Blog | Leah Itsines

Okay so picture this.. you've got a BEAUTIFUL dinner planned tonight, maybe an epic Stuffed Cajun Chicken or a Pork Belly dish.. but as delicious as it's gonna be, you have absolutely NO idea what to serve it with.. Well, put that boring side salad away and keep reading because I've got FOUR of the most delicious sides that you can EASILY add to tonight's dinner!      1. Crispy Cauliflower with Garlic Aioli I absolutely love cauliflower, especially as a side for dinner. But sometimes I feel like something that's a little on the crispy side.. you know? So that's where I sub a recipe like this in! I absolutely LOVE crispy veggies and this crispy roasted cauliflower is absolutely delicious!    2. Baked Honey Sesame Carrots You want to know what my favourite thing to do is? Adding a little extra jazz to a usually-mundane veggie. These baked honey sesame carrots are so simple, but so bloody delicious! You seriously won't believe the taste!!   3. Garlic & Parmesan Potatoes The ability to please even the fussiest of eaters is an art form I tell you what haha and these crispy potatoes definitely hit the nail on the head!   4. Roasted Tomato & Mozzarella Salad For something a little on the fresher side (pun intended ha!).. there's nothing better then a side dish that has a speedy 2-minute-assembly! These tomatoes after they're roasted... ooft.. you'll be in love!     And there you have it! You better believe your dinner game will have increased by 20+ cool points after you add one of these to it! Happy cooking ladies!Leah xx

Whether you've already purchased BARE Lean Vegetarian for yourself, or if you're just wanting to know what our top budget-friendly recipes are inside the guide.. you've come to the right place!   When it comes to creating these recipes for you guys, I always aim to use the BARE Lean staple ingredients first to fill out the meal! I mainly do this because once you buy those staples for your pantry, cooking on a budget with BARE Lean is almost always achievable!   But to make things easier for you, let's go through what my TOP 12 budget-friendly meals from BARE Lean Vegetarian are.. 🔽   BREAKFASTS Smashed Avocado Page 54 Depending on where you are in the world, the smashed avocado could be your newest budget-friendly breakfast! Obviously depending on how expensive/inexpensive avocados are in your area.. this recipe has only minimal ingredients with pantry staples you very likely already have! Hot tip - if you're not one to finish or need a whole loaf of bread ASAP, there is absolutely nothing wrong with freezing your bread! Besides, after you toast it, it tastes exactly the same!   Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Page 51 My favourite part about smoothies for breakfast is that they're so simple to whip up! With only a few ingredients in the pumpkin pie smoothie, and most consisting of the BARE pantry staples.. this one's a winner! Plus you can minimise your cost wastage by portioning out your steamed pumpkin and freezing them in snap-lock bags. That way any extra pumpkin doesn't go to waste or spoil early!     Peanut Butter Berry Toast Page 49 This is my go-to I'm in a rush, forgot to buy ingredients for this morning's breakfast and need something simple breakfast hahaha. I absolutely LOVE it. PLUS all you really need is a berry/fruit that's in season and cost-efficient for where you are. The rest of the ingredients you'll likely already have!     Egg & Chili Wrap Page 42 The Egg & Chili wrap from BARE Lean Vegetarian is one beautiful roll away from being a real cost-efficient favourite in your house! Only consisting of a few budget-savvy ingredients, it ticks all the boxes. Plus, rather than buying a whole packet of wraps and only really needing half of them.. you can freeze them and then just thaw them out individually the night before you need them. I'm all about ways to get the best bang-for-your-buck here!       SNACKS Tamari Chickpeas Page 81 These Tamari Chickpeas are SO good if you're sitting at your desk and really need to keep your hands busy during your afternoon-snack (we've all bee there hahaha!) PLUS they only have 3 ingredients?! Talk about a win!!     Chia Pudding Page 66 These chia puddings are SO easy to whip up and are a great summer snack since they're chilled! Consisting mostly of ingredients you already have in your kitchen, the only real thing you'll need to purchase is fruit! We use drained, canned peaches for ease.. but feel free to use fresh fruit if that's more accessible for you if you like! When they're in season, I personally use the peaches my Papou's peach tree! 🤤     Bagel with Cheese Page 61 With only FOUR ingredients, this bagel snack is such a winner in my books! All the ingredients are easy to source and very cost-efficient! What I usually do with my bagels, is when I buy them, I'll slice them in half and freeze the ones I don't need straight away. And then the night before I know I'll be having it as a snack, I'll take it out the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge. It really saves you buying a pack of only 2 bagels (since they can be most costly that way!) and as an added bonus, this bagel snack turns into a really easy last-minute snack.   MAIN MEALS Cauliflower Steaks Page 93 HOW GOOD ARE CAULIFLOWER STEAKS! If you haven't tried these yet, you absolutely have to! What I love most about these, is that they're 7-ingredient dinner.. most of which is all veg! And if you don't have Cous Cous in your pantry, you can swap it for another grain that's more accessible/cost-efficient for you. Simple!   Mushroom Stroganoff Page 124 If there is any recipe in BARE Lean Vegetarian that has caused the BIGGEST position reaction out of our BARE Community.. it's the Mushroom Stroganoff! And it's surprisingly easier than it looks to make! Did you know out of the 12 ingredients it takes to make this.. 7 ingredients are kitchen-staples you'd already have.. and 3 are from the veg section of your supermarket. This dish is super budget-friendly, and the taste is absolutely going to knock your socks off!      Haloumi Burger Page 110 If the Mushroom Stroganoff caused the biggest positive reaction.. the Haloumi Burger has come in at a close second! This burger is a perfect budget-friendly addition to your Friday night (or any night!) burger night. Consisting mostly of veg and items you'll already have in your fridge or pantry, the only real addition you'll need to purchase is the Haloumi - which actually (depending on your area) can very often go on sale! PLUS for an added tip, the burger buns can be sliced in half, frozen, and thawed out for when you need them.. causing less cost-waste when you don't use all 6 buns in the pack you just bought!     Mexican Quinoa Salad Page 117 I LOVE a good salad bowl. Give me fresh veg and a grain of some kind any day of the week. This recipe mostly consists of pantry-staples (and if you don't already have them, they are super cheap to buy!). Plus if where you are at the moment doesn't favour quinoa being a cost-efficient purchase, you can always swap for a grain that better suits you or one that you already have in your pantry!     