No or little alcohol, less meat, more fruit and vegetables, regular exercises etc, etc. Every year I totally ignored all these well meant 'healthy change your life efforts". Well this new year , due to circumstances so totally out of my control, forced me to change my eating and drinking habits, not because I had this sudden insight, but because I had no other choice.
The interesting bit about it, I am actually enjoying it . So I thought I share some of the small things I added or changed to my new and hopefully lasting eating habits .
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| Sweet Potato with Avocado Dip and Cottage Cheese |
Funnily enough, our parents and grandparents did the right thing without any help of health gurus.
They only used and ate what was in season; only used regional produce, had three meals a day, according to the motto :
breakfast like an emperor , lunch like a king and eat in the evening like a beggar. Looking at old photos you see that obesity was a problem they did not have.
So what have I changed?
Porridge for breakfast ( the real McCoy, made with organics oatflakes) in the microwave, done in a minute or two, or the tradional way, soak the night before, ( put some blueberries in and some honey or maple syrup and you have a meal fit for an emperor),
I try to have the main meal at lunchtime now, eat fruit for snacks and eat little meat, I haven't eaten red meat for a month ( mind you slowly the thought of a nice steak is starting to appeal again!)
I rediscovered the Baked Potato. Yes, a big potato baked in the jacket and eaten with a big blob of good low fat cottage cheese. The mix of carbohydrates, protein and little fat gives you a perfect balanced meal.
To add variety instead of the humble potato, I use Sweet Potato.
Not to get bored with just cottage cheese, I tried a new new combination of avocado and chickpeas and I liked it!
Here is the recipe for the new dip.
Creamy Avocado/Chickpea Dip
Ingredients
Porridge for breakfast ( the real McCoy, made with organics oatflakes) in the microwave, done in a minute or two, or the tradional way, soak the night before, ( put some blueberries in and some honey or maple syrup and you have a meal fit for an emperor),
I try to have the main meal at lunchtime now, eat fruit for snacks and eat little meat, I haven't eaten red meat for a month ( mind you slowly the thought of a nice steak is starting to appeal again!)
I rediscovered the Baked Potato. Yes, a big potato baked in the jacket and eaten with a big blob of good low fat cottage cheese. The mix of carbohydrates, protein and little fat gives you a perfect balanced meal.
To add variety instead of the humble potato, I use Sweet Potato.
Not to get bored with just cottage cheese, I tried a new new combination of avocado and chickpeas and I liked it!
Here is the recipe for the new dip.
Creamy Avocado/Chickpea Dip
Ingredients
1 ripe Avocado
1/2 tin of chickpeas
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
2 Tbsp low fat yoghurt
salt, pepper to taste
a little tabasco or chilly flakes
Method
1. Scoop the inside of the avocado in to a bowl and add the lemon juice and garlic.
2. Add the chick peas and yoghurt and with a blender purėe to a smooth paste.
3. Add salt ( go easy), pepper as much as you like and the tabasco ( go gently).
Serve with baked potato, baked sweet potato or use a dip with fresh vegegtables or fresh crunchy bread.
What I like about this dip is that you use the chick peas to add protein, but unlike for Hummus you don't need Tahini.
Little Tip: Pepper and Chili activates your digestive system due to Capsaicin. Good if you want get rid of a pound o two!
