What one eats is a personal choice and usually it is based on what one thinks is tasty, familiar or readily available. Nutritious food is very important to me, as a mom. I care how and what goes into the body of my daughter. I believe we are what we eat. If we eat nutrient-dense meals regularly, chances of us falling sick will be lesser as the food we consume nourishes our bodies. If our regular meals are quick-fix, processed, high fat, high sodium, sooner or later our bodies give us tell-tale signs that they are not doing that well.
What is wholesome and healthy food?
Let me share what wholesome and healthy food means to me.
- As much as possible, the food on our plate should be whole. There should be no or minimum processing.
- Try to consume organic and pesticide-free fresh produce and products.
- Eat a wide variety of food to receive optimal nutrition, which promotes optimal health.
- Little or no salt in our meals.
- Use spices, herbs, onion, garlic, ginger to add flavour to our food.
What do we eat at home?
At home, my family consume mainly whole food, plant-based diet – only a small portion of our diet contain animal products. I cook more during weekends. Usually our lunch is simple and quick to prepare, while dinner will usually take a little more time.
The most nutritious meal of the day is our breakfast. We usually have our raw fresh vegetable and fruit juice, and our warm steelcut oats topped with seeds and cut fruits. I wake up at least one hour before all of us leave home for work or school, to prepare our breakfast. It has been a routine that I try not to miss, though during weekends, I get to sleep in a bit more.
Tips for busy mom:
- Know our food. When we know our food, the source and their nutritional value, we will be able to better choose the right food for our family.
- Know how to cook. Understand and learn what is the best method to cook that will retain the most nutritional value in our food and the appropriate cooking appliances to use.
This is my 30-minute quick lunch that sometimes I share with my daughter. I like to eat my lunch with little or minimum salt or seasoning so that I can savour the taste of every ingredient. Millet is one of my favourite grains for its sweet and nutty taste. It is also very nutritious.
Preparation time : 30 minutes (including cooking time)
Serving size : one person
Ingredients :
- 1/2 cup of millet
- 1/5 cup of red quinoa
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2-3 leaves of kale, chopped
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
Step by step instructions :
- Soak millet and quinoa in filtered water for about 12 hours.
- Drain away the soaked water in the millet and quinoa; add water.
- Steam the grains for 30 minutes.
- While the grains are cooking, sautée the onion, garlic and tomato with coconut oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked onion, garlic and tomato into the grains, mix and continue steaming.
- Add kale into the cooking pan, a little oil and do a quick stir for about two minutes.
- After the grains are cooked, stir in kale and sprinkle pine nuts on top.
- Season to taste, as desired.
- It is ready to be served.
This post is also featured in one of A Pancake Princess‘s Happy Home-Cooking Series.
