This week's packed lunch - Tuna salad!

After an indulgent weekend, I decided my week's packed lunches would be tuna salad. I bought all my ingredients and packed them into ready to go portions!
My salad ingredients are rocket & spinach, cherry tomatoes, celery, avocado, canned tuna, canned corn kernels, linseed/pumpkin/sunflower seeds, pinenuts. I made a small container of dressing of EV olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried herbs and chopped garlic. I'm also bring plenty of fruit - mandarins and strawberries.
By investing 30 mins on a Sunday night to pre pack everything, each morning I can just open the fridge and grab all my ingredients - and it will only take a couple of minutes to put together at work!
What food have you planned for this week?

Your Superfood weekend shopping list

I'm looking forward to doing my weekly shop this weekend (though I don't like the mad Sunday 4pm rush!!!). Grocery shopping requires good planning to ensure you have some great ingredients in your kitchen which you can turn to in order to make healthy and nutritious food.  When I shop, I pretty much only stick to the outer perimeter of the supermarket - that's where the least processed food is placed. And I always pick up as many 'super foods' as possible. You may have heard of 'super foods' - they are foods which have properties which can protect us from cancer, heart disease, lower cholesterol, improves digestion and lots of other great things. 
This weekend when you do your shop, make sure you pop a few superfoods in to your trolley and if you don't know what to do with all, you'll find lots of recipe ideas on my blog! 
Read further for a list of seasonal super foods...

Pumpkin, spinach, turkey and olive wholegrain pizza

 

Another great pizza idea!

I used the wholegrain wrap as my base again (see Rocket and turkey pizza) - put some low fat cheese in between 2 sheets and you have a perfect and healthy base!

Kangaroo fillet with rocket, asparagus and potato salad

This is a wonderful dinner for you to try.
This is my second Kangaroo dish on my blog - I'm obviously a big fan of kangaroo! 
Kangaroo tastes a little gamey but if you get the fillets, it is really quite mild. It is so rich in iron and protein yet so lean so I really encourage you to give it a try. Allow about 150gms per person (you may need to feed your man about 200gms). 

This week's lunch - Stir fried chicken breast with fresh shittake, broccoli, celery, baby corn.

Last week, I wrote a post inspiring you to make your own lunches to take to work. I hope you have had a chance to give it a go! If not, here is another idea. This week I made a stir fry of celery, broccoli, snow pea sprouts, baby corn spears, and a real highlight - fresh shittake mushrooms! For protein, I added some chicken breast meat. Can't wait to have it tomorrow for lunch!

Steamed fish and chinese broccoli

Here is a dinner I made the other day. I got some lovely fresh yellowfin bream which I steamed whole. You do not need to do anything special with the fish before steaming - just pat dry with paper towel, season with some salt inside and out and fill the cavity with a few sprigs of spring onion (shallots) and ginger slices. You can either steam in a steamer or like me, use a microwave steamer! In the microwave steamer, I pour a small amount of boiling water under the steamer rack of a microwave container and pop it into the microwave for about 4-5 mins on high (this fish was 400gm). Meanwhile I prepare the sauce in a small saucepan - 3 tbspn light soy, 1 tspn brown sugar, 1 tspn sesame oil, 1/4 cup of water - bring to boil and your sauce is done. When the fish is done, add plenty of chopped coriander, spring onion, chilli (optional!) and dress with the sauce.

Healthy packed lunches

Does anyone else think it can be stressful to go out and find food to eat at lunchtime? Particularly if you've jumped straight out of a meeting or appointment and have only 30 minutes until the next, you dash outside and get lunch paralysis! What to eat? Sandwich, sushi, pasta, chinese, ahhh - too much choice! And I know I always worry about how long some of the food has been sitting there, how fresh the ingredients are and what secret fats and calories might be hiding in the foods. 

Jazz up a boring cereal!

Sometimes we're on autopilot in the morning and we just reach for the cereal and skim milk - combine and eat....but why not jazz it up a bit by adding some lovely flavours and textures plus lots of nutrition.
With strawberries so cheap at the supermarkets right now, don't forget to add some (or other fruit!) to your morning breakfast. Mr Carrots loves his cereal but he's already in the habit of adding a mixture of almonds, linseed (flaxseed), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds!  
 

