From Salads to Fourteen Courses: What I Eat In A Week

Blueberry Smoothie

Serves 2

• 3/4 cup milk

• 2/3 cup frozen blueberries

• 1 medium banana, peeled

• 3-4 tablespoons honey

• 3 heaped tablespoons natural Greek style yogurt

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Step 1 - Blend everything together in a blender until smooth. Serve cold.

That night, we went out to Chat Thai for round two. Mr NQN was hungry so we ordered an enormous range of dishes-our initial embarrassment at not being able to fit everything on the table soon passed as we realised that the couple next to us did exactly the same thing!

Lydia: This brunch was delightful for a number of reasons.  Have I mentioned that I’m a huge fan of nuts?  And is there a more nutrient packed nut than macadamia nuts from Qld or NSW? The oil in nuts goes rancid rather quickly, nuts don’t like heat, light or moisture.  I’ve given up on imported walnuts, they are usually rancid on purchase.  Qld and northern NSW grow gorgeous peanuts, pecans and macadamia nuts.  Elsewhere in Australia you can get fresh almonds (major harvests are in April-May). Tassie growers are producing fresh walnuts.  So buy local and buy in season for maximum flavour and freshness.  Oopsie, on  the soap box again.  Also, the smoothie is a winner for obvious reasons, I’ll stop ranting now.

Sunday

Do you ever get up in the morning and have the sudden urge to eat something. In this case, I woke up (and no need to read anything into it) wanting balls! The balls I meant were those delicious Vietnamese Chè xôi n??c balls stuffed with mung bean paste with a sweet rice flour coating. They're served in a gingery syrup with coconut cream and they usually come as two enormous balls and about half a dozen smaller ones. Anyway, we were on an adventure after shopping for clothing for Mr NQN to find me some of these.

Mr NQN was hungry so we had the same breakfast smoothie (blueberry, banana yogurt, chia & honey) followed by a couple of pieces of fruit and macadamia nut bread. Around lunch time we had some watermelon. I was deliriously happy because the day before I had found some long watermelons at Paddy's Markets. Those of you that have read the Food Bank story know why I am so happy. The long watermelons have black pips and are sweeter and juicier than seedless melons but they have disappeared from supermarket shelves.

Just before we left, I had a slice of rye bread with salad, some roasted beetroot from yesterday, some smoked rainbow trout and fresh dill-can you tell we had done the shopping? The day after grocery shopping day is the best food day! :)

Nothing until about 6pm where we visited a restaurant as part of a story on Burwood-I had heard that other things were good there but I didn't want to write that they were until I tested it myself. We ended up sharing a plate of bbq pork and bbq duck with rice and a won ton noodle soup. The pork and duck were my favourite and they also gave us a warming bowl of fantastic broth as it was unseasonably chilly outside.

I got my balls! I could taste them all day and nothing else would do until I sank my teeth into them. They were divine and  worth waiting for. I bought Mr NQN a container of coconut cream taro sago which he wolfed down. I offered him a bite of the balls and he didn't much care for them so they were all mine. Oh and just because I had to test it out, we bought a slice of cheesecake from another shop just for the article.

_Lydia: So we have come full circle and we are back to some Sunday comfort eating. Whatever it is that you enjoy on a Sunday (the traditional Aussie roast perhaps) my message is to make time to enjoy a meal with those that you love. _

_In summary, I’m not surprised that NQN maintains her petite proportions. Take note of the lack of snacks (one late night snack was steamed asparagus – no complaints here). Snacking can contribute a lot of unnecessary kilojoules, fat and sugar. Take a leaf out of Lorraine's book and limit snacks or choose raw or lightly steamed vegetables or a handful of raw nuts. _

Remember rules number 1 (planning and organisation) so think ahead, prepare some healthy meals when you have time (think the crunchy caulislaw) and balance the indulgent days with lighter ones.

If you find yourself craving rich treat foods, remember rule number 2. The pleasure is in the first three mouthfuls. So enjoy the cheesecake or chocolate, but don’t eat it all, just enough to satisfy your craving. Store the remainder safely in the fridge and enjoy the rest on another day.

I don’t believe in guilt so don’t beat yourself up when your eating doesn’t go to plan. Be kind to yourself, forgive yourself and plan something positive for the next day. Start with a brisk walk (some lemon water ;-)), have that gorgeous smoked trout for lunch and feel good about yourself.

_I aim for lots of colourful foods to ensure that I get a good mix of nutrients and anti-oxidants. Its easy to get the greens, reds and orange foods in but the tricky ones are the purples and blues. Take note that NQN includes beetroot, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, red beans in her diet. _

I also have to give Lorraine 10/10 for the lemon water through a straw. Not for the nutrition but for the imagery. That is so cute, I’m sure it makes Mr NQN smile every morning.

Phew! Now that was quite a lot of food. And when I look back and see how much three of us ate at The Morrison, I'm astounded. I do try my best to balance things, even if it doesn't look apparent at all. Being 155cms tall, every little mouthful shows.  I was so relieved that Lydia didn't lecture me on my less than healthy food consumption but then again, she is a real world dietitian who eats real food i.e. butter, not margarine so she is my sort of gal. I really loved what she said about the pleasure being in the first three mouthfuls-slowly savoured, there's nothing better. So, there you go! I hope I haven't horrified you too much but there you go, what I eat in one week Dear Readers :)

So tell me Dear Reader, what do you eat in a week and do you have a favourite lunch or dinner? Have you ever kept a food diary? Do you eat differently on weekends? And can you just eat three mouthfuls or are you always compelled to finish the plate?

About Lydia: Lydia Sutakowsky has been a member of the Dietitians Association of Australia for 22 years and is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian. Her position at the University of the Sunshine Coast encompasses all aspects of the clinical placement experience that students in the Nutrition and Dietetics program undertake in their fourth year of study.

She loves everything about food, talking about it, cooking it, eating it and learning about it. The perfect week for Lydia will include yoga, a swim, one or two short runs and anything that is fun. Lydia shares her life with the 'gorgeous M' and his 4 year old son. She loves her black kelpie Pirate and her three fat hens.