A ‘fridge clear-out’ fried rice: This artist’s day on a plate

Gemma Leslie is an artist. The 37-year-old shares her day on a plate.

Leslie’s day begins with a decaf latte in bed.Credit: Art by Eliza Iredale

6.30am My partner brings me a decaf latte in bed, our morning ritual, before wrangling my three-year-old and walking him to kinder.

8.00am Morning meeting with my team at a cafe. I have two soft-boiled eggs on toasted rye with cavolo nero and béarnaise sauce, plus a matcha latte with oat milk and honey.

12.30pm After a personal training session I grab two tofu rice-paper rolls. The man at the counter insists on giving me a spring roll made by his grandmother.

2.30pm Piccolo latte and half a coffee scroll biscuit.

5.30pm As I walk my son home from kinder, he begs me for a treat from the servo. Today we settle on sharing a blood orange kombucha (I drink most of it).

6.30pm I make a very non-traditional fried rice, a fridge clear-out using silverbeet, zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic and soy sauce.

8pm A lemon and ginger tea.

Dr Joanna McMillan says

Top marks for… Your fridge clear-out meal. Minimising food waste is vital not only for healthy eating on a budget but for the environment. You also get a nice mix of vegies as a result. The only thing missing is a good source of protein.

If you keep eating like this you’ll… Risk a deficiency in minerals mostly obtained from animal foods such as iron, zinc and iodine. Premenopausal women have exceptionally high iron needs, so deficiency is common, while zinc is essential for a healthy immune system and iodine for brain performance.

Why don’t you try… Including mussels and/or oysters (if you eat them) in your weekly menu as these are rich in all three minerals you fall short on. Add a seaweed salad to lunch to boost iodine. Add tofu, tempeh and beans to your stir-fry.

Gemma Leslie is the founder of culinary poster shop Food For Everyone.

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