When I’m not eating cake I do try and eat quite healthily (this is trying to balance with my previous post). I’m a big lover of vegetables and fruit (hello apple obsession). I try to eat wholegrain foods and now I’m eating organic or free range meat only.
I’m also not a fan of fast food or takeaways (the only takeaway I really enjoy is an Indian one). Poor Ben probably hasn’t set foot inside a McDonalds for a fair while…well that he’s told me! I don’t judge people for eating there or any other fast food really. I just prefer to have other things. If we go out for dinner but want something cheap and cheerful it’s likely we’ll hit up Nando’s. I love me some chicken. But a good pub meal is always a winner too.
Maybe this all sounds quite boring and ‘holier-than-thou’ but it’s just what I like and I feel good eating it. It also helps to balance the sheer amount of cake I eat! Some of my favourite meals are salads and stir-fries (see below) where I can cram just about every single vegetable in a meal. I’m all about volume. You might have noticed I have quite a large appetite. It’s actually something that does concern me a little – afternoon teas are easy peasy and going to the all-you-can-eat Brazilian restaurant and sampling every single thing available is not really a challenge.
One of my current favourite meals is a medley of different vegetables fried in coconut oil with smoked river cobbler fish and loads of creamy cream cheese.
Carrot, courgette, mushroom, onion, kale, peas, courgette noodles
Now I know I’m so behind on the coconut oil trend but I’ve only just started using it. It sat unloved in my cupboard for ages as I preferred to use the spray oil. But on a whim I thought why not see what it’s like (I paid a bloody fortune for it!). I can’t believe I’ve been missing out! The very subtle undertones of coconut are a great addition to fried or roasted vegetables. No more spray oil for me.
For more info on coconut oil check these links out:
A more simple meal I’ve been enjoying is marinating organic pork steak with sweet potato wedges and veg.
I marinated the pork for half a day in the fridge in 1 tbs. honey, 1 tbs. lemon juice, 2 tbs. soy sauce, minced garlic and seasoning (for two pork steaks). Then I oven roasted them. I could have fried them but the sweet potato was already in the oven so saved some energy.
A problem I’ve found with turning to organic and free-range meat is that chicken is very expensive. I was previously buying frozen chicken breasts (not a value brand but a vague “Class A” which I’m sure isn’t great). The price of 1kg of frozen chicken compared to fresh organic or free range chicken breasts is crazy. Previously we’d eat a lot of chicken throughout the week – it was my go-to protein. But it just means eating a bit more pork and less meat in the week.
At work my popcorn obsession continues…and lately I’ve found a great flavour: red Thai curry flavour (Tesco’s own brand). So good. And this might sound gross but a load of the flavour dust (technical term) falls to the bottom so you can save it for the end 😉
With my lunch (which is invariably a tuna salad most days) I also have plain yogurt with my new favourite frozen fruit selections.
Frozen summer fruits and frozen blueberries (from Sainsbury’s). I add them in the morning and by lunch they’ve just about defrosted and left the yogurt lovely and cold and all berry-juicified (another technical term). Yum.
Do you eat organic or free range meat?
Do you prefer frozen or fresh fruit?
What’s your favourite popcorn flavour? Mine is maple bacon flavour *drools* so good.
Great post.. Brilliant meal ideas, we get stuck in a rut with our stir fries (so convenient & quick). I’ll absolutely try the coconut oil – it’s been languishing in the fridge for ages!!
I’m a big fan of frozen berries too.. Saves a fortune and can guarantee the won’t have gone mushy!!!
The main thing I’ve noticed with organic meat is how it doesn’t shrink or give off loads of water when you cook it.. It might be more expensive but you can get away with using less.
Honestly, coconut oil is heavenly. Very tasty and very good for you 🙂
That’s good to know about organic meat. And it does make sense that the meat is smaller in size (like chicken breasts) because they’ve been allowed to live and grow properly without being pumped full of nasty chemicals in a dark tiny space.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
Hey
I’m totally with you on the flavour dust …have you tried garbanzo roasted chickpeas from holland and barrett? Not only are they yummy, but they are fab for flavour dust!!
X
I have indeed tried those chickpeas and you’re totally right on the flavour dust! I love those things.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I am completely with you when it comes to fast food places. I always feel like I’m being some sort of food snob when friends suggest going to MaccyDs and I grab food from elsewhere. Dan and I both drive past the little one in our town on the way to work each day, and if I ever go away I can guarantee that McDonalds will feature in at least a couple of Dan’s meals! Good job he has me to cook for him most of the time! I do treat myself to a KFC Krushem after long runs occasionally as I always crave cold milk afterwards, but I’m really not fussed about the food at all.
