Making healthier choices during lockdown.

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So 2020 has come and we find ourselves locked away indoors with not much to do but entertain ourselves?

Who knew that this would be so hard? I spent most of my pre-lockdown days wishing I could get home: during work, sitting in rush hour and at the gym. Now I find myself working and excising under one roof, no need for transport and the bar is always in sight: isn’t this all I have ever wanted? Turns out not. I make sure I take my one a day activity outdoors. I’m actually excited when the once a week Tesco shop comes around, just for a bit of social distanced socialising. When arriving at the entrance you’re greeted with “please stand two meters apart, thank you. ” I’m delighted. Right there was my first interaction with a stranger for over a week. I thank them, beaming too enthusiastically for someone who is about to enter a potentially virus ridden store. I see it in their inquisitive face but I can’t help it, I just want to feel like things are normal for a second.

During the early days of covid19 (too long ago to recall now) I was fuelled on crisps, store cupboard food, and plenty of alcohol in the hope that this would all be over if I kept merrily drinking through. Of course, that was naive of me and I felt worse for making these choices. It wasn’t until a recent MRI had come showing a spinal injury I had somehow acquired that I realised I had to make some healthier choices. I am an active person, and this really set me back so I decided to make some changes to my diet. It has now become my personal goal to fuel my body on good, balanced vegan food.

So, charting my progress, I thought I would share a few of my daily plans and recipes with you. Many of my meal plans are low calorie; due to my current injury I need to sustain my weight, but this is not aimed at being a weight loss diet. I regularly snack and occasionally (or weekly) drink. I am, however, sharing healthy meal ideas so feel free to change portion sizes as you please. I have added a few recipes below, but I will be posting full recipes for some of my favourite meals during quarantine in due course. Stay safe!

Breakfast : Almond and banana Porridge

Serves: 1 Calories: 313

1. 30g Porridge

2. 50g Alpro unsweetened soy yogurt

3. Half a banana

4. 1tsp Almond butter

5. 50ml Oat Milk

Lunch: Flavoursome pea and spinach dahl

Serves: 1 Calories: 350

1. 74g Red lentils

2. 1tsp olive oil

3. 40g Onion

4. 1 clove of garlic

5. 20g of Spinach

6. 10g Root Ginger

7. 45g frozen garden peas

8. 200 ml water

9. 1 stock cube

10. 1tsp gara masala

11. 1tsp hot paprika

12. 1/2 TSP tumric

13. 1tsp curry powder

Dinner: Stuffed pepper & green veg

Serves: 1 Calories: 240

1. 50g Meat free mince

2. 50g Mixed beans

3. 1 Linda McCartney vegetarian sausage

4. 40g tenderstem broccoli

5. 40g Green beans

6. 1 Red pepper

7. 2tsp of tomatoes purree

8. 1/2 stock cube

9. 50ml water

Breakfast : Sweetend porridge oats with banana and dried cranberries.

Serves: 1 Calories: 260

1. 30g Porridge Oats

2. 30g Alpro unsweetened soy yogurt

3. Half a banana

4. 1tsp golden suryp

5. 5g dried cranberry mix

6. 30ml oat milk for coffee

7. 50ml oat milk for porridge

8. 50ml water

Lunch: Avocado and sausage salad bowl

Serves: 1 Calories: 306

1. 1 Linda McCartney vegetarian sausage

2. 40g Mushrooms

3. 40g spinach

4. Half a tomato

5. 1tsp oil

6. 60g of Chickpeas (flavoured with cumin and curry powder quickly fryed)

7. 1/2 Avocado

Dinner: Meat free burger with steamed broccoli and kale salad.

Serve: 1 Calories: 325

1. 100g Brocoli florets steamed

2. 60g mushrooms

3. 30g kale

4. 75g beetroot spicy salsa (tesco) mix

5. 3g Almond flakes

6. 1 Plant chef meat free burger (tesco range)

7. 1 tsp apple cider vinger

8. Squeeze of fresh lemon

9. Parsly