Feel Good Food, Recipes And Snacks By Laura Warren Fitmuma UK
I hope that you will all find some pleasure in trying some of these foods. Before you take a look at the food recipes I love, I wanted to share with you some of the thoughts I have when I eat.
I do not believe in diets! I believe that you should look at food as a tool to make you feel ‘good.’ What do I mean by that? No, not the 2 second enjoyment of chocolate! I mean foods that will give you longer lasting energy. Food that will make you glow. Food that will help your body work happily. Food that the future you will thank you for.
I aim to get all food groups in every meal. Carbs, protein, good fats, fiber, minerals and nutrients.
I put the veg/salad on my plate before I put anything else on.
Before I eat I will ask myself ‘how will the future me feel after eating this?’ If I think I will feel proud and good I will eat it. If I think I will feel guilty, or bloated, or tired, or won’t help me reach my goal then I won’t.
Before I eat I will think about what I have already eaten that day and what am I likely to eat later. So for example, if I had toast for breakfast, then I will make sure I keep away from bread for the rest of the day. Make sense? That way I can check that I am getting a good balance of all food types.
Anyway, enough of my thoughts out loud. Here are a mix of smoothie, snack, breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas.
All these recipes include real, nutritious and energy enhancing foods.
FEEL GOOD SMOOTHIES
Smoothies are such a great way to get nutrients and minerals into the body.
However, there are a few things to be aware of:
Smoothies can be high in natural sugars. This is fine as we do need the fruit and veg but we just need you to be aware of limiting other ‘refined’ sugars throughout the day. This is as simple as cutting out processed foods and chocolate etc.
Have fun making your own combinations. Do you want a milk or water base? What fruits could you add? What veg could you add? What healthy sources of fat and protein can you add? Pick them and simply mix away. Lastly, I like to try and get the protein in the drink ( milk/yogurt/nuts/avocado) because it will help limit the sugar spike from a pure fruit based drink.
Carrot and orange smoothie
2 medium carrots , peeled and roughly chopped or grated depending on your blender
2 oranges, peeled
2cm piece of ginger, grated
2 tbsp oats
100g ice
Mix all the above in a blender. Add water if you do not want it as thick. Makes 4 glasses, 75kcal, 1g fat, 13 g carbs of which 8g are sugars, protein 2g.
Cherry smoothie
300g frozen or fresh cherries, pitted
150g natural yogurt
1 large banana , sliced
½ tsp vanilla extract
90 kcal, 1g fat, 16 g of carbs of which 15g are sugars, protein 3g.
Mocha Avocado Smoothie
• 1⁄4 peeled avocado
• 300ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp walnuts
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee
224kcal, 15.6g carbs , 12.5g protein, 11.9 g fat.
Green Breakfast Smoothie
1 handful spinach (about 50g/2oz), roughly chopped
100g broccoli florets, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks
4 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 banana
300ml rice milk or other alternative
¼ tsp spirulina or 1 scoop of greens powder or vegan protein powder (optional)
243kcal, 10 g fat, 27g carbs of which 18 are sugars, protein 7g.
FEEL GOOD BREAKFASTS
Apple and Cinnamon Pancakes
40g oats
• 1 medium grated apple
• 50ml skimmed milk
• 1⁄4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tbsp low-fat natural yogurt
• 1 spray low calorie cooking spray
Method
Blitz the oats in a blender until fine, then mix in 40g of grated apple, milk, cinnamon, honey and beaten eggs.
Mix the yogurt with the rest of the apple ( to have on the side).
Place a pan on medium heat.
Spoon 4 equal quantities of the blended mix into the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until bottom is golden brown and then carefully flip and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
Healthy Denver Omelet Egg Bake
8 eggs large
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 large green pepper, finely diced
1/2 large white onion, finely diced
1/3.lb cooked ham Finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced ( 2 teaspoons)
A bit of salt if you want ( I keep away from it)
Pepper to taster
A bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top of desire
Method
First, preheat oven to 180 c and spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together eggs and greek yogurt in a mixing bowl.
Place green pepper, white onion, ham, garlic, salt, and pepper into the casserole dish. Pour egg mixture over the veggie and ham mixture.
Then, place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, pour cheese over the top and let bake for an additional 10 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked.
Protein-Packed Breakfast Burritos
8 large eggs
splash of milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium red pepper, finely minced
1/2 medium red onion, finely minced
4 piece of thick-cut bacon, cooked until crispy
salt and pepper, to taste
4 flatbreads
Method
Place olive oil and minced garlic in a pan. Turn to medium-high heat and cook until oil is heated. In a large bowl whisk 8 eggs and a splash of milk and set aside.
Add in red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a few minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Then, add in eggs and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until cooked.
Place 1/4 of the egg mixture and a piece of cooked bacon on top of a Flatbread. Then, sprinkle with cheese. Wrap tightly.
