Eat & move with Derval O’Rourke: My day on a plate
This week I’m sharing my day on a plate, an insight into what an average day of eating looks like for me. For my recipe it’s my chicken and vegetable bake plus a delicious honey, soy and peanut salmon.
Recently I’ve been sharing a lot of my day-to- day eating on social media, especially on my Instagram stories. I’ve been getting loads of positive feedback from people saying it’s really helpful to see for portion sizes and meal ideas so I decided to share a version of it here.
One thing I’m conscious of is showing the reality of what it looks like to eat well while balancing work, family and social commitments, so yes the coffees and bit of chocolate are in there too.
There is no best diet or no magic bullet for achieving a healthier lifestyle. It’s simply about making consistent balanced choices every day. It’s the sum of all the parts.
When it comes to eating well I don’t count calories or track macros, I try to make sure that my diet is 80% considered good choices mostly made myself at home and then the other 20% is meals out with friends, the odd glass of wine and some chocolate or that slice of cake with my coffee every now and again.
Restrictive diets do not work long term, and that’s not just my opinion, there’s a tonne of evidence to back it up. If you are thinking about starting a new diet be really conscious of how achievable it is and whether or not you will learn to make lifelong changes to your eating patterns as opposed to quick fixes that won’t stand to you in a year or so from now.
As a general rule, I aim for three main meals plus two to three snacks each day. This depends on my energy requirements, if I am going for a run or a good gym session I’ll eat more. I try to make sure each of these meals is balanced with roughly half my plate made up of vegetables, quarter protein, quarter carbohydrates and some healthy fats to finish it off.
Here’s what a typical day looks like for me:
I always start my day with breakfast, for me it’s non- negotiable. In fact eating a nourishing breakfast each day is one of the first habits I tell anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle to adopt. During the week this is usually overnight oats with nuts, seeds and fruit or boiled eggs and toast. At the weekend I have a more brunch-type meal. I also like to take a few minutes to have a nice coffee before tackling my to-do list for the day.
Lunch is generally leftovers from the night before and I regularly have dinners twice a day, I find that I eat far healthier if I make big dinners and portion some out for lunch. It could be anything from my jogger’s beef stew to a lamb tagine. If I haven’t been organised the night before then my go-to would be soup with brown bread on the side.
Dinner is usually something I’ve cooked in bulk at the weekend or pulled from my freezer in the morning. I’ll always make an effort to batch cook on a Sunday because I have more time. I try to organise some meals and snacks for during the week and on average end up organising about half. Then cook the other half from scratch.
If I’m looking to cook a quick meal then stir fries are my choice. They are simple to make, super versatile and a great way to get more colour into your diet. If I’m eating out I tend to order something I would not cook at home. Variety is really important in your eating.
Snacks for me range from homemade energy balls to yoghurt bowls with berries and granola or rice cakes with nut butter and banana. If I’m on the go and buying my snacks I’ll peek at the label and make sure the ingredients are ones I recognise and that they don’t have too much sweetener.
I generally aim for simple fruit and nut bars, a small smoothie or a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts. If I’ve trained that day I will add an extra snack post-workout and will aim to include a source of carbohydrates and protein to help my body to recover, a glass of milk is my go to.
It’s no secret that I love coffee, I generally try to keep it to one to two cups a day. I love to have mine first thing in the morning or when the afternoon slump hits. A cup of coffee pre-workout can also be great for a boost. I stay hydrated by sipping on water throughout the day but it’s something I have to work on. I’d advise buying a BPA-free water bottle and taking it with you so that you can stay on top of your water intake.
With so many nutrition ‘experts’ on social media at the moment it is so important to get your information from a reliable source. In my office I work with a great nutritional scientist called Aishling O’Hea.
One of the Twitter accounts that we both read is Orla’s. I love Orla’s evidence-based approach to food and would highly recommend checking her out.
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more inspiration to keep you eating healthy and moving daily. Take control of your health with my free 10 food and fitness plan available on www.derval.ie
Chicken and vegetable bake
This makes a tasty dinner and the leftovers are great for lunch the next day. If I want to make it more substantial, I serve it with a baked potato but even by itself, it’s lovely comfort food.
Pre heat the oven the 180 degrees.
Heat some oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes until lightly coloured, then add in the leeks, garlic and broccoli rice and fry for a further 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add in the cream, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened slightly.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in half the parmesan.
Pour contents of pan into an oven proof casserole dish, top with the breadcrumbs, flaked almonds and remaining parmesan.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy with sides of your choice.
Honey, soy and peanut salmon
The honey and soy sauce in this recipe make a delicious glaze that really locks in the flavour of the salmon. This recipe makes good use of your time too. While the salmon cooks in the oven, I like to cook some stir fried vegetables and noodles to go with it. The result is a delicious and nutritious dinner- fast.
Marinade salmon in soy, honey, ginger and lemon juice.
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sear the salmon on both sides.
Place the salmon on a parchment lined tray, top with crushed peanuts and place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Enjoy with some stir fried vegetables and noodles.
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