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.

I love the fact he is so self assured, that will hold him in good stead for now and the future. Hope things improve for him soon x

Lunch is nice today - tuna nicose with proper tuna not canned. Just waiting for the eggs to do. I made a nice olive oil, vinegar and honey dressing to drizzle over the top.

Had a GP apt this morning, BP is on its way down and will have a cholesterol test again in 3 months so keep everything crossed for me!

I noticed in Aldi today they had 70% chocolate drops, so I bought some to put in my sugar free banana muffins Im going to bake. Also going to dry apple sauce instead of oil but actually not that fussed about the oil as I'll be using wholemeal flour as well. I'll let you all know how they turn out.

I feel the same fuzz, baby steps has worked well for me too.:)

Mmmmm just made parsnip soup for the first time ever! Tasty, but a bit too thick. I used the same sort of method as I do for leek and potato but I guess I forgot to allow for the fact that parsnip (and a bit of carrot I used) are also root veg, are they maybe more starchy?

I am still struggling for family evening meals though TBH. Hard to balance simplicity, time, budget, variety and health!

Oh but I wanted to recommend a book, it's one aimed at children learning to cook which is a big aim of mine (ie getting my DCs more involved) - got it from the library, it's The Ultimate Children's Cookbook by Dorling Kindersley. Over 150 recipes.

Obviously things are fairly simple as it covers the basics but there's lots we will be trying :)

Oh we made banana muffins last night on a whim after catching sight of some v ripe nanas! Would be interested in the applesauce twist. Just had aduki beans, some seeds, celery, tom and green leaves. Super quick flash fry and paprika. With family meals I often steam loads of veg and the kids get tiny bits of stuff they're not keen on & more of what they like. Also I do things like a pasta dish with veg on the side. Once they get used to it, it's ok. The big news is I am ridiculously proud that I now plan all meals for the week and stick to it!!

Fuzz, can you loosen it up with done extra stock or milk? I add curry powder to parsnip soup, it's gorgeous!

Still-fab, well done about your planning that's massive!

It has to be small steps for me...but the thing I've found is that now I'm having a better breakfast I'm not eating the silly amount of biscuits I did before lunch. Having the nuts to hand has also good. Although still trying hard to like them!

My soups are always on the thick side. I normally add a bit more stock. Curried parsnip sounds good!

My planning has been ok, I try and work it all out on Friday before going. This is new to me too. I find that even though I'm better at organising my meals my shopping is costing me slightly more. I think in fact I am eating more than I did, but my meals now, with a bit more thought and better ingredients taste much better than my previous bland offerings!

I have had a little bit of an issue with my dd who has pushed her plate away on several occasions over the last few weeks. The biggest worry I have with her though is giving her healthy snacks. I need to do a bit of retraining with her so any suggestions welcome!

How old is dd?

She's 3

Tbh I'd leave her to it, they are a bit fussy at that age, ds certainly was!

It's so long ago I can't really remember what ds snacked on!

Snacking can be hard with DCs. I think the biggest impact for us has been from just not buying the ready prepared stuff anymore. If it's there they want it. If it isn't then tough - just shrug my shoulders and offer a healthy alternative. I want to be a bit more prepared though - I'm tempted to start doing things like peeling/chopping carrots etc before I pick them up from school so it's easier to just grab them when we get home (by which time I need to flop on the sofa). DS is a lot harder to please though. DD is into a much wider range of good stuff, she will eat nuts and seeds and more types of salad veg.

I feel really, really awful this afternoon, physically. Stuff catching up with me I think. Having CFS/POTS sucks. :(

But I am VERY proud that I still managed to make dinner. Just whizzed up minced lamb with a load of fresh mint and garlic, made it into burgers. Just a small one each with halloumi put on for the last few minutes. Loads of broccoli and cauliflower with it.

Dame, I'd really love to know your parsnip soup method please! I did add curry powder but not enough I think :o

Stilllearnin I am really impressed with your planning. I still have a way to go. I need to simplify a bit I think by having a jacket potato night, maybe an omelette night etc - I can still vary the fillings so shouldn't be too boring.

Next couple of weeks we will muddle through a bit, DSDs will be staying at various points and we will be using random bits of childcare. DCs are also really excited about that cookbook, they are going to choose some recipes to try throughout the holidays, hopefully a decent mix of savoury and sweet.

Somebody really needs to start a new thread, who wants to do it?! :o

You do it fuzz, quick!

I saute onions for about 15 mins on a low heat, add one potato and 2 parsnips, saute a bit more, add a chicken gel stock pot and boiling water and simmer then blitz with a stick blender. Then I add curry powder, quite a lot to give it a proper kick plus lots of pepper. Loosen it up with some milk if needed. I suppose the correct way would be to add the curry with the onions at the beginning to cook out.

I'm not really cooking for the family tbh,ds and Dh turn their noses up at my food but I'm doing baby steps with them-Dh loved the Greek beans I did and he'll eat the ratatouille. Ds will actually eat fruit and veg but very plain and no cooked carrots but loves raw. Baby steps...

I DO cook for the family just to clarify, just not all the same food

Ok I'll do it then are we settled on food/recipes board or do we want general health or...

I'm happy that it's in food...even though the objective is health related for me.

I'm happy with that too as it's a pleasure to be eating lovely food and not a chore. I shall toddle off to start it then :)

Tadaaaaaa :)

Dame thanks for the recipe, I'll try that next time. I sympathise with the unenthusiastic family, it's hard isn't it. DD is pretty much open to everything but DS is much more suspicious of anything new (applies to all food - even ice cream he's not tried before can be turned down!). Another thing where baby steps is good I think. He really doesn't like any pink fish but I've just said "I'd like you to eat a little bit" and he does, albeit reluctantly, but it's clear he doesn't absolutely hate it IYSWIM. I've read that it can take around ten exposures to become used to a new food so I'm adjusting my expectations and am not giving up!

Thanks fuzz.

This is helping me keep going.

Baby steps for my dd too...even though she's at creche in France with some quite sophisticated food, which she appears to eat. They eat lots of lentils, salad starters etc. It must be my cooking!

Its not a big deal,if you are heavy weight,just don't skip the meal just eat a little less.

Can I join in? I love cooking & eating! I hate cooking the same things as well....But do tend to snack. Today I had
Two pieces of thin toast (homemade brown/white bread.) One with 1/2 avocado & other with marmalade.
Lunch - cauliflower chesse soup (old ww recipe). Dinner is going to be roasted mushrooms in Pita with sweet potato (roasted in over). Doing lamb burgers for others. Potentially going to have a little portion of Apple crumble. I read sugar free in baking - what do you use instead?

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