Chickpea Curry Page 95 I tell you what, a good curry has a warm place in my heart. I love it in winter, and also those days when you just want something warm to comfort you! What I love about this curry is how cost efficient it is. This recipe mostly consists of spices (that you'll likely already own), rice (that you'll probably already have), some veg and a couple pantry staples! This recipe uses ginger, which granted, can be a costly purchase.. but you can now get pre-minced ginger in the veg section of your supermarket in small tubs that are a GREAT budget-friendly solution!       So there you have it... my Top 12 Budget-Friendly BARE Lean Vegetarian Recipes for you to try! All our recipes are super easy to make swaps to, so you can customise and accommodate for ingredients that may be more cost savvy for you wherever you are in the world! (and quite often I do the same!). If you'd like to check out the Top 10 BARE Lean Regular Recipes On A Budget.. check out the article here! I hope this helps you to make use of our most budget-friendly recipes in BARE Lean, and to also draw inspiration from on how YOU can make the other recipes more budget friendly!   Love Leah xx    

You guys know me well enough by now to know how much time I spend cooking. There's no two ways about how much I love to freely cook for Mitch, my family, or even strangers hahaha it doesn't matter.. cooking in general sends me STRAIGHT to my happy place! 🥰 But over the years I have fallen victim to some cooking mistakes in the kitchen that not only did I feel inconspicuously 🕵🏼 hinder my weight loss progress.. but most importantly, I found these mistakes were often just simply making things worse for my overall health and happiness, you know? It wasn't until I realised those mistakes, that I was able to be more aware of when & why I was doing them..so that I could fix them! THEN I realised that other people may be doing the exact same thing.. These kitchen mistakes are SO common, so let's go through what some of the most common cooking mistakes you may be making in the kitchen are 🔽     Oops, I eye-balled the oil! There's no secret that everyone loves a good freehand splash of oil in the pan, or over the salad.. commonly without even thinking twice about it. It just feels.. professional 🤣 .. but portion control when it comes to oils is important. I see so many people load up their pans with oil or butter, without realising that all of these (while definitely essential for a tastier meal) are also very calorie dense. A simple second or two of extra drizzling could be less than great for you in the long run (it adds up quick!)  So my top tip for you here is to measure out your oil.. for a few weeks at least. Take a look each time on how it looks in the pan, or how it looks in the bowl, or how many seconds it takes to drizzle it out. Like 1 tablespoon = X seconds. Once you're used to it, you can then go back to your personal pro-level and drizzle with confidence knowing you're not drizzling 4 tablespoons, when the recipe says 1 (oops)    Oops, what's in this sauce?! Okay.. picture this.. you're home later than usual from work, you forgot to meal prep ingredients for a sauce that you intended to make tonight for dinner.. (dammitttt) okay okay its fine, straight to the supermarket you go, you can be nifty and get a pre-prepared sauce to cut the cooking time in half.. life-SAVER!! Amazing solution. BUT BE CAREFUL.. Those delicious sauce bottles and jars you get from the shops are mostly filled with sugar! Yep, that’s right, they’re typically filled with added sugar that can be super sneaky under a different name (sucrose, high fructose, corn syrup etc.). Food labels list ingredients in order of weight...so if you see sugar being the 2 or 3rd on the list... it could be quite a problemo you have there with that jar you're holding! The issue with these sauces is that they essentially add unnecessary sugar to your meal, giving you literally no nutritional benefit other than a quick spike in blood sugar and a bit of a crash! But for every pain-in-the-bum sugar filled sauce jar.. there are also tasty ones that use better (real) ingredients. And even if they're not ALL A-grade ingredients (you could be in a rush or on a serious budget!) .. you should at least aim to be able to pronounce all the ingredients of what you're buying for peace of mind! 🥰   Oops, I eye-balled the salt or extra sauce! Cooking bland meals can make you want to rush over to the salt shaker to drown your meal, or turn to the fridge for a sauce-solution to lather your meal in (ah yes, the band-aid approach hahaha). I don’t ever calorie count myself, especially on BARE Lean, but It is important to be mindful of what you're putting into your meal. Let's pretend you're about to cook up a mean salmon. Instead of coating it in salt and coconut oil, you could instead add some garlic, lime and fresh herbs like mint, coriander and chilli... and then HOT damn, wouldn't you know it.. you have yourself a Thai inspired salmon without needing a band-aid solution. There is absolutely nothing wrong with adding seasonings to your meals, in fact, when seasoned in a smart way, you can mimic some pretty incredible flavours!   Oops, did I just put too much cheese or cream?? Okay, here's another scenario for you.. you're cooking an EPIC pasta with cherry tomatoes, spinach, olives, garlic (so bloody good, i'm drooling as I’m writing this!) but as you're getting near the end of your cook, you over-do it with cheese, cream, and other additives that add taste, but will also add the majority of energy to your meal (not a bad thing, but just sometimes missed!). It's crazy how many people believe pasta is bad for you, when it's just not the case.. It's the ingredients you ADDED to your pasta at the end, like that thickened cream, extra oils, fatty cuts of meats, etc.. those little buggers all add up!  I used to do the exact same thing too without even realising.. so now I try to make sure I always first opt for things like FRESH herbs, ground spices, some chilli, a bit of extra garlic (hahahah is there ever such thing as too much garlic?!) to add some extra jazz to my meal. First of all.. by doing this, you'll feel like a Masterchef.. and second of all.. it's better for you.  This isn't to say that things like cream, oil or cheese is BAD for you.. because they definitely aren't when you have them in moderation! But you'd be surprised at how you'll only need a touch of those extra ingredients after you've done the flavouring the healthier way! #HotTip 😄      These tips have seriously helped me the past few years simply just be more aware of how I cook in the kitchen so I can benefit my health, rather than work against it. So hopefully it can help you too!!  💛 Love always, Leah x    

