No time for breakfast?  Here’s some ideas for grab and go breakfast ideas for those days you struggle to find time to eat in the morning.

Breakfast is an important meal but sometimes when you’re busy making time for breakfast doesn’t always happen.  Research shows that breakfast eaters tend to have an increased nutrient intake and improved concentration.  I’ve been on a bit of a mission to mix up my breakfast lately and been trying new ideas.  And while eating in the morning isn’t an issue for me (since I have a toddler who wakes early!!), I know that some days it’s not always easy.

While ideally it’s nice to be able to eat breakfast with your full attention,  it’s not always a reality.  So here’s some quick and easy ideas for grab and go breakfasts when you need to eat on the run, or at work.

Grab and go breakfast ideas

1.  Frittatas

    

   
   Frittatas are one of those things that are suited to any meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner! You can create the perfect hand sized frittata by making them in a muffin tray then the frittata  in wax paper and you’ve got a yummy grab and go breakfast that can be enjoyed cold or heated.

   Here’s some of my favourite frittata recipes:
   Roast vegetable, feta and mushroom frittata
   Cherry tomato frittata
   Feta, pumpkin and spinach frittata (pictured above)

2.  Yoghurt, fruit and nut jars

Mixed berries, yoghurt, nuts and seeds mixed together in a jar creates a portable breakfast that combines the different food groups for a sustaining breakfast.  Use your favourite yoghurt, and create whatever mixes you want, for example my favourite is frozen raspberries, Greek yoghurt, walnuts, coconut and banana.  Prevent the yoghurt from going runny by adding a teaspoon of chia seeds absorb any liquid from the defrosting raspberries.

3. Chia Puddings

Chia puddings are a simple breakfast recipe that can be made in advance.  What is a chia pudding exactly?  Well chia seeds are magical wee things.  They absorb lots of fluid, so by mixing them with milk and other ingredients they create a yummy breakfast that can be adapted in lots of different ways. Nutritionally, chia seeds are a good source of fibre, provide plant based omega 3 fats and a range of vitamins and minerals.  This is one of my favourite versions – Raspberry, almond and coconut chia pudding

Other ideas include banana chia pudding  and this yummy nut and fruit version.

4. Overnight oat jars

Overnight oats, also known as bircher muesli is transforms oats into a delicious breakfast delight. Soak oats overnight with goodies such as yoghurt, milk and seeds and fruit in a jar with a lid. You can make a few at a time to last a couple of days.  Here’s a couple of recipes to get you inspired, including the recipe for the blueberry banana overnight oats pictured above.

5.  Smoothies on the go

Finally, smoothies are the ultimate grab and go breakfast idea as there are so many ways to create a smoothie.   ‘Meal prep’ smoothie bags by putting fruit and your favourite smoothie additions such as chia seeds, nuts, cucumber etc in a resealable bag in the freezer, then all you need to do is blend it with milk and yoghurt in the morning.

What are your go to grab and go breakfast ideas?  I’d love to hear them so let me know in the comments below 🙂

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Chocolate peanut butter granola sounds more like a dessert than a breakfast but for something a little bit special, it’s quite delicious.  I love to serve mine with milk, natural yoghurt and some banana and sit down and enjoy every last mouthful. Then you also get the ‘chocolate milk’ left in your bowl at the end!

You can really mix and match the base ingredients to suit your taste when you’re making muesli.  If you don’t have the exact ingredients, changing things like the nuts or seeds used generally doesn’t make a big difference if you use similar sized ingredients.

You can replace the puffed amaranth for more oats if you wish. I used it because it adds a different type of grain into the mix (and I had lots in the pantry!).  Variety is a good thing when it comes to nutrition.  Since different foods contain a different combination of nutrients, having variety helps ensure you get a range of nutrients in your diet.  The grain amaranth contains copper, manganese, magnesium and phosphate. It’s also is a source of iron and calcium, and is a gluten-free grain.  Because I’ve used puffed amaranth it also adds a lighter texture to the chewy oat mix.  You could also swap this out for puffed quinoa if you prefer.

The freeze dried raspberries make this chocolate peanut butter granola extra delicious and add a wee bit of luxury to breakfast.  It would make a lovely home made Christmas gift too.  Just place in a large glass jar and tie a pretty ribbon around the top.

