What makes a 'foodie'?

I see the term ‘foodie’ splashed about a lot; from blogs and reviews to ‘Come Dine with Me’ and ‘Dinner Date’. I am not completely au fait as to how a person warrants this title, however from my understanding, a foodie is a person that takes great interest in the ingredients they’re consuming and likes to expand their pallet and whet their appetite with new dishes and tastes. Therefore, I guess I am a foodie…or just a person who loves to eat!

Super foods and snacking

I am super conscious about the food I consume and try to ensure I know exactly what ingredients are in each of my meals. The reason for this is mainly because I know how much sugar and salt is used in processed foods. Saying that, I’m no angel and of course give in to some naughty treats now and again! Fortunately I do love a superfood; blueberries, salmon, pomegranate, almonds….I can’t get enough of them and try to incorporate them into my diet as often as possible. I have such a sweet tooth; my idea of heaven is a warm, gooey, salted caramel brownie, with a side of cinnamon infused apple crumble – my mouth waters just thinking about it! To satisfy my naughty sweet cravings, I tend to reach for a Pink Lady apple (which are always super crunchy and sweet), a satsuma, banana, blueberries, or pecan nuts.

L.A is full of cold press juiceries

Breakfast

As per this blog’s namesake, my favourite meal of the day is breakfast. I could eat cereal, porridge and eggs for breakfast lunch, dinner and all that’s in between! My favourite cereals are All Bran, Shreddies and Muesli; these cereals contain plenty of fibre but not too much sugar, which is what you’ve got to be careful of with cereal. To sweeten up the cereal – again, catering to my sweet tooth, I tend to add sultanas instead of refined sugar. I also love porridge; it’s just so hearty and filling. I love trying different ways of spicing up my porridge game, from almond milk and cinnamon, to blueberries and crushed pecan nuts. I love going to Little Italy in Haddenham for a Sunday treat every so often – it’s such a cosy little café and has a lovely, relaxed ambiance, while serving up delicious, good-for-you food. I tend to go for the scrambled eggs, wholegrain toast and smoked salmon - with a mug of their delicious coffee of course. Their frittatas are also scrummy!

Baked banana, blueberry and raison porridge

Lunch

I like to change up my lunch every couple of days; otherwise I become bored. I love having left over dinner for lunch as I find that the flavours infuse overnight. I am also a firm believer in not wasting food and I completely agree with eco-friendly restaurant Poco UK chef, Tom Hunt when he said "I think there should be laws in place to stop food that is fit for human consumption being thrown away by businesses".

The usual lunch time meals I turn to are soup and a wholemeal pitta bread, quinoa with roasted vegetables and chicken, left over vegetable curry, a chicken salad with lots of tasty extras like feta cheese, falafel etc. and other hearty but healthy dishes. I like to ensure I am getting three main nutrients; carbohydrates, which are paramount in giving me the energy I need throughout the afternoon, protein, a key nutrient in building body strength, and fibre; no need to go into what this particular nutrient is for.

Heaven

Dinner

I love cooking and discovering new dishes to create. A great source for delicious recipes is BBC Good Food; the app hosts a wealth of recipes, from classic dishes to healthy alternatives. It also allows me to save my favourite recipes, which is great when I know that a particular meal has been a hit! I don’t eat red meat and so chicken, fish and vegetable based dishes tend to be my go-tos. As I’ve mentioned, I love to know what ingredients are going into my meals and to me there’s no better way of knowing, than cooking your meals from scratch.

Yummy nutty chicken curry