There is nothing like starting the new year fresh and ORGANISED! Especially if you're trying to get into the habit of a health routine.. you want to be as organised and motivated as possible so you can give yourself the best chances of being able to continue that momentum as the year goes on! No one wants to return to old habits as soon as February rolls around.. One of the thing I absolutely make sure I'm doing to help my cooking time be 1000x easier, is call in the help from the big guns.. my freezer. I don't know about you but I much prefer to batch-cook or batch-prepare things from BARE Lean so that when it comes to cooking, I've already done over half the work! Thanks past-Leah.. you the best 😜 So if you're ready to get seriously organised, keep reading because I'm about to give you the Vegetarian edition of getting the most out of your freezer for BARE Lean Vegetarian! You ready? Let's Go! 🔽 BREAKFASTS Chilli Bean Bowl Page 39 These Chilli Bean Bowls for breakfast are so amazing for a savoury start to the morning, especially when it's a bit cold outside!! But did you know that instead of spending 30 minutes cooking them each time, you can cook in 1 big batch, and freeze your portions individually? Such a time-saver! And can even double as a life-saver when you've forgotten to buy ingredients for your breakfast.. open the freezer and BAM hello there chilli beans, welcome to today's breakfast!   Fritters Page 45 My favourite part about breakfasts like these, is that you can take the most time consuming element (the fritters) and pre-cooking them to make your life WAY easier for another morning. Just prep once, cook, pop inside the freezer in your portions.. and then all you need to do on the morning of your breakfast is chop the fresh ingredients up! It's like as if you cooked everything fresh on the day.       Ricotta Pancakes Page 52 Would it really be a BARE Guide without pancakes? These Ricotta Pancakes are to die for, but sometimes you just don't feel like preparing a whole batch on that morning. With this recipe, you can freeze the individual pancakes after you've cooked them, and just take out your portion the night before. Heat up on the pan or in the microwave, put your toppings on and you're done! You can also swap your toppings to what ever fruit you have in the fridge.. so this one's a great last-minute brekky!     Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Page 51 Yeeesssss god damn I do love a smoothie and this Pumpkin Pie one tastes so yum! You can pre-cook the cubed pumpkin and pop them in the freezer in portions ready to grab and go! No need to defrost them either - the frozen cubed pumpkin and banana pieces will double-up as ice cubes, making your smoothie extra creamy and luscious!         SNACKS Carrot Cake Page 64 Oh hell yes. The hype is legitimately REAL for the BARE Lean Vegetarian Carrot Cake .. it's all of your incredible carrot cake dreams come to life.. and even better since you can freeze these! If you're going to go down that route, could be handy to make them into carrot cake muffins instead. These will need to go into the freezer un-frosted.. and muffins will make it a little easier for you to spoon frosting on with a spoon at your desk. Or, you know... the protein frosting acting as a dipping-sauce on the side of your muffin is definitely a winner also!   Bliss Balls Pages 65 / 68 / 73 I absolutely love a good bliss ball and BARE Lean Vegetarian spares none! There are 3 variations of bliss balls inside the guide, including these Chai Spiced Bliss Balls (below), the Cookie Dough Bliss Balls (page 68) and the Lemon Coconut Bliss Balls (page 73) for you to feast over. These act as a seriously-perfect 3pm pick-me-up, and are especially great when you want to prepare a snack that's a one-pot-wonder (less cleaning!!). Make in bulk, keep in your freezer and just grab & go whenever you need!       Chocolate Brownie Page 67 I know what you're thinking... brownies? In a BARE Lean guide?! Your eyes are seeing correctly hahaha I told you guys I was on a mission to break the stigma! Enjoy these brownies guilt-free as part of your tailored guide. They're also great to freeze in individual slices too. Less waste - just defrost a slice when you know you'll be having one later that day!   Babaganoush Dip Page 60 Dips would have to be one of my FAVOURITE things to freeze. Seriously - prep everything, chuck it in a blender, measure out your portions (or a week's portion) to freeze and then just take it out when you're really vibing dip as a snack! So fresh and easy, I love it!       Pinwheels Page 76 If you guys know anything about the BARE community, it's how much they love a pinwheel 🤣🤣 These are no exception, my vegetarian friends! You will absolutely love them. Bake them, wrap them individually, and take out your snack the morning-of. OR freeze them un-baked. That way all you need to do is defrost slightly and put them in the oven fresh! You. Are. Welcome!   Oat Slice Page 74 The Oat Slice is so amazing. You get a little hit of banana, a bit of berry, the sweetness from the maple among other delicious goodies and BAM.. a perfect snack to go with your afternoon coffee or tea. You can make these in bulk and freeze them after you slice them up! Such an easy and simple prep with minimal mess.     MAIN MEALS Black Bean Jackfruit Bowls Page 85 I absolutely love this recipe! In fact, it was this recipe that helped me fall into a deeper love with cooking with jackfruit! But with all great dishes, they do take time and patience.. 45 minutes worth in fact for this one here. But it's super comforting to know that I can batch-cook it and freeze in individual portions. You just defrost, heat and add your freshly chopped salsa!   Falafel Recipes Pages 102 / 103 / 104 These falafels... just you wait haha there's a reason why these little pockets of delciousness are in 3 of the recipes inside BARE Lean Vegetarian. They were just too good not too!! The picture below is their appearance in the Falafel Caesar Salad, but there is also the Falafel Wrap (page 103) and the Falafel Yiros (page 104). Create a bunch of these falafels all at once, and you'll give yourself multiple options on how you want to use them! So versatile!   Tofu Pho Page 146 The key to a sensational-tasting clear soup is the quality of the broth. But the best stocks do take time, patience and lovin. The broth created for this recipe would have to be one of my favourites.. but who wants to go to all the effort of cooking a broth for over an hour every time? The answer? No one! You can create larger portions of this broth, and freeze them in individual portions.. talk about convenient!       Vegetarian Meatloaf Page 148 Just like with BARE Lean Regular.. I developed a Meatloaf recipe thinking it was going to be a pleaser for some people, but not all people. Turns out, I was bloody wrong hahaha! The BARE Community WENT CRAZY over the Meatloaf! And I totally get it.. it's like a giant meatball what's not to love 🤣🤣 So I absolutely had to develop one for BARE Lean Vegetarian as well. This Meatloaf, once you've cooked it, can be cut into slices and frozen for later. That way you're not committed to eating it over 5 days, or falling victim to accidently leaving it in the fridge too long and it going to waste! Perfection!     