The Healthy Ginger: A Day in Meals

A Day in Meals. From Left: Morning Coffee. Muesli. Chocolate Treat. Lunch. Water Cup (Paperchase.) BBQ Pasta

Morning

Because I get up quite early to head off to work, I don't usually feel like eating anything until my first shift is over. So instead, to keep me ticking over, and to ensure that I do not get grumpy, I have to have a cup of coffee. I like the Nescafe Vanilla Cappuccino sachets because they go super-frothy when mixed with water, give me a caffeine boost and taste delicious. 

This will be my first and last coffee of the day, so I make sure I sip it slowly. Because I have recently enforced a coffee ration on myself, if I need a pick-me-up during the day, I'll have a green tea (I drink Twinings Earl Grey Green Tea.)  This gives me a little bit of a boost if I need it, but doesn't make me over-caffeinated 

After I've come home from work - and if I haven't had breakfast with my work colleague - I will have a bowl of Dorset Cereals muesli. I add in golden linseeds for added crunch. 

Mid-morning 

If I;m feeling a little bit peckish around midday, and I've been particularly healthy over the course of the week, I will treat myself to a chocolate fix. I know that from experience if I deprive myself of chocolate for too long I will eat loads of it all in one go, and feel completely rubbish afterwards. But a little hot of chocolate every few days is enough to keep me going. 

Lunch 

When it comes to what I eat at lunchtime, it completely depends on the day. If we have leftovers from ea the night before, I will eat those up, but if not, I'll make myself a sandwich or some pasta (unless of course I;m out, in which case I'll pick up lunch wherever I am. I will usually try and incorporate some fruit. At the moment I am obsessed with citrus fruits. 

Lunchtime is usually the point where I make sure I drink lots of water. Sometimes as work in the afternoon, I'm so busy that I forget to keep myself hydrated, so by drinking a few large glasses of water after I've eaten, this keeps me from getting a headache or starting to feel lethargic.

Tea Time

Boyfriend is an absolute superstar and normally takes on the role as Head Chef. Our dinner (or tea as I now say) will usually have lots of veggies (mushrooms & peppers are a must in our house) and some kind of accompanying sauce. We buy meat in bulk so normally defrost what we need beforehand. Boyfriend is really good at coming up with his own creations, so the recipes/meals are either made up on the spot, or ones that have been tried and tested before. 

Sometimes after tea, if I'm feeling tired, or need a bit of a treat, I will have something. I don't deprive myself of anything. I listen to what my body is telling me, and if I'm really craving something, I'll have a little bit of it. Usually it's chocolate, hot chocolate, or some kind of cake. A small portion of yummy, but oh so cheeky dessert is enough to see me through. 

And yes.....at the weekends I do sneak in my glass of red! 

Got any good recipes or healthy diet tips & tricks? Please share them in the comments below!

The Healthy Ginger: Keeping a Food Diary

If you read my 2014 New Year Resolutions post, then you will know that this year I am making a conscious effort to be a healthier person. This means cutting back on the naughty treats, eating a more well-balanced diet, and upping the exercise regime. 

Boyfriend - being as supportive as always - said he would help me in this goal. So, for the first step on this epic journey, he set me the task of keeping a food diary. 

As a record to show what I am eating on a weekly basis, and where I need to improve/change.

Often, during the day, I will subconsciously reach for the snacks. And when there is a LOT of chocolate in the house, this is a very bad thing. Before I went back to work I could attack the stash at regular intervals. But since keeping my food diary, I find myself making a conscious effort to choose the healthier options. There's something about keeping a running record of what I have eaten that makes me want to prove to myself that I can be healthier. 

Looking back at what I have eaten so far is empowering. I have in no way deprived myself of anything. I'm still having my daily chocolatey treats, but I'm doing it now in moderation. And because I'm going to be sharing my weekly diary with Boyfriend, it's giving me a sense of achievement. 




I won't do this every week, but I just wanted to share my first week of Food Diary with you lovely lot. 



13/01/14 - Monday




.Caramel Latte 

.500ml water

.Bowl of nut & seed muesli w. semi-skimmed milk & linseeds

.Coffee w. coffee mate

. 3 Quality Street 

.Peach Yogurt

.3/4 banana

.200ml Chocomel 

.500ml water 

.Chicken breast, chopped tomatoes & pepper w. rice

.1 piece of chocolate cake 




14/01/14 - Tuesday 




.Coffee w. Coffee Mate

.Bowl of nut & seed muesli w. Linseeds & semi-skimmed milk 

.Caramel latte 

.4 Chocolates 

.1 pint water 

.1 banana / 5 table spoons mango & vanilla yogurt 

.Coffee w. Coffee Mate 

.1 pint water

.Mug of Milk 

.2 pints water 

.Minced Meat, Pepper, Onion, Ham, Chopped Tomatoes, Grated Cheese & Pasta

.4 Chocolates

.1 pint water 




15/01/14 - Wednesday 




.Caramel latte 

.Bowl of nut & seed muesli w. Linseeds & semi-skimmed milk 

.Caramel latte 

.4 Chocolates

.Banana & Honey sandwich on white bread 

.5 tbsps mango & vanilla yogurt 

.1 pint water

.1 pint water 

.Coffee w. Coffee Mate

.200ml Chocomel 

.Earl Grey Green Tea 

.Cumberland sausages, potato wedges, peppers, onions, passata, Tabasco, mushrooms 

.1 pint water 

.3 chocolates




16/01/14 - Thursday 




.Caramel latte 

.Bowl of nut & seed muesli w. Linseeds & semi-skimmed milk 

.Caramel latte 

.4 Chocolates

.1 pint water 

.4 tbsps Mango & Vanilla yogurt & 2 tbsps of Mango, Papaya. & Passionfruit yogurt + 2 bananas 

.1 pint water 

. Coffee w. Coffee Mate 

.Hot dog wrapped in bacon with BBQ sauce and cheese w. Chips (Half bun)

.Glass of water 




17/01/14 - Friday 




.Caramel Latte 

.1 piece of toast with lfs. 

