Are you taking part in the #WomanKind campaign this month? I’ve been really excited about getting stuck in to this ‘me-time’ project so you might have spotted a few posts over the last couple of weeks about looking great on a budget. If you miss them, here are my posts on starting your new year in style with a wardrobe makeover and hunting out payday footwear bargains. I’ve been sharing thrifty tips and really throwing myself into the spirit of the #WomanKind campaign by supporting my lovely readers to get some great fashion deals and grow in confidence at the same time.
I especially love joining in with this campaign because its aim is to encourage women to be kinder to themselves, and that’s something that we all need to work on. The survey I read on the #WomanKind site shows that a whopping 89% of women never compliment themselves and are much more likely to be kind and loving to others than they are to themselves. I really think it’s time to change that and this is precisely why I’m getting stuck into this campaign.
My fresh Moroccan mint tea infusion – click here to find out how I made it
Today’s blog post is something a little different to my usual Pieday Friday recipe posts. In the spirit of the #WomanKind campaign I’m sharing money-saving tips for eating well and healthily this new year. Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you to make a change to the way you approach meal times AND treat yourself with the care that your body deserves.
My favourite ever salad with pea puree – check out the recipe
Tip 1 – it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to eat healthily. You don’t need any specialist meal-replacement products or new kitchen equipment. Yes, swapping sugar for fruit-based sweetener and cooking oil for Fry-Light will help you make your meals and drinks much healthier, but these are probably the only two things you’ll need to make a big change. From here on in you can make your own healthy ‘instant’ meals, mix up your own fruity yoghurts and bake your own low-sugar snacks so there’s no need to invest in speciality foods. You just need to put a little effort into caring for yourself (yes, be #WomanKind to yourself again!) and spend some time preparing fresh dishes that will make you feel great on the inside, as well as on the outside.
I shared a pastry-free “quiche” recipe in January
Tip 2 – take the time to eat well. This tip can be interpreted two ways and the first is to actually sit down and enjoy the food you eat. Grabbing food on the go turns eating into a mindless action and doesn’t let you get enjoyment out your meal – a couple of bites and it’s gone! So I recommend treating yourself to actually sitting down to eat your food, whether that’s a bowl of cereal or a three-course dinner, because you’ll feel more satisfied at the end of mealtime if you’ve actually taken notice of what you’ve eaten. I love to lay up place settings with cutlery, napkins, condiments and a drink, to make the occasion feel even more special. I’m therefore planning to do this at every meal time and treat myself to a nice sit-down to enjoy a relaxing meal.
I made my own preservative-free pesto – click here for my recipe
Tip 3 – again, take the time to eat well. And this time, I’m taking about putting a tiny bit more effort and time into preparing your meals. It actually doesn’t take any longer to prepare a spaghetti bolognese yourself as it does to heat up a ready-made frozen version of the same meal. But what preparing your own food does allow you to do is keep an eye on what’s going into it. You can therefore cut down on fat by using Fry Light to brown the onions, drain off excess fat that comes out of your mince (or replace it with Quorn, my fave!), stir in fresh or tinned tomatoes, a sprinkling of dried herbs and a dollop of tomato puree and you’re done! No preservatives, no excess salt, fat minimised and freshness maximised! And that goes for any dinner you fancy enjoying – you’ll always enjoy a healthier version if you make it yourself and you don’t need to spend any extra money on specialist meals in order to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Fruit-filled & filling smoothie recipe on my blog
Tip 4 – Snack well. Just because you’re trying to eat well this year doesn’t meant that you have to cut out the snacks completely. In fact, there’s nothing worse than a rumbling stomach and nothing to snack on. This just makes you reach for the nearest bag of crisps or chocolate bar, so it’s a good idea to have some good-for-you snacks on hand instead. I’m not all that keen on eating fruit, but when it has been prepared as a fresh fruit salad, I’m much more likely to eat it, and knowing this means that I can prepare in advance for those times when I’m desperate for a snack. Take a look at what’s stopping you from making healthy choices all the time (perhaps there’s no fresh food outlets near work or you don’t like plain yoghurt?) and do whatever you need to do to put this right, such as choosing some fruits and nuts to add flavour your yoghurt or pack a fresh lunch to take with you.
So what do you think of these simple tips for eating well and healthy this near year? I am really keen on the idea of putting my health first and treating myself well thanks to a little prompt from the #WomanKind campaign! Will you join me in taking a little extra ‘me-time’ to find delicious healthy recipes and treats you can enjoy guilt-free? If you put a little extra effort into treating yourself to a delicious home-cooked meal, you’ll feel much better than if you’d popped a ready-meal into the microwave and lounged around on the sofa waiting for it to ping. And that can only be a good thing, right? Let me know how you get on by leaving me a comment below or tweet me photos of your tasty recipes @Cassiefairy.
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
