So here’s what I are for dinner last night: grilled Whiting fillets, spiced Cauliflower, Eggplant and Pumpkin. Cost under $10/meal.
I don’t follow any unnecessary fad diets or silly restrictive rules such as rice makes you fat…hmmm. My meals are inexpensive, practical and anyone with basic preparation skills can do. Oh and I think my other half finds it tasty (most of the time)! Here are my guidelines for practical healthy eating that I follow to stay lean and function optimally all year round:
1. Easy to prepare with minimal equipment and cooking skills. Think oven/grill, pots, pans that’s all;
2. Can be eaten all year round, meaning the ingredients are easy to get;
3. You got to enjoy it, no point cooking some wanky dish which is so “healthy” but you rather eat cardboard;
4. Is cost effective and bang for your buck, why? Cos I generally eat for 2 persons and don’t pretend to spend money that I don’t actually have…
5. Provides maximum nutrients meaning whole foods;
6. Colourful, yep. Vegetable matter I’m referring to;
7. Macro ratios can be easily adjusted to suit your changing needs. Calorie surplus for muscle gain, deficit for fat loss. The science does not lie, fad diets do;
8. Generally 1/2 the plate is vegetables, 1/4 Protein and other 1/4 Carbs and Fats. It’s easier to visualise this way;
9. Cook enough for several meals/portions for next few days, you save time, money and effort;
10. Enjoy tasty treats every now and then with people you actually want to spend time with. Seriously, food seems be taste better when you are with genuine company.
There’s no secret and no single diet that’s best. Everyone is different, your culture and lifestyle are different. Practice consistent healthy eating most days of the week, let go and enjoy on occasions when you know you earned it and don’t let anyone tell you rice is bad for ya!
Below are the steps I took to create this simple, nutritious and time saving dish. Makes for 3 serves.
Cut the butternut pumpkin into about 2 inch pieces and eggplant into 2 cm think discs.
Cut up the cauliflower into bite size pieces.
Add in the spices (salt, pepper, Coriander seed powder, Turmeric powder and extra virgin olive oil. Ensure everything is mixed well.
To prep the fish, season with salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil. The oil helps the skin to crisp up. Tasty!
Cooking instructions:
Start cooking the cauliflower and pumping first as these will take about 30 minutes to fully cook. Place in pre heated fan-forced oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
Once the cauliflower and pumpkin start to slightly brown, start cooking the fish and egg plant. Now you should switch the heating element to Grill. For my oven, the Grilling element is at the top of the oven. I leave the temperature at 200 degrees Celsius. Leave the fish skin side up until skin starts to brown. The egg plants should take the same amount of time to cook as the fish.
Keep left overs in a g;lass container and refrigerate immediately once food has cooled.