Have you ever been curious to know how a Nutritionist plans her meals for the day? We asked our Nutritionist Emma what she eats in a day:
Mornings:
On a typical workday, I will always start the day with a hot drink, either a green tea or hot lemon. In summer, I typically have a smoothie for breakfast (click here for my favourite smoothie recipes) but when the weather cools down porridge is what I crave! Something warming, nutritious and filling, and I top it with a little yoghurt, banana and a dash of peanut butter. Somewhere mid-morning, I’ll have a plunger coffee – I’m currently drinking decaf but still love the ritual and flavour of coffee!
I don’t normally need a morning snack when I have porridge, but sometimes when I just have a smoothie I need a little more to keep me going! I try to make a healthy snack for the week that I really look forward to! This might be my favourite banana bread, or made a batch of mini frittatas. If I haven’t got prepared (it happens!) I might opt for rice rounds topped with peanut butter, or a wee slice of Vogel’s very thin with a little avocado – got to get those healthy fats in!
Lunches:
My lunches tend to vary depending on what recipes the chefs are testing. I’m really lucky to work in the Development Kitchen in the My Food Bag Head Office, so I’m constantly tasting all the incredible foods! But my lunches always feature plenty of veggies and salad for fibre and nutrients, topped with a little protein, tofu, legumes or fish and finished a dollop of hummus and a sprinkle of seeds or feta.
Afternoon snacks:
In the afternoon, I’ll have some fruit for a bit of a pick me up – whatever is in season! Also a few nuts and seeds to crunch on. If I’m craving something salty I’ll have a little packet of lightly salted popcorn in my draw to nibble on!
Dinners:
Weeknight dinners are either the My Food Bag Veggie Bag, as I follow a pescatarian diet. If I haven’t got a Food Bag that week, I’ll freestyle dinners a little bit! Soba noodle stir-fries and roast veggie salads are favourites.
I also love to eat bowl food, so often my dinners end up looking like a little nourish bowl! They’ll always contain plenty of seasonal veggies either roasted, stir-fried or fresh. These are then paired with either fish, tofu, legumes or falafel for protein. Depending on the meal I might also add some whole grains like freekeh or quinoa, and top with a good dash of nuts or seeds. My final trick is that I tend to put Culley’s chipotle sauce on everything, I’m possibly a little obsessed!
Some final tips and tricks from Emma on how to eat healthy all week:
Being prepared is super important for continuing to eat healthily. If you’ve got time either the morning of, or the night before – pack a lunch. Homemade lunches can be packed full of nutrient-dense foods and are typically much more healthy (and cheaper!) than a bought lunch. The next step is taking some time on Sunday afternoon to prep a few things for snacks or lunches for the week ahead. Roast some veggies and chicken, boil some eggs or cook some grains to toss with salads for the week ahead.
If this all sounds like a bit too much planning, there’s always Fresh Start Lunch Box, This handy Extra comes with two Fresh Start MADE meals and 3 easy and healthy salad recipes for you to make. MADE is another great option for lunch, which doesn’t require any prepping, is healthy, typically cheaper than buying lunch and delicious – there’s always 3 great Fresh Start options!