Green Lentil Bowl Page 109 I tell you what, a good curry has a warm place in my heart. I love it in winter, and also those days when you just want something warm to comfort you! This recipe is like a warm hug haha. But also, since my days go super quickly since I'm so busy.. sometimes I REALLY feel like a curry, but also get home quite late from work so have no time to prep it! That's where my freezer's time to shine really happens, because I can just grab a container of pre-cooked curry (like this one), re-heat it, grab a microwaveable rice-cup portion, and my dinner is done in minutes!         So there you have it... my Top 15 Freezer-Friendly BARE Lean Vegetarian recipes! Inside the guide there LOADS of recipes that are able to be frozen for ease in some kind of way.. whether it's being able to freeze parts of the meal, the entire meal,, or the most time-consuming part of the meal! For my biggest how-to on safely freezing your food and how to make sure nothing goes to waste.. check out my blog here on my BIGGEST tips for you & your freezer!   OR for the Top 15 Freezer-Friendly BARE Lean Regular recipes.. check out this article here!   Love Leah xx    

What’s the difference between BARE Lean (meat based) and BARE Lean Vegetarian  First and foremost, BARE Lean uses animal based products within the recipes whereas, BARE Lean Vegetarian does not. BARE Lean Vegetarian is designed to be ‘lacto-ovo-vegetarian’ which means we have used eggs and dairy, however has a Vegan swap on almost every recipe. The recipes that don’t have a vegan swap are heavily egg based (such as the frittata) so I haven’t given a swap as it may change the integrity of the meal.   There are only 4 recipes that have crossed over from BARE Lean to BARE Lean vegetarian as they were favourites, so I wanted to make sure I added them in for everyone to enjoy. This means, the rest of the recipes are BRAND NEW and all tailored you and your goals.  When it comes to the planners and shopping lists – these are completely different (as there are new recipes). The Resources are similar but do have differences regarding nutrients of importance for vegetarian diets, and the cooking resources are all changed to be vegetarian based. The exercise portion is exactly the same as BARE Lean, these workouts have not changed (as they are only examples of what types of workouts you can do!). Our guides are based off 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week, meaning can do whatever movement that you enjoy and still hit your goals.  If buying the bundle please note the above, as the resources and exercises will be the same/similar. There is still a HUGE amount of support, new tailored and interchangeable recipes and community. If buying the bundle, you will receive over 200 recipes that are workable within the guides – how amazing is that!    A few FAQ’s below about BARE Lean Vegetarian: IS IT VEGAN FRIENDLY?BARE Lean Vegetarian is ‘lacto-ovo-vegetarian’ which means we have included eggs and dairy, however there are MANY recipes that you can have if you are Vegan. In BARE Lean Vegetarian there are 120 recipes in total. We have 37 recipes that are fully vegan, 69 recipes that have 1 small swap (like top with feta etc, so swap for a plant based cheese) and roughly 20 that have not been given a vegan swap, however that’s not to say that you cannot use that recipe, it might just be more of a difficult thing to do. HOW LONG DO I HAVE ACCESS TO THE BARE GUIDE? BARE is a downloadable guide, so it will be with you forever as soon as you download. We have the online portal if you ever lose the guide to re-download. WHAT LEVEL OF COOKING EXPERIENCE DO I NEED? All of the recipes are designed to be quick and easy, and beginners are super welcome and will have a community of support available! You do not need any prior cooking level, our resources will help you through your journey. Each week, you will get more and more confident in the kitchen – I can promise you that! If you’re an experienced cook, I promise you’ll enjoy these delicious recipes just as much as the beginners! I’VE TRIED SO MANY PROGRAMS BEFORE, WHAT MAKES BARE DIFFERENT? BARE first and foremost is NOT a diet or about restriction in any way, we’ve done all the calculations for you and you are supported by a community that understands that food is a part of life. You won’t find strict meal plans, complicated recipes or expensive ingredients here. BARE gives you all the resources you need to build a healthy relationship with food but most importantly, it shows you that you can cook and enjoy all your favourite foods, while reaching for your goals. We’ve also worked really hard to give you more recipes so you have CHOICE and you can eat YOUR way. We want you to make a healthy change, while loving every minute/meal! READY TO JOIN THE BARE COMMUNITY? Hope this information has helped you and I hope I can make healthy eating much more achievable for you. If you have any other BARE Guide questions, please let me know. Leah x

Listen up, because I'm about to drop the biggest time-saving hack I use while on BARE Lean...   What is it you ask?   MY FREEZER!   Let me tell you.. if you haven't been using your freezer to make your meal prep 10000% easier.. you are seriously missing out! So if you haven't been getting the most out of your freezer, or if you're already best friends with your freezer.. keep reading because I'm about to share with you my TOP 15 BARE Lean Meals You Can Freeze! 🔽 BREAKFASTS Apple & Almond Muffins Page 35 These Apple & Almond muffins are PERFECT for when you're on the go!! As soon as you make them, individually wrap them and store them in a freezer-bag in your freezer. As you're leaving in the morning, take them out and they're ready to eat in 30 minutes! For a little somethin extra, put them in the microwave for a little once they've thawed 🤤     Eggs on Toast with Potato Rosti Page 46 What I love most about this breakfast is that the most time-consuming part is the part you can freeze and thaw out when you need it - the rosti! That way all you need to do in the morning is chop up your fresh tomatoes, toast your bread and fry your egg! Simple! REALLY easy to make the potato rostis in bulk as well!       Quinoa Frittata Page 56 This Quinoa Frittata is such a lifesaver for time. After you finish baking it, let it cool down, slice it into your portions, wrap them, and freeze them individually for an on-the-go savoury breakfast! Thaw the night before or on the morning, and YES warmed up for a little once it's thawed is definitely the way to go 😍         Oat Pancakes Page 52 The Oat pancakes AND the Protein Banana Pancakes from the guide are absolutely incredible to make in bulk and freeze in individual pancakes! SUCH a time saver without the bowl/whisk/pan clean-up every morning!       Berry Smoothie Bowl Page 38 I absolutely LOVE a good smoothie bowl, especially in our ridiculously hot summers!! Making it even EASIER for you to enjoy.. place all of your frozen fruit portions in their own individual clear resealable bags.. that way what you need to do in the morning is super minimal!     