21 Jan 2015 | By Sun International
5 Tips for Healthy Eating from Executive Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams
“We all want to be thin and healthy (especially after the festive season) but we still have to feed our children and husband while still keeping up with our job commitments – so how do we achieve healthy eating with limited time?
I am willing to give you my secrets to eating responsibly without getting tired of the same things again and again… you know that tinned tuna and rice fad…? So last decade!” --- Jocelyn Myers-Adams.
Jocelyn Myers-Adams is the Executive Chef at Cape Town’s beloved Table Bay Hotel, serving up amazing dishes in the hotel’s popular restaurants. She’s also a busy mom and a dedicated wife – if anyone knows all about long working days and limited time at home, it’s her.
Jocelyn took some time out of the kitchen recently to share her tips and tricks on eating healthy while satisfying your family’s hungry bellies and fussy appetites.
Chef Jocelyn’s 5 time-saving, healthy-cooking tips:
- Start by cooking quinoa…simple, read the instructions on the packet, make yourself enough to use for 3 dinner meals for the week-approximately half a cup per serving for each person and quarter cup if your child is less than 5 years old.
- Then roast sweet potatoes, make enough to use for 3 dinner meals for the week - approximately 150 g per serving for each person and half that if your child is less than 5 years old.
- Keep a variety of different vegetables in your fridge to use in a heartbeat. Set aside time once a week to get your ‘prepared’ items in order. Change these items weekly so you have variety and many choices. Spending 30 minutes doing this veggie prep will make the rest of the week much, much easier.
Chef Jocelyn’s fridge fresh veggie list:
- chopped garlic
- grated carrot
- slivered green beans
- grated beetroot
- fresh baby spinach
- sliced swiss chard
- any lettuce greens - rocket, butter lettuce
- shaved fennel
- sliced spring onion
- baby tomatoes
- shaved red onion
- fresh herbs (parsley, fennel fronds, wild garlic, rosemary whatever you enjoy)
- Toasted herbs
- Now you have a choice of healthy items at hand, you can use them to prepare healthy and quick meals. Just add a protein of your choice.
- Keeping a night or two meat-free is a good way to introduce more veggies into your diet, and spend less money on meat.
What can you make with these ingredients? Chef Jocelyn recommends:
Seared Norwegian salmon with quinoa, shaved red onion, shaved fennel, fennel fronds, slivered green beans, fresh herbs, baby spinach, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon zest and juice.
Grilled beef fillet with mashed sweet potato with sliced spring onion and sautéed garlic, tomato, sliced swiss chard, extra virgin olive oil and rosemary.
Roast chicken with sweet potato salad (with grated carrot, vinegar, shaved red onion, slivered green beans) and leafy greens with grated beetroot and extra virgin olive oil.
Meat free: Quinoa with toasted seeds, shaved fennel, parsley, fennel fronds, sliced spring onion, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest and avocado.
Stir-fried quinoa with egg and your choice of vegetables.
Keep an eye out for more tips, recipes and foodie secrets from Jocelyn’s kitchen, right here!
Want more of Jocelyn Myers-Adams kitchen-spiration?
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chefjocelyn
Table Bay Hotel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TableBayHotelSA and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTableBayHotel