#100daysoffresh: update

So, #the100dayproject continues.

I am eating at least one meal of fresh goodness each day.

At least half of the time I remember to post to insta...and now I'm way overdue on blogging it! So here are a few of my recent fresh adventures:

A photo posted by Claire Roper (@cmclaire) on Jun 21, 2016 at 6:08am PDT

This super simple lunch on a busy workday was just what the doctor ordered. Mushroom risotto, green beans and beetroot :)

A photo posted by Claire Roper (@cmclaire) on Jun 29, 2016 at 12:54am PDT

Love this spicy chicken pasta - so good, so tasty. I'll be sharing the recipe (and my failure to get the step by step pictures as I left my memory card in my computer!) over here soon.

A photo posted by Claire Roper (@cmclaire) on Jun 21, 2016 at 2:13am PDT

Is there any comfort food quite like spaghetti bolognese? Atop wholemeal spaghetti and garnished with fresh parmesan, this was an ideal simple supper. The lovely folk from I heart wines sent me a bottle of Pinot Noir too, which added even more deliciousness to proceedings.

A photo posted by Claire Roper (@cmclaire) on Jun 27, 2016 at 3:12pm PDT

These berry parfaits were such a delicious Monday treat. We don't often have puddings, but these were gorge.

A photo posted by Claire Roper (@cmclaire) on Jun 18, 2016 at 6:26am PDT

When strawberries are in season, I eat them like they are going out of fashion! With greek yoghurt, honey and a thin bagel, this was a lovely brunch.

So that's how we are eating here - how about you?

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#100daysoffresh, days 36 - 40.

While I'm a little behind in posting about it, I am keeping up with my #100daysoffresh mission. I love making and enjoying healthy, tasty food, so it's a great little project! Here's some of the recent good stuff :)

Day 36

An evening at Rawligion had me utterly spoiled for fresh food choices.  This kelp in vegan pesto was showstopping!

Day 37

Is anyone else having a total asparagus moment at the current time? Cooked, topped with a little soft cheese, drizzled with a honey-balsamic dressing. Delicious!

Day 38

My homemade muesli is pretty yummy at the best of times, but paired with walnut-date milk? Gorgeous, and oh so satiating!

Day 39

This is one of my favourite juices - when the snack monster comes calling a glass of this is just the trick. It's insanely simple (spinach, carrot, apple, water) but the slight sweetness is perfect at 11 or 4 when your willpower might be waning....

I kept the slumbering Leela in shot because it made me laugh! She loves to perch in the boxes across from the work surfaces where I prep - she can see what's going on but doesn't get told off for being up on the side.  She's such a good sous-chef!

Day 40

I was going to make my own flatbread....but was missing a key ingrediest. So I grabbed a naan out of the freezer and topped it with spicy red pepper tapenade, vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, and soft goats cheese. Lunch of champions, right there.

I'm loving playing with different flavours and ingredients as we move into the warmer days. What ingredients are you loving right now?

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#100daysoffresh: Days 31 - 35

Vegetables for days!

This challenge is really a great way to make sure that at least one meal a day is fruit or veggie based. I'm a big fan of said foods, and happily chow down on my five-to-seven portions a day, but the challenge to compose a pretty plate of produce (or to order it in a restaurant over other, perhaps more processed options) has been fun and thought-provoking.

Here's the yumminess of the past little while:

Day 31

Some days you just crave simple, tasty comfort food. Creamy-cheesy spinach pasta (I must share my cheat for this, half the calories you'd expect!), topped with a little grated carrot and ripe, vibrant vine ripened tomatoes.

Day 32

On Saturday I headed out of London for a blog event sponsored by The Pointer (review to follow, this country mouse was in her element!), and this was my gorgeous plate of veggies, less a couple of asparagus spears which I'd gobbled ahead of remembering to take a snap!

Day 33

Fruit salad for breakfast again - yumminess on a sunny day!

Day 34

One of the simplest meals I know, a quick and tasty veggie stir fry! I tend to improv and just use what we have in, so it's a frugal dream too: this is courgette, sweetcorn, and red pepper, plus a simple sauce of fresh lemon juice, honey and light soy sauce.  Add in a bag of microwave rice (my kind of convenience product) and you have a delicious meal for two!

Day 35 

The lovely Emma invited me out to Chelsea to look at the flowers on display at Chelsea in Bloom, and we had a great time chatting, taking pictures and having a rickshaw ride. After our wanderings we popped in to Comptoir Libinais for dinner and I loved this fresh, crunchy chicken, feta and pomegranate salad.

I'm trying out some new recipes next month which I can't wait to share - I'm sure plenty of them will feature as part of this challenge too!

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#100daysoffresh: Days 16 - 20

This little project is such fun.  I love fruits and veggies, but this is a great way to share the many ways I incorporate them into my diet, and it's inspiring me to try new recipes, combinations, fruits and vegetables.  Here's the latest on my #the100dayproject.