I’m all about volume and number of different veg as well. Just wish Dan ate more variety. 🙁
I love it when you post pictures of your meals. Some bloggers use loads and loads of ingredients I’ve never heard of, or make recipes that take lots of work, but yours always seem practical, tasty and use ingredients I’m already familiar with.
That’s a great idea to put frozen fruits into your yoghurt each morning to let them defrost throughout the day, especially now it’s so hot. Some days I put a bottle of water in the freezer overnight for school so that it stays nice and cool all through the next day, even after it’s defrosted. To start with it’s like a big ice lolly, which is great anyway! 🙂
Mary recently posted…Send a cow Cleopatra VII!
KFC…yes I have to admit that’s probably a fast food I could be tempted by. I know though if I go in and have something I will be hooked.
I do get fed up with bloggers who post supposedly easy quick recipes – but they’re only easy and quick if you have 9 million of the unbelievably hard to find ingredients. I like to keep things simple!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I’m totally with you on the fast food places, I just don’t have any interest in them any more. James does admit to the odd sneaky McDonalds visit but I don’t mind – my aversion is disinterest and that I’d rather eat something else rather than taking some sort of high ground.
We’ve found a trick to buying organic meat is to go for the less desired cuts. We buy organic deboned chicken thighs from Sainsburys and they’re pretty affordable – even compared to usually priced chicken breasts.
Maple bacon popcorn? That is something I need to check out pronto!
Claire @ Flake and Cake recently posted…Treats for my skin and not-so paleo hamster
That’s a great tip about the organic meat. And thighs tend to be very juicy and tasty.
Portlebay do the best maple bacon popcorn. But quite expensive
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I dont understand anyone that like mcdonalds, takeaways or fast food in general. I don’t judge but just don’t understand how even the LOOK of the food is even appetising, uhhhh! Im with you on the variety of veg and coconut oil thing, coconut oil tastes amazing with spices! Your eats also look amazing!
Lucie recently posted…Potato Kale Cake Recipe (With A Little Motivation)
Fast food looks very far away from what real food looks like it’s just crazy. Like McDonald cheeseburger – no real burger or bread looks like that!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I am not a fast food fan at all- obviously being vegetarian they don’t really have options for me (well I suppose they do veggie burgers) but the smell when I run past KFC is just horrible. Not sure I have ever eaten a MacDonalds, and luckily Andy doesn’t like that sort of thing either.
My weakness is a Starbucks chai latte!
I like salt and vinegar popcorn (I bought some yesterday) although I tend to buy a bag, eat some, and then forget about it and then the rest goes stale. Also there is a lovely sweet flavour- vanilla coconut, but it is hard to find.
I keep frozen fruit for smoothies in the summer, as then they make the smoothie all thick- we try to imitate the smoothie bowls we had in Hawaii. Your idea of keeping the yoghurt cold is very clever.
Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted…Stuff and bits
Salt and vinegar popcorn – I’ve not heard of that one. Not sure that would be to my taste as I hate salt and vinegar crisp haha. I actually tried the vanilla coconut popcorn the other day. My friend had a packet from Boots. But I found it very strange – sweet but not that sweet. A bit weird!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I seem to be really behind on the whole coconut oil treat too and I have only recently started getting in to it.
I haven’t stepped foot in a McDonalds for over 10 years now too. Even when I was at my unhealthiest I never went. I much prefer making my own tasty burgers 🙂
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Friday Favourites – My Favourite Products To Get Me Back On Track
Homemade burgers are so much more filling and tasty. You can pack them full of great things like veg and spices. A lot more hearty!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I’m a big coconut oil fan! I use it for everything, go through it so quickly!! I really dislike fast food and takeaways, I like going out for a nice quality meal but most of the time I prefer to cook at home.
Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) recently posted…Run Hackney 5k
Yep, hands down it’s always preferable to go for a good hearty pub meal than a take away or fast food. The atmosphere as well is always nicer and more relaxing as well.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training
I always get those frozen fruit from Sainsbos! I tend to get the slightly cheaper freedom food chicken from sainsburys or I used to get the whole organic chickens as they seem to be better value for money (when I could actually stand the sight of chicken!)
That’s a good idea about buying a whole chicken. Though I’d have to resist the temptation to eat too much of it in one sitting knowing me!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Week #3 Marathon Training