SNACKS Chicken Pesto Pinwheels Page 76 If you haven't experienced the glorious pesto pinwheels as a snack yet, you are going to love them even more when you realise you can freeze these after you make them.. WOOO!!   Berry Oatmeal Slice Page 62 The Berry Oatmeal Slice is something seriously so amazing, and what's even better is you can make these in bulk and freeze them after you slice them up! How simple! You can prep 2 weeks worth of snacks in 1 go!     Apple & Cinnamon Bliss Balls Page 61 I absolutely love a good bliss ball and these are no exception. They are the perfect little afternoon pick-me-up and they're SUPER easy to freeze too!! In fact, all the bliss balls are perfect to freeze, so why not try the Peanut Butter Protein Balls or the Mocha Protein Balls as well!   Spinach & Sweet Potato Triangles Page 79 For a savoury snack that you can pre-prepare and freeze, these are the most perfect parcels of deliciousness 😍 Once you bake these, wrap them individually and put them in the freezer ready for when you'd like to enjoy them! The best way to eat these after they've thawed is popping them in the oven for a quickie reheat - they'll be warm AND will go crispy again! If you haven't got BARE Lean yet, these Spinach & Sweet Potato Triangles are in the BARE Lean Free Trial!       Birthday Cake Slice Page 63 The Birthday Cake Slice has a real special place in my heart. Simply because it's so bloody delicious hahaha. Like the Berry Oatmeal Slice.. wrap your slices up individually and freeze! SO easy!!     MAIN MEALS Zoodle Ragu Page 153 If there is ANYTHING I love to pre-prepare the most.. it's an epic pasta sauce. I feel like I can put so much more love and care into making it when I'm not making it every week... you know? So what I love to do is make a BIG batch, freeze them in individual portions and then just take a container out to thaw the night before I need it! You're future busy self will LOVE you for it!!     Lamb Kofta with Tabouli Page 121 Since you all know I'm not really big on meal prepping complete meals.. this one is perfect for me! All I have to do is cook the Lamb Kofta's in bulk and freeze them in portions. I prefer this way so much more.. because when it comes to preparing this dish, the hard part is already done! All I need to do is chop up the fresh ingredients and I'm done!!   Pulled Pork Tacos Page 137 These Pulled Pork Tacos are seriously EPIC! Since we're slow-cooking this DELICIOUS pork for 4-8 hours.. it is such a load off of the shoulders to know that I can freeze some of the portions for me to use another week! These tacos are seriously like the gift that keeps on giving hahaha 😂     Barley & Bean Stew Page 84 Some days, all you want in the world is a heart-warming meal, pre-prepared, without an ounce of cleaning up.. you feel me? This is that dish. You can make this entire meal and freeze in portions and just take it out when those days come up!     Chili Pork Schnitzels Page 105 I can guarantee you, if there is one thing that is ALWAYS pre-prepared in bulk inside my freezer.. it's 10000% a big batch of schnitzels. They are the easiest, most versatile thing to keep pre-prepared. After I crumb the meat, I lay them out on a tray in-between sheets of baking paper, and put it straight in the freezer. Once they're frozen solid, I transfer them to a clear resealable bag to save space in my freezer! They take less than hour to thaw out, and you can cook them right away!     So there you have it... my Top 15 BARE Lean meals that will save you OODLES of time by using your freezer!! Inside the guide there OVER 72 FREEZE-ABLE RECIPES with some form of freeze-able component in them.. whether it's being able to freeze parts of the meal, the entire meal,, or the most time-consuming part of the meal! For tips and tricks on safely freezing your food, and making sure nothing goes to waste.. check out my blog here on my BIGGEST tips for you & your freezer!   I hope this helps you to become best friends with your freezer while on BARE Lean (I know I already am hahaha!)   Love Leah xx    

It’s no secret that I have a big Greek family, and for us, food is definitely the central part of all our gatherings and special occasions (in case you hadn't noticed hahaha). That's where my love of food comes from.. it just reminds me of all the hilariously happy times we get to experience at them. And with Christmas 🎅 around the corner, it's definitely no exception.. if there's anything that's guaranteed it's that there's going to be LOTS of delicious food. 🥕🥑🧀🍖🍨🍩🍰   Christmas can bring up some unsettling feelings about our routine.. we're not eating what we usually would, we're not training when we usually would, and then after the festivities are over it's the 'ah well I've already 'messed up' this week.. I may as well restart next week... or the week after.. or the week after that...' mindset that kicks in. I'm here to tell you that eating delicious food at our Christmas festivities doesn't mean we're 'messing up'.. these festivities are A PART OF LIFE!! They're there to be enjoyed, to make memories from, and to enjoy precious time with those who are most important to us. We certainly shouldn't be worrying about the food, nor should we be brutalising ourselves for enjoying it!   So, a Christmas gathering 🎄 has been planned and you're starting to wonder what to do...   FIRST OF ALL... BREATHE! 🥰 It's Christmas! It's an amazing time for friends, family, good vibes and incredible food! Sustaining a healthy lifestyle in the long term depends on us learning to ENJOY life's festivities (because let's face it.. they're a part of life!). Feeling guilty or that we've ‘fallen off the wagon’ after a glorious day with our friends our family during the holidays can be really damaging to our long term progress. A routine that is sustainable is the one that wins in the end, not the one that's most restrictive. The strict 'all or nothing' mindset can do so much more damage to our health, than what eating those 'extra' festive foods does. To my next point...   Remember To Keep On, Keeping On 🏃🏼‍♀️ DURING the 'silly season' - continue your routine as you usually would. These are just days that yes, we might be indulging a little more than we usually would but that doesn't mean all of our habits need to be thrown out the window.  