I’m a mum of two young children, and know just how difficult it is to keep all those plates spinning, let alone think about eating for health. I share with you my 7 expert tips for eating for your health, and time saving healthy food.
Food is so important to our health, even more so than exercise, but can often fall down our list of priorities. Cooking and food has always been a huge part of my life and I feel lucky to be able to prioritise it. While I love cooking when I have the time, I can find it an added pressure in a busy life, with the demands of working and a young family. Finding the time to make wholesome, healthy food every day can be tricky. I struggle with this too, so I use a number of ways to help me.
- I find time incredibly tight in the mornings, so I make breakfast the night before. Overnight oats or chia pudding takes seconds to prepare, but makes a nutritious start to the day.
- I batch cook when I can, and this means that I always have a meal in the freezer.
- We eat the same family meal together.
- I love a tray bake, which is super easy and versatile. I always layer with vegetables first, then half way through add stock with some carbohydrate such as brown rice, or orzo pasta.
- I use sauces to add quick flavour such as tahini, low sodium soya, miso and umami paste.
- When I’m really swamped, instead of reaching for a takeaway, I go for a vegan pot from #easybean available on @ocado which is wholesome food, without nasties added.
- If I have something unhealthy, I don’t beat myself up. Healthy is for life, it’s not all or nothing.
My kitchen is undoubtedly the heart of my home, where we cook, socialise, supervise homework, relax and play. I’ve also adapted the way I cook after children, taking some shortcuts when I’m pushed for time, and adapting for speed some old favourites so that we are eating for health with time saving healthy food:
- Simple tray baked salmon, new potatoes, and spring vegetables, with olive oil and lemon.
- Vegetable chili with guacamole and brown rice.
- Sweet potato curry, with chickpeas and spinach.
- Lahmacun or Turkish pizza – I make the dough with wholemeal flour and top it with shredded vegetables and feta as alternative to the more traditional lamb based topping.
- Warm lentil salad with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, celery and a red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing.
- Buckwheat noodles with tofu and vegetables.
- Wholemeal pasta with fresh pesto and kefir yoghurt.
I hope you have found my 7 expert tips for eating for your health now helpful. Sign up for more fact not fiction information via my eat for health newsletter, with links to my latest health articles, podcasts, courses and more.
For much more information about what to eat after a baby and beyond, check out my book ‘Postpartum Nutrition: An Expert’s Guide to What to Eat After a Baby‘.
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