What’s in your shopping basket,Tiffiny Hall?

What 10 items are in your shopping basket every week?

1. Green tea: I’m actually a coffee addict but I’m trying to drink less. I still get a kick from green tea, which also has added antioxidants. It’s good for the metabolism, too, so it’s a real winner.
2. Nuts: They keep me full and I snack on them when I’m working at my computer.
3. Broccoli: It’s cancer fighting and I just love the taste of it. I hated it when I was younger but now I have it at least once a day.
4. Eggs: Every morning I have an egg-white omelette. Protein keeps me full and stops me craving sugar at 3pm – that feeling we all know of really wanting chocolate.
5. Spinach: I try to eat a lot of green food and I even take a bag of spinach with me when I go out to work. I can then just rinse it off for lunch.
6. Asparagus: I had the contestants on The Biggest Loser eating asparagus… it’s good for water retention.
7. Oats: Low in calories and a fabulous start to the day. I love having warm oats in cold weather.
8. Berries: I’m fructose intolerant so can’t have a lot of fruit but I do eat berries.
9. Chocolate: Dark chocolate is better for you but I love milk chocolate. If you’re going to have chocolate have the one you like, and if you stay healthy and exercise regularly there’s no need for deprivation!
10. Fish: It’s good for your brain and for muscle recovery after training. I have fish three or four times a week.

What are your favourite fruits and vegies?
Berries are so sweet and beautiful but low in calories. Strawberries are probably my favourite. And broccoli is my favourite vegetable. I love it in a bowl sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. It’s filling and I feel the health benefits as soon as I eat it.

What are your favourite treats?
I love licorice. My sister, grandfather and everyone in my family are total licorice heads – we go through bags of it! At the moment I’m trying to curb my licorice addiction by having aniseed tea. And chocolate, of course.

What item do you always have in the fridge?
My fridge is so boring! I always have boxes of frozen berries and a range of different milks – oat milk, rice milk, almond milk and soy milk – because I’m lactose intolerant.

What favourite ingredients are you cooking with at the moment?
I’ve been experimenting a lot with quinoa as a breakfast cereal. Mix it with berries and heat it up as you would oats, or mix it into a salad. It’s from the spinach family so has a lot of protein power and cancer-fighting agents. And I’m enjoying cooking with swordfish and bok choy.

Is there a favourite recipe you make each week?
My boyfriend and I went to New York and fell in love with Mexican food – but I needed to find a healthier way to make it. So I make Mexican chicken and bean tortillas with avocado mash. Rinse red kidney beans and dice up some onion, coriander, tomato and parsley. Mix together and squeeze lemon juice over the top. Grill lean chicken and tear into strips. Fill a wholemeal tortilla with the bean mix and chicken strips. Finish by mashing avocado with some lemon juice and serve. Quick, easy and very healthy.

What meal can’t you live without?
I finished my French degree in Paris. While I was there I discovered croissants and pastries. So now and again I love to go to a French patisserie near me and I have a couple of croissants and coffee for breakfast – very naughty but a real treat.