Sunday 21 October 2012

STEPS 4 - Make one dinner a week meat free

Originally launched during World War I in the States, revived in 2003, and since then developed into a global movement, Meatless Monday has taken the world by storm, including Australia who has set up a not-for-profit initiative, Meatless Mondays Australia.

Have you heard of it?

The reasons for 'meatless Monday' center around environmental reasons (high greenhouse emissions associated with livestock production), animal rights, and health benefits associated with a reduction in meat and consequently an increase in consumption of legumes and vegetables.

So why am I making this a part of our STEPS program?  I actually think meat serves a very important purpose in the diet, however I agree that we do eat more than we need to, and our serving sizes typically are much larger than they need to be too, reducing the amount of veggies on the plate.

Monday 15 October 2012

Healthier nutritious homemade breakfast cereals

For a meal that is now widely known as the 'most important meal of the day', many food companies out there aren't really doing a great job of providing breakfast options that give a healthy start to the day.  For some reason it is actually quite difficult to find cereals that don't contain a high amount of sugar (and highly processed sugar at that), a multitude of 'numbers' (additives and preservatives), and a whole heap of over processed grains that need stuff added back into the mix to make it look healthy.

Actually I would say that apart from Weetbix, plain porridge, and maybe one or two others, the rest of the breakfast cereal aisle should be picked up and dropped into the confectionary aisle.

Sunday 7 October 2012

STEPS 3 - Add 2 tablespoons of seeds 5x p/wk

OK so we have good hydration sorted, and regular fish consumption well on the way.  So, what do I think is another important addition to our Small Tasks Equal Permanent Success plan?......
Seeds!!!!
Yes, these nutrient dense powerhouses will really pack a punch to your vitamin and mineral intake, and with such little effort!  Just a couple of tablespoons on most days of the week is all that you will need.
There are so many ways to use 2 tablespoons, but lets first briefly go through a few seeds and their nutrition benefits..

Monday 1 October 2012

Breakfast loaf - gluten, nut and dairy free

After fasting for 10 or so hours, our body is craving fuel, and what better way to satisfy that craving than by a nutrient packed brekky?!  It is not only beneficial physically, but emotionally, having a good breakfast tends to pave the way for better food choices throughout the day. 

I have raved before about the base of this recipe in a previous post where I made it into a cheese and herb loaf, although you may notice a slight colour difference this time around??!!!  Cyndi O'Mearas Gluten Free Bread recipe, featured in the Thermomix GF recipe book, is the recipe I use exclusively now to make my weekly loaf of bread.  It is so easy and I love that a large percentage of the ingredients are freshly milled at the time of making the loaf.