5-A-DAY WEEK 2014 DAY 1

Hey!
So, today is Monday,7 July, meaning only one thing- 5-a-day week starts today! For now, the layout will be all of the day's meals planned out in one post during the day, I hope it works well enough ^-^
Of course, those are all just suggestions- I never said you have to follow the plan precisely!
Without further ado,here is my plan for today.

Breakfast
Try some oatmeal/porridge- yes, it is boring, I know. On its own,anyway. Did you know, that by sneaking in some fruit, you are improving the taste and also getting one of your 5-a-day aim? Here are some creative ways of slipping fruit into your oatmeal/porridge;-

• Mix it in with some fruit juice- if you are picky go for 100% fruit juice, it's a rather nice way of boosting the amount of fruit in your breakfast. However, you might need to add a bit more other fruit to your breakfast too ^-^ The juice makes the porridge sweeter and gives it an interesting flavour- I always had my porridge with strawberry or raspberry juice.
• Mix it with some of your favourite fruit- grab your favourite combination of fruit, slice some of them up with needed, mix them together and scatter them on your porridge to give it a rather interesting texture and flavour. Berries are very good for this if you are in a hurry, just toss some raspberries and blueberries on top and you're good to go. However, you can add banana, sliced apple, and even sprinkle a spice like cinnamon or ginger!
• Oatmeal dip- you might want to flavour your oatmeal a bit if you are doing this, but them main idea is to slice up some fruits, put them in a bowl and dip them in the porridge as you eat them. It can work quite well,especially if you have a funky apple flavoured porridge ^-^

What cool ways do you have of putting fruit into your oatmeal? If you cannot put fruit in your oatmeal, try at least for a glass of refreshing fruit juice or perhaps a whole fruit on its own, such as a banana as you are heading out of the door.

Morning Snack
A simple solution to keep you going until lunch- all you have to do is reach out and grab a delicious piece of fruit. Fruit is rather good at giving you energy and fighting your hunger, so eat some fruit! It can be a simple thing like a banana, orange or apple. Or, if you prefer smaller fruit, how about a few grapes or berries in a bag or box?  If you like to make your own, perhaps toss some of the fruit in a bag before you dash out of the door and you're good to go.

Lunch
Finally, lunch! Eat whatever you want for lunch, be it a bagel or a piece of toast. If possible, why not try incorporating some fruit into it? For example, spread some jam on your toast. That's a rather good way! However, try to get fruit into your lunch in any way- here are some ideas.

• Jam- rather fruity ^-^
• Sneak some fruit into your yogurt!
• Chop it up and eat it as a side.
• Eat it whole!
• Drink some juice!

Or, dont forget the vegetables! Putting more cucumber in your sandwich is a rather good step to take,so try to get some fruit or vegetables in there any way you can!


Afternoon snack 
The energy from lunch is wearing off, and you don't like it. So, time for a snack! Here are some ideas you could try, they are rather fast ^-^
FRUIT

1. Try a trail mix- your favourite dried fruits plus some nuts and it's very quick, convenient and stops hunger. For example, I like dried apricots and hazelnuts, so those coming together make a rather nice afternoon snack. Yum!
2. Of course, here's the classic- just enjoy fruit on its own! Bananas, apples and oranges are probably the easiest- just grab, peel and munch. 
3. If you have time, toast some bread, spread it with your favourite nut butter and add some banana slices on top. Delicious!
4. Yet again, if you have time, get some greek yogurt and toss in some of your favourite fruit. It's fast and quite yummy!

VEGETABLES

1. Who says you can't peel and eat some cucumber on your own? And who on earth dares suggest you cannot eat some peas or kale alone? Go ahead and eat your favourite vegetable alone!
2. Try corn on the cob, if you have time! It's a rather nice way of getting your vegetables.
3. Whip up a quick salad! If you don't have the time, many stores sell small salads in pots, so give those a try ^0^
4. Sneak it in a sandwich! You will feel grateful you added those tomatoes or cucumbers into your cheddar sandwich, you will.

DINNER
Finally, your opportunity! To catch up on any missed fruits or vegetables, perhaps.
Eat what you want, but here are some ways of increasing your fruits/vegetables;

• Add some salads or vegetables to the rest of your meal
• Drink fruit juice
• Incorporate fruit into dessert, i.e fruit salad
• Eat any missed servings of fruit or vegetables as you like them!

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it was good enough, good luck getting your 5-a-day! ^0^