What's the secret to maintaining a healthy diet, saving money and reducing waste?

While maintaining a healthy diet has always been important to me, saving money and reducing waste are becoming equally so.  I’ve found the key to these 3 goals can be narrowed down to one thing – planning.  Plan your meals, plan your shopping list around your meals, plan for leftovers and learn some hacks for reducing your food waste. 

Plan your meals for the week and plan your shopping list around it.  

-       Take some time, sit down and plan your healthy meals for the week. 

-       Research healthy recipes.  Maybe incorporate one new recipe per week.  (Personally more than one a week would send me into a tailspin). Check what ingredients you already have so you’re not doubling up when you go shopping.

-       Check out online the weekly special offers at your supermarket and incorporate those into your meal plan – there’s no point snapping up fresh food deals if you’re not going to use them.

-       Keep your shopping list handy during the week so when you’ve squeezed the last out of the ketchup bottle, you add it to the list as opposed to making a special ketchup trip after you’ve done the main trip and picking up 5 extra things you don’t need!

-       Work leftovers into the plan e.g. if you’re having roast chicken one night, chicken caesar salad the next day.

-       If you’re a meat-eater, aim to incorporate vegetarian options e.g. bean stew, chickpea curry – healthy and cheaper.

-       The likes of stews and curries are fantastic for batch cooking – I’m not into the idea of taking a Sunday afternoon to do a load of batch cooking, instead just do a big batch whatever day you’re cooking and freeze what you don’t use…or eat it the next day – it tastes better the second day right?

-       Frozen vegetables can be just as healthy as the fresh stuff and sometimes maybe even more so as they are frozen directly after being picked.  These are a great way to reduce waste.

-       Eggs – I always have a box of these handy.  An omelette is a wonderfully healthy easy fall-back. Use the egg freshness test if you’re near or go past the use by dates; Place an egg in a jug or cold water. If it sinks it’s fresh.

-       If you have the cupboard space stock up on healthy long life staples to fall back on – wholemeal pasta, brown rice, cous cous and tins of beans, lentils etc..

- Dried herbs and spices last for ages and can really boost a dish. They count as one of our 5 a day, but again only buy them if you need them.  I seem to have some kind of fear of running out of cinnamon and cumin – you don’t need 5 jars of them, Gráinne.

-       Now, let’s face it – if you’re trying to clean up your diet, biscuits, crisps, chocolate sweets etc. should not be on that list.  If they’re not in the house, you can’t eat them. Aldi and Lidl are both good for bags of nuts and seeds which can make great snacks.

Hitting the Shops
-       Try and limit yourself to one weekly shop, so you’re not dropping into the shops randomly to pick things up with exceptions like milk.

-       Stick to that shopping list.

-       My preferred supermarket for the big shop is a little further away, so to save petrol I’ll try tie my shopping in with another trip. Yes.  Hardcore money saving efforts.

-       After years of resistance, I’ve finally given into the clubcard to access special offers and gain points.

-       Avoid going shopping when you’re hungry.

-       Always check those use-by dates. Reach for the back of that shelf for longer life!

-       Shopping later in the day you can often get fresh food at reduced prices, although in the evening, it can also mean the shelves aren’t as well-stocked.

- Money-saving offers are only saving you money if you’re going to use / eat the extra items. If you have the storage space however special offers on long-life staples or non-perishable goods can .

-       How loyal are you to brands versus own brands? Be aware of the price differences. There can be great savings to be made here.

-       Avoid buying prepared food like carrot baton bags and grated cheddar, they tend to be more expensive and use more plastic.

-       Get competitive - be aware of how much you spend on your weekly shop and see where you can reduce it each week. Becoming a grocery shopping ninja!

- Unless during your research you’ve realised there is something on the middle aisle that you really need - ignore it, run past it or maybe wear a pair of blinkers.

- if you have time and have access to some of the wonderful Asian food markets around, you can make great savings on many healthy foods including rice, pulses, tofu, edamame, spices, seitan, kimchi etc. (thanks to my cuz, Mairead for this great tip!)

Reducing Food Waste
-       Learn how to store your fresh food correctly, find out where it should go in your fridge from a freshness but also safety point of view. The same goes for your freezer, learn how to use it properly.

-       Bread – how often do you throw this out? If the answer is ‘often’, slice your bread if it’s not already sliced and store it in the freezer.  Or if it’s already a little on the stale side use it in a recipe or convert into breadcrumbs, use immediately in a recipe or freeze for a later date.

-       Flour – did you partake in the covid bread-making craze? Be aware of foods like flour hiding in the back of the cupboard.  Be realistic.  Avoid buying if you’re not going to use them or give them to a baker friend if you’ve tried once and decided you’re not actually bake off material.

-       Is your fruit a little on the soft and overripe side? Add it to a smoothie.

-       Have your carrots, broccoli, celery become a little bendy? Make a veggie stock and freeze it.

- Use up that chicken - recipe here for chicken stock which can then go into the freezer.

-       Stir-fries are a fantastic, quick and easy way to use up veggies if it looks like you’re not going to get through them.

-       Went overboard with the fresh herbs? Tear them up, pop them in ice cube trays with some water. Freeze and use them when you’re cooking.

-       If you have a bottle that isn’t going to be finished, again freeze it in ice cube trays and use for cooking.

-       Challenge yourself and your family to make sure all the fresh food is used every week. 

Check out resources like https://www.safefood.net/ and https://food.cloud/ for more information and tips.

Have any tips that you’d like to share? Please pop them into the comments!

Vegetarian Nut Roast - it's not just for Christmas...