Here’s the recipe:

Delicious + Nourishing Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola (muesli)

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

CourseBreakfast Keywordgranola, muesli Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3tablespoonshoney
• 2tablespoonscocoa
• 1.5tablespoonscoconut oil
• 4tablespoonspeanut butter
• 2 1/2coats
• 1/2cupsunflower seeds
• 1cuppuffed amarath
• 1cupcoconut threads
• 1/2cupchopped almonds
• 1/4cupdried cranberries
• 1/2cup freeze dried raspberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

2. In a small microwavable bowl, mix together the honey, cocoa, oil and peanut butter.    

3. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave again for 1 minute until the mixture is melted together. 

4. Stir well to combine.

5. On a large oven tray, place the oats and sunflower seeds.  

6. Pour over the melted chocolate mix and rub into the oats and seeds with clean hands

7. Place in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, stirring half way through cooking.  

8. Add the nuts and cook for a further 5 minutes.  

9. Leave the mixture on the bench to cool.  To speed this up, tip the mixture onto a cold oven tray. 

When cool, mix through the remaining ingredients and store in an air tight container.

If you’re after more granola / muesli ideas, this apricot and cashew muesli is also delicious and our home made muesli bar recipe is a winner for snacks and the lunch box.

It’s that time again – a round up of ‘What I ate Wednesday’ featuring the most delicious falafels and my fave salted caramel snack balls.  Here it is!!

Breakfast:

I’m a real sucker for the reduced to clear bins at the supermarket and I found some organic sourdough bread in there that was close to it’s best before date for $1.50.  So I put it in the freezer to use for toast.  I found it hard to get moving this morning so it was a super simple breakfast of crunchy peanut butter on the sourdough toast accompanied with a coffee.   As you can see I like my peanut butter thick!

Snack:

For morning tea I had a banana, an instant coffee plus I had some chocolate in my bag and I had a row of that. I think when it comes to dark chocolate, this is one of my favourites.

Lunch:

I made falafels on Sunday night (which you would have seen on instastories if you follow me on Instagram) and even though I REALLY couldn’t be bothered I’ve been super grateful this week as they’ve been delicious for lunch!  They’ve got kumara in them which gives them a delicious texture and stops them from going dry.

I also cooked and froze some brown rice which is a good to the falafels.  Lunch looks like it took a lot of time but it was actually super simple because I had the falafels and rice ready already and the salad was left over from dinner the night before.  I just added an extra tomato and a big blob of pesto, some mayo and chutney which make it taste delicious.

To finish off lunch I had a decaf coffee and some Tom and Lukes Salted Caramel Snack Balls.  I am in love with that flavour.

Snack:

Even though I really like fruit I’ve found I’m not always eating two pieces a day.  So I’ve been trying to make an effort to include more variety.  I love mixed berries and yoghurt so I bought this to work.  I add some chia seeds with the frozen berries as they soak up the liquid as the berries defrost and stop the yoghurt from getting too runny.  This yoghurt was a mix of plain unsweetened probiotic yoghurt and the boysenberry Collective yoghurt. I find it a wee bit sweet by itself but love the flavour so I often mix it.  I only had blueberries in the freezer and they weren’t that nice defrosted so this snack was kind of disappointing and not very satisfying.

Someone in the office had quinoa chips, which are really just the same as any other chip but made out of quinoa flour.  I had a few of these which were tasty.  I think if my berry snack had been satisfying I wouldn’t have had them but it wasn’t and I felt like something else.

Dinner:

Wednesdays are always a bit of a rush at dinner time as I work half an hour later. I quite often do something in the crock pot and today it was a casserole. I had it with veggies (which I overcooked – doesn’t that suck!)  and potato/kumara mash.  It’s definitely not the most attractive meal in the world (especially with this photo taken in the evening), but it’s always a satisfying meal!

And that’s a wrap!  See you next week for another episode 🙂

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What I ate Wednesday used to be a regular feature here on Eat Well NZ until mum life hit and it’s been a long time since it featured.   But after a few requests, I’ve decided to start it up again.