Omelette with celery and snow peas

I had this delicious omelette this morning. I made it with 3 whole eggs but only kept two of the egg yolks in - I was tempted to use only one yolk but as I was heading to training afterwards, I decided I could justify the extra yolk!!! If you are watching your weight, you may want to only use the egg whites. I simply love eggs as they are so versatile!

Low fat coleslaw dressing (or use on any salad!)

If you read my previous post on my awesome kangaroo burger, you will have seen I served it with a coleslaw. Coleslaw dressing (mine is above) is normally made with a mayonnaise base which can be a bit in fat and high in calories. I know some of you buy fat free dressing but next time you do, take a look at the ingredients - there are lots of thickeners and even loads of sugar so sometimes it's just healthier, easier and better to make your own. It takes no time to whip up. Click below to find out how I made my healthier version of coleslaw (so so easy).

Kangaroo steak burger with spicy tomato salsa

Yes, what a twist on a normal steak burger! 
I picked up the kangaroo fillets from the local supermarket so it should be quite easy for you to find at your's. Kangaroo fillet steak is actually quite reasonably priced compared to say beef or lamb and also low in fat and high in protein & iron. I saw kangaroo burger patties and was almost going to buy those but I took some time to read the ingredients and discovered the patties contained some additional extra ingredients with strange numbers so I grabbed the fillets instead which said "100% kangaroo meat" - much better!

Warm salad of quinoa, iceberg lettuce and cabbage

Today's lunch was a very satisfying salad - light but still nice for a cool winter's day.
I mixed the just cooked (warm) quinoa, some cooked diced carrots, corn and peas (can't go past using frozen mix!), finely shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Add some dressing - the dressing I used was EV olive oil, lemon juice, fresh chilli, salt and pepper. Toss together and cover for a few minutes (this will help soften the cabbage). Transfer to a smaller bowl and top with shredded iceberg lettuce and some ruby grapefruit (I had some leftover so decided to throw it in and it was a great combo!).

Roasted whole baby barramundi with Sweet potato and quinoa salad

I know most of you freak out when you think of whole fish but I think there is just no better way to eat fish (well, other than sashimi which is my real favourite!).  You might ask why I prefer whole fish - why not just buy the fillets? Well I like to ensure my fish is super fresh so when I shop for whole fish, I can look for all the "fresh signs" (eg, clear eyes, shiny scales etc). The freshness of fillets can be a bit suspect and a lot has been frozen and then thawed. And sometimes you do save a bit on the cost as the cost of fish fillets has a labour component built into the price. I ask the fishmonger to clean and scale it and sometimes I even ask him to cut the head off which I can use for soups or fish stock (bargain!). 

Hommus, almond & chia seeds on toasted rye bread

This was my deliciously scrumptious brekkie this morning.
After popping some kibbled rye bread into my toaster, I spread on a thin layer of hommus then topped with slivered almonds and chia seeds. The hommus made it super tasty while the almonds and chia added lovely texture and together with the rye bread, will keep me full until lunchtime!
On the side, I made a wonderful seasonal fruit salad of strawberries, red seedless grapes, apple and ruby grapefruit. 

Barbequed Veal Cutlet with sauteed cabbage and carrots, cauliflower mash

This was my post workout dinner tonight. It was quite quick to whip up.
I had taken the veal cutlets out of the fridge about an hour before cooking - this is really important as this will ensure the meat is tempered and will cook evenly - if you plonk it onto the bbq straight from the fridge, the meat will overcook on the outside and be undercooked in the middle.

Tuna, tomato, cos lettuce salad

This was my lunch today...
Canned tuna, grape tomatoes, baby cos lettuce, avocado, celery, snow peas, fetta cheese, spring onions.

I toasted some kibbled rye bread and cut into croutons to make it a little more filling. And of course threw in my obligatory almonds, sunflower/pumpkin/linseeds.
My dressing today was just a simple EVOO, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and salt/pepper.
And....a cup of chamomile tea.

