Thread for those who are trying to eat "better"

[Octopus37]

Following on from yesterdays thread "Do I eat too much", which I posted on, I was unsurprising told that what I eat is crap. Have been feeling pretty crap the last few weeks, not enough energy low libido, sluggish, wound up, down - so have decided to see if changing my eating habits can shift things a bit. I'm not overweigh 5ft5, 8st6lbs, (slightly on the heavy side for me), but would be pleased if I did loose a few pounds, trying not to make weight the focus. Have decided to take a vitamin pill with iron every day, last year had v low ferratin levels so had to take iron tablets for a while. I'm not promising to do well every day and cut out sugar completely as I feel that I would be destined to fail. However, I am going to try to I improve. Today have eaten:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 Actvia extra creamy yoghurt
1 large apple
1 Danone (high protein yoghurt)
3 Oatcakes
Some cashew nuts
I am planning on sweet chilli chicken & rice (ready meal cause of money diet) with some stir fried veg for tea and plan to eat some red grapes afterwards. Also may have some sort of a treat on school run. Also aim is to replace the Belvita biscuits with oatcakes for breakfast and maybe eat them with some cheese. Know I'm not doing perfectly but I am making an effort. Buddies welcome.

Oh and parsley my DCs and DSCs all love pasta, they'd eat it every day if they could. I used to do it as the meal on its own but I now always do a much smaller portion and a higher proportion of veg on the side and/or mixed into a sauce.

Woohoo we are more than halfway through the thread! I really hope this continues into a long term support group, it's so helpful to be able to discuss food in a non judgemental group. I just have one request - if we end up needing a new thread please can we call ourselves the EatBetterers :o

Yes I hope this thread continues too, it's one of my favourites.

Thank you for starting this thread Octopus It's been an enormous help.

Thank you to everyone for contributing too. I'm learning so much and it's having quite an impact on my life.

Mmmmmmm super yummy stir fry for dinner with raw carrot and avocado on the side. DH put the chicken on to roast before he left so I used that with some red pepper and DD's beloved beansprouts, and I got out one of the 'flavour packs' I'd made from the freezer. I'm so glad I did them, there's no way I would've bothered faffing about with ginger and garlic etc today as I'm tired, but it was right there waiting. I must do that with other combinations - maybe one for soups with celery, onion, ginger etc. I'd really recommend doing this when you have spare time, if you are often too tired to cook much on busy days.

Trying to decide what soup to do next week. Carrot maybe? Anyone have a favourite method for this? I've never tried. The tinned carrot soup I've had has often had a funny texture, like you can feel the individual shreds of carrot rather than it being thick and smooth IYSWIM?

Oh we did have rice noodles with the stir fry - great as gluten free and no need to preboil. I only used one pack rather than both but it was plenty.

The 'flavour packs' are a fab idea. I used to buy lots of sweet potato and prep them for the freezer, makes weekday cooking so much easier when all you have to do is select your pre prepped ingredients. I usually keep ginger in the freezer and its easy to grate then.

My only freezing fail has even mushrooms, bleurgh slimy!

I think this thread is fab too ! Very supportive I'm on day 3 of juice fast has been ok, except I'm missing caffeine very much had some wasabi peas I love them after waitrose shop on Monday I'm going to make risotto butternut squash and feta for freezing bolognese sauce for freezing pearl barley salad with mackerel for fridge and a stew with beans. I am stressed today as trying to clear last lot of debt and have been put back a bit with unexpected problem !

It can be a bit hard to get the right texture with carrot. It can help if you sweat it down as much as possible before adding the stock, or adding a potato also helps with a creamy consistency when pureed.

Carrot soup-a leek,a parsnip and 3 big carrots. Chop and sweat down with some olive oil, just use a bit and low heat with lid on until all the veg is soft. If you have any cooked veg left over bung it in now. Add a chicken gel stock pot/boiling water and a good spoon full of dried parsley. Blend with a stick blender. I add a few squeezes of lemon to cut through the sweetness.

Oh and a small potato!

A bit of grated cheese on top is lovely with it.

Back from the out of hours GP with anti-biotics for bladder infection even though the test came up negative. Plus she's written the wrong dose on the script. I'm 99% sure it's my appendix hurting so feeling quite It's going to be a struggle not to eat rubbish tonight.

Oh you poor thing my friend had something similar she was certain it was her appendix when in fact it was her bladder that was inflamed.

Ouch, poor you coumarin. Just do what you need to to get through the weekend.

Oh dear I was feeling sorry for myself wasn't I?
Got a grip now and have taken the first of the antibiotics. Fingers crossed they'll do the trick. My lovely DH got me my favourite chocolates whilst picking up the prescription so I've had some of those.

Thank you for the I'll put them with my chocs.

No worries. I have been feeling sorry for myself all week and I've only had a cold!

Cou-hope you're on the mend

Rumm-hope your cold goes soon

Thanks dame, I just have the residual cough left now and I've cleaned the kitchen so feeling a lot better!

I'm ploughing through washing....

I'm ignoring my washing pile...

Today have had:

Usual breakfast
2 scoops of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Brownie at the Cinema
Bowl of homemade veg soup
1 slice of usual bread with usual peanut butter

TBH am really hungry as ever, having an M& S Fuller for longer meal, prob the Chicken & Almond Tagine one, with a yoghurt for afters. Tomorrow is my next fast day, onwards and upwards, know I shouldn't have eaten the ice cream and I am struggling not to eat biscuits this afternoon but am trying my hardest.

Mmmmm ice cream

If you up your protein you won't crave carbs and you'll stay fuller for longer I think. That's what I've found.

Easier said than done,I know, but something to bear in mind.

What did you see at the cinema? I've not been for ages!

The day I had just veg soup I was STARVING and craving crap. I need to have protein of some sort along side the soup.

Could you cook a couple of chicken breasts at the beginning of the week and shred them up, then stir some through your soup? Or a tuna sandwich with brown bread instead of the peanut butter?

Yes, your right. It had a bit of the leftover lentil and pearl barley mix in it, but was probably it. Where I went wrong was eating the ice cream, would have been better off just with a bar of chocolate. Saw that Justin Knight film at the cinema, although not all of it cause DS2 had had enough.