Eatbetterers part 3 -gather around healthy people !

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Third thread of healthy eating, no calorie counting just good, healthy food for us and our families.

Oh I don't like pine nuts but the rest sounds fab! Might try that. With some leftover ham and Parmesan on top

Hi all, quiet on here. Guessing you're all finding it as hard as me to eat better in this awful dreich weather! I MUST stop eating snacks after my dinner. Have had some lovely meals mind, rainbow trout and kale last night and the same on Friday but too much takeaway and bars of choc in between! So much harder when it's cold and dark.

Short- It's soup season though looking on the bright side!

Mmm, trout sounds nice short! Definitely soups and more carbs required! I am planning dahl tonight

Hi all.
Loving the casserole and soup weather because I love my slow cooker . It's my running that takes a hit in the recent wind and rain.
Made a really nice three bean and red onion chilli the other day. Only took about ten mins and even DH found it delicious. Result!

That sounds good Neeko, do you have the recipe please I'm in a phase of lazy cooking at the moment so quick is good!

Hi Sleep.
It was literally two chopped red onions fried in some olive oil, a tin of drained kidney beans, a tin of drained butter beans, a tin of drained black-eyed beans, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, some chilli, some paprika and some Worcestershire sauce. Can you tell it's the end of the month?

Just been for a 5k run. Feeling less lazy now. The best bit about running is definitely the smug feeling once you are done!

Could I join please? I haven't read all of this - just 1st 5 pages. However, it sounds great & just what we need in this house.

would anyone mind explaining the general idea of this please?

I have been 'following' food diets for a few years now & struggle with it. I am trying to get through pnd and haven't been cooking properly at all recently (freezer food etc) as no energy. I also seemed to have forgotten how to cook

We are on a very tight budget though so may not be able to do this ?

Hi Margaritte and welcome to the thread.
Sorry to hear about your PND. Please don't be too hard on yourself.

I think this thread means different things to different people. Some of us are trying to cut out snacking, some to eat less processed food, some to eat less sugar, some to eat more mindfully and some to do all of the above . For me, the key is in the title. It's about eating better than I used to. It might not be every mouthful or every day but the general picture is less processed, more whole grain, more fruit and veg and much less snacking. And I'm aiming to enjoy every mouthful . This isn't a diet as in weight loss diets but looking after your overall health. Bin the diet and enjoy real food.
Hope that helps.

Welcome Margaritte the general idea of the thread is for all of us to make gradual and realistic (and therefore sustainable) healthy changes to the way we eat. A letting go of rules, restrictions and guilt and more focus on what great things we can add and enjoy. In general, less sugar, less processed food, less simple carbs (note 'less' not 'no' ) More mindfulness and appreciation of all food.

On the budget aspect, sometimes the subject of quality comes up, some posters eat a mainly vegetarian diet because they prefer only to buy ethically sourced/organic meat and fish and it is too expensive to buy that regularly. Others aren't so focused on this. Everyone is working from wherever they are, there's quite a variation so think about what your first priority is, for example it could be reducing sugar...what do you think?

Thank you for the welcomes I have just had enough of eating badly & feeding the dc junk too. Has been months now and enough is enough.
I like to have meat from our butcher though as he knows where it comes from. I just want to 'relearn' how to cook, though really do need to keep it simple as Im exhausted in the evening.

I'm fed up of counting/ syning etc too.

I x posted with Neeko, luckily we said pretty much the same thing . It would probably be good for you to take a day or two to trawl through the old threads Margaritte, you will find lots of situations you identify with from other posters exhaustion, budget, time) and hopefully some great recipes to try too

Hi Margaritte, lovely people and as Sleep and Neeko said we all just want to eat a bit 'better' than before. I keep to a tight budget myself, I feed myself all month for about £80 but then there's just me and no fussy folk to cater for I was an avid follower of the Money Saving Expert forum and ideas at one point but came off as I honestly don't think the very worst thing that could happen to me is having the odd jar of sauce.

