Today I’m sharing a comforting and good-for-you spicy stew, as the girls at work and me have started a healthy living club in the office.
With January in full swing and having all over-indulged over Christmas, we decided that only way to become healthier and resist temptation was to do it together – seeing as we spend most of our time at work!
There’s almost always chocolate, sweets, cakes or biscuits going around the office and when it’s there we can’t walk past it. If we’re having a busy or stressful day then we all agree that we’ve earned a treat. And on those days when we’re tired or not feeling our best, it becomes a case of NEED not want. Sound familiar?
Now I’m not for a second saying that we’ll be cutting out all guilty pleasures – as I said in my last blog, I just can’t live like that. But I’m definitely convinced that smaller portions, lots of fresh and healthy foods, more veggie alternatives, regular snacking on healthy foods such as nuts and dried fruits, and regular exercise are the key to a healthy lifestyle.
I’m no expert, but I’ve had my fair share of difficult relationships with food and I now know that what we eat massively affects not only our weight, but our mind, concentration, sleep patterns and mood.
So we’ll see how the new healthy living goes! There are no rules at the moment – it’s more a case of making our own lunches instead of buying chips in the canteen, having healthy snakes on our desks, and supporting each other at the gym.
We all have different goals – whether it be tone up or lose weight – but our common aim is to generally feel more energised and better about ourselves.
At this time of year I crave comforting, warming food and this vegetable stew is perfect for satisfying hunger while helping you stay on the right track to healthier living.
Top Tip: Cayenne pepper contains thermogenic properties which raise metabolism and can help you lose weight.
Ingredients
Olive oil for frying
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic gloves, crushed
500ml water
1 sweet potato cut into 2cm chunks
5 large vine tomatoes (could use a tin of chopped tomatoes instead)
3 bay leaves
1 red chilli, finely chopped, seeds removed
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or ½ tsp chilli power instead)
1 courgette, diced into 2cm chunks
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Optional: Quinoa or brown rice to serve (I use Pedon bulgar and quinoa – just cook like you would rice.)
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for a couple of minutes. As the onions start to brown, add the garlic and cook until the onions are soft.
Add 50ml of the water and stir in the sweet potato. Then crush the tomatoes into the pan and add the bay leaves. Cook for five minutes.
Stir in the spices and add another 300ml of the water. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the courgette, chickpeas and the rest of the water and simmer for around 10 minutes until the sweet potato and courgette is tender.
Note: If you make this the night before, it also makes a tasty lunch and because it contains protein from the chickpeas and substance in the sweet potatoes, you really don’t need anything with it.
