My Day (Life) on a Plate

For some reason I have always been fascinated by what people eat. Not just what they eat, but when they eat and how much they eat.

You have those that can eat whatever, whenever and never gain a pound. Those that just look at a burger and pack it on and then those that indulge in pasta and chocolate yet pull it off as they do not necessarily over eat and understand portion control.

I am a complete other type – I am the constant eater, the over eater. You see since having my own kitchen at the age of 20 my eating partner in crime (now husband) has been asking what’s for dinner before 9am. From Sunday till Thursday you will find us at home, cooking and EATING. I am not talking leftovers, take-away or a light snack, I am talking a proper dinner on a big heated white plate. So basically, when I am not thinking about what I am going to eat I am thinking about what I am going to cook.

So how do you manage your weight when your life revolves around food THIS much?

To pull off this love of eating and cooking I swore by a low carb diet. I would rarely touch bread, pasta or rice and just cook high fat and protein based meals and for years, it worked. However only in conjunction with a high-cardio routine. Running 7-10k’s at least 4 times a week I was at my most petite (thankfully ‘thick’ is now in fashion) and became a pro at making delicious dinners oozing in cheese and butter.

Now heading towards my mid 30’s (sigh), less running, more weights and probably a little too much wine my naturally muscular build was beginning to bulk rather than burn. I came to the realization (with the help of my F45 trainers) that even though I avoided processed sugar and starchy carbs, fat and protein is still calories at the end of the day, and whether it be good or bad calories the energy in vs. energy out rule applies especially if you want to shed. To give context 150 grams of boiled chicken breast = 250 cals, 300 grams – double it . This logic has completely changed the way I look at food. PORTION control is now applied allowing for more variety in the things I can have and I am being more honest with myself about the amount of food that actually goes in my mouth (a calorie count app is the best way to do this at first, I use ‘EasyDietDiary’).

Now I am not saying I have it all figured out, and on the weekends I stupidly eat and drink as I please, however I do think accounting for what and how much you put in your mouth as a general ‘life rule’ is a good way to seek balance and not fool yourself, something I wanted to share seeing it took me so long to get a grasp of!

To finish up, I wanted to offer a snapshot of the food you will see on my plate mid-week including how much. I have spent time researching foods that are not too calorie dense so I can enjoy a variety of things and still feel like I am eating lots throughout the day.

Below that I also wanted to share some pictures and recipes of healthy dishes I cook similar to those mentioned, any questions just ask!

Now if I could just stop drinking so much wine……

My day on a Plate: I try and have between 1300 – 1500 calories, however coffees and snacks see it creep towards 1600. You will notice below that snacks equate to a third of my days intake!

Breakfast – Breakfast Bruschetta	Calories
Tip Top Sandwich Thins (2 slices)	99
Whole sliced tomato	21
Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese (1 tablespoon)	36
1 boiled egg	55
Sub-Total	211
Mid Morning Snacks
Double shot cappuccino (full cream, I cant go back to skim)	132
Punnet of strawberries	100
Sub-Total	232
Lunch – Chicken, Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad.
120 grams of Roast Chicken no-skin (substitute Tuna, Pork Mince, Ham)	280
Coz lettuce (2 big cups)	20
Goats Cheese (1 tablespoon crumbled)	53
Beetroot (50 grams)	35
Salad dressing (lemon, olive oil, mustard and tzatiki shaken)	41
Total	429
Afternoon Snacks
Jarrah Hot Chocolate	57
Sub-Total	57
Dinner – Spiced pork mince in lettuce cups
150 grams of spiced pork mince (see recipe below)	340
Coz or iceberg lettuce cups x 3 (Substitute mountain bread if you cant do lettuce)	10
Tzatiki	20
Sub-Total	370
Evening snacks
Banana Paddle Pop	77
White wine (150 ml), ONLY sometimes!	105
Cobs Popcorn 13g small bag	55
Sub-Total	237
TOTAL	1536

1. Lemon & Dill Chicken Salad with Orange, Radish, Egg and Rocket

Coat chicken tenderloins in lemon juice and fresh dill and oven bake on a tray at 180 degrees for 20 mins. Serve sliced with rocket, thinly sliced radish, sliced orange and a boiled or poached egg.

2. Ham, Egg & Broccoli Scramble

I love eggs, they are legit amazing. Below is a mix of shredded ham, broccoli, cottage cheese and sriracha hot sauce. Start off in a fry pan by cooking ham and broccoli in a dash of olive oil, then add in 2-3 whisked eggs (one yolk removed) with a tablespoon of low fat cottage cheese. Mix to cook and combine.

3. Naughty but nice American style

This I would cook when I feel like something a bit naughty but don’t want to feel majorly guilty. You will notice the portion control and what looks like a creamy sauce is actually just tzatiki mixed with yellow mustard. Besides that it is Chicken tenderloins crumbed and fried with herb & lemon pasta, coleslaw and grilled corn tossed in sesame seeds.

4. The Meal Prep

An important part of eating well requires meal prep. During the week I make breakfast, lunch and dinner myself. How else do you know what is actually in your food and control how much? Below is a breakfast of leftover pork mince and scrambled eggs. Lunch is chicken breast, broccoli and scrambled eggs (that I cooked at the same time as breakfast). Dinner is chicken (same chicken as lunch) with vegie soup and green salad on the side. All of this was prepared at the same time. I always make my lunch as I cook my dinner each night.

5. Breakfast at Work

Everyday at work I use my holy grail ‘Tip Top Sandwich Thins’ as the basis of my breakfast. The breakfast below was after a big workout hence the need for avocado and egg. You can pick up Sandwich Thins at any major supermarket (besides Aldi) and at 99 cal’s for two including 3 grams of fibre, you can’t loose.

6. Spiced Pork Mince Recipe

Pork mince is a staple in our house we cook it at least twice per week in multiple ways. Brown it off and add any veg or spice, or mix in chopped tomatoes and butter beans for a healthy nachos. I have a blog fully dedicated to it here: Spiced pork mince recipe