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Dilute eating out with dinner at home

Tasty superfood: quinoa salad

International Women’s Day was this week and I celebrated by trying to handle a double work conflict with Chloe’s sports day. Technology is supposed to make life easier but when the calendars don’t sync on your phone and laptop, all hell breaks loose.

Funnily enough, despite going for gold in the balloon-pop race, Chloe is most adamant that I’m there for the mums’ tug-of-war. Ah, if only she knew I’ve been doing that daily for the past eight years!

At the risk of sounding like a polygamist, I still think every household needs three adults to function properly. Where’s my wife?

Whether you’re a working or stay-at-home mum, the danger is we all end up on the back burner. No matter how much we want to be healthy, most of us put our families and jobs first and let our own health and fitness slide.

I read an article recently with the headline, “Work, Sleep, Family, Fitness or Friends: Pick 3”. Entrepreneur and former Facebook director of market development Randi Zuckerberg (yes, Mark Zuckerberg’s sister), sparked huge online debate with her analysis of “having it all”. It sounds a little bleak, doesn’t it?

Without a doubt, I haven’t found a way to balance every single element of life. I’ve come close and then there’ll be a broken limb, a string of UTIs or a work shake-up to make things interesting. However, although I’m not actually a great multitasker, that’s recently been working in my favour. I’ve been combining fitness and friends a lot — and so far so good.

It’s simple really. If you don’t have enough time to work out and see your friends, why not put the two together?

We have lots of individuals taking part in Beat the Couch, but plenty of pairs, too. Best friends, spouses, siblings, in-laws, mums and daughters. It’s a great way to catch up while getting fit. I’ve been doing a few body-conditioning classes with my girlfriend so we can squeeze a chat in before and after. During is another story — we’re both too busy trying to co-ordinate our ageing limbs and breathe. Still, it’s nice to have great company as the sweat pours off your brow.

You can cook together, too — an especially good option if all the restaurant choices are piling up against you.

For many people, their social life is their sanity, but it’s a shame if it sabotages all the progress you made in the week.

Try diluting the restaurants with some dinners at each other’s houses, too — and make it healthy.

If you think healthy is boring, think again. Superfoods are positively sexy. Take this Moroccan salad, above, for example. It’s packed full of colour and vibrant flavours. It’s beautiful on a large plate in the centre of the table for everyone to share and the spiced yoghurt dressing really sets it apart. Give it a try this weekend with or without guests. You can also layer it into a mason jar for a delicious lunch on the go.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda

<p>Layered Moroccan salad with spiced yoghurt dressing</p>

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 cup cooked quinoa (add veggie stock and turmeric to the water for flavour)

• ¼ cup pomegranate seeds

• Large handful green leaves

• 1 orange (peeled and sliced)

• Handful chickpeas (garbanzos)

• Handful chopped cucumber

• 1tbs chopped fresh mint and cilantro (each)

• 1 tbs crushed pistachios

•Optional: goat cheese

For the dressing:

• 2 tbs plain yoghurt (organic dairy or plain alpro non-GMO soy)

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp maple syrup

• ¼ tsp ground cumin (more to taste)

White pepper and salt to taste

Method

• Prep the dressing and ingredients.

• If prepping for one person in a jar, layer the ingredients in, based on the order above.

• If prepping for a crowd, spread the quinoa over the base of a large dish. Once cool, cover the quinoa with the green leaves. Layer on the pomegranate, chickpeas, cucumber and orange. Drizzle with the dressing and then top with the pistachios, herbs and optional goat cheese.