My Week in Food: Myles Hopper, personal trainer & Mindful Chef co-founder

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My Week in Food: Myles Hopper, personal trainer & Mindful Chef co-founder

I have always been into health and fitness. From a young age I participated in every sport possible. As I got older, rugby allowed me to travel the world playing in both Europe and Australia.

Due to a serious injury I had to stop playing rugby but continued to follow my love of sports and fitness by becoming a personal trainer. It is something I have done successfully for the past 6 years and has allowed me to further and share my knowledge of health, fitness and nutrition.

With a passion for great tasting, healthy food, Mindful Chef seemed like a natural progression for myself. Not only do I get to work with great friends but I also get to educate and help people make healthier choices around what they are putting into their bodies.

My food philosophy is to keep it as natural as possible - if you can catch it, grow it, pluck it from the ground or a tree it's fair game. If you want your body to function optimally, you need to make sure you are filling your body with the right types of food and drinking as much water as possible.

Follow Myles  @myleshopperMHT  and Mindful Chef  @MindfulChefUK .

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Monday

Breakfast: Protein pancakes with blueberries and yoghurt. After an early morning training session, I arrived at the office to a delicious surprise. Louisa (our Head of Product) wanted to try out a new healthy treat this morning and there was no way I was going to turn down protein pancakes!

Lunch: I am trying out a new plant-based recipe today. Aubergine and homemade humus with a red pepper millet. I am consciously trying to reduce my meat intake slightly and our vegan box and recipes are definitely making this a bit easier for me.

Dinner: Hot smoked salmon & quinoa kedgeree with boiled egg and tenderstem ( recipe here ). I have never been the biggest fan of fish but understand its nutritional and health benefits, so try to incorporate it into my diet as much as possible.

Snacks: My snacks don't tend to vary too much each week. It's usually a combination of cold meats, nuts, protein shakes, smoothies or some incredibly tasty treat Louisa has cooked up. I also love drinking water, so I always have a huge bottle to hand that I can drink from and refill all day.

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Tuesday

Breakfast: Hot smoked salmon, eggs, tomatoes and leafy green vegetables. We always make time to sit down for breakfast in the office and this is one of my go-to favourites.

Lunch: Lamb meatballs in a tomato & chipotle sauce with squash noodles. One of the main perks of Mindful Chef is being able to taste the delicious recipes our chef creates every day.

Dinner: Shepherd's pie with sweet potato mash & chestnut mushrooms ( recipe here ). I have one of my Mindful Chef dinners to eat from my box this week which is ideal as I got home late from the gym.

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Wednesday

Breakfast: I'm struggling for time this morning so I make a quick smoothie to take with me before jumping on the bike to Mindful Chef HQ. My smoothie is made up of banana, oats, frozen raspberries and protein powder.

Lunch: Back from the gym and Louisa has cooked us smokey barbecue beans with pork & sweet potato fries which should keep me going until this evening.

Dinner: Basil pesto & chicken courgetti with sundried tomatoes & pine nuts ( recipe here ). This is one of our oldest recipes and also one of my favourites. A great combination of protein and healthy fats.

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Thursday

Breakfast: After running into work with Giles (he lives 2 roads over), I make some oats with banana and fresh berries for the guys who are in work early. We are going to the gym later today and I want to make sure my body has got enough energy to put the work in when we get there.

Lunch: Louisa has made us a Nasi Goreng with carrot noodles - ridiculously tasty. I'm feeling hungry today so I also devour a cheesecake brownie Louisa made from the Deliciously Ella cookbook.

Dinner: My last Mindful Chef meal this week is the Black bean & mushroom chilli with baked sweet potato ( recipe here ). Since launching the plant-based box in January I have eaten so many more vegan based meals and although I wasn’t so sure at first, it has opened my eyes to a whole new way of eating.

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Friday

Breakfast: I have an omelette with chicken and avocado for breakfast this morning. Nothing complicated but a good mix of protein and fats.

Lunch: I make a simple wholemeal wrap with lamb, avocado, rocket and red pesto - something easy and quick as we need to get to the gym as we have meetings this afternoon.

Dinner: It's ‘Fajita Friday’ every week in my house and tonight I'm eating spiced pork fajita baby gem wraps with sweet potato fries ( recipe here ). I'll use either wholemeal wraps or some big green leafy veg as a substitute depending on what I've eaten that week and how I am feeling.

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Saturday

Breakfast: I head out for breakfast with some friends this morning. I have mashed avocado on Ezekiel bread and leafy greens.

Lunch: I put something together from ingredients in the fridge. Cauliflower rice, kale, chicken, pesto, raisins and peanuts. Since starting Mindful Chef, I've become a lot more confident in the kitchen and it's become a lot easier for me to throw things together that I know are not only healthy but tasty too.

Dinner: It's my turn this week to trial a recipe for testing so I cook the smoked haddock, leek & coconut risotto with a poached egg.

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Sunday

Breakfast: I'm up early as it's packing day in our warehouse and I need to head down and oversee the operations. Before jumping on my bike, I make sure I have enough time to scramble some eggs with bacon and kale. It's not pretty but it will be more than enough to keep me going until lunch.

Lunch: I cooked extra portions of the smoked haddock last night to bring with me today. Having worked as a trainer for so many years I am used to eating out of tupperware a lot.

Dinner: My Mindful Chef box arrives every Sunday and tonight I have the Teriyaki steak with Asian salad and cauliflower rice ( recipe here ). For dessert I have some of the Ombar chocolate we were given a few weeks ago. It's the best tasting chocolate I have ever had.