A day on my plate.
“What do you eat?” This is a typical question I get asked from clients, and a really hard one for me to answer because I’m certainly not a creature of habit. I change what I eat on a daily basis and usually choose foods based on my intuition. I also prefer to educate rather than dictate when it comes to helping people change up their daily diet so they can choose foods that work best with their body and lifestyle.
With that said, I do think it's great to give people healthy options and ideas. So I thought I would put together a ‘What’s on my plate’ blog to give you a little insight and inspiration into what goes into my belly on an average day.
8.30am: (If I’m lucky. I’m by no means an early riser)
First thing I usually do in the morning is make myself a detox tea. This is literally just warm water with a slice of lemon. This drink is great for your immunity because it flushes out any toxins that have built up in your liver or digestive system overnight. Sometimes I'll add a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar but please beware as this comes with a MAJOR STINK WARNING. You will highly likely offend anyone that comes within a 1-meter radius of your cup.
9.00am: Breakfast
I am a huge advocate for a healthy, hearty breakfast to kick start your metabolism for the day. I definitely don’t spend hours in the kitchen (I keep prep time under 15mins), but I make sure I get a good balance of fruit, veggies and more importantly fats as they kick start brain function. Today it’s a Green Machine smoothie (recipe here) and some banana, honey & cinnamon on Ezeikel bread. This bread is great as it’s sprouted so much easier to digest and keeps me full right up until lunchtime.
11am: Tea time
My work collegues actually think I am a tea hoarder. I usually keep at last 12 different boxes lined up on my desk. As someone who gave up regular coffee about 5 years ago (I still have one every now and then), tea has really become my thing. As you can see the Pukka Organic Teas are my fav but I'm also partial to a good Earl Grey, Chai latte and Red Roobis.
1.30pm: Lunch
One of my favorite things to have for lunch is a huge salad. Usually with a mix of protein, greens and low GI carbs (like quinoa and sweet potato). This salad is a delicious mix of lettuce with Cous Cous, grilled chicken, eggplant, sweet potato, beetroot and edamame with a honey mustard dressing. I think I literally have this salad 3 times a week!
3pm: Snack
By now my sweet tooth is usually kicking in, so I’ll either grab some fruit like a banana or apple or some Dark chocolate. Right now I am loving the Loving Earth dark chocolates as they're jam packed with antioxidants and taste incredible. They are also organic and fair trade which is also a bonus! I try to make sure I just buy the mini individual packs, because if I buy the large block I’m in serious trouble.
7.30pm: Dinner
Arabic food is hands down my all time favorite cuisine. Luckily for me I have a Lebanese boyfriend who knows his way around the kitchen so we often cook Arabic dinners at home . This dish is called Sheikh Al-mehsi which is oven roasted eggplants stuffed with onions, heirloom tomatoes, grass fed mince meat, pine nuts and lots of Arabic spices. So delicious! We usually serve it with rice and a garden salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato.
9.30pm: Bedtime tea
Right about now I’m winding down for bed so I like to have another tea to make me sleep like a baby. Some days I’ll just make a simple Chamomile tea but tonight I’m doing a warm Almond milk with Manuka honey and cinnamon. Almonds contain a lot of Vitamin E so are great for your skin and the Manuka honey is antimicrobial so great for your immune system.