What I ate Wednesday is not about what you should eat.  Because diet culture (sometimes sneakily disguised as ‘wellness’) has taken us so far away from what ‘normal’ eating can look like, some people have told me it’s helpful to see what ‘normal’ eating can look like and that food isn’t just about fuel but about enjoyment, pleasure and nourishment.   And I know I’m nosey and like looking at other people’s meals and snacks for inspiration so I thought you guys might like to do the same too!   Everyone has different dietary preferences and need different amounts of food (which varies day to day too) – so keep that in mind when reading.  

So here we go.  Here’s my latest ‘What I ate Wednesday’ post – and yes it is Friday haha! I never got time to post it until today.

Breakfast:

I mentioned over on Instagram that I’ve been in a bit of a food ‘funk’ lately.  I haven’t been organised and I haven’t been planning which has often meant I haven’t had foods at home that appeal to me and since I’ve been tired thinking about preparing food in the morning has been an effort!   So I got organised in the weekend and made some things to have on hand, including this chocolate peanut butter granola.  It has a base of oats toasted with a peanut butter/cocoa and honey mix with added almonds, sunflower seeds, cranberries and freeze dried raspberries.  I had this with some probiotic yoghurt and milk which was a tasty combination!

I wasn’t that hungry this morning so I just had a small bowl, then I made a latte and had this while catching up on a few emails at home.   I definitely think the coffee machine is my favourite appliance at home.

Morning Snack

Tasti sent me these yummy nut mixes so they’ve been on the menu lately for morning tea.  I also went out and bought a second coffee…..  I’ve been super tired lately because I’ve been busy and I’ve had too many late nights. So I went for a walk to the cafe down the road and got coffee.   I have a Keep Cup but I have lost it – so yes it’s a takeaway cup but at least the Mojo ones are plant based and compostable!  And the lid can go in the recycling.

I think wanting a second one is sometimes psychological – simply wanting something nice for a pick me up.  I definitely can’t have more than two or I start feeling agitated.  I started to watch this webinar but then our internet connection went slow so I gave up (for now).  Gut health is such a fascinating topic!

Lunch

I’ve got a thing for coleslaw at the moment.  I like the crunch and flavour of it when it’s combined with something creamy in texture like mayo and hummus.  So for lunch I had it with brown rice, hummus, avocado and a couple of eggs I boiled in the morning when I was getting ready.  When I’m more organised I cook my own rice and freeze it to use for lunches but sometimes I just buy the instant rice packets.  This was a satisfying, yummy lunch and I finished it off with a couple of these Tasti Peanut Butter and Caramel Balls because I felt like something a little sweet.

Afternoon Snack

Bananas are an easy snack for me – prepackaged, portable and ready to go!!

Dinner

I work later on a Wednesday so dinners are always something that’s quick and easy since I have a hungry child that needs to eat early-ish.  I made spaghetti Bolognese with pulse pasta.  I have nothing against normal pasta but I love the fact that this is a great source of fibre and made from legumes which are nutrient dense.  Plus I like the taste (which is of course important!).  I made the bolognaise with mince, lots of mushrooms, onions and leeks (because I’ve still got quite a few leeks in the garden that need using).  I cheated and used a jar of garlic, onion and tomato pasta sauce to go with it.  I served it with some broccoli and cheese on top.    Mince and pasta dishes are always a hot fave with Elise so we usually have something with mince once a week.

I was sent a box of Remedy Kombucha the other week so I had one with dinner – this flavour is my favourite one I’ve tried so far from the Remedy range.

After Dinner

It was such a nice warm evening my husband suggested we go for a walk down the road to the shop and get an ice cream.  I was still quite full for dinner so I got one to have later.

I’ve seen the new Whittaker’s & Tip Top ice creams advertised and since I love Whittaker’s chocolate I got one.  Having the Whittaker’s chocolate coating was delicious but the maple caramel swirl in the ice cream was a wee bit sweet for me. The dog enjoyed everyone’s left over ice-cream!

PS I did drink water through the day too – I just didn’t photograph it 🙂

Banana bread is one of my favourite things to bake because it’s so quick and easy and it always turns out well.  This oaty banana raspberry and coconut bread was one of those recipes that turned out perfectly the first time.  I love this with a hot cup of coffee for my morning break.  It’s a lovely moist, filling loaf that makes a nourishing and delicious snack.  It’s even better spread with a little butter too!

