Sunday blues

Morning. 

Whilst sat in the kitchen watching a tap dripping from the comfort of the sofa, it occurred to me how quickly the bowl fills. This can be said of how we treat our bodies, all those little naughties and treats add up and then once the weight is in place it is even harder to shift. Sunday can be one of those days when the working week looms and we reach for the naughty foods to comfort our annoyance at returning to the £ driving our lives. 
So, here is my conquer Sunday plan and start the week right...

AM:
Bircher Muesli (see previous post)
2 boiled eggs
1 cup of green blend tea

Snack:
Handful of nuts

Lunch: Comforting Sunday lunch
Lemon and thyme Roast chicken with all the trimmings - I was inspired by the Hairy Dieters series on the BBC and what they managed to achieve. This is one of my favourite recipes from the book, if you are being extra good make sure you remove the skin of the chicken before serving and avoid the gravy to reduce your calorie intake even further. However I know other members of the family may prefer it with so i have included those recipes anyway.

Serve with green vegetables, sweet potato, squash, parsnip and new potato roasties.



Dessert:
Healthy fruit platter



Supper:
So once you get 5 minutes to yourself after your hectic day of dog walks, playing trains and painting daddy's finger nails or in my case blogging and shopping! How about a quick and easy healthy supper?

Bountiful Bean Salad - you can even make enough for your lunch on Monday!

This salad with the all important bean protein provides a one bowl quick fix for supper on the sofa and an episode of Ripper Street. It will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Ingredients: Serves 6
75g tinned red kidney, borlotti or pinto beans
75g tinned white cannellini or butter beans
2tbsp olive oil
175g fresh cut green beans
3 sliced spring onions
1 small yellow or red pepper chopped
1 grated carrot
 2tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes (fresh tomatoes will work just as well, sundried option just intensifies the flavour)
50g unsalted cashew nuts or almonds

Dressing: (You can miss this out if you are being extra good, try and include some fat though by either using olive oil as your dressing or adding chopped Avocado)
45ml Rapeseed Oil or Olive Oil, you can use herb infused or garlic infused oils if that is what takes your fancy!
30ml red wine vinegar or balsamic

It is important you taste your dressing, add more or less oil vinegar to your taste. Season with pepper and mixed herbs. You can also vary this by adding lemon juice instead of vinegar and using mustard or honey. Experiment and see what works for you.




1. Wash tinned beans and mix in a large bowl with all the other vegetables
2. Add the dressing
3. Transfer to individual bowls
4. Sprinkle nuts over the top

Refrigerate the remainder in a sealed plastic container for Monday lunch.