Strawberries in yoghurt and toast - a quick and easy brekkie

I know lots of people who don't have a proper breakfast. Yet we're constantly told that we should start the day with a good breakfast. I admit that for years I didn't eat breakfast - couldn't stomach it, blah blah blah. But then I started to take charge and look after myself so I started with just small portions and now I wake up hungry and really look forward to the first meal of the day.
Here is a really easy breakfast which I made this morning which is delicious, light and keeps me satisfied until late morning/lunchtime. Also I exercise mid-morning almost everyday so it's important that my breakfast gives me enough fuel to bash out those punches or kicks!

In a small bowl, I put about 160gm of low fat greek yoghurt topped with fresh strawberries, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Lately I've also been adding a teaspoon of chia seeds which are high in protein and omega 3s.
On the side, I toasted some kibbled rye bread with a light spread of avocado seasoned with pepper.
Had this with a cup of herbal tea. 

Tofu and vegetable stack

Here is an amazing dish which is easy to make. And there are a few variations that you can make to change it up a bit.
This version is made with eggplant, firm tofu (yep, love that tofu!), sweet potato, and onion.  Basically, just cut the vegs into discs with about 1.5cm thickness. The sauce I made this time was an asian style - in a small bowl mix together a tablespoon of hoisin sauce, sesame oil and soy, small amount of water, half a teaspoon of sugar and if you want, some slices of birds eye chilli.

Wholegrain pizza with rocket and turkey

Thought I'd share this pizza that I made the other night. 
I used 15cm wholegrain wraps as the base. To add strength to the base, I used two wraps with a very small amount of low fat mozzarella in between.  I topped with tomato passata, thinly sliced turkey breast, potato & tomato, fresh chilli, garlic, onion, dried parsley, oregano, basil and low fat mozzarella. Cook in the oven at 190C on baking paper on a rack in oven for 9 mins until crisp. Then put rocket and chopped parsley on top to serve! Ate it with a side garden salad. It was so delicious - the wholegrain wrap made it really satisfying! By my calcs, came in under 500 calories - but tasted like it was 5,000 - luv it!

Cauliflower & Tomato wholemeal penne

The winter chill brought on a bit of a pasta crave... so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try some wholemeal pasta. There's lots of dietary fibre in wholemeal pasta and it is quite satisfying so you don't have to eat too much to feel full.

Salad of Smoked salmon, avocado, snow pea sprouts...

Just a really simple salad plate...
Smoked salmon, snow pea sprouts, celery, tomato, avocado, spring onion, almonds, pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds + 1 dollup of hommus. If you're a bit hungrier, add a poached or soft boiled egg!
Dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Tofu and Quinoa San Choy Bows

Here's a great creative & fun way to serve low fat and nutritious food. I love tofu but know lots of people who turn their noses at tofu but I really do believe that they just don't know how to cook it!
Similarly, there are probably loads of people who have never used quinoa. It is very much the grain 'du jour' and it tastes like a cross between couscous and brown rice. It is extremely high in protein (contains all the 8 essential amino acids), low in fat, is gluten free, high in fibre and is totally yum yum. You can easily get it in supermarkets now so there's no excuse to not pick a packet up on your next shopping run. Plus most of the quinoa I've seen sold is organic.

Pumpkin soup

 

After so many years of procrastination, I finally bought a stick hand mixer! I can't believe it's taken me to so long and now, I am totally in love with it! How did I survive without it before?

Here is a lovely pumpkin soup which was one of the first things I made with my new kitchen gadget.

I made it using a chicken stock base. Chicken stock is so easy and cheap to make - why buy it?

Roasted winter vegetable salad

I was inspired to make this by a salad I'd had at Gwinganna Health retreat. It is really satisfying, uses loads of delicious winter seasonal vegetables and is crazy healthy! A wonderful hearty winter dinner - even Mr Carrots, my husband went for second helpings.
The vegetables I used this particular time were kipfler potatoes, butternut pumpkin, carrots, parsnips, beetroot and onion.

Salad of Grapefruit, Beetroot, Snowpeas and more!

For my first few posts, I will share some of my favourite meals I made over the last month or so which I had been cataloging in anticipation for this blog.
I made this for lunch a few weeks ago...
I used:
Segmented ruby grapefruit 
Snow pea sprouts 
Canned Red salmon 
Shredded cabbage
Sliced beetroot 
Sliced tomato
Sliced potato
Sliced onion
Sliced avocado
Slivered almonds 
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Dressing is grapefruit juice, lime juice, olive oil