After the endless amounts of food that I have enjoyed during my Christmas holidays, it’s safe to say I am done with being in a constant food coma. I mean don't get me wrong, I have truly enjoyed all of it and especially spoiling (with that I mean mostly feeding) my friends and family. But I am finally ready to jump back on to the health wagon and get into my ‘healthy active’ routine again. Which means the 80/20 rule. 80% clean eating as ‘they’ like to call it and 20% of fun. My 20% of fun usually happen on the weekends where I enjoy breakfasts with the girls and some cake here and there, preferably carrot cake from Lime tree. Gosh, isn't that the best cake in town?!
But let’s talk about the clean eating. Now would you believe me if I’d told you that eating clean does not mean boring? And that creating a delicious and filling clean eating menu isn’t as hard as it may seem. Clean eating is about limiting processed foods - not about limiting flavor! Yes, that is right. It simply means eating whole foods that either grow in nature or you can't hunt. It simply means staying away from anything that comes in packages and is overly processed.
Many clients and friends often ask me how I eat and what kind of foods I choose. Well today I am going to share a few recipes from my daily eating routine with you and secretly I am hoping you may use one or two in your daily routine too. Here’s to a happy, fun and healthy 2018 for all of us!
Morning routine - speed up that metabolism
500ml hot water
2 tsp raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
juice from ½ lemon
Note: Drink it right after waking up and before breakfast.
Breakfast - my favourite
2 eggs
2 large mushrooms, sliced
1 spring onion, sliced
4 cherry tomatoes
½ avocado for toppings
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt & Pepper
Method
Heat ½ tsp of coconut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms, spring onion and tomatoes. Add salt, pepper and turmeric powder and sauté for 5 minutes. Once tomatoes are soft, crack eggs on top of your veggies and cover the pan with a lid or some tin foil. Allow to cook for 2 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your liking. I like mine medium so about 2 minutes, cooks them perfect for my liking. Add some fresh baby spinach onto a serving bowl or a plate and gently add your eggs and veggies on top. Add your avocado slices on top and enjoy your breakfast.
Lunch - healthy & tasty
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
250g good-quality tomato pasta sauce or organic tomato passata
1x 400g tin of organic cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
4 small zucchinis
1-2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Method
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-heat and add the olive oil. Add red onion and garlic to the pan and cook until translucent and softened. Add the finely diced carrot and continue to cook until soft. Add drained lentils and tomato sauce/passata to the pan and stir until combined. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until ragu is fragrant, adding more liquid (sauce or hot water) if it seems too dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cut the ends of the zucchini and create the zucchini noodles using a spiralizer. If you don’t have a spiralizer, cut them finely using a knife or push the zucchini along the top of a grater, in long strokes in order to create long, thin ribbons of zucchini. Add zucchini noodles to the simmering ragu and cook for a further 5 minutes, until softened. Serve into two bowls and top with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes: This recipe also works well with organic minced meat (beef, chicken or turkey). Just substitute meat for the lentils and ensure the meat is well cooked before adding the sauce/passata and simmering. A wholegrain or gluten-free pasta variety may also be used instead of zucchini.
Afternoon snacking - Skip the coffee and have this instead!
1 small cucumber
juice from 1 lemon
1 stalk celery
½ green apple
1 knob ginger
2 cubes frozen spinach
1 tsp superfoods powder (optional)
Method
Add all the above ingredients into a Vitamix blender and blend on high for 20 seconds. Drink immediately.
Dinner - soup for the win
2 large zucchinis
1 large broccoli
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 leek
3 vegetable stock cubes
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. Himalayan salt
½ tsp. cumin
Cracked pepper
Bunch parsley, chopped
Method:
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Slice zucchini, broccoli and leeks, then add to pot. Add chilli flakes, cumin salt and pepper and fry until cooked through. Add water and stock cubes to cover vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Carefully add soup to a Vitamix or food processor, or use a hand processor to blend until smooth. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, crushed walnuts or almond crumbs.
The night ritual - golden milk
1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
½-1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of ground ginger or knob of fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp coconut oil
Liquid stevia if needed
Method
Add the milk to a heated pot on the stove while adding in the rest of the ingredients. Stir and remove once heated.