I recently vlogged about how to make better food choices over the winter months, but I know some people still prefer the written word. So here are my top tips for avoiding the winter food slump!
- Online food order!
If you’re not already doing this, make the change! Aside from the fact that an online order means you don’t waste time driving to and wandering around the store (which equates to more time for meal prep – win!), you’re also far less likely to buy unwanted rubbish. Honestly! Imagine yourself walking through the supermarket, pushing the trolley, when you catch a glimpse of those choccie biccies you love. They’re buy one get one free! Amazing! Best get a couple of packs then. Yeah, you’ve been there too.
An online food shop avoids this tangible temptation. You can simply search for the items you need, and then click through at the end when they make helpful “suggestions” as to what additional items you might want to add. It’s much easier to ignore special offers when the item isn’t within grabbing distance! So switch to online orders for your main weekly shop and save yourself time and money as a bonus. - Batch cooking.
This is such a quick win. I think part of the problem when it comes to eating well, is falling into the trap of not being in the mood for cooking. This apathy is more prevalent when it’s cold and dark outside, and you’d simply rather somebody brings you a meal instead. So you order a takeaway. OR… If you’ve done some batch cooking, you can just grab a homemade, nutritious (and likely far more tasty) meal from your freezer.
Time is the biggest road block to healthy eating. People are busy. I get that! So save yourself the effort and cook in bulk. Stews, soups, curries and all of those one-pot dishes lend themselves perfectly to batch cooking, and they are the ideal winter warmers. I personally love cooking with pulses. A veggie chilli or a black bean stew. It’s no more effort to make four portions than it is to make one, so get stocking that freezer now! - Plan, plan and plan some more.
A few minutes spent planning out your weekly meals, and what ingredients you’ll need, can mean the difference between grabbing a less nutritious meal and having everything you need for tasty dinners every night of the week. My biggest downfall has always been when I’ve slipped into just buying “stuff” but not actually giving any thought to what I actually want to cook with it. If you decide what you’re going to eat for the week, then it’s easy to stock the fridge, and you’ll never be short on vital ingredients. - Sharing is caring.
Number 3 is only possible if you actually know what to cook! Sometimes people feel stuck in a rut and bored of eating the same old thing over and over. But the good news is that there are loads of resources to inspire you. All the social media platforms are absolutely packed with foodie groups and blogs, cookery shows still abound, and I’d be surprised if you didn’t have at least a few (if not many) recipe books lining the shelves at home. So spend a bit of time flicking through them: Perhaps you’ll stumble across on old favourite, or be tempted to try something new.
And when you do find something to shout about, spread the word! As I said, there are so many platforms from which to do this, so let others know. People are always writing to me after I share a recipe that I like (such as the black bean stew above), and I get requests for recipes all the time. If you’re a client of mine, then I encourage you to use the Facebook groups that I run, and anyone can post on my public pages. I’d love to hear from you!