Here’s the recipe.

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Oaty Banana Raspberry and Coconut Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/4cupswholegrain oats
• 1cupflourGluten free, plain, wholemeal, spelt – your choice
• 2teaspoonsbaking powder
• 2tablespoonschia seeds
• 1/2cupcoconut
• 1/2cupmacadamia nut oilor melted coconut oil
• 3heaped dessertspoons of honey
• 1handful of chopped pecan nutsoptional
• zest from one lemon
• 3large ripe bananasblended
• 3eggs beaten
• 1/4cupmilk
• 1cupfrozen raspberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a loaf tin with non stick baking paper (handy hit – make sure it is non stick!! Once I used the wrong type by mistake and it ruined my baking…)
2. Mix the oats, flour, baking powder, chia seeds, nuts and coconut in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil and honey together, stirring well.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the macadamia nut oil/honey mixture, the banana, eggs, milk and raspberries.
5. Gently fold together until just combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for around 45 minutes or until cooked.  An easy way to check is to insert a skewer in the middle.  It will come out clean once cooked. Garnish with a little coconut and lemon rind.
7. Store in an air tight container.

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Water is always my first drink of choice to stay hydrated, but there are the times when you just feel like something a little different. There are also those times when you are out socialising and you want to take something nice to drink that isn’t alcohol.  So many drinks are packed with sugar, but something that is refreshing, tasty and much lower in sugar than fruit juice is coconut water. It contains about half the sugar of juice, and also provides some potassium.   It makes the perfect base for mocktails, and adds a lovely flavour to nourishing green smoothies.

Recently I was sent some CoAqua coconut water to try out and it is really delicious.   Their coconut water is from Vietnam, taken from young coconuts at 6 months and you can actually taste the difference between this and other brands (I didn’t believe it would taste different, but it does!).  It tastes really fresh and has an amazing, pure coconut taste that I’ve been enjoying. I like that it also comes in recyclable bottles and nice slimline cans which are the perfect measure for making drinks and smoothies. You can find this brand at New World Supermarkets and Farro Fresh.

I’ve been experimenting with some new drinks and today I’m sharing with you a couple of my favourite simple coconut water based drinks – firstly the best ever tropical green smoothie and some ‘mocktail’ type drinks which are great for summer entertaining or a refreshing drink on a warm evening.
I’m a bit particular when it comes to green smoothies – if I’m going to be drinking my greens, I also want them to be tasting good too.  I’ve had some horrible green smoothie combinations, but this smoothie is a goodie!  It’s a yummy way to boost your fruit and vegetable intake for the day.

Tropical Green Smoothie

Since being on maternity leave, I’ve been enjoying this regularly as an afternoon drink as it’s refreshing, tasty and hydrating plus it’s an easy way to get an extra serve of fruit and vegetables in my diet.

The pineapple and coconut water are all that are needed to give this a yummy flavour, the vegetables added don’t have a strong flavour and the avocado adds a delicious creaminess.

Ingredients:

Approximately 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 handful of ice cubes
¼ cucumber
4-5 cos lettuce leaves
2 florets of broccoli
1 can CoAqua coconut water
¼ small avocado
½  tablespoon chia seeds
Juice from ½ a lemon
Optional:  1 sprig of mint

To make: simply place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
Makes 1 large glass

Coconut water mocktails

The CoAqua drinks taste great by themselves, but they’re also delicious blended with some fresh fruit to create fruity ‘mocktails’.  My favourite is the cranberry and mango – frozen cranberries taste amazing and are also a source of Vitamin C and high in antioxidants.  These are the perfect Friday night drink to relax with and are super simple to make too.  Here’s the recipes.

• Lemon, lime and passionfruit
  Juice from ½ lemon
  Juice from 1 lime
  Passionfruit pulp (You can buy this frozen and I scoop about 3 teaspoons in)
  1 can of CoAqua coconut water
  1 handful of ice cubes

• Cranberry and mango
  ½ cup frozen cranberries
  ½ cup frozen mango pieces
  1 can of CoAqua coconut water

• Coconut and pineapple
  1/3 cup chopped pineapple pieces
  2-3 teaspoons coconut milk
  1 handful of ice cubes
  1 can of CoAqua coconut water

To create the drinks, simply blend together ingredients in a blender until smooth. Garnish with fresh fruit and herbs.