.100g mini eggs 

.Bowl of nut & seed muesli w. Linseeds & semi-skimmed milk 

.1 pint of water

.Caramel latte 

.Coffee w. Coffee Mate 

.Breaded chicken, half burger bun, mayonnaise, salad & small chips 

.Mocha 

.Water




18/01/14 - Saturday 




.Caramel latte

.4 chocolates 

.Coffee w. Coffee Mate 

.1 pint of water 

.Banana 

.1 Poppadum, rice, keema naan bread, chicken tikka pieces in mango, almond & cream sauce 

.1 pint of water




18/01/14 - Sunday 




.Coffee w. Coffee Mate

.Vanilla latte x 2 

.Pint of water 

.2 Poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, English muffin, 2 slices of ham, chives & 2 portions of black pudding 



If you are looking to be healthier in 2014, then I highly recommend going on a Food Diary journey too. Even if you are just wanting to change one thing in your lifestyle, like drinking more water, doing more exercise, or cutting down on ice cream....The sense of satisfaction and achievement that you'll gain when you get to the end of each week and see how well you have done will be amazing! 




If you are starting a Food Diary journey too, let me know in the comments.There will always be somebody here to support you in your 2014 Healthy Quest. 




Good Luck!








Psst....Keep an eye out for more Healthy Ginger posts. I'll be sharing meal tips, my new exercise regime, and other pieces of advice

The NO-vember Challenge 2013

Winter has always been my favourite time of year. 

The nights get colder, the skies get darker, and there is just a general sense of excitement and festivity in the air that you don't really get at any other time of the year. 

With Winter also comes scrummy comfort food. And scrummy comfort food is the kind of food that I find it really hard to say "No" to.

So, I decided that for the month of November, I'm going to have a bit of a detox and create a challenge for myself...

The NO-vember Challenge

For a whole month (or longer if I think I can manage it,) I will be challenging myself to eradicate all my little vices from my diet. I will be taking out all: 

Chocolate 

Takeaway 

Alcohol

Cake/Biscuits

Sweets 

No doubt that this ill be a particularly challenging challenge (haha) for me, but I know that having a month off in the build up to the festivities of Christmas will do me the world of good. 

For the month of November I'll be posting more recipe ideas and updates on my NO-vember progress

Boyfriend is going to help me through this challenge, and if you would like to take part too, leave a comment below and we can help support each other. 

Feel free to save the NO-vember Challenge image above and add it to a challenge post relating to what you are giving up (but don't forget to link back to me.) 

Good Luck! 

Blogtember 2013: Drink More Water

Today's Topic:"Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered"

Drink more water!

I used to be one of those people who didn't really like to drink water. I was a die-hard ,ilk fan from a very early age, and this lasted all the way until - well - just recently to be honest. I always would hear people talk about the benefits of drinking water. How good it was for your body... full of things that were good for you....how important it is to stay hydrated. 

But did I really listen? 

No. Not really. 

I was too obsessed with milk. Now, don't get me wrong  I know that milk, in moderation, is good for you too. And I have a history of osteoporosis in my family, so I need to make sure I always have a good intake of calcium, but I could drink a ridiculous amount of milk in a day. I think I used my need for calcium as a bit of an excuse, and guzzled down pint after pint without really noticing. 

And them as I started university, caffeine crept in to the equation too. Water intake kind of went out the window, and it was coffee, tea, milk and fizzy drinks all the way. 

But then, more recently, now that I have been blogging and starting YouTube, I've been paying more attention to advice, tips and tricks that people offer. My friend Sarah (or Saloca in Wonderland) is always full of pearls of wisdom about beauty-related things, and one day we were talking bout face mapping... 

I have always had dodge skin. I'm just one of those people. And at school, my spots were particularly horrendous. It was embarrassing, walking around school and being the only girl in your year with bad skin. But mum assured me it was just my hormones, so I let nature take its course. But still, at age 26, I still have the odd pimple to contend with. Sarah mentioned how dairy can affect the skin, and that made me go back to: 

Drink more water!

Maybe it was time to drink more water. As an experiment if anything. To see if it made a difference or not. 

Well. 5 months on and my skin has really cleared up. Oh, I still get the occasional spot here and there, but generally my skin looks so much better. My under-eye circles look less pronounced, my old acne scars are fading and I'm even starting to notice that my hair is looking shinier and more glossy too! Of course, it might not be down to water, but it can't all just be co-incidence that I'm starting to see changes. 

I feel better for it too. Whereas I used to rely on coffee to get me through the day, I'm now down to one (which I have with coffee whitener instead of milk.) I've cut fizzy drinks out completely, and milk is now more of a luxury drink. I still make sure I get calcium by eating cheese, and yoghurt, but I've cut down on my dairy-overload.

With drinking more water I feel just generally more hydrated and happy. I have a lot more energy too. I've even downloaded an app on to my phone, which helps me monitor how much I've drunk and how hydrated I am. I'm a really competitive person, so having something I can use to monitor my progress is like having a competition with myself!

So, if there is one piece of advice I can pass on to you, dear blog reader, it is 

Drink more water!

And see if you notice any chances! 

(Shout out to Sarah (http://www.salocainwonderland.co.uk/) who is doing the Blogtember Challenge too. Thank you for the beauty tips, lovely, I'd have never done this change to water without our chat x)