Miranda Brady is a 26-year old accountant and health enthusiast who is passionate about nourishing her body through food and fitness. Miranda loves creating healthy versions of everyone’s favourite foods to show them that living a “healthy lifestyle” does not only mean eating kale salads and drinking lemon water.
Heres a little sneak peek into a day in the life of Miranda...
My full-time job is quite demanding and after a long day, the last thing I feel like doing is spending hours in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. I find the key to maintaining a healthy diet is to have a fridge full of healthy ingredients, that way you never have the excuse ‘there’s nothing to eat!’. I always do a big grocery shop on a Sunday (which I love to share on Instagram) which includes loads of fruit, veggies, proteins (red and white meats, legumes, beans and lots of fish), whole grains and healthy fats.
5.45am
I wake up at 5.45am, jump in my gym gear and head straight to the gym and smash out a HIIT or weights session before I even have time to think. Working out in the morning sets me up for the day and means that I don’t have to worry about it in the afternoon especially if something comes up at work or I’ve just had a super tiring day.
8.30am
I tend to eat breakfast when I get to work so that it’s not so rushed. In winter I’ve been loving a big bowl of oats with protein powder (great to help build muscle, keeps me full and adds natural sweetness), nut butter and lots of berries. But now that the weather is warming up a little I’m turning towards something fresher like Chobani FIT or Yopro yoghurt with fruit and muesli. I always make sure I start my day with a balanced brekkie - protein (super important because I work out in the morning), wholegrain carbs and healthy fats so that I’m not hungry an hour later.
11.00am
I LOVEEE coffee but prefer to have it as a mid-morning snack. My go-to coffee order is an almond milk flat white 3/4 full, topped up with hot water! I like to snack on raw nuts and corn thins with nut butter or fruit.
1.00pm
Lunch is usually some kind of leftovers from dinner the night before otherwise, my favourite is a nourish bowl with boiled eggs or homemade falafels, hummus and avocado! My lunches are built around a source of protein (eggs, beans, legumes, chicken or tinned tuna) and a huge salad. People always ask me how I can eat so many veggies without getting bored so I’ll let you in on my secret… it’s all in the dressing! Here is the recipe for my favourite healthy super creamy dressing:
- 1/3 apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbs tahini
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
4.00pm
Most of us get an energy slump at this time of the day and want to reach for something sweet. I think it's super important to include protein in an afternoon snack so that you stabilize your blood sugar level and don’t overeat at dinner time. I always have some kind of healthy protein-based sweet treat in the freezer (protein brownies are my favourite but I have so many recipes on my Instagram account) so that I have a healthy option that still satisfies my sweet tooth.
7.00pm
I do eat red and white meat so dinner could be chicken or steak but I love fish, especially salmon. I pair this with lots of greens and either rice, pasta or starchy veggies as my carbs. If there was one meal I could eat forever it would be honey mustard salmon which I make by frying a fillet of salmon (crispy skin is a must!) and caramelizing it with honey, dijon mustard and lemon juice with brown rice and a simple green salad; or curry! My family loves curry - I find curries are a great way to add in lots of veggies to a diet, they are super cheap and are great to make in bulk for meal prep.
8.30pm
I always finish my day off with a cup of peppermint or chamomile tea because it’s super calming and really helps me unwind before bed.
Recipe: Creamy Red Lentil Dahl
Ingredients
- 200g red lentils
- 1 tbs grass-fed butter/ghee
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 400g tinned diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chilli
- 1-2 tsp salt, to taste
Method
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent
- Add the turmeric and chilli and stir for 30 secs until fragrant
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
- Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan and simmer for approx. 25 mins, stirring every 5 mins so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom
- Add more water if needed, you want the lentils to really soften for that creamy consistency
Recipe: PB & J Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 4 tbs maple syrup
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 30g peanut butter or vanilla protein (can sub for an additional ¼ cup flour)
- 2 tbs peanuts
Strawberry Jelly Ingredients
- 200g strawberries
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbs stevia
Method
- Preheat oven to 160 and line a cake tin
- Melt peanut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup together in a saucepan over medium heat until a smooth consistency
- Add flour, protein powder, almond meal and stir until well combined
- Press 2/3 of crumble mixture into the cake tin and bake for 15 mins
- Simmer strawberry jelly ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, when strawberries soften mash with a fork and set mixture aside to cool (the chia seeds will set and the mixture will thicken as it cools)
- Top crumble with strawberry jelly, remaining crumble mixture and peanuts
- Bake for a further 15 mins until golden
- Cool completely before cutting into squares