Top Tip from Fiona:
Shop your pantry, fridge and freezer first!!!
Doing this meant Fiona made 232 snacks spending just $70* at the shops!
As a busy mum of two with her eldest baby (4 years) heading off to Kinder for the first time, Fiona knew she needed to be prepared for the next few weeks of chaos.
Besides the box of tissues (be kind to yourself Fi!) the next thing on Fiona’s mind was all the snacks that her little one will need. Not just for school but also after school treats when he comes home starving.
With the help of The Healthy Mummy app Fiona managed to make 232 healthy lunch box snacks that will make life much easier over the next few weeks!
About Fiona
Fiona has been a Healthy Mummy for four years now and lost 34kg.
Having undergone multiple knee surgeries, following an ACL injury (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and suffering associated arthritis, Fi found that along with being overweight, the pain was impacting on life with her son.
There was a defining moment for Fi Redding when she knew that if she didn’t make some sort of lifestyle change, there would be special moments and experiences that she would miss out with her son.
“I became determined to make a change whilst playing with my child on the floor. What should have been a fun and special time with my son caused me to struggle in pain. I realised that if I didn’t make a change, there would be moments and experiences that I would miss out on with my child.”
Fi was determined to set a good example of being healthy and to be able to run around parks and enjoy every day without being held back by her health or her weight. She threw herself into The Healthy Mummy and the 28 Day Weight Loss Challange and lost an amazing 34kgs.
Read Fiona’s full story Multiple knee surgeries have not stopped this mum losing weight and smashing her goals.
Fiona made 232 snacks costing her just $70
By being budget-conscious and first checking the pantry and fridge to see what ingredients Fiona already had available, she then planned the best recipes to make utilising those staple ingredients. After working out exactly what extras she needed to grab her top-up grocery shop was just $70!
What an incredible effort to make all these AMAZING healthy snacks!
The Healthy Mummy recipes Fiona made include:
24 x Apricot and oat bliss balls
16 x Chocolate pretzel stacks
8 x Hummus and vegetable sticks
24 x Orange and poppy seed muffins
8 x 2 Ingredient healthy strawberry rollups
8 x Simple panna cotta
32 x Healthy zucchini slice
12 x Coconut berry slice
100 x Chocolate brownie cookies
Fiona’s budget tips
Fiona says the first thing she did was to make sure to shop her own pantry, fridge and freezer first, that way it will help you decide on what to make and what you need before going shopping for any other ingredients.
“Be budget-wise and shop around for any sales, use home brand ingredients, visit Aldi, and also cook in bulk where you can.”
- Buy in bulk
- Shop your pantry and freezer
- Cook fresh and in-season fruit and vegetables
- Shop sales
- Write a shopping list
- Meal plan
- Make recipes with similar ingredients
Meal prep tips
Fiona says it is important to set aside the time you need to do a good meal prep, and to also plan ahead so you know what you are going to do.
“Be organised, and cook meals and snacks with similar ingredients so it’s easier and also cheaper.“
- Plan ahead. Find out how long each meal or snack takes and write an order to cook and prep.
- To save time, utilise your stove, and have a few things on the stove at once.
- Start with a clean kitchen. This helps me stay focused and not bogged down with clutter.
- Clean as you go. Give me more space to work and keeps me focused.
- Utilise your equipment. Have stuff in the oven on the stove and slow-cooker if you have one. This saves time by cooking a few recipes at once.
- Meal plan around similar ingredients so you can buy in bulk.
- Keep it simple. Don’t make it too fancy and run out of time. Plan for the time you have.
Storage tips
Fiona recommends to buy all your containers the same size so they stack in the fridge and freezer easier. Lunch bags and cliplock bags also work amazing for storing foods in the freezer.
Fiona’s three tips for weight loss success
- Use the App! It sounds silly, but take the time to explore the Healthy Mummy App and learn how to use it. Everything you need to help you on your journey to better health is in there, plus it gives you a central place to store all your progress including no scale victories, measurements and progress photos.
- Get a buddy. Everyone’s journey is different, with many ups and downs, so it is important to have people to support you along the way. This might be a friend or family member, or someone you meet when you’re out exercising.
- The Healthy Mummy Facebook groups are also a great place to meet and share with other mums. If you ever feel like you need help or support, don’t be afraid to reach out to these groups, they are full of people who are more than happy to share their experiences and support you in your own journey to better health.
- Document your journey. It can be hard to see your progress, and often you may feel like nothing is changing. Progress photos are a great way to see the changes to your body and can be a great motivator when it all seems too hard. Recording your measurements and fitness test results in the app (or a journal) is a great way to observe those changes that can sometimes be hard for us to see.
Read more from Fiona- Mum with multiple food intolerances preps 118 serves
*Prices as of January 2024
