Weekends can be a tricky one when trying to eat healthier. Social occasions and less-structured eating might try to throw us off course, but it doesn’t need to be that way! There are so many ways to achieve healthier weekends, see our best tips and recipes below.
Keen to try Fresh Start, and get nutritionist-approved recipes and the best NZ ingredients delivered to your door for healthier meals under 450 calories? Click here to learn more and get 30% off your first order!
Brunch
- Eating brunch later can mean we don’t eat 3 meals per day and that’s okay! As long as we eat a substantial and nutrient dense brunch and dinner, we can forgo lunch and replace it with a healthy snack – flexibility is fine! This can mean brunch might look a little bigger than our weekday breakfast, but the daily calories should balance out.
- Brunch can be healthy, nutrient dense and full of fruit or veg. Homemade or when ordering out, we can have eggs with sides of veg like tomatoes, mushrooms, greens, salmon, haloumi, or seeded whole grain bread. Oats and smoothies, and dishes like breakfast bowls, shakshuka or corn fritters can be great options. Homemade banana pancakes are a favourite of ours too!
- Get our Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes with Feijoa, Citrus and Honey recipe here, or Banana Oaty Pancakes recipe here.
Grazing & Platters
- Weekends can mean our meals are less defined, and we tend to graze instead. It’s important to be aware that grazing can quickly lead to over consuming. Try serving your snack foods on a plate, so you can have a visual cue of how much you’ll be consuming.
- Aim to incorporate plenty of fruit and veg into your platters and snacking. This will help keep the calories lower, add nutrients and contribute to your daily fibre needs.
- Get our Healthier Platters guide here, and our Super Seed Crackers recipe here.
Shared BBQ’s
- Bring some greens to the BBQ. When at shared BBQ’s the carbs tend to be covered with garlic breads, potatoes or pasta salads. What you can’t always count on is enticing fresh green salad, so why not be the one to bring one! Add plenty of goodness so you want to be filling your plate up with that, and no doubt everyone else will too!
- There’s more than just sausages! Prawns, chicken kebabs, lean beef steaks or haloumi are all delicious on the BBQ, as are portobello mushrooms, corn cobs, courgette and capsicum!
- Get our Jeweled Summer Salad recipe here, and our Edamame, Grapefruit, Fennel & Avocado Salad here – both are great for entertaining.
Drinks
- Lighten it up! Opt for a light beer or wine, or single nip of spirit with soda water and lemon, as this helps you enjoy a drink with less alcohol and calorie content. Adding a little soda water to a white wine or rosé to make a spritzer is a light and refreshing option too.
- Check out our post with Seedlip for sugar free, non alcoholic cocktail recipes here.
