Lifestyle: The Diet Reboot

Whilst this post might have been better-timed a few weeks ago, when everyone was all fired up for the #NewYearNewMe, annual January fitness regimes etc, I wanted to hold off. I wanted to time to try out my new cookbooks, actually play around with some ingredients. In short, actually practice what I preach…

I’m not currently trying to lose any weight, not really. I didn’t put on any over Christmas and my skinny jeans still fit. Instead I want to beat the bloating issue I have going on, tone up and generally feel a little healthier. I’d noticed my diet slipping towards the end of the year and quickly was back into a not-so-good gastro cycle. I knew it was time to sort it out pronto!

And so it was back to a higher-fat diet, less of the carbs, more of the protein and fiber. Sounds much less exciting, right?!

I do like eating ‘clean’ though, more so than even I realize. I try to stick to the 80:20 rule, treating myself every so often (usually when W is with me – living together is going to be a huge test of my willpower!). Even so I was getting stuck for healthy recipe ideas. Courgetti is all well and good, but I was getting into a routine and just knew I’d be whacking out the Mac’n’Cheese if I didn’t mix it up. Amazon Prime came to the rescue though, and I was able to order a huge stack of cookbooks and ingredients to arrive the very next day. Oh how I love next-day delivery!

Jamie’s Everyday Superfood

This was the book that reallllyyyy tempted brought me to break my cookbook-buying-ban of 2015 (I made it until December!). In all honest whilst the styling is absolutely gorgeous, most of the recipes and ingredients are just a little too inaccessible on a student budget. That said – the magic poached eggs are some of the yummiest things. This was the recipe that taught me the easiest way of poaching eggs (see here for my egg guide!) and adding fresh chilli is pure genius.

Hemsley Hemsley: The Art of Eating Well

This was top on my cookbook-wishlist, and it hasn’t disappointed. It’s full of colourful and healthy sound recipes – even picking it up for a read tempts me to make ‘good’ choices. I love the idea of thinking more about what I eat, eating cleaner and healthier. I’ve also been trying to follow the principle of “something raw with every meal” which this book has helped with perfectly – the Bacon, Red Cabbage and Pecan salad is divine!

Infuser Water Bottle

I really do struggle to drink enough water – tea is my drink of choice thank you very much. I quite often will fail to get through even the smallest bottle of water in a whole day up on campus, so I hoped this would turn me around. It has improved my water intake, I’m tending to get through two of these a day which is such a significant improvement. The downside? It’s a bugger to wash, and my bladder won’t last through a fifty minute lecture…

Raw Cacao Powder

I’ve been after some of this stuff for months, and was really struggling to find some for a decent price. Turns out there’s a huge range of ingredients over on Amazon which are perfect for my healthy eating kick. This is great; high in protein, bags of flavor and it tastes so rich and chocolatey. Yum!

Deliciously Ella (Books 1 & 2)

I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about the first book, mainly cos I’m as far away from a vegan as you can get. I mean, two of my favorite hastags on Instagram are #burgerporn and #yolkporn…I ended up getting Deliciously Ella for Christmas, so the Everyday Eating was first on my New Year New Me Amazon Wishlist. I love the fact that you definitely don’t need to be vegan to be hugely tempted by Ella’s recipes. In fact she advises using some of them as sides to meat or fish. And the breakfast ideas?! Heaven!

Chia Seeds

One of my favorite ingredients, I love adding these to porridge for an extra boost. They have such a lovely, creamy texture and keep me full all morning. I also love using them to make instant ‘jam,’ but the real reason I ordered these? To finally give making energy balls a go. Something about them still really, really doesn’t appeal to me, but right now I think they are what I need. I often find myself a little shaky come 4pm so I reckon these are the perfect pick-me-up snack. We shall see!

Amazon Student was definitely a life-saver when it came to making a split-decision to clean up my eating. If you haven’t heard of Amazon Student, it’s discounted Amazon Prime for students. For just £39 (with a free six-month trial too!) you get access to Prime Video, Prime Music, and my favourite… next day delivery. Thanks to Amazon Student my bits and bobs were with me next day, and having ordered so much over the last few months I now know roughly when my order will turn up on any given day (embarrassing right?!). I’ll certainly be sorry when my student status ends come summer!

*Post in collaboration with Amazon

Are you an Amazon fan? What are your favorite ‘clean eating’ ingredients?