Friday 13 November 2015

2. What I Eat In A Day: College Edition | Meal Time + Recipes

Breakfast:
Chocolate Oatmeal
1/2 cup large flake oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon raw cacao powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. 
To make this I add the oats, milk, and water to a saucepan and bring that to a light boil over a medium heat. I then turn down the heat to very low, stir in the cacao powder and cinnamon and allow it to simmer over the low heat for about 5 minutes. To serve, I put it into a bowl and add a little splash of milk around the edges.
Cinnamon Tea
1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon milk.
To make this super delicious and simple cinnamon tea, I bring 1 cup of water to a boil. I then stir in the cinnamon and allow it to steep/simmer for about 8 minutes. I add in the sugar and milk once the tea is already in my mug. It's super simple, delicious, and great for you!

During breakfast I have been journaling as of late. It's been so nice to start my morning with some me time instead of what I had been doing prior which was scrolling social media. Taking this time in the morning to reflect has really helped with my anxiety and has also helped me to have a clear mind going into the day. 
Lunch:
Eggs on Salad
2 large brown eggs, black pepper, 1 cup romaine lettuce, splash of white vinegar.
To make this salad I fried my eggs on a low heat to ensure that they cooked all the way through whilst still keeping the yolk runny, seasoning them with black pepper. I chopped up the romaine lettuce and drizzled the vinegar on top- I probably used about 1 teaspoon. Once my eggs were cooked I placed them on top of the lettuce.
Rice Pudding
1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon greek yogurt, 3 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
To make this delicious rice pudding I put all the ingredients, discluding the cinnamon, into a saucepan and let it cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, until almost all the liquid was boiled off. I then stirred in the cinnamon, covered with a lid and allowed the pudding to simmer for another 5 minutes. It's such a delicious way to fill you up while being able to have a dessert element at lunch time- plus you get a container of leftovers from this sized batch!

Lunch for me is usually a nice little break from school/studying. I like to catch up on YouTube videos or TV series whilst I eat my lunch. I'm trying to eat slower and more mindfully than I had been in the past so my lunch usually spans about 30-60 minutes. I noticed myself eating out of boredom quite often which left me feeling bloated and not having the greatest energy levels. Now that I'm eating mindfully I have noticed a big difference in the way I feel. I make sure that I'm truly hungry before thinking of eating instead of mindlessly binging on food just because I'm bored during a long study session.
Dinner:
Herbed Pasta and Veggies
1 cup whole wheat penne pasta, 1/3 cup frozen peas, 1/3 cup frozen corn, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon basil, salt and pepper to taste.
To make this super simple dinner, I first boiled water to cook the pasta. Once the pasta was half cooked, I added in the frozen vegetables and allowed the pasta and vegetables to cook together. Once everything was cooked through I drained off the excess water, stirred in the spices and allowed the dish to cool before transferring to a tupperware container. 

Although this particular day, my dinner was eaten at work, most days dinner is treated a lot like lunch for me. The only difference is that I have been taking this hour of time to read a novel for pleasure while I'm eating. I love to read but allowing myself the time for enjoyment reading is a tricky balance. When I begin to read I tend to get lost in the book- two hours later I've still got my nose stuck between the pages. Reading during dinner gives me a conscious cut off time; I can read for an hour without the fear of wasting my study time.
Snack:
Greek Yogurt Bowl
1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon raw cacao powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup oats, 1/3 cup multigrain Cheerios.
This snack is so ridiculously simple yet so deliciously satisfying at the end of the day. I begin by mixing the yogurt and the cacao until it's completely mixed through. I then fold in the cinnamon and oats roughly and flatten the mixture out- yes it looks as odd as it sounds but trust me on this. I sprinkle the Cheerios on top with a dash of extra cinnamon and voila! It's a light snack but enough to tide me over during the night. On top of that the flavours are amazing- you get a taste of chocolate, cinnamon, yogurt, and cheerios in every bite.

During my evening snack, I pull out my journal again. I like to look back on my day through writing. I'm currently on a journey of getting to know me and I feel like daily journaling is really helping me to get in touch with myself. 

I hope you enjoyed reading through my meals of the day and I hope it helps any of you struggling to balance college life with eating well. Not sure if you noticed but this was a completely meat free day for me! I like to eat meat free 2-3 days per week as I feel it really helps with my weight control, my digestion, and my energy levels- I highly recommend trying a meatless day! If you have any tips for me, please do let me know! What is your favourite quick meal or snack?

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

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