Vegan Tacos

When the pants are fitting a bit tight and the belts are moving to the next notch we know it is time to pull the reigns back a bit and reassess our eating habits. It is so easy for bad habits to sneak into our daily diets without even us noticing much until one day an extra kilo or two appear on the scales or our old pair of shorts aren't sitting as comfortably as usual.

We all enjoy times of celebration when we allow ourselves to be more relaxed about what we put into our mouths. We also like to eat when we are happy, sad or alone. The trick is not to let those times change from being occasional to making it a habit. When I find myself in this predicament, I come back to the basics of nutrition and wholefood and start to refocus my attention on the quality of my food rather than the quantity. I focus on the nutrients, the colours and flavours and I try to be more mindful of eating slowly and enjoying the experience of eating. I remind myself of the importance of including lots of fresh veggies and fruit and to use other foods such as meat, grains and dairy as condiments.

Focusing on calories or cutting out certain food groups might reduce your waist size but often at the cost of your enjoyment. Deprivation seems to set in quickly too.  Why not focus on the enjoyment of good quality foods and the nutrients in them? Why not take the focus off compartmentalising foods into "bad" and "good". Let's focus on celebrating those foods that we should have more of, and enjoying those foods in moderation that we know should be occasional. And then, not only will we be happier but we will be so much healthier inside and out and weight loss will be an added bonus. 

With that in mind, I thought I'd share one of my favourite recipes for lunch or a light dinner. It has so much colour and lots of different textures and flavours. You won't miss the meat. 

Recipe:
Makes one serving

3 large cos lettuce leaves washed
half small avocado
lime juice
1/3 cup of cooked lentils
1 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic
1 teaspoon tahini
lemon juice
handful shredded pruple cabbage
4 baby roma tomatoes
coriander for garnish

Mash avocado and add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mash the lentils, tahini, garlic and lemon juice with the back of a fork until well combined. Top lettuce leaves with cabbage, avocado, lentils, chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves.