Healthy Habits: The Desk Drawer

Last week, we had a look at some of the healthy things you can stack your fridges with so that healthy food is always accessible.

Really, it's not very far to go. Your desk, to the fridge, return. This makes life seriously easy for you. Sometimes, however, crisis hits. We get STOPPED, stuck, literally glued to our desks, unable to leave. A long conference call or major client outage or sudden threat of serious legal action can all be very powerful motivators to skip lunch and try really hard not to need to pee!

So when you can't move, but your tummy is a-grumblin', what is there to do?

Well, there are a few solutions I can share with you right now!

Some answers come in little tins. Now, fresh is ALWAYS best, but we're talking about what we eat in desperate need instead of running to the vending machine or simply going hungry. These are relatively healthy foods in convenient little packages.

First is the little tin of tuna. Coles Italian Style tuna is very tasty and only 59 calories per serve. You get all the benefits of increasing your intake of fish for very few calories and it won't ruin your appetite. Be very label aware when selecting your tuna. Some flavours are up to 200 calories in one tiny tin! Safcol salmon sachets (lemon and dill - 160cal) are another another delish fishy solution. If you're on the hungrier side of the snack attack, have either of these with 2 wholegrain crackers, like Vitaweet 9 grains. I don't advocate going for grains, especially the processed kind, as your first option, but again, we're looking at healthy crisis outcomes.

Next we have BEANS! Edgell have us taken care of here, releasing 4 packs of mini tins in great flavour combinations. Everything from 4 bean mix to chickpeas and corn - these are about 100 calories per serve and just AMAZING for you. Beans are incredible. A great source of fiber, vitamin B, folate and cheap as chips! I'm not going to keep ranting about beans, but you should head to this link for more information on why to ramp up your bean intake. You won't regret it :)

Nuts are another go-to-guy in case of emergency and should be an occasional inclusion in every healthy diet. Each different nut has different health benefits, but you're looking at heart healthy fats across the board and, like beans, limited insulin response. Don't go nuts with the nuts though, they pack a calorie punch. That said, you're better off eating them now and then that you are not eating them :) Lucky brand make a little six pack of boxed natural mixed nuts, meaning they come to you portion controlled and you get a little bit of goodness from across the nutty families.

Do you have any other desk drawer favourites? What are your best convenient food selections?

Healthy Habits: Fridge Favourites

I did work in an office, once upon a time, and I used to eat healthy even back then! Much of my diet was the same, despite the fact that it is now organic and higher in good quality fat (and much lower in tinned food). There are staples that you will always find in my fridge at home and these can always be stored in your office fridge at work. We want to avoid the temptation to buy things from the cafe of the vending machine. One trip to the local supermarket near your office means you have a well stocked work fridge at MUCH lower cost and it's all healthy!

Coles sells bags of organic carrots and apples. I go through one of each every week. I make my own hummus from organic chickpeas, lemons, garlic and tahini - but coles also sells a light hummus, tzatziki AND a fabulous beetroot and mint dip that you can put with your carrot or chosen nibbling vegetable. Tomato salsa is another excellent dipping choice, as is cottage cheese if you eat stuff that comes from cows.

There is ALWAYS natural sheeps milk yoghurt in my fridge. I use it as the base for my own dips, I put 100g with a sliced up apple or pear or with any kind of berry as a snack, and I put it over my soaked rolled oats for breakfast. Any natural yoghurt is great to have in the fridge to put with fruit at any time of day. Combining your fruit with the yoghurt gives you a little bit of fat and protein to slow both the digestion of the fruit and the blood sugar response to the fruit sugars.

I spoke about keeping a stash of boiled eggs last week - but you of the meat eating persuasion could keep lean, low fat turkey or ham slices in the fridge to snack on as well.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's installment of healthy habits! Do you have any other fridge favourites?

Next week, we'll put some nutrition into your desk drawer :)

Tell me what you're thinking people! I want to know if you're out there..

Healthy Habits: Portable Food

I'm travelling around all the time and I always carry my own food. I can't trust that wherever I'll be there will be healthy food options available, so I take the time to make sure my nutritional requirements are taken care of properly, as part of my every day preparation.

Fruit and veg are great on the run, as is a little container filled with a handful of almonds. I usually carry an apple and a carrot. In addition, I'll carry eggs in one of 2 forms: hard-boiled or a frittata.

Hard boiling is easy. There's very little mess and very little fuss. Pop them in a saucepan with enough water to cover, boil them for at least 5 minutes and then rinse them under cold water and peel them immediately. It's really easy to peel them if you transfer them from hot to cold straight away - it's very difficult if you wait until later. I eat 2 a day and have always had low cholesterol. Eating eggs is fine. Eating deep fried stuff and trans fats - THAT is bad for the ticker.

One of my favourite frittata combinations is goats cheese and grated zucchini with oregano and chives. You could use baby spinach and cherry tomato or even parmesan and olive with whatever herbs you fancy. It's pretty easy, too! Grate a large zucchini, measure out 40g goats cheese and whisk up 8 eggs in a bowl. Heat a medium frypan over a medium heat - use a little olive oil if you need to, nothing sticks to mine, I'm lucky. I like to mix the zucchini and herbs through the egg mixture with salt and pepper but there are different theories on this being right or wrong... I put that in the frypan and crumble the goats cheese over it. Once the edges start to cook, I lower the heat a little and warm my grill. Once it's just about done, just a little gooey on top, I pop it under the grill to finish it off - until it's beautiful and golden. I then slice it into 4 serves and put each into a container, ready to go in my bag when I head out the door.

I also carry an emergency tin of Coles Italian style tuna and never leave home without a spoon and a fork... Though I'll admit my travel cutlery is plastic.

Do YOU have any good tips on portable healthy eats to avoid getting caught out with the munchies when you're on the go?