Breakfast: Sweet vs Savoury

What’s the deal? Which is better for you? Which assists weight management?

This, like almost everything when it comes to health & wellbeing is about bio-individuality. What works for you may not work for the next person.

However I feel passionately that the only way to know is to try it for yourself and that’s exactly what I’ve done.

6 years ago when I first visited a fantastic naturopath and nutritionist; to learn more and drop some body fat; was the first time that I ever had it suggested to me to eat savoury food for breakfast. Additionally it was recommended that I remove grains altogether in the AM and look to incorporate protein and fat before starting my day.

The truth?

I was horrified and scared. How could I live without porridge or fruit and yoghurt in the morning? I had been eating a similar breakfast for almost 5 years and I loved it.

Or was that my problem?

Lamb Meatball & Couscous Salad with Yoghurt Dressing

Meatballs are a crowd-pleasing, delicious, nutritious and easy favourite. Sometimes containing mince meat and mostly including eggs and flour, they can also be heavy and laden with unnecessary additives.

How do we make clean meatballs then? My first tip to you is to use lamb!

And not just any lamb though ask your local butcher to mince some diced lamb for you. There’s an enormous flavour and quality difference, one that’s absolutely worth a few more dollars. After that solid foundation we use fresh herbs and Mediterranean-inspired ingredients for flavour.

I must admit I’ve never been a huge fan of meatballs though I realised that’s because I’m not a fan of mince and who could blame me!? When it comes from a quality cut of the lamb though it’s an entirely different story and one which changed the way I felt about the humble meatball. On the flip side, creating something like meatballs is fast and easy, they freeze well and if you make double, can be deliciously added to tomorrow’s lunch. So cook once, eat twice = awesomeness!

As these meatballs are packed full of flavour, I wanted them to shine, supporting as opposed to overpowering them with the salad. A few delicious ingredients that ring true to Mediterranean flavours, you could almost pretend you’re away on the Grecian coastline with each bite.

This recipe is an ideal Sunday night or midweek meal idea and I have a feeling you’re going to love it…..

What To Eat After You Exercise – a Post Workout Smoothie

You’ve just worked your butt off in a cycle class, at yoga, running or even weight training and you know you need to refuel. At the same time you’re concerned about undoing all of that hard work with poor nutrition choices!

If you happen to exercise after work, by the time you finish it may be close to dinner and you reason that there’s no need to eat something else in the meantime. Or in the morning before work and you figure a good breakfast will cover your needs.

So what do you do? What’s the best thing for you post-workout?

I’m sorry to say though this is super-duper individualised. It’s dependent not only on the activity you have participated in though also your food intake as a whole. I was discussing this exact topic with a friend recently who asked me about workout nutrition and my key points to her are the same as they are to you:

1. You can't out-train a poor diet

2. Your overall nutrient intake is crucial for effective workouts and recovery

This topic is in fact what first brought me into this wellbeing world almost a decade ago when I noticed my athletic performance and recovery wasn’t improving no matter my training. Why? I had overlooked the most crucial factor – what I was eating. 

Watermelon, Haloumi & Mint Salad

Summer has almost arrived in my part of the world and once again its’ seasonal fruit becomes the long-lost friend that you forgot how much you love.

Watermelon is a summer staple in our house. Eaten in big juicy wedges (and all over your face too!), with a spoon straight from the fruit, in juice, iceblocks and best of all; in salads.

The only rule is – it must be cold.  Warm watermelon is simply not doing it justice.

In Australia, this delicious fruit (which is approximately 92% water by the way) is synonymous with summertime. We think of long days with friends at the beach, even longer summer afternoons that become balmy summer nights and fresh, light, juicy salads taken along to a weekend BBQ.

Or is that just me?

My all-time favourite watermelon salad recipe is on quick-draw for me as soon as the season arrives – you can find that one here – though this newbie that I’ve been enjoying over the past 2 weeks, does not disappoint.

3 ingredients.

Now it doesn’t get easier than that!

Green Omlette

Sometimes you just know that you need to eat more vegetables. Especially of the green variety right?

As the weather warms up in the southern hemisphere, the layers come off however the remnants of heavier eating in the cooler months often remain. It seems a fairly accepted truth that vegetables are easier and more enticing to consume in warmer weather + they help with those winter body leftovers…

Less heavy / more light. It’s also a time when fast, simple and fresh meals ring true.

Enter >>> My Green Omlette.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything in between; this 5-minute wonder is a go-to recipe for me all year-round.

It’s tasty, fast, satisfying and insanely good for you. In one easy recipe you have protein and healthy fats from the eggs combined with endless vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates from the vegetables.

Use whatever green veggies you love/have in the fridge though make sure not to skimp on the herbs as they really bring this dish to life! If you are attempting to bring more greens into your life, this is a fantastic place to start!

Any recipe where you don’t even realise how healthy something is, can’t be bad! Serve it with bread if the mood strikes, hummus, pesto, fresh vegetables and you’re set.