Had home made (ish) pizza last night. Bought the base, sauce and salami at the good food show and just shoved it in the oven for 6 minutes. Lovely! Tonight was Nigella's smoked cod and cannellini which was very nice too.

Hi Sleep and Short. Hope you are both well.

Margaritte. Do you have a slow cooker? Mine saved my sanity when the dc were really small as I could chuck everything in in the morning when I wasn't quite so exhausted and feel smug enjoy a home cooked meal at night. Just watch how much stock you add.
I have a whole chicken in mine right now. It's great for making soup too.
I always slightly blended casseroles etc using a stick blender for the dc.
Aim for two or three home cooked dinners a week and always make double and freeze if you can.

Hello everyone. I have been slightly ahem wayward recently. Not totally terrible but in and out of the eating betterer thing way too much. But I have come to realise that to do the things I want and need to do, I really am going to have to look after myself better. I have taken on more work and I need to squeeze exercise in which does depend on feeling fit and healthy I find (if i feel rubbish, I have to force myself to go for a run and by the time i do that, the time i had to exercise has passed). I also need to keep my energy levels up and that just is not possible with processed food or heavy dairy (cheese is what I mean here!!!). So I 'm just checking back in really. How are you all?

I'm good still. Been eating fairly well actually. I just need to stay organised as I work in retail and it's only going to get busier! I like to take a roper dinner in when the lates start and need to keep making soup to take in until then. Like to have a couple of different soups in the freezer ready to go so going to do a lentil one this morning. Been enjoying home made black bean and also chicken noodle as well as a 'bottom of the fridge' job with any old veg, a few spuds and a bit of chilli and cumin to make it more exciting!

Proper dinner obviously, I have no idea what a roper would eat for their tea!

Fennel soup! A bit of a pricey one to make (1 bulb is a quid!) it looked luge slurry but tasted bloody luxurious!

Hello all! I too have been rather wayward. I seem to have fallen right back into the sugar trap. As usual, I'm eating plenty of good stuff and am managing to do a reasonable amount of exercise, but I just can't seem to stay away from cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc when they are there. Unfortunately they are there a lot atm because we've had lots of friends and family coming to visit us in our new northern abode, often for days at a time. And visitors usually mean big meals, treats and puddings.

One good thing though... I had my blood pressure checked a week after moving house (!) and it was perfect. The dic says I could even try coming off the meds, which I've been on for 6 yrs and thought would be for life!

Right - off to read all your recent posts. Hope you're all doing better than me on the food front!

holmes - perfect blood pressure, that is massive. Well done. DP was taken to hospital today and so the kids and I ended up with chips after visiting time. I am not sure if he will make it out tomorrow as he is having a lumbar puncture.

Still. Really sorry to hear a bout your DH. Hope he's ok. for you.

Holmes well done on the blood pressure.

I have also fallen back into the sugar trap. I blame the bag full of it that each DC got at Halloween plus my MIL has been baking for Britain. Getting back on track now.

Hope everyone else is ok.

Still -sorry to hear about your dh . Hope it goes as well as possible.

Hello,I am also wayward

Holmes-well done you, that's a huge achievement

I've just made butter bean casserole and it's really improved by adding a teaspoon of ground black pepper for an extra kick.

I seem to be eating sugar again but nothing like I used to,I still eat loads more fruit and veg and protein and have recently started eating porridge for breakfast and eggs for lunch-so not all downhill

I'm making my own bread now-my ds taught me -I figured if I was going to eat it I should make it and cut out the salt and nasties.

Hello to everyone

Oh and ds takes a whole wheat wrap with chicken breast and shredded raw spinach for lunch and a tiny squirt of bbq sauce I'm so pleased as school lunches are complete junk at his new school.

Still-sorry about your Dh, my Dh had surgery yesterday too, I ate crap too hope he's back home with you soon x