Easy Peasy Healthy Meals - Avocados and Eggs #1

Before Christmas I decided it was time I took a long hard look at the foods I was eating and the amounts I was consuming. Alarmingly, although I had already known this, I was overeating. I'm only 5ft 4" and with a boyfriend who is 6ft 5", it's relatively easy for me to eat large amounts of food. He has a metabolism many gals would kill for, while I have eyes bigger than my belly. If he's cooking something, I usually end up tucking in too. He can handle large portions while I cannot, but always end up 'giving those portions a go!'

That's not so bad if it's little and often, but over the years (we're together over seven), little and often becomes 'bigger, and all the bleeding time'. Combined with a lack of motivation for exercise and you've got yourself a weight problem, some tight fitting clothing and a growing wardrobe of long flowing cardigans to cover your wobbly bits. If my eating regime was going to change then I had to take control of our meal times together.

Since moving to Manchester, as a couple, we are cooking more, which can only be a good thing. However I decided that I would take control of cooking the majority of our meals as then and only then would I know exactly what each one contained. I wanted to be in charge of every ingredient and when serving up food, if the boy wanted more, then he could go back and get more. No more pilling high of plates.

With that I also set to researching lots of easy, healthy meals that I could whip up when time was short. I have become increasingly interested in following the Paleo diet, which asks that you only eat whole, plant based foods and organic meats. You literally cut out all the processed crap. In comparison to my diet before Christmas, I've done well following this lifestyle, but I'm no angel either. There is always room for improvement and it's very much a work in progress.

One of my favourite Paleo meals, I've decided to share with you. Full of good fats and very filling too, I suggest giving it a go. As the blog title suggests, it's easy peasy. The  ingredients are as follows;

- 2 Avocados
- 4 Eggs
- Sprinkle of chives, salt and pepper

The recipe simply calls that you slice the avocados in half and remove the large seed inside. Personally, I love avocados when they are quite ripe and soft. This makes them easier to cut in half and easier to remove the large seed inside. I also scooped out some of the avocado and placed in a bowl, saving it for later for some side salad. Turn your oven on to about 140 degrees and place your sliced avocados on a baking tray.

Crack open an egg into each avocado and when done sprinkle some chives, salt and pepper on top. Place your baking tray into the oven and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the eggs. Our oven seems to cook at lightening speed, so usually we half the baking / cooking time a recipe suggests, otherwise dinner is burnt!

While your eggs and avocados are cooking, you can prepare a little side salad. The beauty of this dish is that you can simply eat it on its own as a quick, healthy snack or perhaps add a colourful salad, maybe some quinoa or brown rice and hey presto you have yourself a nutritious meal. In this instance, I opted for a bright salad. I roughly chopped up some tomatoes and a red onion and added some basil and a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Take your now baked avocados and eggs from the oven and allow to cool slightly. When ready, serve with your side salad and add a healthy bunch of rocket. There are some who knock the avocado, claiming it's full of fat, but the reality is, it's full of healthy, good fats and have proven to be a nutritional powerhouse of a fruit. They are an excellent source of fibre and vitamins and help reduce the amounts of bad cholesterol in your blood. Yay for the humble avocado and yay for easy meals! 

Do let me know if you give this a whirl!