Michaela Hanna

Here together with Harrogate Organics we talk about food choices, and whats important. 

Discovering what eating well for you is can take time, and practice. Some people have no intolerances or allergies, a love of all food stuffs and the ability to buy whatever they would like to eat. Some people can’t be in the same room as a peanut for risk of anaphylactic shock, others have mental health challenges with eating, and specific food items, and for many the cost of quality ingredients is prohibitive

Time is also a major factor in food choices. Over the past few years I have learned that convenience tends to be the ultimate factor when deciding what to eat. I love nothing more than to be in my kitchen at 6pm with 90 minutes of blissful cooking time in front of me. I tend not to think much when I’m cooking, it’s melodic, and my perfect mindful activity.

This does not happen every day! Stuff happens, plans change, so meals do too. I also appreciate that just because I find joy in doing this, does not mean that everyone does. I know I can help you eat well quickly. Jamie is right – you can have a great meal ready in 15 minutes, even taking into account all the home economics and video production support he has! Choose the right ingredients, embrace multi-tasking and you’re halfway there.

Meal prepping and bulk cooking really does help lower food costs too. Knowing your proteins is also a great help. Protein is often the most expensive element of a meal. Dietary advice states we should eat between 0.8 and 2g of protein (depending on activity levels and physical performance goals) per kilogram of body weight. That can add up to a lot of pennies on protein. Sources are varied in many ways - cost, dietary suitability and cooking technique.
I will offer suggestions for different proteins in every relevant recipe so you can adapt to suit your diet.

I understand the good diet challenges, so my aim is to share some knowledge with you that will give you the confidence to try things you haven’t tried before, or have tried and have not been satisfied with. I’m going to share some simple tips and tricks that will help with convenience, economy and importantly to me…….flavour!

I also want to share some knowledge of the science of ingredients and hope that with some understanding you’ll be in a better position to make good food choices for you, and for your cooking. If you have any questions you’d like answering you can get in touch with me through Instagram @fitchefharrogate or via e-mail michaela@fitchefharrogate.co.uk – I’d love to hear from you.