Five minute healthy dinner.

Yesterday was just one of those days where time ran away from me. I worked at 5:30pm so when I realized it was already 4:30 I had the choice to eat Tostitos chips and con queso or figure out something quick and healthy to make. Since I had gone to the gym and wanted to keep my day on a healthy path, I chose to raid the fridge to see what I could whip up. My first thought was salad but unfortunately I was out of spinach and lettuce. I took a peek in my pantry and saw gluten free millet and brown rice ramen noodles. The noodles cook in about five minutes, making them a perfect option. I chose tuna for protein and grape tomatoes. 

I sliced the grape tomatoes in half and threw them into a frying pan with some oil, garlic, and black pepper. I added the sodium free canned tuna to the pan, stirred it all up and let everything heat through. I cooked the ramen noodles how the package instructed. After draining my ramen I topped it with the tuna and tomatoes, splashed some Franks Red Hot Sauce on top and gobbled it all up in record speed. It was really delicious! All together my dinner was a mere 490 calories.

Including prep time, cooking, eating, and cleaning up my meal took a grand total of twenty eight minutes. The cooking itself only took six! This is a perfect meal option for when you’re rushed but need something warm and filling in your belly. 

Let me know if you try this recipe. What are your go to quick dinners? Let me know in a comment. 

Thanks for reading, 

Big Portions for a Big Week | What I Eat in a Day

This week is a crazy one! Hence the post being a day late (sigh). My final portfolio for first year is due THIS FRIDAY GAAAAAH! It's such a stressful and busy time that eating is one of those things that's really easy to push to the side. However, if I want to get through this week I need to fuel my body with good, wholesome foods that will give me energy!

Breakfast - 8:45am

Of course, sticking with my old faithful. I had 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water. I mixed in raw cacao powder and cinnamon and topped it off with a dollop of greek yogurt and cinnamon. Along side it was a very large cup of coffee. It was the perfect start to a long day at school of edits and photo printing.

Lunch - 2:30pm

A big portion of carbs and veggies to get me through the afternoon after such a long amount of time from breakfast was much needed! I had 1/2 cup of rice with peas and carrots. While the rice cooked I added in rosemary, pepper, and red pepper flakes to infuse some flavour into it. It was actually really delicious!

Dinner - 7:45pm

After lunch I headed back to school to do some more editing and a last minute photoshoot. When I finally got home for dinner I realized the serious lack of protein i had in my day. Ground beef was exactly what my palette was craving! I seasoned it with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. I threw in some broccoli, peas, and baby carrots for some more veg! It was delicious!

After dinner I did a 40 minute vinyasa to relax after such a busy day. After my yoga time I had a cup of peppermint tea and read a book. I finished off the day with a nice hot shower and a phone call home before heading off to bed!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I eat in a day to get through end of the semester crunch time! How do you fuel a busy day? Do let me know in a comment.

If you're going through finals right now GOOD LUCK <3

Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo

What I Eat In A Day: College Edition | Food Friday

Now that I'm moved away and in college I thought I'd share with you a typical day of food for me. I try my best to plan ahead to make sure that even if I have a busy day I will always have home cooked, healthy meals so I don't need to resort to boxes and cans to survive.

This is absolutely hilarious that I haven't done a what i eat in a day for ages and yet the breakfast is still the exact same haha. I had been switching it up a little bit for the hot days by mixing together:

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup oats

1 tsp cacao powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

But now that it's cooler again, I'm really loving my old faithful of oatmeal! I always make my oatmeal stove-top and with large flake oats.

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp cacao powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 Lunch for me was a pasta salad that I pre-made on Sunday for all week and a bowl of romaine lettuce salad. I don't like most salad dressings so I just dressed it with with black pepper and plain white vinegar.

Pasta Salad Recipe:
Rotini pasta
1 diced chicken breast
Peaches and cream corn
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Peas
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Greek yogurt

This is literally the easiest meal prep recipe in the world! All I did was cook the chicken and the pasta, chop all the veggies and throw them in, then add the spices. I used a little bit of greek yogurt to kind of bind everything together. It tastes amazing and lasts in the fridge for ages

Around 3:30 I always seem to get hungry and my go-to is ALWAYS my favourite cereal; Multigrain Cheerios with a splash of chocolate milk, a dollop of greek yogurt, a few chocolate chips, and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. It's so delicious and not as unhealthy as you would assume!

For dinner I made a HUGE pot of meat sauce and portioned it off into freezer containers (you can see the small container in the corner for my lunch tomorrow haha). I served it over whole wheat penne pasta and broccoli. I had another bowl of romaine lettuce with vinegar- gotta get those 5 a day!

Meat Sauce Recipe:
5 strips 40% reduced sodium bacon
1 Lb extra lean ground beef
1 can diced tin tomatoes
1 can crushed tin tomatoes
2 tsp white sugar
Garlic to taste
Basil to taste
Oregano to taste
Onion powder to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt if desired

To make this sauce I began by dicing up the bacon and cooking it in the pot. I poured both tins of tomatoes over the bacon and added the spices whilst I browned the beef in another pan. When the meat was fully cooked I rinsed and drained it, added the same spice mixture as shown above, then added the meat to the sauce along with the sugar. The sugar does a really good job of cutting the acidity of the tomatoes. I let the sauce simmer on a low heat for about 2 hours before putting into freezer containers. It's absolutely delicious!

To finish off the day I had a glass of 2% milk with a touch of cinnamon- I know, weird combination, but trust me it's really good and calming for before bed. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my first college edition of what I eat in a day! If you try any of my recipes do let me know! I'm also curious to know any easy, student-friendly recipes that you know of (freezer friendly is a great option).

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn