*Quick + Easy Cooking Tips For A Healthy New Year

With the start of a new year, there are usually a plethora of healthy eating and exercising goals that by the end of January have already been broken but there are lots of easy ways to stay healthy or to incorporate healthier options into your diet, whether it's switching to healthier alternatives, choosing healthy snacks, using pre-prepared ingredients or by meal prepping, all of which can help you stay on top of your 2019 goals.

Today's post is all about the healthy eating goals, easy cooking tips and advice for a healthier new year in collaboration with Hello Fresh. Firstly, a little about me, I've been a vegetarian since I was eleven and for the past five or so years, I've been on/off vegan which along with my exercise routine has made me feel healthier and fitter than I've felt for a very long time. My advice is geared towards a vegetarian and vegan diet but you can take from it what you want and incorporate it into your own dietary choices.

Meal Prepping

First up, meal prepping...don't think that it's as arduous as it sounds! My version of meal prepping is very simple, easy and great for those like me who tracks calories. Meal prepping has a connotation of being time consuming and possibly something only done by gym going, fitness obsessed individuals but I am none of those things and I've found meal prepping to be a great way of making sure I have healthy food easily available and ready to eat when I don't have time to cook a full meal from scratch.

I always start by roasting a variety of vegetables, especially broccoli and butternut squash or pumpkin as I know that I can add them to so many meals (either roasted in a salad, blended into a soup/sauce or added to a curry) throughout the week but I also roast mushrooms, peppers, green beans and more. Once cooked I either add them to a sealed container for use throughout the week or I add them to a bowl along with cooked rice/tofu/pasta so they are ready to heat up meal for later that day or the next day. I am very lazy with my meal prepping as I don't make up meals to store in the freezer (I hate frozen meals, they always taste like the freezer!) so I think my minimal approach to meal prepping is great for those who don't want to spend too much time prepping or who don't want a tonne of filled containers in the fridge or freezer.

Healthy Snacks & Alternatives

One of my downfalls is pasta and noodles as I can eat them constantly but another has to be choosing less healthy snacks throughout the day. Crisps, sandwiches, vegan chocolate and cereal are my go-to snacks and they aren't very healthy in my opinion so I've been trying to stop eating snacks that aren't very filling and contain little nutrition. Healthy vegan snack bars, peanut butter toast and protein rich salads have become better options for me as they keep me fuller for much longer.

Also, as I've switched to a fully vegan diet, alternatives have become essentials for me. For example, switching from sugar to sweetener, dairy cream to soya cream or milk to almond milk have been easy switches for me as they are vegan, healthier and contain less calories. My latest switch has been from peanut butter to peanut butter powder which contains less calories and fat than 'normal' peanut butter.

Pre-Prepared Ingredients 

My next point ties into meal prepping is pre-prepared ingredients. If the reason why you don't have the healthiest diet is because of a lack of time then pre-cut vegetables or fruit, pre-cooked ingredients (such as rice or grain pouches) and pre-made healthy sauces or dips might be a way forward. However, if you don't want to buy pre-prepared veggies or sauces then you could meal prep your own and keep them in a sealed container for the rest of the week. A little prep and forethought now makes for a much easier and healthier week!

Hello Fresh Recipe Matchmaker

Lastly, I wanted to mention the new recipe matchmaker from Hello Fresh which is great for those with very little time or for those who simply don't have much experience in the kitchen as it is a new feature which suggests recipes based on your choices. For example, you can choose from a range of options to begin with such as 'pasta or rice, tofu, seafood or vegetables' then you choose from a secondary list which specifies the type of meal you want such as 'adventurous, light, hearty etc'.

From just a three choices you can select one of the meals suggested and it will provide you with a recipe and ingredients list. If you have the ingredients you can get going straight away but you can also purchase a Hello Fresh box so you don't have to go out and purchase the ingredients as they arrive directly at your door. You can choose the number of people and the number of recipes per week you receive. Additionally, you can select from the classic, family or rapid box, all of which equate to £5 per meal. I think it's a great option for those who don't have time to cook, those who don't feel confident coming up with a recipe or those who want to try something different. Check out the link above to explore the new recipe matchmaker feature for yourself.

Do you have any healthy eating goals for the year? Do you have any healthy eating tips? 

*This is a collaborative post #AD