Day 16

So simple, so tasty!  A crisp apple sliced up, with peanut butter for dipping.  I'm not the biggest snacker anymore, but when I do this is a firm favourite.

Day 17

The first of these lovely sunny days we've been having, which called for a picnic lunch!  I packed up my favourite tiffin box (similar to this, just in different colours - so great for outside dining), marched off to vote, then met my friend Natalie in the QEOP for a catch up over salads.  Crudites, meat and cheese, and a simple strawberry and spinach salad.  Such a fave.

 Day 18

I knew I had a busy evening ahead (I went to Cluequest with a bunch of other blogging lovelies - post to follow!) so a hearty salad was in order.

Day 19

I made a simple pasta sauce, sauteing peppers, courgettes and plum tomatoes, plus a little bacon.  We served this on top of sweet potato 'noodles' - a first for me.  I liked them!  The consistency and taste is a little odd to begin with (visually you're expecting pasta, and it's not pasta!), but the more I ate the more I enjoyed.  Very simple to prepare (these are the ones we made) and filled me up brilliantly, with no post-pasta bloat to deal with.

Day 20

My homemade muesli, topped with apple and strawberries. Such a yummy breakfast!

So we are now a fifth of the way through - more to come, lots of flavours and foods to try. There are so many fun projects to check out through the main hashtag for #the100dayproject - inspiration abounds!

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#100daysoffresh update: days 11-15

I had every intention of writing this up this morning, but then got woefully distracted by cats and glorious sunshine, so I'm sat here a little more freckled and having caught the sun too.  Vitamin D suitably replenished, here are the next five additions to my freshness adventure!

Day 11: 

Crisp, fresh Greek salad - I prefer it without olives!


Day 12:

Conchiglie with a fresh roasted tomato and basil sauce.

Day 13: 

Courgette, pepper and sweet potato soup.

Day 14:

 Sometimes freshness can be a little naughtier - homemade chocolate chip sponge with fresh spring strawberries.

Day 15:

Fresh fusilli with a medley of vegetables and red pepper sauce.

Loving this challenge and the way it's making me think about the food I buy and eat, and how the visual side of food impacts everything.

Happy eating!

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#100daysoffresh update 2, days 6-10

The #100daysoffresh fun continues over on my instagram, with each day presenting new ways to make delicious and nutritious goodies.  It's inspiring me to create and try new flavours - I'm eating so well!  Here's some recent goodness.

Day 6: 

Love a good, slightly geometric, salad.  Courgette, cucumber, tomatoes and pepper.  Perfect crunchiness!

Day 7:

Freshness for breakfast - what a way to start a week!  Spinach, tomatoes, scrambled egg, guacamole and salsa.

Day 8:

Pan-fried courgette and peppers, with a honey and balsalmic glaze - perfect for an April day with snow.

Day 9:

Loved this creation, a new one for me.  Shaved pieces of sweet potato, roasted in a little olive oil.  Quartered slices of courgette, roasted in olive oil and chilli & garlic flakes.  Halfway through the roasting time add some pieces of feta to the courgette roasting dish.  Complete roasting, plate up, and drizzle with a little honey.  Devour with such gusto that you end up with small spatters on your teeshirt.  Regret nothing.*

*Last two steps optional.

Day 10:

Some days, you just need a sandwich....soft wholemeal bread, homemade basil butter, then loaded up with thick slices of deli chicken, halved miniature plum tomatoes, and loads of spinach.

So good.

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#100daysoffresh update, days 1 - 5

So far I am really enjoying my #100daysoffresh project over on instagram.  It's really making me think about what I'm eating, and to look for ways to make my plates appealing and nutritious.  Here's what I've been consuming and sharing so far!

Day 1:

Thinly sliced courgettes, matchstick carrots and halved plum tomatoes.  So yummy, served with a sprinkling of lime juice (I'm rather addicted to limes at the moment!

Day 2:

Shaved carrots and courgettes, surrounded with peppers and tomato. Served with a simple balsalmic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Day 3:

A smoothie stuffed with all sorts of vibrant, pretty lovelies!  Spinach, grapes, strawberries, carrots, cucumber, apple & green tea.  Such a great way to kick off the day!

Day 4:

A simple plate of cucumbers, spinach and carrot.  Served alongside grilled salmon and dressed with Mary Berry's light salad dressing (which is amazing, by-the-by).

Day 5:

It's a pretty chilly day here in London, so I opted for slow roasted plum tomatoes with basil, served alongside a hunk of fresh, crusty bread - perfect for mopping up the tomato and basil infused oil!

I'm having such fun with this challenge and am excited to see what freshness awaits.  Are you taking part in #the100dayproject?  I'm posting every day over on my instagram and am so loving being part of the project (even on the days I get the hashtag wrong.  Whoops!). There are so many creative people on board - it's fast becoming my favourite hashtag to follow!

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