Wake up early, exercise, eat healthy where you can, take the dog for a walk, meal prep...whatever your routine may be.. do that! Remember it's just a day (or a few days leading up to it!). The memories made are worth FAR more than stressing about a few extra calories. Christmas is a time for family and friends, and the way of a healthy lifestyle is actually INCLUDING these types of events in your lifestyle. So enjoy your festivities, the food that comes with it, and move on without the guilt or shame.. because you absolutely don't need that regret in your life after making memories with your loved ones! In saying this, if you're wanting to make better choices and be more mindful (and of course this blog isn't to tell you to throw all your work out the window and pick up again next year!), then here's some tips on how to make it a little bit easier for you this Christmas to make better choices 😊   1. Bring A Plate or Platter The host will absolutely LOVE it.. and so will the guests! It could be a platter with the BARE dips, a plate of bliss balls, the pinwheels, or some delicious creative veggies! This is a great way to know that there will be at least one option for you that's a little on the more nourishing side. That way, if you're going to nibble at something...may as well be BARE haha!   2. Make A Christmas Drink! If there's one thing that the festivities brings out, it's the drinks! Instead of having wine after wine....How amazing would it be to get creative and make a cocktail jug (or a delicious mocktail in my case!) and bring it along to the party? 🍹 You can absolutely get creative too! Chop up some fresh fruit and infuse a couple jugs of sparkling water.. make your own fresh cold-brewed iced tea.. whip up one of these Kombucha Mocktails, or this incredibly tasty Mocktail with Fresh Fruit & Coconut Water! Or if mocktails aren't your drinking preference...and you're all about cocktails...you could bring your own mixers like soda and lime, for you to use with vodka or gin.. which is another great option! Especially in our hot Australian summers, there is NOTHING BETTER than a nice ice-cold drink on Christmas day.. and I always feel SO much better when I know what's in it!      3. Include All Your Food Groups Christmas lunches usually entail lots of amazinnnggg foods in the middle of the table, ready for us to absolutely feast over. Some say this may be temptation's worst nightmare, but really it's GREAT because it means that we can choose exactly what we want on our plates! Much like my blog on building a BARE Lean inspired meal, try to include on your plate your protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.  Portion controlling is a big one to keep in mind when you're at festive get-togethers.. so when in doubt, listen out for your body's natural hunger cues and stop when you're starting to feel full. Remember, there's usually always dessert later and you'll be able to enjoy it MUCH more if you're not sickeningly full before you eat it!      4. Don't Label The Food! Some of the foods on offer may not necessarily be ‘nourishing’.. they may have a little extra fat or sugar than we're used to including.. but let's not call them ‘bad’ foods.. because they’re not. All foods are equal - there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods. Think of it like this.. some foods are just more nourishing than others, and others are just simply delicious. They are, and SHOULD be part of a realistic and balanced lifestyle.. and one way to help the mindset around that is by teaching ourselves not to label those 'extra' foods as bad!   Remember, festivities are ALWAYS going to be around, so let's learn to manage them as best we can, while still reaching our goals! 😄 You guys got this! 🙌🏼   And I know I'm early but.... HAVE THE BEST CHRISTMAS! 🎄 LOVE LEAH X     

As much and I want to be eating from BARE Lean 100% of the time, sometimes I just don't! Life happens, events happen, lunches are forgotten at home (more times than I'd like to admit haha)... you get the jist! But the best thing is, BARE is about balanced and realistic eating, which includes all of these things! All the reasons why I preach following the BARE principles... so YOU can learn how to apply them in every day life. So when I'm making myself a BARE Lean inspired plate that isn't from the guide itself, I follow a very simple (but very special) method to make sure I'm still getting what I need, and using my judgement around portions sizes.  All you'll need to start is your usual-sized plate that you've been plating up your BARE Lean main meals with.     By now you've learnt how full your plate/container gets with a BARE Lean meal.. so the best way to (generally-speaking) replicate your portion size, is to use that same plate. Not only is it the simplest way for you to portion-size correctly for your body, but it also makes sure you're not over-eating!   Once you've got your plate, follow these 5 (very simple) steps...   1. Load Up Your Vegetables + Salads Your vegetables and salads should take up 1 half of your plate and should include a range of different veggies! Mixed lettuce, capsicum, broccoli, zucchini, eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, spinach.. anything and EVERYTHING that isn't considered a starch-vegetable can absolutely be piled high here. Getting lots of different coloured vegetables in your week will mean you're getting your range of essential nutrients included too!       2. Get Your Carbohydrates In! Your carbohydrates should take up roughly 1 quarter of your plate. These can include rice, quinoa, buckwheat, polenta, cous cous, potatoes, pasta, wholegrain bread or  wraps, anything! Try to choose wholegrain options where possible, but otherwise the world is your oyster when it comes to choosing!         3. Add Your Protein Your protein should take up 1 quarter of your plate. Mine looks like more than a quarter, but I assure you it's because they're on skewers haha! The beef by itself only takes up a quarter of my plate 😊 Choose lean protein options (without fat) where possible, similarly if vegetarian, try to choose substitutes that are lower in fat. Options like lean meat, chicken breast, tofu, white beans, lentils, etc. Remember you don't have to follow a vegetarian diet to try things like beans or tofu for protein - these are AMAZING for adding more variety into your meals across the week!         4. Add Your Flavours Dried herbs, fresh herbs, ginger, garlic, chili, spices, vinegars, stocks, sauces, a squeeze of lemon or lime.. the limit doesn't exist with how much flavour you can add! Some combinations do an AMAZING job at creating some pretty incredible flavours.. Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, European, etc.. so many flavour-options! My usual go-to is to keep it simple with lemon, oregano, salt & pepper. And when I cook my grains, I LOVE to cook them in some stock to make them 1000x more interesting to eat. Keep in mind if you're using shelf-sauces to flavour.. be mindful of how much you're using in 1 go, as some of them can be pretty energy dense.. which if that's the case, enjoy in moderation rather than in large quantities!         5. Include Your Healthy Fats As a general 'rule of thumb' to follow for liquid healthy fats .. look at your thumb. You'll want to aim the portion-size of your healthy fats to be the approximate size from the tip of your thumb, to the start of your thumb's knuckle. Keep in mind that healthy fats doesn't just mean a drizzle of olive oil over a salad (although it can be!), but it can also mean including chopped nuts, seeds, etc. Or it could mean a small serving of avocado or sprinkled feta (more than your thumb haha)! It amazes me how frequently healthy fats are avoided, but let me tell you, they are SO essential for a nutritionally-balanced meal.       Above all, make sure you're including variety. Eating brown rice is GREAT. But I want you to be flexible and have loads of variety in your diet - that's what makes it fun! The same goes for proteins, veggie, healthy fats, etc.   I hope this helps you to navigate your way around building a BARE Lean inspired meal when you're away from your usual routine, or even just choosing what to put on your plate at a family gathering. Remember to always listen to your body and your natural hunger cues.. this means listening and tunning in with your body to eat mindfully and stopping when you feel full. If you don't have BARE Lean and are keen to start, we're having a Cyber Week Sale RIGHT NOW where you can get 20% off BARE Lean! Just enter code CYBER20 at checkout to redeem! (discount ends Mon 30 Nov @ midnight ACDT)   Love always,Leah xx  

