yum’s the word
NATUROPATH AND NUTRITIONIST ROBERTA NELSON HAS SOME IDEAS FOR EATING WELL WHEN YOU’RE LOW ON TIME AND MONEY.
It was a happy day when Roberta Nelson chucked in her science degree to study naturopathy at Endeavour College of Natural Health. It gave her the chance to learn in a safe, calming space; get to know like-minded folks in the natural health world; and launch straight into her own private practice. She’s also become a bit of an expert on how to make healthy food easy – and cheap.
FOCUS ON WHOLEFOODS Roberta’s rule of thumb for anyone trying to navigate the food world is “just go with wholefoods”. That’s the stuff that comes from the ground or grows on trees. “It doesn’t need to be fancy vegetables,” she says. “It can be potatoes, pumpkin – whatever you like.” Mix it up with some tinned beans and legumes, like lentils or chickpeas. Those things are chock-full of nutrients and generally cost less than a buck per can.
PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE Need to be at work or uni super-early? Be good to your morning self and make a tasty brekkie to go. Roberta had to be at uni from 8am while studying at Endeavour, so would always have a jar of overnight oats ready to grab from the fridge. “I’d use oats, yoghurt, water, chia seeds, whatever fruit I had in the fridge, and whatever nuts and seeds I had in the pantry,” Roberta says. “It was my way of making sure I always ate breakfast, otherwise I was off for the rest of the day.” JUST ADD NUTS During exam time, odds are you don’t have hours to hand-roll bliss balls. More likely, you’ve got just enough time to yell at a barista and grab the nearest cookie. According to Roberta, you should really steer clear of sugar-laden snacks during stressful periods. Sure, have a piece of fruit – those colourful friends have butt-loads of nutrients. But if you want round-the-clock energy, combine it with a handful of nuts. “The healthy fats will slow down the breakdown of the fruit,” Roberta says.
CHOOSE KNIFE You need three things to set yourself up in the kitchen. (Well, four if you count those magnetic words you make poetry with on the fridge.) Firstly, you need a kick-arse knife. “Without a good knife, you’re going to get really frustrated doing anything in the kitchen,” Roberta warns. Then, you need a decent frying pan (handy for eggs) and a big soup pot (batch-cooking is your friend). “If you have a spare hundred dollars, you could get a mini food processor or a Nutribullet,” Roberta suggests. “They’re good if you want to make a quick pesto or smoothie.”
MAKE GNOCCHI, MAKE FRIENDS So you’ve got a group of friends coming over (or maybe just one special friend). What to cook to impress their socks off (or indeed, their pants)? “My top pick when I was trying not to spend too much money was gnocchi,” Roberta says. “The base of gnocchi is potato, so it’s very affordable, and everyone thinks you’re an amazing host, but it’s actually really easy.” Buy the cheapest tomatoes and roast them for as long as possible to bring out their flavours. Then voilà – dinner is served.