A Day On My Plate

This is something that I’m asked about quite a lot so I thought it was time to give you the updated version.

I have posted about this in the past though like all of us, I change and so does life. The journey develops and naturally so does how we eat however for me, my food focus remains the same. It’s all about whole foods, eating as close to nature as possible and keeping it simple because eating need not be complicated or extreme.

Finding a balance between eating what I love and what makes me feel nourished and satisfied. Like you, each day is different and of course what I eat changes too. Some days I eat more, some days less and some days I even drink wine and have dessert (yes I’m human!) however what has become more and more vital to me is tuning in to my own instincts when it comes to food. Eating when I’m hungry and not because it’s lunchtime, consuming the amount that I need to feel satisfied instead of full and listening to signals that tell me when my body doesn’t like something, or when it does!

It’s adjustment, it’s a journey and it’s damn delicious. I would consider myself an impassioned food activist (how awesome is that?!), supporting other women on their own path to optimal health and wellbeing and letting them know that it can be done without the stress and the misery. That you can…

eat well

look good

feel great

I tell you it’s the greatest job on Earth!

Fish & Chips

A serious classic and would you believe one that I’ve never made before?

Until now that is.

Fish & Chips – the dish enjoyed by so many of us and linked to whimsical summer holiday memories. For me, not so much as fish has never been my preferred protein choice. Yes, shocking I know. The immense nutritional benefits of these swimming creatures has never been lost on me though I’ve not been able to bring myself to love the stuff. Tolerate though not love.

Again, until now.

Fish truly is brain food and the experts tell us that we can enjoy the sustainable and fresh variety 3 times a week. You know I’m not a fan of nutritional rules (other than to eat awesome wholefoods!) so I say eat it when you feel like it and know that you’re doing your body and mind a great service when you do.

My take on this classic dish is all about baking and keeping that flavour locked in.

Baked fish rocks! It’s super quick, uncomplicated and packed full of flavour. It also means you can swing by your local fishmonger after work and 30 minutes after coming home have a delicious dinner ready for you.

Green Dream – The Perfect Green Juice

You know how it goes.

Eat more green vegetables for optimal health. We’ve been hearing that message since we were kids and I’m not going to be the one to say differently because it’s certainly true.

Fibre.

Energy.

Antioxidants.

Vitamins.

Nature’s Detox.

When you choose to juice your green vegetables there are some top tips to remember:

1. If you wouldn’t sit down to eat 1kg of kale, then perhaps don’t drink it
2. Be mindful of balancing the vegetables with just the right amount of fruit
3. Don’t feel intimidated by green juices
4. Drink the juice immediately as with regular juicing there is no shelf life

For anyone that follows my Instagram or Facebook  you will know that I’m certainly a fan of drinking my greens though that wasn’t always the case. However over time I figured out the perfect entry level green juice – not too green, not too sweet, not too expensive! Even hubby likes it…

The inclusion of coconut water means that this juice will be super hydrating and you may like to enjoy it in the morning or the afternoon. If you find it too sweet for you, feel free to cut back to using 1/2 an apple or even less as you go though this combo is super duper delicious and nourishing just as it is!

Greek Salad Perfection

The Greeks have had it right for quite some time.

When it comes to food, so many of their meals are about simplicity, freshness and colour so that’s tick, tick, tick for me! Last year, I visited Greece for the first time and experienced for myself this awesome and natural way to eat plus I got to try one of my all-time favourite dishes in its’ homeland.

The Greek Salad.

The salad that is all-too often left sitting for hours with soggy tomatoes, associated with bad take-away and generally looked down upon when it comes to modern food. Well I’m here to tell you it need not be the case and that this super quick and delicious salad should get back on your menu…

As you know I am all about the salad and feel as if I have a fairly solid foundation of knowledge on the topic. When eating raw salads, the first and foremost point to consider is the quality of the ingredients. As always, though particularly in this case, buy the best that you possibly can and you’ll find this humble dish elevated to superstar status; it’s that simple.

The 3 must-haves:

1. Heirloom tomatoes to lend sweetness and variety to the flavour
2. Fresh oregano – you just wait
3. Organic and seriously good quality fetta cheese

The Died and Gone To Heaven Chocolate Thickshake

There are few things as nostalgic to most people than a thick shake.

It is a calling to a time long gone and hopefully to a way of eating that’s in the past as well. Unfortunately the thick in most thick shakes include a long list of less-than-ideal choices for our bodies to thrive, that includes processed ice-cream and many lab-created chemicals/food-like products.

So I decided it was time to let you in on a little secret… The secret to velvety, rich and decadent shakes every single time. Decadent yes and simple, natural and nutritious as well.

Frozen banana.

That’s it. That’s the secret. It’s that easy (and cheap!) that you may not believe me. Easier still is that you don’t even need to cut them up! Each week we buy bananas, peel them, break them up roughly and freeze in glass containers for our smoothies and shakes throughout the week, it couldn’t be easier.