Organising Good Nutrition

We all lead busy lives these days. Working full time/part-time, taking care of kids, running a household, being a taxi service for teenagers, fitting in fitness, social outings or all of the above, all these things fill our lives to the maximum. And we are about to head into the “silly season” so it will get even worse!  One thing we often neglect is our nutrition. Sometimes we go for the easiest and quickest option if we are in a hurry, besides who wants to waste precious time preparing healthy food when we can buy a big mac or a meat pie and down it in 5 minutes flat? NOT ME!

At my bootcamp this morning I was asked about some nutritious lunch ideas (thanks Nic).  One of the easiest ways to ensure good nutrition is to be ORGANISED. Salad is my food of choice for lunch, whether it be a salad on its own, put into a wrap or mountain bread, made into a salad sandwich or mixed with the leftovers from the night before. Best piece of advice, shop once- chop once. At the beginning of the week chop up your salad ingredients and store them in an airtight container. That way each morning you can just grab out the ingredients and throw you salad together quickly. You can also pre-cook any meat you are having with your salad and add away each week day. Believe me you will be so excited to open your fridge on weekdays and have ready prepared food all set to go. Listed below are some ingredients you can pre-prepare at the start of the week;

Spinach (top of the food chain), cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, capsicum, avocado (good fat), asparagus, celery, sun-dried tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, low fat feta (feta is a good option as it has high flavour and you need less of it), mushroom etc…. You can pre-cook your meats to add protein to your salad such as chicken ( I like the tenderloins as they are quick to cook and easy to cut), lean mince, beef strips, roasted turkey breast, salmon or you can use tinned tuna, tofu the list goes on but I’m sure you are getting the picture. Try and steer clear of the commercial dressings and make your own. Olive oil is a good base as it is a “good fat” and you can add some wholegrain mustard and lime juice for extra flavour. Be creative.

If you make that extra effort at the start of the week your waist line and your energy levels will benefit. I don’t know about you but if I eat foods high in saturated fat, pastries and cakes at lunch I feel lethargic and like having a nana nap. But after a salad I’m ready to take on the world. So go ahead and try it next week, your body will thank you for it and you know that if you are consistent with good nutrition the results will speak for themselves!! Enjoy your long weekend and BE GOOD 🙂