The City Girls Guide to Keeping Healthy

#StayHealthy

I know it can be hard to keep what you are eating healthy and nutritious when you are on the go all day. After a few requests to provide a sample 'healthy week' I have put together a five day plan. By all means, you don't have to stick to this day in day out, but what I can advise is that you take your own lunch and snacks to A. Save money but B. Make it easier to have a healthy choice! I would also advise moving away from your desk and allowing lunchtime to become a time where you can actually enjoy your food and not rush it. This will aid digestion but it will also help you to eat mindfully, realising when you are full, and also helping you enjoy the flavour leaving you feeling more saitsfied ;).

Prepping your lunches does not have to take hours the night before, neither does it require you to get up super early. All you need is a rough idea of what you want in your salad (And by salad I mean meal not just leaves!) and some fruit and veg on hand to grab as you go.

Lets be honest here, life is too short to start feeling guilty for the odd unhealthy snack or even a proper unhealthy day. I am not writing this to make you confine your week to a meal plan. It's merely just some guidance for a healthy week whilst being realistic about weekends that often mean meals out with friends and movie nights with chocolate. That's life! And it's totally ok to do these things and enjoy a rich dessert or a big pizza because otherwise, whats the point in going out? It's meant to be a treat isn't it? It's more about finding a balance and keeping to a healthy nutritious way of eating that fuels your brain and body allowing you to work to your full potential.

I'l let you into a little secret, it's Tuesday night and I am finishing this blog post whilst making my way through a pack of chocolate crispies. Am I bothered? No... I have the ingredients for a green juice in the morning and some delicious smoked salmon for a healthy protein packed lunch!

^^ (The proof!) ^^

Firstly, to make things a little easier, if you get a moment, on Sunday do a little food prep and freezing.

SUNDAY

*Chop up two bananas into slices and freeze

*Mix some seeds, oats, dried fruit and nuts into a tuppawear box

*Chop one sweet potato, part boil and freeze

MONDAY

Breakfast- Meusli (made in two mins on sun!!) with low fat greek yoghurt and a banana or strawberries on top.

Lunch – Kale, beetroot, feta, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, spring onion and a yoghurt and chive dressing.

Grab some dark chocolate covered rice cakes, a handful of nuts and an apple for snacks

Dinner – Prawn Stirfry, with pepper, spring onion, green sugarsnap peas, thinly sliced carrots, soya sauce, ginger, chilli, squeeze of lime and rice/thin noodles

(If you are still hungry have some yog with honey! But hopefully all the protein you’ve had will have filled you up!)

TUESDAY

Breakfast – green smoothie – whack a handful of spinach, a floret of broccolli, ginger, a squeeze of lime and a banana into a blender.

Have a slice of rye toast with this

Lunch- Take left over stirfry. Add a handful of spinach to what is left and sprinkle over some sunflower seeds. Take a portion of hummus (If you fancy making your own hummus, check out some of my recipe blogs - there is even beetroot hummus!) and some carrot and pepper sticks as a snack as well as an apple and some cherry toms.

Dinner – Cook two fillets of salmon in ginger, honey and soya dressing, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with Rice or quinoa and edamame, broad bean and pea salad.

If you are still hungry make a protein cookie dough – chick peas, milk, butter, honey, vanilla essence, dark choc nibs... Whack all this in a blender and you'll be surprised how satisfying it is!

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast - Porridge with a teaspoon of wheatgrass, vanilla essence and honey, topped with blueberries

Lunch- Left over salmon with a handful of kale and some extra dressing. Take some sugar pea snaps and hummus dip, a banana, a handful of nuts for snacks

Dinner- Zuccini noodles, pesto, cherry toms, pine nuts and chicken

Dessert - fruit and a few squares of dark chocolate

THURSDAY

Breakfast - Soya yoghurt with wheatgrass and vanilla mixed in with mashed banana and topped with your homemade meusli mix

Lunch – Rye bread with smoked salmon and cream cheese, Cucumber sticks, cherry toms, a handful of nuts

Dinner – Small steak with sweet pot wedges and green salad

Mixed berries

FRIDAY

Breakfast – Smoothie with strawberries, oats, almond milk and honey. Slice of rye bread toast on the side

Lunch- left over sweet potato wedges cut up small and mixed in with kale, feta, seeds, red onion, and balsamic dressing

Take a pot with yoghurt honey and homemade meusli, take left over hummus and any veg that needs eating

Dinner – Invite friends over and take time cooking something nice! It’s the weekend so how about a nice stew you can freeze for next week, or a chicken fajhita night where everybody can get involed –

Fajhita Recipe -

Fry small slices of chicken breast with garlic, red onion and mixed coloured peppers. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, cajun spice and chilli. Add a touch of boiling water to provide a little sauce.

Make a green salad with iceberg lettuice and cucumber.

Boil one tin of baked beans until sticky like re-fried beans.

Grate some cheese.

Mash one avacado with garlic and a few cherry tomatoes chopped up small, season with salt and pepper (for a simple guacamole!)

Put out some greek yoghurt as a sour cream replacement.

et voila! An easy meal for lots of friends to share.

Alternateively,

Make yourself an easy stew-

Fry onions and garlic in a pan, add your meat of choice (Lamb, beef, bacon or sausages) and fry until cooked. Next add one tin of tomatoes, some tomato puree, salt, pepper, paprika, chilli and corriander as well as a small amount of water and some stock.

Chop one sweet potato, two carrots and one courgette. Add to the pan and simmer until your veggies are soft. Season as needed and there you have it a meal that can be eaten now or frozen for later in the week.

I hope this blog post has been useful. If you have any questions at all about recipe specifics, timings or cooking techniques, please get in touch!

I am on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so feel free to get in touch on these platforms too! Happy being Healthy :)