Today, we focus on vegetable shakes, which will serve as the first course, entrée, or starter of my main meal. The main course, Grilled Turkey, will follow soon.

A few weeks ago, we started the series “If You Work from Home,” aimed at those who have little time to prepare their daily food. We began with breakfast.

Today, we continue with the next meal, regardless of the time you have it. I usually work and engage in other activities all morning on just muesli (I may have an apple or two if I feel hungry), then take a “siesta” before going for my second important meal. When I’m at home and haven’t planned to dine out, I have a shake—one of my vegetable shakes.

To prepare vegetable shakes, just follow the visual instructions. I do not add olive oil or salt, but you can if you wish, as well as vinegar. You can also add various other ingredients and spices as you prefer.

You must count the calories according to the table listed below, as everyone may use different quantities of ingredients. This is the moment to use the scale again if you are in the middle of a weight loss process. If you add extra virgin olive oil, remember not to use other types of oil, as their properties are quite different. Keep in mind that every gram of oil adds 9 calories to your dish. Do the same with other products you might add by consulting any calorie table.

PROCESS OF THE VEGETABLE SHAKES

Ingredientes for vegetable shakes: Tomato, cellery, cucumber, apple, carrot and avocado

The ingredients for the vegetable shakes, peeled and cut into medium dice

Mixing the vegetables for the shake

The vegetable shake is done

Ingredients for homemade muesli

I remember eating oats since I was a child. A sort of gruel, oatmeal, sometimes a more distinguished porridge, many kinds of mueslis and other mixes containing this cereal.  I always have at home non-added sugar muesli, but I prefer to make my own homemade muesli, to know well what it contains.

After a few years of experience, I have developed a quick muesli, that is really an enriched “porridge”.

I like the oats and the bran soaked in hot water. So I mix it and place in the microwave for two minutes.

Step 2 of the homemade muesli. I added the water to the oats and heated in the microwave for two minutes

You must be careful not to leave the bowl in the microwave too long. It may boil and mess the kitchen up. And you want less work, no more.

Step 3 of the homemade muesli. Add the nuts and the pumpkin seeds

Step 4 of the homemade muesli. Add the yogurt

Afterwords,  I add walnut, pumpkin seeds, wood fruit, yogurt 0% fat, and 0% skimmed milk.

Step 5 for homemade muesli. Add the skimmed milk.

And finish with the skimmed milk!

The amount of ingredients I use varies according to the day and to my activities. I don’t need to control my weight, but I have used a small kitchen scale to know the total calories of the dish.

I like early morning tea

If you work from home and have little time to prepare your food, you have different options. One of them is going to the nearest restaurant; other, order food from a pizza delivery service, or a Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, American- you name it, restaurant delivery.

There is a third option. Prepare you meals in about five minutes. Of course, you must have the products at home and just do simple actions as taking things out of the freezer the previous day. Anyway, you can always thaw the food in warm water, in case you forgot to do it.

This is what I have been doing lately. The main reasons are that I want to have a healthy and proper nutrition when I can. This happens when I am at home. When I travel, I must attend business lunches and dinners and not always have the possibility to choose what I eat. On top of that, I have to plan my meals in a different way. I usually must leave the hotel early after having a generous breakfast.

When I am at home, I get up early as well, but I’m thirsty instead of hungry. I start drinking cups and cups of tea with skimmed 0,0 milk. I like the tea loose and strong. Two hours later, I usually have a home-made muesli. I live you a picture of the ingredients, and tomorrow I’ll explain how to make it.

Every now and then, I will bring a new five minutes’ dish. Always natural and healthy.

Ingredients for my quick homemade muesli