, some kidney beans, left over broccoli and a healthy drizzle of sweet chilli sauce – my current addiction).

Eating well is also about making time for food preparation. For instance, on Sunday night I cut up the fruit I bought at the market plus I made a batch of Bircher muesli which will see me through til Thursday. I also made a bolognaise sauce which I’ll use for 2 different meals and I even washed, spin dried and stored a coz lettuce ready for Pip’s lunches and a couple of nights of salad.  None of this was overly time consuming or laborious because I know my week is partially set up. I have to be especially organised because Pippa is a Coeliac.

To eat well every week you also need to be passionate about nutrition. Don’t get me wrong, I’m also passionate about the 6 C’s – cheese, chips, chardonnay, chocolate, cake & cookies – however I know I can have from time to time and enjoy them without too much consequence if I eat well everyday ( and exercise and think good things)

The Point: Eat well – feel well. Eat crap- feel crap.  It is merely a choice you make everyday.

Your Turn: I’m curious…if you don’t eat well - why don’t you? I’d really appreciate your feedback to this so that I can post some stuff to help you get on track with it.

Smiler.

Essentially my core belief is that the more you smile the happier you are and the more value you are to everyone around you.

A no-brainer I know but have you noticed that not many adults smile that much, they’re too caught up in the seriousness of adulthood, namely responsibility.

Just because we have loads of things to do and loads of committments to meet doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy life.

Here’s what the Dalai Lama has to say about smiling:

“The smile is a very important feature of the human face. But because of human intelligence, even that good part of human nature can be used in the wrong way, such as sarcastic smiles or diplomatic smiles which only serve to create suspicion. I feel that a genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day-to-day lives. How one creates that smile largely depends on one’s own attitude. It is illogical to expect smiles from others if one does not smile oneself. Therefore, one can see that many things depends on one’s own behaviour.”

Just reading that brings a smile to my face!

Bottom line: Whatever makes you smile do more of it and whoever makes you smile see more of them.

I hope I’m on your list!

Smiler

I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times: “breakfast is the most important meal” however there are still a huge amount of people who don’t eat it. The 2 main reasons for this are lack of time and lack of appetising ideas so here are 5 quick and tasty breakies to crack open the new day with during August:-

1. Fruit toast. Find a really good quality fruit bread to toast and smear with a pure nut spread, I love ABC spread – almond, Brazil & cashew – so good for you but it’s really high in fat so just a smidgen will do. My other 2 fave toppings are fruit jam & fresh ricotta or honey, cinamon and crushed walnuts.

2. Egg pancake. Crack 2 eggs in to a lightly oiled smallish frypan. Break the yolks with a fork and swirl the eggs around pan. Cook for a few minutes then flip and cook for a few minutes. Slide on to a plate and top with zigzags of tomato sauce & pepper (my usual) OR anything you fancy! Sliced tomato, sliced avocado, baked beans. Yes, you can also serve it on toast.

3. Super quick bircher muesli. Mix 1/2 cup of natural muesli with 1 cup of low fat natural yoghurt, add some berries or whatever fruit is handy and eat. Often on Sunday nights I make enough bircher to get me through the entire week then each morning I just spoon a portion in to a bowl & add fruit. so quick, so easy, so yum.

4. Tinned fruit with yoghurt & LSA sprinkles. A very quick, easy & nutritious option. LSA stands for linseed, soy and almond meal and it’s available at health food stores and most supermarkets. I have listed tinned fruit because if it’s ready to go-ness, be sure to buy the varieties in natural juice.

5. A muesli bar & a banana. There a stacks of really good quality muesli bars on the market these days however you’re best to choose the ones which are the least processed and the lowest in fat and sugar. Ask your local health store Smiler for suggestions. If time is often your excuse for not eating breakfast then a banana and a muesli bar is a super quick, super nutritious and delicious option.

Whatever works for you my friend but NO MORE EXCUSES you just have to eat breakie!

Smiler