Last week I had a disappointing realisation. My fridge shelf was beginning to look more like someone on You Are What You Eat and I hadn't cooked a decent meal in at least 2 months.
This is not like me at all. I love being in the kitchen, keeping it clean and fully stocked with things to prepare. It's my place of serenity and a reminder that I am in control of what I cook if at least nothing else in my life at times.
Living and working in London can put the average Londoner into the eating routine of takeaways and ready meals from the supermarket and very little exercise in between. While it is convenient, I think we all need to take time to make our own dinners. In the end, it's heaps cheaper and to be honest once you get used to doing a certain dish it doesn't take that much time out of your day.
I've made a concious decision (and I'm trying really hard to stick to it) to change my habit of waking up, taking the tube, going to work, eating a ready meal, leaving work, taking the tube, and ordering a takeaway. As well as changing my eating habits, I'm trying to include exercise in that routine. It's hard, and it's particularly harder when no one around you is making the change to their routine either. But I'm stubborn, and if I want to do something I'll keep trying at it!
I've ordered a massive selection of meats and fish from the shop (online shopping is the way forward in big cities), wrapped them individually and frozen each bit of chicken and fillet of salmon so I can always have food in the house. I've even gone so far as to plan out my meals for each day.
Today was veggie lunch and I was craving courgette (zucchini). Here's the recipe I found to make my lunch (sans lima beans, I've got childhood nightmares about those).
How have you had to manage your eat/work/exercise routine?
Ariel on Google+
This is not like me at all. I love being in the kitchen, keeping it clean and fully stocked with things to prepare. It's my place of serenity and a reminder that I am in control of what I cook if at least nothing else in my life at times.
Living and working in London can put the average Londoner into the eating routine of takeaways and ready meals from the supermarket and very little exercise in between. While it is convenient, I think we all need to take time to make our own dinners. In the end, it's heaps cheaper and to be honest once you get used to doing a certain dish it doesn't take that much time out of your day.
I've made a concious decision (and I'm trying really hard to stick to it) to change my habit of waking up, taking the tube, going to work, eating a ready meal, leaving work, taking the tube, and ordering a takeaway. As well as changing my eating habits, I'm trying to include exercise in that routine. It's hard, and it's particularly harder when no one around you is making the change to their routine either. But I'm stubborn, and if I want to do something I'll keep trying at it!
I've ordered a massive selection of meats and fish from the shop (online shopping is the way forward in big cities), wrapped them individually and frozen each bit of chicken and fillet of salmon so I can always have food in the house. I've even gone so far as to plan out my meals for each day.
Today was veggie lunch and I was craving courgette (zucchini). Here's the recipe I found to make my lunch (sans lima beans, I've got childhood nightmares about those).
How have you had to manage your eat/work/exercise routine?
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen lima beans, blanched
- 1/2 cup drained canned chickpeas, rinsed
- 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1/2 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 romaine leaves, cut into thin strips
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, broken into small chunks (1/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus small sprigs for garnish
- 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Combine lima beans, chickpeas, zucchini, onion, romaine, Parmesan, and chopped basil. Add lemon juice, oil, red-pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine. Garnish with basil sprigs.
