Your Wellness Reset
Essential Nutrition Tips

As we move into Autumn, routines are back in full swing – school, college, work, you name it. Life is busy. This time of year, provides a great opportunity to revive good habits, implement new ones and maybe even set new fitness goals. From a nutritional standpoint, these are some ways you can make your ‘Reset’ a success. We spoke to Irish Life Wellbeing Consultant Rab Das to find out more.

Set Realistic Goals
If you are aiming for a ‘Wellness Reset,' steer clear of the ‘all or nothing’ approach. We are all juggling a lot as it is, so think about something you can easily add to your meals, maybe just one meal - that fits with your goals. For example, maybe instead of ordering a weekly takeaway, you can have the ingredients on hand to prepare a nutritious, tasty meal. Have an achievable goal; otherwise, you can easily become disheartened and give up!

Boost your Confidence
Have you heard of self-efficacy? It’s basically how confident you feel about facing new and different situations. When we prove to ourselves that we can do something, our confidence is naturally boosted. So, when it comes to making food choices, we need options that are not only achievable in the short term but are also easy to cook and tasty. The recipes provided below are just what you need.

Focus on nutritional value
Each recipe pairs a protein source with easy to prepare plant options. They also have the option of easily allowing you to add a little more flavour. For example, you can easily add a few simple and widely available ingredients to the couscous salad, to create more flavour and increase your vegetable intake. Both the protein and vegetable sources go a long way in providing fibre content and promoting feelings of fullness – key factors for long term health that we often overlook.
Remember, in this “Reset”, you’re in it for the long haul!

Recipes:
These are straightforward, quick recipes that are perfect for a “Reset” allowing us to add in more plant-based ingredients without compromising on taste, enjoy!

Prawn Stir Fry with Asparagus & Sugar Snap Peas
🍽️ Serves:2      ⏲️  Prep Time:5 min      ⏲️  Cook Time:15 min

Ingredients:

• 4 x Asparagus spears -trimmed and sliced
• Fresh prawns (400g) - alternatively you can use chicken breast, or if you’re looking for a more plant-based source, tofu works well here
• 1x tbsp coconut Oil
• Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed or minced
• 1cm x Fresh ginger – grated
• 1 x Red Pepper – deseeded and sliced
• 1 x red onion – medium, halved and thinly sliced
• 100g x sugar snap peas
• 1 x tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 x tbsp soy sauce
• 1 x handful chopped coriander
• 1 x tsp sesame oil

• Bring a pan or wok to a medium heat. Add the oil, crushed garlic, and ginger. Stir consistently for 30 seconds.
• Throw in the prawns. Toss them thoroughly until cooked through. This should take around 4 minutes (for alternatives, ensure chicken is cooked through; for firm tofu, ensure it is heated thoroughly and absorbs all flavour)
• Stir in the onion, sugar snap peas, pepper and asparagus. Allow these to cook gently but to not soften too much. Three or four minutes should be enough
• Add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and coriander. Stir to coat all ingredients.
• Serve as is or add a small portion of rice

• 4 x chicken breasts
• Moroccan spice mix or spice rub (you can use an alternative spice rub if you prefer)
• 3 x tbsp lemon juice
• 200g couscous (dried weight)
• 400ml chicken stock
• ¼ cucumber, chopped
• 6 x spring onions
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 x handful of fresh mint leaves
• 1 x olive oil

• Slice chicken breasts down the middle (meat alternatives can be used here as well)
• Mix the spice mix with 2 tbsp of lemon juice, creating a paste. Use this rub on the chicken breast.
• Prep the chicken stock using boiling water and add to a bowl containing the 200g dried couscous. Allow this to absorb for 10 minutes before adding in the chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and spring onion. Add in the final tbsp of lemon juice. Mix the mint leaves through the couscous mix.
• Heat a pan (griddle or flat) on a hob and fry the chicken breasts.
• Serve and enjoy

Link in with your dedicated Irish Life Account Manager or Wellbeing Consultant or contact us at wellness@irishlife.ie to find out how we can help.