Chilled Overnight Chia: Blueberry-Coconut
2 cups of old-fashioned oats
4 tbsp. chia seeds
4 tbsp. honey
3 cups light coconut milk
1 tsp. lemon zest
fresh blueberries
Method
To each of four 16-ounce jars, add 1/2 cup oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon honey, and 3/4 cup coconut milk. Cover; shake to combine and refrigerate. To serve, stir 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest into each jar and top with blueberries.
Egg Cups With Spinach and Tomato
4 egg whites
Olive oil
Small amount of spinach
1 tomato
Method
Preheat oven to 180 c. Separate egg whites into a jug.
Chop tomato to small pieces and rip up spinach to small pieces.
Grease a cup baking tray with oil.
Squash some spinach into the cups then add some tomato so that the cup is half full. Poor in egg white so cup is nearly full.
Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.
Banana Breakfast Cookies
• 1 medium banana
• 1⁄2 cup oats
• 1⁄2 cup whole-wheat plain flour
• 1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp agave syrup
• 25ml water
Method
Use a wooden spoon to mash the banana in a mixing bowl.
Mix in the oats, flour, bicarbonate of soda, peanut butter and syrup.
Stir in the cranberries, seeds and water.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment, then place 8 spoonful's of the cookie mixture onto the tray.
Flatten the cookies, then bake for 10 minutes at 180 deg C.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool or serve.
FEEL GOOD LUNCH AND DINNERS
Pineapple Chicken Skewers
Place 85g cubed chicken, pineapple chunks, chopped pepper (any colour), and onion chunks on skewers and brush with a bit of oil.
Grill them until the chicken is cooked and serve with a small portion of rice and broccoli
Tuna Pasta Salad and Strawberries
Combine a tin of drained tuna ( packed in water), some mayo ( limit this), 5 walnut halves chopped, and half a cup of diced celery with 3/4 cup of cooked wholewheat pasta.
Serve with 5 strawberries on the side.
Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich- lots of energy for the kids!!
Spread 2 Spoons of natural peanut butter on 2 slices of wholemeal bread and top with a small banana sliced.
Mango and Pineapple Salad
• 1 ripe mango,
• 1 ripe pineapple,
• 1 red onion,
• 10g coriander,
• 1 red chilli,
• 1 red pepper,
• 5 cherry tomatoes,
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil,
Method
Dice the mango & pineapple into chunks.
Slice the onion, tomatoes, pepper and place into a bowl..
Finely chop the coriander, chilli and juice the lime.
Mix all ingredients together with the olive oil and season to taste.
Enchiladas
• 8 wholemeal tortillas
• 4 chicken breast
• 1 tin (400g) plum tomatoes
• 1 red & 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 100g low fat cheddar
• 100ml water
• 2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp olive
seasoning
Method
Preheat over to 200 C degrees.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add onion & chicken. Turn chicken till white & add peppers & seasoning, and mix through for 2mins.
Add tomatoes & simmer for ~ 10mins.
Distribute the mix on the wraps & fold. Rub some oil on a deep cooking dish & lay wraps along dish.
Mix puree & water & spread over wraps, then cover with grated cheese. Cook for ~ 20min.
Mediterranean Wraps
half avocado
coriander
half juiced lemon
half bell pepper
half onion
wedge cucumber
tin tuna
2 teaspoons vinaigrette
1 wholemeal wrap
Method
To make the guacamole you need to mash avocado, and add coriander and juiced lemon. Mix them thoroughly.
Chop peppers, onion and cucumber.
Add tuna and vinaigrette to the bowl with peppers, onion and cucumber and mix thoroughly.
Spread guacamole on the wrap and spread tuna mix evenly.
Roll wrap and enjoy.
SIMPLE SNACK IDEAS
Cottage cheese with flaxseeds and cinnamon
10 baby carrots, 2 laughing cow cheese wedges
Celery with peanut butter ( can put some raisins on top)
1 rice cake and some peanut butter
1 peach and some nuts of choice
1 apple and some nuts of choice
Hummus and cucumber
Cottage cheese and chopped pineapple
Smoked salmon and cucumber on a Ryvita
Veggies and Hummus
Yogurt and berries
veggies and guacamole
olives
hard boiled eggs ( prep night before at meal time?0
avocado and cottage cheese
banana and peanut butter
small veggie wraps
frozen grapes
marinated mushrooms
overnight oats with fruit
sliced tomato and feta
Edamame beans
rice cake and hummus or peanut butter
fruit and cheese
glass of nut milk
wholegrain toast and peanut butter
yogurt and some nuts
cucumber and salmon slice
protein shake of choice
avocado slices, celery and cucumber in a pot
Laura Warren is Founder of Fitmuma and also teaches and lead our Move More Eat Well Project where we meet at Llandaff Fields, Cardiff to do fitness classes, have daily and weekly challenges and you can also join online. If you’re a single parent living in Wales then why not join us?