So I'm a (still battling) survivor of depression, and I often fall into the hole of not looking after myself. The plus side is at least, that I can recognize when and what areas I need a little help with. The biggest one is food. Food nourishes our bodies and gets them going, but currently I'm feeding my body milk & coffee until dinner time and then again after. Not healthy and not good for my mind, either.
I'm a mum of two, ages 14 months and 3 years (with suspected Autism) so my days can be unpredictable, and like every one of you, busy/full on etc!
What I'd like to know is what do YOU eat throughout the day? I'm after easy to prepare or make ahead tasty options for breakfast lunch and snacks that aren't full of 1000 ingredients as I am on a budget. I'm willing to give anything simple enough to make a chance!
Generally my quick and easy fail proof breaky is 2 weetbix with a banana and milk. On days I am organised it's 1/3cup oats, soaked over night (in the fridge) with 1/3 cup jalna vanilla yogurt, 1/3 cup almond milk, then in the morning I add frozen berries or a banana or some plain almonds and sultanas. Or a green smoothie with a frozen banana, almond milk, protein powder, a handful of baby spinach and ground LSA.
Lunch is my worse time of day and I get pretty lazy, often just having bits and pieces of what ever is in the fridge/cupboard, or what the kids don't eat.
When I am being aware of what I eat, I have a ham salad sandwich, toasties (with baked beans or ham/cheese tomato or tuna cheese and corn), home made soups, baked potato and sweet potato with baked beans and cheese.
Dinner is almost always a cooked meal. Tonight it's spaghetti bolgenaise, last night a beef and veg stir fry, night before a baked chicken dinner....
Snacks are generally- a handful of nuts, yogurt, fruit, veggie sticks with hummus, crackers with cheese.
And I drink lots of water. Up to 2 cups of green tea. 1 cup of tea and 1 cup of coffee. (Though I don't always have the tea and coffee.)
For breakfast I have muesli and yoghurt, I just eat a few spoons full of yoghurt out of the container and fill it up with muesli so there are no dishes lol. Lunch is usually a sandwich or salada, vitawheat, depending on what's in the cupboard with ham cheese and tomato. Sometimes I toast it. Sometimes, I cook scrambled eggs, just depends on whether I can be bothered cleaning dishes. Tea is usually vegies or salad and meat, not very gourmet but it's quick and easy and everyone eats it.
I'm a sweet tooth so I snack on fruit when I have sugar cravings. ATM I'm addicted to Nestle Soliel Chocolate Mousse. OMG! I think I ate 3 throughout the day on Thursday
My favourite foolproof brekky is just oats with fruit and honey.
I make little baggies of oats (1/3 of a cup of rolled or quick oats with a tablespoon of sultanas) in advance - it takes 2 minutes to put 20 together all in one bash, and then all you do in the morning is empty one baggie into a microwaveable bowl, chuck in 1/2 a cup of water (or milk if you prefer) and nuke it for a minute, stir, and then another minute. Then stir through a teaspoon of honey (or you could sprinkle brown sugar on if you prefer - or it might be sweet enough for you just with the sultanas).
When they're in season, I put in blueberries or strawberries or raspberries. Don't need to chop them or anything. Or you could use banana, apple, whatever. Just nuke the oats and water, and add whatever into it.
It cooks while I make myself a coffee. Done.
The kids love it too
Oats also make an awesome healthy afternoon snack when it's cold in winter.
For breakfast I do cereal with milk and a smoothie with OJ, a banana, and sometimes fresh strawberries or frozen raspberries, whizzed up with a stick mixer. I eat it while I feed DS (6 months) his brekkie.
Lunches are sometimes leftovers from dinner, or grilled cheese and tomato on toast, with salsa or pesto or mustard for variation, hummous or cream cheese on crispbreads with crudites, or a big salad with leaves and chopped vegies and feta or olives or sundrieds or leftover chopped sausage or... whatever I've got in the fridge.
Dinners are casseroles, stirfries, pasta, curries, grilled meat and salad, meat and veg... there are heaps of threads on easy midweek go to dinners.
Snacks for me are fruit, fruit, dried fruit, carrot or celery sticks, fruit, a handful of nuts or fruit. Can you tell I like fruit?
Brekkie is where I am the weakest normally its a cup of tea and either toast or sultana bran. Although I am trying to do the oats and yoghurt thing at the moment.
For lunch I normally have a salad - My favourite is rocket, cucumber, tomato, avocado, pinenuts and crumbled fetta - yummo!!! Otherwise cruskits with ham, cheese, tomato etc.
Snacks are normally nuts and sultanas (I keep a little pot of them in my nappy bag for when im out and about), yoghurt etc.
Dinners are always a cooked meal (hubby works away a week at a time so any leftovers get frozen for night when I cant be bothered cooking but dont want to eat junk!). They range from steak and salad, vegies and meat, pasta, curry, soup etc. We do eat a lot of salad a fresh vegies here though
I think the key to any kind of healthy eating is to be organised. I buy a kg of chicken fillets and cut it all up into strips and put 250gm in each bag. Then I put marinades in each one, sometimes its just garlic, chilli and ginger, other times its teryaki (sp?). The I freeze them and when I need one I just grab it out in the morning and put it in the fridge to defrost. At night I just cut up a handful of vegies and make a stir fry. If you are really pressed for time you could even just use those little steam fresh bags of vegies. Then I have the left overs for lunch the next day.
Weekdays I have porridge with cinnamon and a little brown sugar. I like it, it keeps me full and I don't have to think about it!
Lunch is either a wrap with salad and deli meat or grilled bacon, salada and salad stuff and deli meat or soup and a small roll
Snacks, yoghurt, nuts, fruit, crumpet,
I'm tying to lose weight atm but find planning a day ahead really helps. I can a,ways change things if I want something different but I don't have to think about what I'm eating if I get busy or stressed.
Brekky I am loving Special K multi-grain honey oats! Lunch I have avo, cheese and salad roll and usually something sweet after, slice of cake or fun size chocy bar. Dinner is usually a good cooked meal unless I'm feeling lazy, otherwise it's taco's or toasted sandwiches. Snacks are mostly shapes, crackers or more sweets (can't get enough sweets at the moment!)
Thanks for all the replies girls, lots of inspiration!! Today I had weetbix for breakfast, an apple as a snack, and for lunch I had greek yoghurt, muesli and some mango slices mixed together in a milk shake glass. Was sooo easy and it tasted great!
What do YOU eat?
Reply With Quote
normally its a cup of tea and either toast or sultana bran. Although I am trying to do the oats and yoghurt thing at the moment.
Bookmarks