These all make one serve, but you can double, triple the recipe etc as required if you have guests.

Enjoy.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

I’m giving away a case of the new slimline CoAqua cans.  That’s 24 cans so you can try CoAqua and whip up some of these recipes for yourself.

To be into win, comment below with what recipe you think you’d try out.

Winner will be drawn November 25th and notified via email. Their name will also be published on this post.  Open to NZ entries only.

This post was made possible thanks to CoAqua.

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Basing our diet mainly around a variety of wholefoods is a simple way to ensure we’re fueling our body with the nutrients we need to feel and be well. While nuts and fruit are a go to for whole food snacking, sometimes it’s good to mix it up and have other options available to keep your diet varied and interesting. So I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite options made with wholefood ingredients that satisfy the taste buds and are great for you too!

Here’s some of my top options:

Natural yoghurt and berries:

This is one of my favourite afternoon snacks as it feels like such a treat.  When fresh berries aren’t in season, I use frozen berries and sprinkle over some chia seeds. The seeds absorb some of the berry juice as they defrost so the yoghurt doesn’t become too watery.  Plus of course they add beneficial fibre, vitamins, minerals and some omega 3 fats – functional AND nutritious – what a great combination 🙂  Sometimes I add a sprinkle of dried fruit/nut mix as well for some extra crunch and flavour.

Tasti Smooshed Wholefood Balls and Made Simple Bars:

Times are a moving and there are now some awesome products on the market for snacks that use wholefood ingredients.  Some of my new favourites for a sweet treat are the Tasti Smooshed Wholefood balls and the Tasti Made Simple bars.  I like to keep these in my drawer at work, especially on those days I’m out and about and may need a snack to keep me going. I just grab one and chuck it in my bag and I’m sorted.

The bars are a perfect snack size and have an amazing flavour.  My favourite Made Simple bar is the chocolate lamington.  It’s just the right combination of chocolate and coconut and has a nice amount of sweetness from dates.   The ingredients list is just dates, roasted cashews, cocoa powder, coconut and a hint of natural coconut flavour.

The Smooshed wholefood balls are also delicious – with 6 in each pack they’re a nourishing sweet treat made only from wholefoods.  All the products have a high health star rating too!

If you’d like to try them, I’m giving some away – keep reading for details at the bottom of this post.

Chia puddings

When I first saw chia puddings a couple of years back I wasn’t convinced they’d be tasty.  Then I made one and my mind was changed.   Chia seeds are not only highly nutritious, they absorb lots of fluid to form a soft, pudding like consistency, so you can use them to create delicious, healthy creations.  There’s so many recipes, but after you’ve made a few it’s pretty easy to freestyle it.  I like mine soaked in vanilla flavoured almond milk with raspberries and cashew nuts topped with some yoghurt.  Here’s a couple of recipes to get you inspired.

From top right:
Berry chia pudding with Greek yoghurt
Simple mango chia pudding
Banana Coconut chia pudding
Raspberry, almond and coconut chia pudding

Pimped up vegetables!

A good way to boost your vegetable intake during the day is to include them in your snacking.  Vegetables are such a powerhouse of goodness – vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals – we all know that eating AT LEAST 3 serves a day is necessary for wellbeing.  By themselves they’re not that filling, but there are lots of ways to make them more satiating and interesting.

Here’s a couple of ideas for yummy vegetable snacks:

• Celery and carrot sticks with peanut butter, hummus or cottage cheese
• Cherry tomatoes and cheese cubes on toothpicks
• Left over roast kumara and pumpkin pieces
• Cucumber rounds spread with pesto and topped with a little cheese

I’d love to know what your favourite wholefood snack options are. Let me know in the comments below.

WIN!

I’ve got a Tasti pack to give away containing:

• Three packets of Tasti Made Simple Wholefood Bars (Cocoa Orange, Forrest Berry and Chocolate Lamington)
• Three packets of the Tasti Smooshed Wholefood Balls (Orange zinger, brazen berry and mocha macchiato)

To be in the draw, simply comment below with what flavour you’d try first and share this post by hitting the Facebook button at the top or bottom of the post.   Winner will be drawn on Sunday 21 August and published on this post and notified by email.  Open to NZ residents only. Good luck!

