Recipes

Kids don’t like courgette or zucchini? Have some leftovers in the fridge? Here is a great way to get the kids to eat more vegetables without even knowing it. It’s also a nice way to use up your leftovers. Courgettes are called zucchini back where I’m from. People tend to love them or hate them but they are a super vegetable when it comes to nutrition. They are low in calories, a source of folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C. See if your guests can guess the secret ingredient in this tea cake.

Keep Reading...

Ive been getting a few requests for interesting low carbohydrate recipes for those who are watching their weight or trying to control blood sugar levels. There is nothing wrong with reducing the amount of carbohydrate that we eat, (and goodness knows lots of people are guilty of loading their plates up with too many), as long as there are some good low GI sources taken in the day. Its all about balance.
I like this recipe and it has about 7.5g carbohydrate and 440 Kcals per serve. Should only take 30 minutes to cook.

Keep Reading...

Sometimes the best meals are the ones you put together at the last minute, with the ingredients you have in storage. I always have a packet of frozen prawns in the freezer, just in case. This is pretty much my “emergency” dinner that I can whip up in a hurry when needed. Prawns are a family favourite. They are low in fat and calories as well. This shouldnt take more than 20-30 minutes to cook and serves 4.

Keep Reading...

My husband has one dish- “corned beef hash”. It’s always nice to have someone else cook for you, especially after a long day at work, but I have to say I’m not overly fond of the old fatty and extremely salty corned beef. I’m glad to say, I’ve just found a great alternative – turkey hash. Lets see if ge will give it a go. If he doesn’t, I sure will.

Keep Reading...

The 26th January is Australia Day so I thought I’d add a traditional damper recipe. Damper is a traditional Aussie bread that was made by stockmen whilst out in remote areas of the Australian bush. It is quite often made on camping trips, on the open fire, and there are lots of different takes on the basic flour, butter and milk recipe. Id say pretty much most Australians would have tried their hand at a damper at some stage.

Keep Reading...

Feel like pudding? Something warm and comforting on a cold January evening?
This oaty fruit pudding recipe is a healthy twist on the crumble. If you are worried about your weight, individual serving sizes are a great idea for portion control.
Enjoy!

Keep Reading...

Today I was discussing, with a group, which foods are “filling” versus “non-filling” and the food that came up the most in the “filling” list was lentil soup. Lentils are a great source of protein and soluble fibre and also, generally, have a low GI so are bound to make you feel fuller for longer. They are also an excellent source of B vitamins.
This soup is a great pick me up for lunchtime and should keep you going through your day.

Keep Reading...

One of the things Ive never been able to get quite right is the perfect roast chicken. This is a cheat’s roast chicken, using chicken pieces that works every time and comes out looking fabulous and tasting great. You can reduce the fat content by making sure you choose skinless chicken pieces (or ask your butcher). A lovely meal for the evening or as a sunday lunch.

Keep Reading...

I love rice pudding and its such an easy dessert to make. It can be eaten hot or cold and is a good high calcium treat. I usually sprinkle cinnamon on my rice pudding but coconut can make it just that much more special. And here’s the best bit…its really low in fat. Using very low fat milk can make the world of difference to the nutritional composition. Tastes great too!

Keep Reading...

Love christmas pudding but trying to go low-fat?
Here is a great low fat pudding that can be cooked up to a month before the big day. Keep it stored in an airtight container and heat up on Christmas day, or if you are like me and don’t have any room for pudding after the Christmas meal…..on Christmas evening.

Keep Reading...

Too cold for salad? Never! Here is a lovely warm salad to have on cold winter days.

This salad has lots of warm and welcoming mediterranean ingredients to help your forget the frost outside. Peppers, or capsicum where I am from, are a rich source of vitamins A and C. Feta cheese is a good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Calcium and Phosphorus. It can be a little high in sodium so if you are watching your salt, you could substitute chickpeas

Keep Reading...

Leftover pumpkin? It’s a perfect time to turn those leftovers into a warm and tasty soup. Combining with smoked haddock adds that extra dimension to the dish.
Haddock is at its best around November and is a fairly firm fish that will sit well in soup.

Keep Reading...

Its coming up to Halloween and there is a cold snap in the air. In our street, each year, the children get together in a big group and “hit the streets” trick or treating. We usually try to have something hearty, warm and nutritious for them to eat before they start gathering all the sweets and treats they are given by generous neighbours. This “white witch’s” potion is jam packed with good ingredients and can be made in a large cauldron, ready to serve before any serious scaring is done. But dont forget the garlic…

Keep Reading...

The cold weather has well and truly set in here in the North West. In the cold weather, sometimes a sandwich just isn’t going to “hit the spot” for lunch. Here is a quick, easy and cheap lunch idea when you feel like something hot. It’s a great recipe as it has two powerhouse ingredients- chickpeas and spinach.

Keep Reading...

There is talk of cold weather on its way. Frost will be setting in over the next few weeks. Its a great opportunity to use the slow cooker and plan ahead to make sure you aren’t going for “quick and unhealthy” convenience meals when you get in from a long day. It’s the very end of the lamb season, which means you can get some nice strongly flavoured lamb, just suited to this recipe.

Some people are afraid to use lamb as it appears to be quite a fatty meat. These days you can get some good lean cuts of lamb but you will find that a large proportion of the fat in lamb is unsaturated, which is good for you. Lamb is also high in iron and zinc so don’t be afraid to have it now and again.

Keep Reading...