Planning for a healthy week ahead.

This week I bring you something a little different. I don't normally write food posts but lately life has felt a little hectic for me and I found myself looking for easy but healthy food options that take minimal effort so I thought I'd share a couple of ideas with you in case its something you have also looked for or felt you needed a little push with.

As I was saying things have felt a bit hectic as of late, I have been busy and distracted and I also had a wild night in which included a dinner party, a lot of bevvies, and some dodgy dining room dancing and I have been on catch up mode ever since. Motivation tends to take the back seat for about 4-5 days after a night out (or in, in this case). The usual things I do on my days off get lost or forgotten and I tend to fall behind on my food shopping and meal planning/ prepping. Which makes it all too easy to buy sandwiches, reach for the convenient snacks and less than healthy food options, so I have put together a post on planning for a healthy week ahead.

I've included a groceries list, two breakfast options and a lunch meal recipe for you to join in and kick start your week the right way. The weather is supposed to be glorious over the next few weeks so lets bring in lots of colour and keep it light.

Breakfast option 1

Acai berry smoothie bowl

I recently tried acai smoothie bowls and they are divine, so fresh, so juicy, so light and super filling. Here is the simple recipe for the one I made.

Side note, you will either need to buy a bag of frozen banana chunks or you can buy a fresh bunch of bananas, chop them up and freeze them in individual freezer bags, 1 banana per bag then use them as you need them.

You will also need to get your hands on a food blender. I let the banana thaw for about 20 minutes before use so it doesn't get stuck in the blender.

You will need:

1 frozen Banana,

Handful of frozen berries

A splash of oat/coconut/soya milk of your choice.

For topping:

Pomegranate seeds

Chia seeds

Acai berry superfood mix

Recipe

In your food blender add the frozen banana, a handful of frozen berries or raspberries and a splash of your milk choice. Blend. You want the consistency to be like a thick smoothie so add more milk alternative as you need it. Scoop out into a breakfast bowl, add your pomegranate seeds, a pinch of chia seeds and a small handful of acai berries. You can also add extra toppings here if you wish. Your taste buds will delight with this breakfast booster.

Breakfast option 2

Simple overnight oats

Another favourite of mine is the quick and easy overnight oats, minimal prep required for a super filling breakfast. Try theses flavours:

Lemon & Blueberry

Strawberry and Raspberry

Banana, chia seeds and maple syrup.

Or my usual go to simple option:

Mixed berry overnight oats

You will need:

Porridge oats

Greek yogurt

Frozen berries

In a jar, glass or small container and 3 tablespoons of oats, 3 and a half tablespoons of plain greek yoghurt, and a small handful of frozen mixed berries, cover them with a lid or clingfilm and pop in the fridge for the night and voila. Overnight oats are a quick option if your on the go, its also a good way to try different flavours so don't forget to experiment.

Lunch

Moroccan cous cous salad

I love this dish, its super easy to put together, it's filling and it doesn't bloat the tummy.

You will need:

1 cup of cous cous grains (uncooked)

1 vegetable stock cube

1 cup of chopped mushrooms

2 chopped spring onions

1 small tin of sweetcorn

60g of feta cheese

Handful of sultanas

1 tbsp of olive oil

Garlic salt

Salt & Pepper

In a measuring jug or bowl add 1 vegetable stock cube to 250 ml of boiling water and stir until its dissolved. Measure out 1 cup of cous cous in a separate bowl and pour the vegetable stock over it. You only want to just cover the cous cous grains rather than have it seeping. Wrap some cling film over the top and let it do its thing for about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat and add in the chopped mushrooms, cook for a few minutes until a nice golden colour then set aside. Back to the cous cous, remove the cling film and using a fork gently start to break up the cous cous until its light and fluffy with no lumps then transfer to a larger bowl or container, add your mushrooms, chopped spring onions, sweetcorn, sultanas and crumble the feta cheese on top. Add a 1/2 tsp of garlic salt, a pinch of salt and some black pepper to season. Mix it all together and that's it. Depending on your serving size I usually get 3 lunches out of this.

Tip: I sometimes like to toast a handful of unsalted cashew nuts and add them to the mix along with 2 tsp of paprika for some extra flavour.

Drink tips

An ice cold glass of water with lemon in the mornings is a great energy booster and sets the intention for the day.

Perhaps try to reduce the tea/coffee intake by 1 drink a day and instead opt for water or a herbal tea, I'm currently trying out a rooibos chilli and cherry blend and it is divine. Don't forget to keep drinking your water, temperatures are rising and if like me you have to wear a mask all day at work, it can be very draining and you need the hydration.

Happy meal prepping my beauties.

xx