Congratulations to Lara Croll who won this prize pack.

This post was made possible thanks to Tasti.

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This salmon, leek and pesto tart is a delicious way to boost your omega 3 intake.  Lately I’ve been thinking of more ways to get oily fish into my diet as opposed to just eating salmon for dinner (which my husband isn’t a huge fan of) and this was one of those ideas. It turns out this tart it is quite delicious and makes a satisfying, tasty lunch served alongside some greens.  The other great thing is you can freeze the left overs in single portions to use if you want at a later date – which is exactly what I’ll be doing with my last portion 🙂

Part of my inspiration for this came from Annabel Langbein.  She has been one of my favourite NZ cooks for a long time now and I recently purchased her Winter Annual for some recipe inspiration. I wasn’t disappointed – there are some really yummy recipes.  One of her recipes is for an olive oil pastry which I was keen to try out.  Olive oil is a healthy fat that’s high in antioxidants and vitamin E, so replacing olive oil for butter in pastry as well as switching some of the white flour for wholemeal flour makes a healthier alternative.  I slightly altered the recipe and used the pastry to create this delicious salmon, leek and pesto tart which I’ve been enjoying for lunch over the past few days.   Here’s the recipe:

Salmon, Leek and Pesto Tart

Olive oil pastry

3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water

Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl.  In another small bowl, mix together the olive oil and water.  Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together with a knife until combined.  Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Grease a small size tart dish.  Roll out the pastry to the shape of your tart dish and press in evenly.

For the salmon, leek and pesto tart filling:

1 large leek, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
180g boneless salmon fillet, skin removed.
5 eggs
2 tablespoons basil pesto
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
Salt and pepper
Rosemary leaves, to garnish

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

In a fry pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and add the finely chopped leek.  Cook, stiring regularly for around 5-8 minutes, until the leek begins to soften.  Once the leek is cooked, sprinkle evenly over the pastry base and set aside.

Next add the salmon fillet to the pan and cook for around 3 minutes each side.  It will cook in the oven anyway, this is just so it’s easy to break apart.  Set aside.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, pesto, milk and cheese. Add a grind of salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture over the pastry base.  Break the salmon into chunks and sprinkle evenly over top.

Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the filling is set in the middle.  Garnish with rosemary leaves.

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As I head to the end of my second trimester of pregnancy, I have noticed my appetite has increased.  I’m really hungry when I wake in the mornings so I’ve been having bigger portions, and I’m also more hungry during the afternoon.  It’s completely normal of course, as you do need to provide bubs with extra nutrients and energy, although you definitely don’t need to ‘eat for two’.   I’m just listening to my appetite and hunger/fullness cues and going for options that will nourish us both, with the odd treat if I really feel like it.

Here’s what I ate today.

Breakfast

Surprise surprise breakfast was porridge!  I think I’ve had porridge most days over the past few months for breakfast.  I have really been loving it, but the past few days I’ve been a bit bored of it.  It could just be the toppings (berries) but I’m keen for some fresh ideas – let me know what you’re currently having.  I’m planning on making some more of this granola in the weekend so that will give me another option too.   Today I had porridge with chia seeds, yoghurt, berries plus a nut/seed/fruit/coconut mix sprinkled on to to add some extra crunch.  I’m using chia seeds and LSA most days either with breakfast or with yoghurt/fruit for a snack to boost my omega 3 intake.  Marine sources are best absorbed, but I like to provide myself with a bit of a top up from plant based sources.

I also has a latte at work and enjoyed that whilst catching up on a bit of research on intuitive eating.

Morning snack

Around 10.30am I had some banana blueberry bread I made in the weekend.  I’m loving this recipe – it’s made with coconut flour and wholegrain flour and is also low in added sugar plus it tastes really good!  I’ll be sharing the recipe at some stage, but in the mean time here’s a recipe for  similar version just with banana if you’re keen to try it out.  I also had a small handful of mixed nuts – brazil, almond and cashews.

Lunch

Lunch was kind of reconstructed omelette on toast spread with avocado.  How good is it to have avocados back at a good price?  I cooked the egg and spinach before work and reheated it.  This was pretty tasty and a good mix of healthy fats, protein, carbohydrate and some non starchy vegetables.

