YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Spring 2016 | Page 12

CHARLOTTE MILLER Charlotte is a dietitian and trained chef who has spent eight years working for private clients in Europe and the USA. Charlotte is responsible for making sure the meals at We Feed You are nutritious as well as delicious, and she delivers cooking classes and cooks for private clients in Australia through her other business, Food & Joy. Learn more about Charlotte at foodandjoy.com or www.wefeedyou.com.au or n4foodandhealth.com QUICK NUTRITIOUS MEALS FOR BUSY PEOPLE Nutrition expert Charlotte Miller shares her tips to help busy people and their families eat healthily. or many of us, meal planning and food preparation often take a backseat to hectic work schedules, last minute meetings, kids and all the other things we like to fit into a typical day. The good news is, by implementing a few key strategies into your week, the stress of planning, shopping and cooking can be greatly reduced. are just as nutritious as fresh, and if you struggle to keep up with buying and using fresh produce then this can be an excellent way to have them available as needed. F The following six tips can help you and your family stay on the healthy and stress-free eating track! 12 1 Decide at the start of the week what your meals and snacks will be. Do this when you have a spare hour and when you’re feeling calm and not hungry. Meal ideas could include chicken and vegetable stir fry, beef salad or a vegetable omelette. While simple snacks that require almost no preparation could include yoghurt and fruit, oats or muesli, vegetables and dips, or avocado on wholegrain crackers. 2 Once you have your list of preferred snacks and meals, make sure you have the key ingredients available. Purchase long shelf life goods in bulk, so you will have them when you need them; this enables you to focus your weekly shop on fresh ingredients. 3 Make meals in bulk. It takes very little extra time to make six serves instead of two. This way you can keep some for the next night or freeze it into portions for the following week or to use for lunches at work. 4 There is nothing wrong with frozen and canned vegetables and legumes. Frozen and canned goods YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SPRING 2016 5 Don’t feel like you have to make a gourmet meal for yourself every time you cook. There is nothing wrong with having eggs for dinner! 6 Focus on getting at least one serve of vegetables into every meal and snack. This can be as simple as a tomato on your toast at breakfast, a salad at lunchtime, cucumber and capsicum with dip at afternoon tea, and some mixed greens with your dinner. By ensuring these vegetables are always present in your food, you can be sure your nutrition is being taken care of.