Probably a question that I get most often (apart from how to roll the perfect yiros haha) is What Does BARE Mean? Does it stand for something? Why did I start it? and Leah, how do I pronounce it?! If you've been curiously wondering, here's a short definition of what BARE is and why we have so many women living and breathing it.   BARE AcronymSounds the same as pronouncing the name of the animal, bear B.A.R.E standing for Balanced And Realistic Eating You guys know me well enough by now to know that I come from a big Greek family where food is EVERYTHING. As I grew older, I questioned more and more why more women chose not to enjoy a variety of food like what we did in our family. Somewhere along the way, women were told cooking was either an over-complicated form of art with 35 ingredients and requiring a university degree in flavour;  or that you could only prepare 3 very lonely ingredients, steamed, without a pinch of salt in sight.... forever. Eating healthy doesn’t need to be complicated or boring, because the truth is that both ways are unrealistic for the vast majority of us. So I wondered why is it that most eating regimes are trying to tell women to follow these kinds of harsh rules?  What happens to those of us that just want to eat good food and not have to think about absolutely every "bad" that's going into it. And those of us that just want to live and enjoy life? To be completely present in those special moments with our partners, our kids, our dog, our goldfish... whoever.. what happens to those of us trying to naturally live our lives AND eat healthily? BARE simply is about choosing ingredients that are realistic for you to cook with, in recipes that are realistic for you to love, and CONTINUE to love throughout your life. BARE is all about teaching women HOW to enjoy a nutritionally balanced and healthy relationship with food, without any restrictions. I never cut out any carbs, cut out any fats, or sugars.. because realistically speaking.. it isn't a regime that's maintainable for the majority of us. All of our guides, including BARE Lean, contain recipes from burgers and curries, to pancakes and banana bread. Each recipe is nutritionally balanced, quick, easy, and most importantly, written alongside a dietitian to ensure you're getting all the macronutrients your body needs. And also.. just sayin.. all the Greek-inspired recipes are approved by YiaYia.. so you tell me if that ain't some proof!! 😜   Simple philosophy? Yes. Applicable to everyone? Absolutely. Am I on a beautiful mission to show women how easy and maintainable it is to eat alongside these principles? YOU BETCHA.     I am always here with you every step of the way. I actually follow my own guides as well. So if at any time you want to chat about which BARE Guide is right for you, reach out to me here! Find out about BARE Lean here and how it can help you on your journey to feeling leaner, fitter, stronger and more confident in life!   Love always,Leah xx    

You guys know that I love a good grazing platter, but even more I love BUILDING a good grazing platter. Since the holiday season is approaching, if you're curious to learn step-by-step how I build my platters, then keep on reading because I'm about to show you EXACTLY how I do it in 7 Steps! 😍     What You'll Need: - A good sized board- Small bowls and/or plates- Fruits that have different colours- Dips- Olives- Cheese (at least 3-4 types of cheeses)- Cold Meats of different shapes, sizes, colour variations- Biscuits/Crackers/Bread Sticks- Small fruits, nuts, grapes, dates, dried fruit, etc. Anything that will help fill gaps to make the platter look fuller!           Step 1: Choose Your Board & Small Bowls You first need a large board - wooden is my favourite! I always use plates or bowls on top of my board to give it height and a little extra fancy-ness. Set them where you want them and get ready to build around them!         Step 2: Add Your Fruit Cut up your fruit into single-serve chunks/slices and place them at either end of your board. Doing this will help you to frame your board and give some really great colour to the whole board!         Step 3: Add Dips & Olives You want to find dips with the most colour, but also dips that will be most popular for your guests! For example, I like to use guacamole and tzatizki in my household since they are always a HUGE hit. And olives... a DEFINITE must. Sometimes I even get different types, some green, some black, some marinated. Depends what you think your guests will love!         Step 4: Add Your Cheeses Make sure you choose at least 3-4 cheeses for some variety in taste, texture AND appearance! For something a little extra fancy, I like to cut into mine (see the Brie!) to make it look a little more rustic. It also invites guests to cut into a cheese themselves, rather than holding onto that little inner-fear at the beginning of 'cutting the first slice' of a fresh board!         Step 5: Add Your Cold Meats I always like to go with Salami, Ham and Kabana as a base, and then if you're wanting a little more, you could do some Smoked Salmon, Prosciutto, etc. I always tell the person at the deli that I'd like the slices thin BUT also that they're for a grazing platter so I need to be able to roll them and have them not fall apart! They will usually always know how to slice it perfectly 😊 Once you've taken them home, you can keep the slices whole or cut them in half.. you can roll them, fold them, twist them.. any shape that you like that is easy for people to grab!         Step 6: Add Your Crackers Put your biscuits/crackers/bread sticks into bowls and in any spots that you can see the bottom of the board. The aim here is to fill in some of those gaps! If you're placing them on the board, you can get creative on how you want them to look as well! You can pile them up, fan them out in a straight line or even a curved line.. anything you like!       Step 7: Add Your Fillers Anything small and easy to scatter around will be your most helpful fillers at this point! Strawberries and passionfruit halves are my go-to favourite fillers because of how bright and cheerful they look! But you can seriously use anything as fillers! Whatever you choose as your fillers, start filling in those last few gaps with them!        And there you have it! Your VERY OWN grazing board in 7 simple steps! 🎉 Can't wait to see how you get down with your grazing boards! Every creation has their own flair and look about them.. which is what makes them all so unique and so amazing!   Happy grazing! Leah xx    