I had an early lunch as I run a course on Wednesdays which I start setting up about 11.45am.  We have a break around 2pm at the course and it’s catered so there is fruit and sandwiches.  I had a handful of grapes and a mini sandwich (ie a quarter) which was cheese and tomato.

Back in the office, I had a banana and then a bit later I had a white chocolate sante bar.  I’m not usually a white chocolate person but I really felt like it, so I had it and it hit the spot.

After work I had some carrot sticks I didn’t eat earlier and half a bottle of kombucha that was left in the fridge from yesterday.

Dinner

I felt like it had been a while since I’d had red meat, so tonight we had steak for dinner.  Red meat is of course a good source of iron, and in pregnancy your iron requirements increase therefore including good sources of iron is important.  With our steak we had home made mushroom sauce, onion, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and kumara mash.  A delicious combination!

So that’s me for another fortnight – I hope you enjoyed the latest instalment. And do let me know if you’ve got any delish breakfast ideas I should try.

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One of the great things about healthy eating is it doesn’t have to take forever. I’m not always super organised, and I’m often busy, so I like to have a few go-to meal ideas that I can quickly put together when I don’t have time (or can’t be bothered!!) spending a long time in the kitchen but I still want to have something healthy and tasty.

One thing I often buy in my groceries for convenience factor is frozen fish. It’s something I try to eat at least once or twice a week because of its omega 3 content. Of course, salmon is one of the best sources of omega 3 fatty acids and I was stoked to hear that Sealord have brought out both frozen Atlantic salmon fillets and pieces. The salmon is caught in Tasmania and fillets are individually frozen and vacuum packed so there is no compromise on quality. You can cook it from frozen (it takes about 8-10 minutes each side) or just simply put them in the fridge the evening before to defrost – like you would other frozen meats – and they’re ready to go the next day. They’re already pin boned too – bonus! You can find them at your local supermarket in the frozen section.

Salmon can be quite rich, but Atlantic salmon has a milder flavour and is paler in colour and I find it delicious. Salmon goes well with Asian flavours and this chilli sesame glazed salmon is a quick, healthy and delicious meal that’s going to be on high rotation in our house.

The whole meal can be made in around 30 minutes – perfect for busy weeknights. I’ve served the salmon with stir fried vegetables and soba noodles, but you could easily switch the noodles out for brown rice if you prefer. You can also mix up the vegetables too with whatever you have in the fridge.

Chilli Sesame Glazed Salmon

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1 packet of Sealord Salmon Fillets, defrosted
2 tablespoons chilli sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

½ 270g packet soba noodles

½ head broccoli, chopped into florets
1 red capsicum, cored and finely sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
8 button mushrooms
1 zucchini, either spiralised or cut into thin matchstick slices.
1 bunch of baby pak choi, shredded
2 teaspoons reduced salt soy sauce
2 tablespoons cashew nuts

To serve (optional) – garlic chives and lemon

Method:

To make sure everything is ready at the same time,  prep all your vegetables before you start.

Mix together the chilli sauce, honey, sesame oil and garlic in a ramekin or small bowl and set aside.

Place a pot of water on an element over a high heat.  Once it is boiling, turn to medium and add the broccoli. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, then drain and set aside with the other vegetables.

Add the vegetables to a hot wok with 2 tablespoons of water. Drizzle the soy sauce over the vegetables. Stir fry for around 8-10 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, heat a teaspoon of oil in a non stick pan over a medium heat.  Once hot, add the salmon fillet, skin side down.  Drizzle half the chilli sauce mixture over the salmon. After 4 minutes, flip and cook for another four minutes.  Flip again and drizzle with the remaining chili sauce mixture  and heat for another couple of minutes. Top with sesame seeds.

Cook the noodles according to instructions on the packet, they only take around 4 minutes!

To serve:  Plate up the noodles and top with the stir fried vegetables.  Sprinkle with the cashew nuts. Add the salmon and serve with some chopped chives and a squeeze of lemon juice.

For more delicious recipes with salmon, check out these ideas.

Want to win a $50 Stevens Voucher??  Find instructions how on my Facebook post here 🙂

This post was made possible thanks to Sealord.