Elisha Danine, Nutritionist for May 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge has shared her top tips to get you ready for a month full of healthy meal plans. Eating well is so much easier when you have planned what you are going to eat each week, made some meals ahead of time and have your fridge and pantry stocked with the right ingredients:
For some of you, this may be the first 28 Day Challenge you’ve participated in and my key tip to staying motivated and keeping on track with a healthy eating plan is to prepare and be organised:
Look for recipes you can make ahead of time, like the Zucchini Soup. For this recipe you can either make the whole meal a day or two before or just prep the ingredients ahead of time like dicing the garlic, onion, zucchini and potato, then cover in cling wrap and set aside in the fridge ready to cook for the next day.- For the Overnight Berry Oats, bring water to the boil in a saucepan, add the oats and a pinch of salt. Stir briefly and let the oats cook for 1 minute then turn off the heat, cover and let sit overnight, ready for the morning.
- As chicken breast is high in protein and is well priced, it is a great staple for any healthy eating plan. I find it easy to buy in bulk and cut into single serve portions, around 120g, then freeze in individual zip lock bags.
- Dates are so versatile and can be used in place of nut butter for those with nut allergies. Look out for boxes of dates in the local fruit shop as they are lovely and fresh and may work out cheaper than buying smaller sized bags from the supermarket.
- Avocado – If you buy your avocados firm, leave them out of the fridge – preferably in a sunny spot on the counter. But don’t leave them there for too long, as they can become overripe quite quickly.
- Coconut milk – keep a couple of cans/tetra packs of coconut milk in the fridge. When using it to make desserts the consistency is always better when it’s chilled.
- Almond butter – If you have some raw almonds lying around – make a batch of almond butter to use in recipes like the Chocolate Truffles. Method: Preheat the oven to 180C. Spread 2 cups of almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Pour the roasted almonds in a food processor and let it run for about 5-10 minutes until you reach your desired almond butter smoothness.
Try to source some farm fresh eggs. Free range eggs are more nutrient dense than cage eggs, and happy chickens make healthier eggs. Eggs are a source of high-quality protein and provide several B vitamins required for the production of energy in the body, such as thiamine, riboflavin, folate, B12 and B6.- Choose dinner recipes that you can make in bulk like the Beef Burgundy Stew then you can feed the whole family or store leftovers in the freezer so you have a good selection of healthy meals on hand when you’re short on time – much better for you than ordering take away.
- For the Grilled Haloumi & Tomato recipe, try to buy the haloumi in bulk from the fridge in your local fruit store or Middle Eastern grocer. It’s much cheaper and it seems to last longer as well.
Look for recipes you can make ahead of time, like the Zucchini Soup. For this recipe you can either make the whole meal a day or two before or just prep the ingredients ahead of time like dicing the garlic, onion, zucchini and potato, then cover in cling wrap and set aside in the fridge ready to cook for the next day.
Avocado – If you buy your avocados firm, leave them out of the fridge – preferably in a sunny spot on the counter. But don’t leave them there for too long, as they can become overripe quite quickly.
Try to source some farm fresh eggs. Free range eggs are more nutrient dense than cage eggs, and happy chickens make healthier eggs. Eggs are a source of high-quality protein and provide several B vitamins required for the production of energy in the body, such as thiamine, riboflavin, folate, B12 and B6.These are just some of my preparation and money saving tips but once you’ve customised the meal plans to suit your needs you’ll be able to find loads of other ways you can save time and get organised by making meals ahead of time.
Elisha Danine, Nutritionist