If you've taken a scroll through the BARE Lean guide, you'll notice that once you buy your staple ingredients, cooking on a budget (ie. getting the best bang for your buck) can be SUPER easy. But which recipes are the BEST of the best to whip up when you're on a budget you ask? Here are my TOP 10 budget-friendly meals from BARE Lean! 🔽 BREAKFASTS Blueberry Oatmeal  Page 39 Made using frozen blueberries, the Blueberry Oatmeal is a great one to make when you're on a budget. Buying fresh berries can get SUPER expensive, so it's nice to get that berry flavour without breaking the budget!   Peanut Butter On Toast Page 54 Made from simple, easy ingredients that you very likely already buy or already own! SUPER budget friendly, and who doesn't love peanut butter?!     SNACKS Dips & Veggies Page 67 These dips can be made in bulk which makes them really easy on the pocket since you don't have to buy tiny quantities and you can make one dip to last you the whole week! And they are ESPECIALLY great because the Roast Capsicum Dip and Spicy Butter Bean Dip can be FROZEN, making it EVEN EASIER to make in bulk!     Pumpkin Soup Page 77 Oh my goodness do I LOVE a good pumpkin soup. SO GOOD because they are packed with so many VEGGIES!! Plus the other ingredients are things you'll likely already have in your pantry AND you can make these in bulk, freeze in individual portions, and then just take them out when you need them! How amazing is that!!       Mocha Bliss Balls Page 73 If you haven't tried the Mocha Bliss Balls yet then you are seriously missing out! These are SO yum, and they only cost $4.60 AUD for the ENTIRE BATCH!! Plus they freeze SO well.. again making it really easy to buy in bulk, make in bulk, and then keep in the freezer for whenever you're ready for them! If you're not already a BARE Lean user, this recipe is available FOR FREE inside our 7 day BARE Lean Trial! Click here to sign up!       MAIN MEALS Caprese Pasta Salad Page 90 This is a really really easy dish to make with simple, fresh ingredients! And the ingredients for the dressing you very likely will already have in your pantry! The recipe uses cherry tomatoes, but if they're expensive where you are, you can always use regular tomatoes instead. EXTRA SAVER: If you have a little herb garden at home, home grown basil makes this dish even more cost savvy!       Roast Vegetable & Grain Salad Page 139 This salad is packed with ALL the goodies, and the best part is that they are basically ALL vegetables! Recipes with mostly vegetables are AMAZING because you can weigh them at the store and just buy what you need for your meal. You can also cook and freeze the vegetables for this recipe and keep them in the freezer, ready for you to defrost when you want to make it again! Quinoa really expensive where you are? That's okay! You can swap in whatever grain you already have at home or for a grain that's cheaper where you are!       Pork Salad & Pita Chips Page 134 This is a REALLY easy recipe to whip up and really kind to the pocket as well! This recipe is mostly just veg and meat! And if pork is too expensive where you are, you can absolutely swap for another meat! I just love making this because I can really easily marinate the meat and then pop them in the freezer in their portions.. making it SUPER practical to not have to buy meat in smaller quantities when they're at their most expensive!       Meatballs In Spanakorizo Page 126 The Meatballs In Spanakorizo... oh my. This dish is all kinds of heart-warming GOODNESS. And even better for YOU because it goes such a long way!! You can swap the meat around to suit your budget if beef mince is a more pricier option. But after you buy the meat, it's mostly just pantry staples and veggies! How easy is that!!       Tuna Bean Salad Page 146 This Tuna Bean Salad is seriously one of my FAVOURITES because it is so damn easy to whip up, and really easy on the pocket as well! Canned beans are really cheap to buy, and tinned tuna can be purchased in handy 5 packs which makes this recipe even more cost efficient! You can also swap the grain for one you already have in your pantry or one that's cheaper for you! Super versatile and easy to whip up on a budget.     So there you have it... my Top 10 BARE Lean recipes on a budget! All our recipes are super easy to make swaps to, so you can customise and accomodate for ingredients that may be more cost savvy for you wherever you are in the world! (and quite often I do the same!) I hope this helps you to make use of our most budget-friendly recipes in BARE Lean, and to also draw inspiration from on how YOU can make the other recipes more budget friendly! Leah xx

Multiplying your recipes for the week's meal prep? Getting the whole family on board? Or is it you can't keep your toddlers hands off your plate long enough to finish your BARE Lean meal? HAHA HOW AMAZING!! 😄 It is SO much easier to build healthy habits when the whole family gets involved or when you're able to cook meals in advance! But since most of the recipes in BARE Lean are serves for 1, there's a unique way to multiply the recipes so it's not a flavour overload by the time you've finished multiplying! So here's how to get it done...     Start with simple multiplying To make your BARE Lean recipes serve multiple portions, you'll of course need to multiply the quantities of the ingredients by the number of serves you want to make. For example, x 2 for two serves, x 4 for four serves and so on. BUT BEWARE!! There are some staple ingredients in recipes that you won't need to increase as much as others!   Pay close attention to the flavourful ingredients!! How you adjust your flavourful ingredients will take a little personal judgement while you're cooking. These are ingredients like onion, garlic, oil, stock, dressings, sauces, marinades and spices... as all of these ingredients INCREASE flavour! So you need to be careful that these ingredients aren’t over-used!   So this is what to do.. Let's say you're multiplying a recipe by 4. First you'll start by multiplying the main ingredients by 4 (the ingredients without the sauces, marinades, spices, etc). Then, multiply your flavourful ingredients, like the dressings, sauces marinades, spices, etc... by 2. Start cooking or assembling your dish and let the flavours infuse. After this point you'll want to do a taste-test of your meal. It may be absolutely spot on! But if it isn't, that's okay! You can just adjust those flavourful ingredients accordingly from there 😊   All the information you need and MORE on Page 47 of your BARE Lean Resources document 🙌🏼   Happy cooking!Leah xx