Earlier this week Charlotte shared about her clean eating journey (if you missed it, you can read about it here). Clean eating is something I’ve flirted with, but not fully committed to, over the past few months. Through the week I’ve cut back on sugar, upped my vegetable intake and replaced my second, third and, erm, fourth coffee of the day with green juice, herbal teas and water.
But on the weekend my good intentions fall by the wayside and I have been known to tuck into brunches of hollandaise-drenched eggs, lunches of pizza washed down with those buckets of wine that pass for glasses these days, and dinners of Tangy Cheese Doritos and guacamole. Not so clean. But hey, it’s the weekend, right?! Hmm…
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This past Sunday, instead of rounding off my weekend with a evening in the pub I went to one of celebrity nutritionist Madeleine Shaw’s healthy eating supper clubs. Madeleine, who counts Millie Mackintosh as one of her clients, exudes good health and positivity. She literally glows. She wasn’t always so healthy though, which only makes her more relatable in my book. You can read about her clean eating journey here. And once a month she hosts a differently themed clean eating Sunday night supper club in London.
Back in March I went to my first one, a clean eating pizza night at Boma Green in West London. Clean pizza? Yes, it’s possible! The pizza bases were made from cauliflower and topped with a choice of mozerella, spinach and tomato, butternut squash and pesto or middle eastern lamb and chickpeas. Dessert was red velvet cupcakes with whipped coconut cream. Everything tasted so good it was hard to believe it was all good for me.
Last Sunday I went to my second supper club hosted by Madeleine. This time there was a Brazilian theme and it was at Grace Belgravia, an exclusive women-only members club in central London. I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last Brazilian-themed night out this month, but it will probably be the healthiest.
On arrival we sipped coconut and vodka cocktails and mingled with other guests, before sitting down at long tables for dinner, choosing between chicken kebabs with Brazilian vinaigrette and guacamole, grilled prawns with coconut cauliflower rice and strawberry-mango salsa, or grilled corn, jalapeño, pinto bean and quinoa salad. I would have liked to try all three (!) but eventually settled on the chicken. Which was amazing. For dessert we tucked into acai ice cream with superfood toppings.
After chatting non-stop with my lovely tablemates I headed home, full, but not overly so. The next morning I woke up clear of head and full of energy, and I swear my skin was glowing. That’s what clean eating Madeleine-style does for you. Madeleine’s supper clubs sell out quickly so if you’re keen to go to one (and I highly recommend you do) keep an eye on her website and Twitter feed. If you can’t make it to one of her supper clubs her website is packed with tasty, healthy recipes you can make at home.
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{Healthy swaps}
Five simple switches inspired by Madeleine’s supper clubs
Swap shop-bought sugar-loaded granola with your morning porridge for fresh berries, nuts and superfoods Replace regular rice with cauliflower rice (Madeleine explains how to make cauliflower rice here). Instead of spaghetti bolognese have courgetti bolognese Swap mozzarella for pesto on top of your pizzas Replace wine or beer with vodka, fresh lime and soda on your next night out
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Have you been to a healthy supper club or done a healthy cooking class or course you would recommend? Got any suggestions for simple healthy food switches? Anyone else a clean(ish) eating yogi Monday to Friday, but a pizza eating, wine drinking, sports spectator on the weekend? Fess up in the comments section below!
I am trying to currently get my head around this clean eating. I was recently told i have polycystic ovaries and am trying to shift some pounds which is very difficult with this issue. So i figured clean eating and might help i had a shop in Holland & Barrett came out with various healthy foods all of which i have no idea how to cook! So Madeleine’s website will be a great help. x
Hi Kirsty! Yes, Madeleine’s site will be a great help. Lots of people recommended James Duigan’s Clean and Lean books in the comments section on Charlotte’s post on Monday. I’ve got the Honestly Healthy cookbook (the first one) which is packed with great (healthy) recipes).
Red velvet cupcakes with whipped coconut cream…and that’s clean eating? SOLD.
They were ridiculously yummy Kate!
love it – just followed Madeline on instagram and twitter, the recipes on the site look really tasty!
I’m planning to try some of the summery lunch ideas this weekend Vicky!
I REALLY want to go to one of these. Sometimes I really wished I lived in London….*sigh*
I’m going to follow on instagram and check out the recipes though, I hope the red velvet cupcakes are on there! x
It really is the loveliest (and tastiest!) evening! x
I’ve been reading your articles on being healthy and cutting out sugar etc with interest. I am wheat free (99% of the time) and find that has certainly helped with bloating / acid indigestion and I try and avoid naughty snacks etc. I’d like to be better as I do have digestive issues and still some bloating.
My main problem is actually organising myself to do something like this and avoid the mad rushed supermarket sweep of easy to eat in the office things into my trolley. I always find “healthy snacks” such as the naked bars are so expensive (but massively yummy). Gluten free bread, cereal bars etc are so full of sugar and probably worse than ordinary ones. I would need to menu plan for each week and then do one massive shop. and not be tempted by the treats in my desk drawer…
Also how do you cope when you go to friends for dinner? Or really NEED a chinese takeaway… Its bad enough me saying to firends I’m off wheat but off sugar, butter, dairy, etc etc would be really difficult. I’d really like to give it a go but find making excuses not to is easy… time being the main one! I’m also not prepared to sack off fun social occasions and don’t want to have to take my own food!
Perhaps its a case of starting by trying two or three meals a week being v good and just trying where you can?!
Advice would be most welcome 🙂
Yes, the secret’s definitely being organised and planning ahead Victoria. I haven’t committed to the point where I would give friends a list of thing to avoid cooking for me, and I’m not sure I ever would. I wonder if anyone else has any thoughts? If I knew a friend was going down this path I’d probably check what they could and couldn’t eat so it wasn’t awkward when they came over. I think starting with a couple of meals a week is a good plan. I find that the more healthily I eat, the more I want to eat healthily, if you see what I mean? Also I find that starting the day off well really helps me continue to eat healthily. Currently loving porridge or Greek yoghurt topped with berries, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes and cinnamon, for breakfast, then a snack of homemade spinach hummus with cucumber and carrot sticks for a mid-morning post-yoga snack.
I’m really considering clean eating in the week and having a break at the weekend (im already dairy free) but my problem is it all seems so expensive. any tips??
Ooh this looks a great place to find interesting recipes! I’ve been introducing clean eating in our house but must confess I’ve not made any great attempt to make it exciting and varied or try loads of exciting meals. – our only puddings are flapjack or yogurt… or flapjack ON yogurt. I only just heard of red velvet being made with beetroot – the only recipe I’d ever known was when my friend made it from the hummingbird recipe which uses a whole bottle of red food colouring! I didn’t dare go near it. I always make myself a beetroot juice though if I need an energy boost in the morning and need to find a good way of using up the leftover pulp- I wonder if that would work.
I find Madeleine’s site and supper clubs so inspiring Amanda! Haha, I’m the same as you when it comes to puddings, yoghurt with fruit, nuts and seeds is pretty much the limit of it, I’m yet to try flapjack ON yoghurt – sounds delicious! Definitely worth a try with the beetroot pulp.
[…] has been a lot of chatter about ‘clean eating’ and thanks to Rock My Style, I’ve learnt about Madeleine Shaw and her approach to food, she has lots and lots of recipes […]
[…] well as doing a 30-minute Pilates class, tucking into a healthy brekkie with Madeleine Shaw (including Primrose’s Kitchen muesli, yoghurt, fruit, nuts, seeds, almond milk and Imbibery […]