What I Eat in a Day

We have officially finished our first year of University and are super excited to have more time to dedicate to our blog over the summer months! We both LOVE reading what other people eat in a general day, so decided to do our own version to offer some inspiration!

Breakfast: Smoothie Bowl

An amazing way to make a simple smoothie a little bit more interesting and substantial! We make a basic smoothie mixture with a range of ingredients such as frozen bananas, blueberries and mangos, and blend this up with some almond milk and some macha protein powder. We then pour the mixture into a bowl and top it with whatever we fancy, we usually opt for more fruit and things like oats, granola or chia seeds.

Lunch: Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

We are both complete lovers of Sweet Potatoes and this recipe is so simple and easy to make even at lunchtime (this recipe serves two). Chop up around 4 sweet potatoes and roast them in the oven for around 10 minutes to get the cooking process started before adding them to a saucepan with the other ingredients. Then add in one onion, one clove of garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of drained chickpeas. The spices we added were around 2 tbsp each of hot chilli powder, dried chilli flakes, paprika, garam masala, as well as salt and pepper for seasoning - but this is completely down to individual taste! Continue to cook this all until combined for around 5-10 minutes before adding spinach leaves. This can be served with either wholegrain rice, cauliflower rice or a side of spinach leaves for a lighter version - all are delicious accompaniments!

Dinner: Courgetti

An amazing substitute for complex carbs such as pasta and spaghetti are courgettes! We use a spiralser to create ours, but you could equally use a basic peeler for a similar effect. Simply put your courgette in a saucepan and cover with boiling water and leave this to simmer for around 4 minutes before draining. We change up our toppings all the time, but some of our favourites include prawns cooked with garlic, chilli and tomato or chopped tomato with feta cheese and spinach. If you are like me and believe that the best part of the pasta dish is the sauce anyway - this option may work well for you!

Snacks:

We usually have around two snacks a day and some of our favourites include dried or fresh fruit. We also have recently loved making Kale crisps, simply place a large handful of Kale on a baking tray and spray with light oil and salt before baking for around 10 minutes - so simple yet delicious!

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

We thought we would start off our blog in the same way that we start our day...with Breakfast! Before we started eating more nutritious food, we were those kind of people who didn't see the importance of breakfast, but since eating healthily we are now fully on board with the claim that it is 'the best meal of the day'. Here are a few of our favourite breakfast options that we alternate on a weekly basis:




Porridge - A popular choice of breakfast amongst those into their fitness. Porridge oats are a slow releasing carb that allow you to maintain your energy levels throughout the morning, and keep you going until lunchtime. We like to combine ours with almond milk and half a mashed banana per person, before baking it in the oven for around 6 minutes on a medium heat. Using the oven creates a more crispy effect, that actually makes the porridge taste almost like a dessert! We like to mix and match our toppings but a few of our favourites include apple and cinnamon, blueberries and dried fruit. 








Granola - There is a common association that Granola is always full of sugar, but if you search around there are many on the market with much more natural ingredients, having said this Granola should generally be eaten in moderation as it still remains higher in calories then other breakfast alternatives. Add your own sweetness through ingredients such as fresh fruit or cinnamon for a tasty way to start your morning.

Pancakes - Like most people, we love pancakes. However, we have discovered a much more nutritious recipe, that we both genuinely believe is so much tastier! To make our protein packed pancakes combine one egg with a splash of almond milk, a handful of oats and one mashed banana until you get a fairly liquidy consistency. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook on one side where you can add any toppings, we love blueberries! Then flip them over until cooked through, and serve with any extras.








Eggs - This option is more of a 'Brunch' choice for us, which we love to have after a lie-in or before a gym session. We either poach our eggs for a few minutes, or scramble them with almond milk using 1 whole egg mixed with 1-2 egg whites per person. We love to combine this with a source of protein such as Omega rich Smoked Salmon, and the meal goes perfectly with some sort of fruit or vegetable source such as half a sliced avocado or wilted spinach which we love to combine with chilli flakes for an added metabolism boost.







Smoothies - We love fruit, and smoothies are the perfect way to get some way to your five a day. Buying fresh fruit can be expensive, so we usually use a combination of fresh and frozen. We generally buy a bunch of bananas and chop them up when fairly ripe before freezing them, as they are always useful to have stored. We love a range of fruits in our smoothies, such as berries, mangos and grapes, but it really is adaptable. For a 'greener' blend you could try adding vegetables such as spinach, celery and kale which creates a lovely fresh tasting smoothie. Simply blend the ingredients with almond milk and you should be left with a delicious, fresh breakfast.

Everything needs a starting point

Health and fitness is a major part of our lives, and has especially been over the last couple of years. Having read a whole collection of fitness and lifestyle blogs over this time, we have been inspired to share our own ideas and interests regarding a healthy and happy lifestyle.

We are both 19 year old students at Cardiff University, so trying to go against the stereotypical uni student stigma - who generally has a poor diet and struggles to fit exercise into a tight schedule - can be slightly difficult at times. However, in meeting each other and finding our mutual interest in fitness, it has actually been fairly easy in discovering it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle at uni with the right attitude.

We both love to workout as it leaves such a good feeling and acts as the perfect means of escape. We have also discovered a wide range of new forms of exercise whilst becoming students, such as weekly classes ranging from 'Boxercise' to 'Pump and Tone' which mean our workouts are never monotonous. Whilst we have never been great in the cooking department, we are gradually learning and developing the confidence to create more healthy and delicious dishes.

So together we want to share our fitness goals and healthy recipes with you all, we hope you enjoy!