5 a day or even 7. What does a healthy day's food look like?

[tiredandgrumpy]

I don't eat terribly, but know that I do struggle to hit this target. Those of you who manage it, what does a typical day's food look like? I need to actively make changes to my diet and it would be a real help to see some inspiration. I'm hoping there are some simple changes I can make.

For breakfast I would have an oatbased cereal, chop a banana on top.
Morning snack, apple.
Bagel for lunch. 6 small plum tomatoes and a few olives, probably one portion of veg in those two items.
Stir fry this evening, chicken, baby corn, two colours of pepper, carrot, beansprouts. (probably 2 portions on total)
I might add a juice if I felt I was low on fruit or veg.

I often give the dcs chopped up pepper and cucumber instead of cooked vegetables.

often I make a veg soup, e.g. parsnip which also contains onion and red chilli so probably 1.5-2 portions of veg in it.

oh I also add pre cooked veg to a cheese omelette, nice for lunch or a quick dinner. Mushrooms are good, the other day I had broad beans.
And I serve frozen peas (cooked) with lots of hot meals.

Breakfast is porridge with blueberries and a glass of fruit juice, so that's my first two portions.

Mid morning - banana.

Lunch today was salad with a chicken breast and pitta bread. The salad had mixed lettuce, baby spinach, chopped peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion and avocado. I also had almost a whole pot of olives, i cant get enough of them at the moment! I reckon that counts as at least 2 portions. I also had a yoghurt.

Mid afternoon today I had a piece of cake, (someone's birthday at work - it was carrot cake - does that count? ) but usually I'll have either some nuts or oatcakes with peanut butter, or celery with cheese spread.

I ate a raw carrot while cooking tea because I was starving. Tea was fish pie which had peas and sweet corn in it, served with broccoli and carrots - again I think that counts as at least 2 portions.

I reckon most days I have about 7 fruit or veg.

My friend always chops up a carrot and an apple to take to work, sometimes grapes too, 2-3 portions. It is surprising how much you enjoy it if it is pre prepared ime.
I do buy some treat fruit, e.g. prepared pineapple, or raspberries.But if money is tight you can also make a fruit salad of cheaper items such as oranges and apples from value ranges.

This morning I had scrambled eggs and added spinach to them. One portion.

Lunch was tomato and lentil soup and I added more spinach. Two more portions.

Snack was a banana. Portion Four. Followed by three bits of raw broccoli and a dollop of houmous. Portion Five.

Dinner was roasted trout and I had leeks, cabbage, broccoli, asparagus and half a corn on the cob. Think that takes it to ten portions?

That's pretty much a standard day for me.

I think I hit the target most days ( and importantly the dcs do too.....if I'm in charge) so

1st thing (6:30) black coffee with clementine and large glass of water. I used to drink orange juice but decided some time ago this was better. (1)

Breakfast is Greek yoghurt, muesli and a banana (or just a banana if going running) (2)

Lunch is either: beans on toast (1)
Pasta with a big salad (2)
Veg soup (2 ?3)
Salad with tuna or cottage cheese (2)
Left overs from night before, something like chick pea chilli or cottage pie with carrots and greens (so 2)
Hummus with carrot sticks, cherry toms and pitta bread

Usually an apple or pear after lunch (with cheese or chocolate) and more black coffee (1)

Mid afternoon snack usually a piece of fruit, sometimes berries +- something like oat cakes or biscuits or brownie(1)

Dinner could be anything but will usually have another 2 veg at least eg: pizza and salad, butternut risotto with rocket, spaghetti Bol with salad, stir fry.

So between 7 and 9 on an average day.

If I feel I haven't been eating enough, I go to supermarket to mainly buy fruit and veg, and sometimes get a bit lf inspiration and buy a couple of different things, or stuff on offer.
Another lunch I love is sliced tomato, avocado and mozzarella.

Looking at these,I think the common theme is the majority of calories coming from plants with a bit of protein. For example if lunch is a tuna salad , you need plenty of salad !! No one is eating sandwiches and crisps.

Oh I have crisps as well

Today for lunch I had steak with a big salad of tomato, pepper, lettuce, cucumber, spring onion & feta with a smokey dressing.

Dinner Plaice served with buttered leeks, savoy cabbage and roast butternut squash with homemade tartare sauce - include a few capers and gherkins if they count!

Thank you for these ideas. I can easily have fruit with breakfast - that way I get off to a better start. Lunch is more of a problem, but there are some ideas here of how I could supplement my standard fare. I think I just need to plan ahead a bit more and ensure there is a variety of things to grab as veggie snacks when I leave for work.

For breakfast the dc have porridge with berries and a glass of juice. I have scrambled eggs with spinach bad mushrooms as I don't like porridge or fruit. The dc get raisins (the only fruit the eldest will eat outside of a meal- see breakfast) or an apple/proper fruit for the younger as a snack, I have a ripple bar in work.

Dinner for me is usually a soup with two veg or three, or a salad - today's was rocket, beet root, red onions, red pepper , spinach , and spring onions,with cous cous mixed in. It weighed 402g and I only used 35g cous cous, so that is four portions

Tea was leftover lamb roast with carrot, broccoli and green beans.

Dc have school dinners which I don't count as any as they don't eat it and the portions are tiny.

I struggle to get over five in dc 1because she doesn't eat fruit. But I always get at least five in her. Dc 2 eats at least three pieces of fruit a day on top of that which she gets at breakfast,so she's no trouble, though fruit isn't as good as veg.

I found that when I stopped adding potato, or mash to dinners and replacing with an extra veg,it's easier to get the dc to their portions. They get plenty of carbs at breakfast and in school dinners, it's not necessary at every meal.

Today: Glass of orange juice, snacked on a whole red pepper and a similar amount of cucumber cut into strips (because I am very munchy and trying to give up crisps), further snack of a banana with a packet of salted crisps (because I haven't entirely given up crisps and the sweet banana is lovely with the salty crisps), then had about three portions in my dinner which was a big stir fry.

I usually take strips of veg and several apples or tangerines etc into work for snacks, or maybe a packet or two of raisins.

I've been trying to lose weight so have been cutting back on potatoes/noodles/rice etc in each meal and substituting more veg, just because then I get a massive portion for the same or fewer calories.

Drinking fruit juice is by far the easiest way to get more portions in, I think.