The new Fit Foodie column - with Derval O’Rourke
Since retiring from professional athletics I’ve been busy.
I’ve written two bestselling cookbooks, worked in professional rugby, and I’ve been growing my fit foodie business.
At the same time, I’ve been juggling this with becoming a new mum.
Like most people I’m crazy busy! I’m always looking for simple ways to stay fit and healthy.
For me you can’t have one without the other, food goes hand in hand with fitness.
Having a great diet won’t negate lack of exercise and lots of exercise does not mean you can eat loads of crappy food.
I believe that food needs to taste great and be simple to cook and prepare whilst exercise needs to be enjoyable and beneficial.
There are loads of simple and realistic ways to be a fit foodie in this crazy busy world that we are all living in.
Each week I will give my favourite recipes. Most are broken down into either “Fast” recipes that I can do in under 20 minutes or “Bulk” recipes that take a bit more time but keep you fed for a few meals. This week’s focus is all about fast options.
end of October is a busy work period for me with deadlines on big work projects. I spend less time in the kitchen and tend to make really fast options.
This week is all about survival of the busiest.
Hope you enjoy my recipes and don’t forget to eat well and keep moving!
Quick and easy stir-fry
Midweek is a tough time to get healthy dinners in. The household can be chaotic (or maybe that’s just my house!) and finding time to get a healthy dinner cooked is hard.
This stir fry is a staple in my house. It’s a healthy, tasty and fast mid- week dinner. I love this after a gym session in the evening.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minute
Serves 2
2 tbsp coconut oil
200g lean beef, finely sliced
½ onion, finely diced
1 carrot, washed and finely sliced
a handful of broccoli, roughly chopped
1 pepper, de-seeded and chopped into strips
a handful of shredded white cabbage
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
Basmati rice, to serve
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the onion for a couple of minutes.
Add the beef and cook for 10 minutes, until the beef is browned all over. Remove beef and set aside. Add all the vegetables and stir fry for five minutes.
Add the sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce and return the beef to the pan.
Stir fry for another two minutes. Divide the stirfry between warmed plates, sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top and serve with basmati.
Nutty banana brekkie smoothie
I’m really bad without breakfast.
It’s the most important meal of the day and one that many of us fall down on.
I’m always time short in the mornings, no matter how organised I am the night before, I still find myself running around the house trying to get myself together to leave.
There is no need to skip the most important meal of the day with this super breakfast smoothie.
It only takes a couple of minutes and it’s handy on the go, especially if you’re stuck in traffic!
Cook time: 0
Prep time: 3 minutes
Serves 1 ½
Banana, peeled
1 tbsp nut butter
3 tbsp porridge oats
2 tbsp natural probiotic yoghurt
200 ml milk Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
I use a nutri –ninja. Pour into a tall glass and serve.
Or pour into a BPA free travel cup and take on the go.
Sweet nuts
I’m always on the go, I try to carry snacks with me that are healthy and tasty. This stops me from reaching for unhealthy snacks when I’m busy.
Sweet nuts are easy to make and nuts are full of nutritional goodness.
These are easy to pop in a sandwich bag and throw into your work bag or gym bag for tasty snacking.
Your biggest problem will be trying not to eat them all at once!
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
A handful of mixed nuts
2 tbsp maple syrup
a pinch of sea salt
Preheat the oven to 160. Spread the nuts on a large baking tray and drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle over the salt and roast for just over 15 minutes.
Turn them after eight minutes. Leave to cool on the tray. When cooled store in an airtight container.
Derval’s tips for being the right weight for you
Whenever I speak to my friends about their fitness goals the majority of the time those goals are directly linked to weight. Most of the time they want to lose weight.
Until I had a baby I couldn’t really relate to this. I found maintaining my weight when I was a professional athlete fairly easy.
I had an excellent balance between food and fitness.
Since I retired from athletics and became a mother I definitely understood the weight issue far more.
I did not ‘bounce back’ into pre baby weight after I had my baby.
It took just over one year for me to weigh the same as pre baby. Here are a few lessons I learned along the way.
Losing weight is not a quick fix problem. To do it in a sustainable manner is a long process and it requires you to be patient about it. I needed to be consistent with my training to lose weight. I set short and long term goals to help me with this. It’s easy to get frustrated but you need to look at the long game. It’s not about immediate results, stick to your long term plan. Everybody is different so just worry about your own consistent approach.
I see lots of my friends going from doing very little to signing up to a really intense training programme. I don’t think this is sustainable. Consider what you are doing now and what you can realistically fit in to your lifestyle. Don’t go from zero to hero.
This is something I enforce all the time. Doing fitness can seem overwhelming with everything else you have going on in your life but if you move for 20 minutes it will make a big difference.
Twenty minutes is so much better than nothing. Go out for a brisk walk on your lunchtime from work or in the evening. You can find 20 minutes in your day!
Everybody is different when it comes to being fit. Just because a certain type of fitness worked for a friend to lose weight doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you.
Try to figure out what works for your body type. For me it is short training sessions and trying to move everyday.
This weeks fitspiration is the multi-talented Leanne Moore. Leanne was known as the winner of You’re A Star in 2008 but now has turned her attention to the fitness world since becoming a personal trainer.
I was recently interviewed by her for an event and she really impressed me with her sensible approach to food and fitness.
Her instagram is well worth a follow – it’s @leannemooreofficial
