Eating a well balanced diet is so important to me. Firstly because research shows that a healthy diet is not only great for our bodies but also for our minds. I would also love the luxury of having less weight to run with, which post kids remains a work in progress for me.
So far I have found the following dishes an easy way to use as many fresh vegetables as possible with maximum flavour –
- Curries
- Pasta sauces
- Stir fries
- Soups
- Salads
As I rule I drink water with fresh lime or lemon to jazz it up and limit myself to one cup of tea and one coffee per day. Too much caffeine can also be bad for our mental health. I am going to try and cut down on the amount of oil I cook with to save on calories. As for cutting down on sugar – some days I am winning at this and other days I struggle. My culprits – dark chocolate or things I am offered at play dates such as cakes and bags of minstrels. Why does coffee go so well with chocolate and cake?!
I currently have a throat infection and last night finally lost most of my big toenail which took a pounding during the marathon. No fancy pedicures for me any time soon!
After a few days rest I will be kicking back into gear – here is the plan I am working with:
Monday – rpm class and cool down swim
Tuesday – 7k run
Wednesday – yoga
Thursday – 5k hill running/intervals
Friday – swim, weights
Saturday – longest run
Sunday – rest
I am slightly behind on posting my food diary as I have been in Madrid on holiday. From next week my plan is to change the format of this to include some of my favourite and healthiest recipes from the week. I don’t see the point in posting what I have for breakfast or lunch each day (anyone can stick a bit peanut butter on toast and run out of the door). My favourite healthy breakfast (when I have the luxury of a bit of extra time) involves something like this. I will try and post any new combinations I come up with on my instagram account or runners lifestyle page.
When it comes to lunch I am big on homemade soup or an open wrap/sandwich.
We are bombarded with so many messages about eating. Clean eating is something that comes naturally to me but portion control doesn’t. As a result I am looking into the 5:2 lifestyle to see if this is something that could work for me. I will let you know how I get on next week. In terms of recipe books I am a huge fan of the hairy dieters – ideal for foodies. I love Nick Nairn but he cooks with a lot of butter so best kept for the weekend when the wine also comes out.
3rd July to 9th
Sunday
Breakfast – mushrooms, beans and poached eggs
Lunch – half a calabrease from Pizza Express – only around 650 calories and worth every bite
Dinner – prawns in garlic and lemon butter with watercress salad. The prawns are poached and the warm butter is poured over them and the salad. Watercress is super high in vitamin A, C and K.
The Nick Nairn lemon/butter dressing is epic
Monday
Breakfast – scrambled eggs on toast
Lunch – homemade chicken satay – thanks Clara
My pals are great cooks
Snack – passion fruit yogurt
Dinner – feta, roasted vegetables and cous cous salad
Tuesday
Breakfast – half pink grapefruit
Snack – Gran Violet’s freshly baked (warm) bran scones and coffee
Lunch – Gran Violet’s homemade lentil and vegetable soup
Snack – 2 x small chocolates from dairy box
Dinner – homemade spaghetti bolognese with roasted carrots and peppers – I find a pasta sauce can be a great way to cram extra vegetables in
Wednesday
Breakfast – peanut butter on toast
Lunch – butternut squash, feta, spinach, pine nut and chilli flatbread sandwich
Dinner – baked salmon with loads of stir fried vege and some noodles – fresh garlic, chilli, ginger, herbs and soy sauce
Thursday
Breakfast – bran scone and cup of tea
Lunch – homemade lentil soup and half a tuna melt (thanks Jenn’s Den) and coffee and half a piece of lemon and pollenta cake – so good
Dinner – Homemade chicken jalfrezi with lots of vegetables and fresh chilli from our garden
Friday
Breakfast – peanut butter on toast
Lunch – Grandad Dave’s homemade vegetable soup
Dinner – Grandad Dave’s chicken and bacon salad with a lemon and mustard dressing – so tasty
Saturday
Breakfast – beans, poached egg and potato scone
Lunch – open tuna sandwich with salad – 1 bit of bread is no biggie
Dinner – spiced king prawns – super tasty and low calorie
Our sauce (which we dub platinum prawns) is made with fresh tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato ketchup, spring onions, ginger, chilli and garlic. We stir fry the prawns in sesame oil and then tip in all the sauce ingredients.
The kids love prawns so we kept some aside and gave them it without the spicy sauce with some homemade egg fried rice.
Goals for next week –
- Trial out the 5:2
- New healthy recipes
- Cook with less oil – buy the spray
- Less biscuits and cake
- a new 5k park run record
