I did it. I got through 11 weeks of classes for trimester 1. I admit, it was hard getting back into the swing of things after having such a nice summer break and it took me a couple of weeks to feel motivated with studying full time again, but I'm proud of the work I've been doing and the marks I've received. It's not over yet though! 3 out of 4 of my trimester 1 subjects have exams (which are in the first 2 weeks of June) so that makes this week (and the beginning of next) a head down bum up kind of week for me! I've taken annual leave from work so I can fully dedicate the next week and a bit to studying and hopefully finish the trimester off with a bang!
In order to get the most out of my study week I nourished myself with wholesome food and took regular breaks to separate myself and not get weighed down. I set a routine for myself, waking up and going to bed at a certain time, allowing time for exercise, reading, seeing friends and other things I enjoy doing such as creating recipes and cooking. I also set out a schedule of certain times to dedicate to each subjects revision and have worked hard at sticking to these schedules as I find I work best when I have a plan.
I thought I'd use this weeks blog to share with you what I ate this week as I spent most of my days at home and was therefore able to put together some really delicious and wholesome meals! A lot of the meals featured this week are ones I've been working on as part of a recipe book I'm creating for a program I'm helping with in the coming weeks.. I'm so excited for it! (Don't worry, I'll be writing all about it, so stay tuned!).
So lets get into the food.. this is a plant based blog after all!
MONDAY:
B: Oats with ground flax seeds, mixed frozen berries, seeds & peanut butter.
L: Baked sweet potato chunks with salad, cucumber and hummus.
D: Rainbow pasta salad.
S: Berry muffin (my parents, boyfriend & his parents all approved of these muffins.. they're so good!).
TUESDAY:
B: Granola with banana, orange, soy milk and chia seeds.
S: Date & walnut banana bread (SO HAPPY with how this recipe came out!).
L: Fresh fruit: apples and oranges (I knew I was in for a big dinner!).
D: Pad Thai @ Loving Hut - dinner with a girlfriend before we went to Superfeasts Tonic Herb & Medicinal Mushroom workshop! (more on that later!)
WEDNESDAY:
B: Mexican mushrooms & beans @ Lentil As Anything.
L: Tofu & vegetable rice paper rolls with a sesame-ginger dressing.
S: Date & walnut banana bread.
D: Red lentil dahl with brown rice and salad.
Today's lunch was extra special as it was a collaboration with Spin and Spice! Kendra is a creative blogger who writes amazing recipes that are fresh, clean, wholesome and nutritious. I highly recommend checking her out and trying out some of her recipes!
THURSDAY:
B: Oats with banana, ground flax seeds, berry chia jam & seeds (after my first workout back at the gym in about 2 years!).
L: Hummus & vegetable pasta (also a winning recipe!).
S: Apple, orange and some almonds.
D: Lentil stuffed jacket potatoes with fresh salad.
FRIDAY:
B: Millet porridge with ground flax seeds, banana, frozen mixed berries & seeds.
L: Toasted bean burrito.
S: Purple grapes.
D: Baked sweet potatoes with Mexican chilli beans.
Throughout my days I also sip on lots of water, green/herbal tea, lemon & ACV hot water, the occasional black coffee and recently I've been incorporating Superfeasts 'Neural Nectar' as a warming drink.
If you are new to the idea of Medicinal Mushrooms/Tonic Herbs (as am I), they are remedies that when consumed daily promote longevity, prevent illness and improve quality of life. These herbs are well tolerated by the body and do not force the body to change, but instead, work with it to adapt and have a slow, nourishing and normalising effect on body systems such as the nervous, endocrine (hormonal) and immune systems.
Medicinal Mushrooms are adaptogens, meaning they assist the body in how the nervous system responds to and handles stress. By taking adaptogens, your body knows what to do when it is under stress and doesn't suddenly release a bunch of cortisol (which ultimately leads to adrenal fatigue and degeneration). Adaptogens accumulate in benefits over time, so the longer you take them, the more the advantages will build and grow. Over time, your body's own adaptive nature will be restored and it will learn to find it's own healthy balance. Medicinal Mushrooms are still something that are new to me, but I find the concept of them extremely interesting and am looking forward to seeing how my body adapts to including them into my day to day life!
Hope you enjoyed seeing what a week of plant based eating looks like for me! If any of the above meals stood out to you, feel free to get in contact with me as I'd be happy to share my recipes!
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