Even though I no longer work full time hours in the classroom, I still find myself perceptible to the same illnesses and ailments as other teachers. It’s no surprise that being the week before half term, I’m ill. The timing couldn’t be better, I say sarcastically, typing these words clutching a packet of Kleenex and spluttering over the keys. It’s always at this time I start to reevaluate my lifestyle choices, make hollow promises and berate myself for how I could have looked after myself a little bit more. Eaten a little better, exercised a little more. So, now I need your help to stay healthy!
I’m not making excuses but I’ve always believed it harder to make healthy choices when you live alone. Hear me out. It begins when shopping. Most supermarket packaging caters for couples and families: food is packaged for two or more, take bread for example. I mean, have you ever eaten a full loaf of bread by yourself before it goes stale? Exactly. When I first started to live on my own, I’d dedicate time to shopping, then return to unpack and create manageable portions that I would either freeze or plan to eat on consecutive nights. It was hard work.
In a bid save time, I started to order my food shopping online and for a short while, it worked. Hurrah! That was until Tesco introduced a £4 charge for shopping under £45. I felt this was discriminatory and refused to bump up the value of my fortnightly shop or pay the £4 supplement. In turn, I started to eat convenience food and live on a very basic and limited diet simply because it didn’t go out of date quickly or I wasn’t willing to commit time to what I was putting in my body. It was very lazy.
Then something wonderful happened! Quite simply, I was sent a food delivery of fresh food from Simply Health. Big deal, you may be thinking, however, at the time, I had no money for food and was subsiding on a diet of toast until I was paid. Seriously, I was rationing the milk. Keeping an eye on the clock, I threw together a Caesar salad within minutes intending to eat a healthy lunch at work the next day… but it looked so good, I ate it for tea and then found I had plenty left to make another one!
I also tried avocado for the first time! Seriously. I’ve never lived, have I?
So, why am I telling you this? Because, as the colder nights draw in and winter approaches, I would love healthy recipes to keep me on track with eating fresh food that’s good for me. There are so many food recipes that I read, but feel I’ll never be able to recreate within a short amount time that I’ve lost hope!
Help! What healthy lunch would you take to the office in winter?
*Post written in collaboration with Simply Health to encourage healthy choices in the workplace.*