Every year for Christmas, the chef, aka the Ma makes a nut roast for me ‘the awkward vegetarian’. Now I’d just like to point out I do volunteer to cook, but while my brother is often stand-in or sous chef, I’m usually relegated to clean-up duties and alternate shifts with my Dad. My lack of success in being allowed to cook a full meal for my family reminds me of my attempts to get a solo singing part in my primary school plays - they always found something else for me to do. Ok, I just had to get that off my chest - back to the best ever vegetarian nut roast. The champion nut roast of Christmas 2021 - recipe from none other than Delia Smith.

Whoomp here it is;

Curried Nut Roast
serves 4

225g mixed hazel, brazil and/or walnuts, finely chopped
8 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium green peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
75g wholewheat breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teasp dried or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mixed herbs.
1 tbsp mild curry powder or 1 teaspoon hot madras curry powder
1 egg beaten
Olive oil
Salt and freshly–milled black pepper

Preheat oven to gas mark 7 / 425°F / 220°C
Grease a 7 inch/18cm square cake tin
Begin by gently frying the onions and chopped pepper in a little oil until they are softened (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, mix the nuts and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl, adding the garlic, herbs and curry powder. Then stir in the onions, pepper and tomatoes, mix very thoroughly and season. Now add the beaten egg to bind the mixture together.
6. Finally, pack the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden.

A homemade tomato sauce is a perfect accompaniment for this. It’s also yummy served cold with a salad.

I almost forgot…Happy New Year Peeps!

Five Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Diet 💫

Let’s start at the beginning – with breakfast - non-breakfast eaters (you maniacs) just skip along. Porridge is my go-to breakfast, it’s minimally processed, low in fat, no added sugar and it’s so easy to pimp! You can add fruit, (frozen berries are brill), spices (I’m a sucker for cinnamon - helps lower blood sugar), seeds and if you’re looking for a little more protein in your diet you can add a spoonful of protein powder.

Seeds! Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseeds. Full of protein, fibre and healthy fats. I always keep a jar of sweet seeds (dry pan toast first and then add maple syrup and cinnamon and/or mixed spice) for porridge and yogurt and a jar of savoury (dry pan toast first, then add tamari /soya sauce) for soups, stews etc.

Bread, pasta, rice – you know this one - switch the refined whites for wholegrain. The wholegrain versions are lower in sugar and higher in fibre, which we need for good digestion aka keeping things regular.

Stir Fries – remember the eighties when the answer to every vegetarian option was a stir fry? Well it’s time to get wokkin’ again (I just use an ordinary frying pan but can’t resist a pun). Stir fries are a quick and easy way to cook up a load of yummy veg AND include chilli, ginger and garlic – fantastic immune system boosters. A bit of soya or tamari sauce and you’re ready to go. They can even make kale edible (super nutritious but like eating thistles right?)

Stews, curries and soups – ‘tis the season for them. These are another way to up the veggie intake. I always start with a bit of olive oil and sauté onions, garlic and whatever is in the fridge that works well chopped e.g. celery, leeks, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, chilli, once they’re soft I either use tinned plum tomatoes or vegetable stock. I’ll add in 1-2 tins of beans, definitely will add in herbs (so good for you – they weren’t used for remedies for nothing ya know), maybe peas, wholegrain pasta, brussel sprouts (Stop that! I won’t hear a word against them). Use your fabulous imagination. These are perfect for batch cooking and freezing.

Buon appetito!

Not Your Regular Bread

Way back in July – ok it was only the month before last but it already seems like ages ago – I spent a week at Kaliyoga, the most wonderful yoga retreat, in Puglia, right in the high heel of that beautiful boot that is Italy.

I will most definitely do a blog on the retreat, I’ve started it a couple of times but either ended up in a daydream or downward dog.

One of the many high points of the retreat was the food.  The most delicious vegetarian and vegan delights which totally tantalised the tastebuds on a daily basis.  (Yes, I love alliteration almost as much as I love yoga retreats.)

The queen of the kitchen at Kaliyoga is Alessandra, this woman has more health and wellness qualifications than you could shake a celery stick at.  As well as overseeing all the culinary goings on at the retreat,  she also offers a weekly food workshop to the guests, which of course I signed up for. 

The most beneficial part of this for me was learning how to make the ‘Life Changing Loaf of Bread’, which was a very popular staple at meals throughout the week.  Even more importantly, I learned that it was really easy to make – seriously – it’s a step up from a mud pie and it’s awesome.  It’s wheat free, full of nuts and seeds and even has psyllium husks, definitely not your ‘regular bread’, more so ‘keep you regular bread’. 

I have made it several times since I came back from Italy and think I have perfected it now, it takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and less than an hour in the oven.  The recipe originally comes from the My New Roots blogger; holistic nutritionist and cookbook author Sarah Britton.

I like to slice it up and stick it in the freezer.  All summer I’ve just extracted a slice or two for lunch, toast it, dice it and put it on a salad.  It’s a taste and texture sensation!  I don’t think it has changed my life, but it has definitely changed my lunch.

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or agave (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil* or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

Directions:
1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

*I found ‘odourless coconut oil’ recently and would definitely recommend that.

https://kaliyoga.com/yoga-retreat-italy/

https://www.radiantlyalessandra.com/about

https://www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/

Hearty Healthy Minestrone Stewp!

Easy to make – hearty and healthy – eat it straight away, it tastes even better the next day or freeze it!  Approx ten minutes prep time and around 30 minutes to cook it all up.

1 x chopped bell pepper
1 x chopped onion
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 x chopped carrot
Dessert spoon of olive oil
1 x tin of tomatoes
1 x tin of borlotti beans (or kidney, cannellini, butter beans)
Handful of chopped green beans
Half cup of frozen peas
Cup of wholemeal pasta (I used wholemeal spelt)
1 x half litre of vegetable stock – I recommend Marigold bouillon
1 x squeeze of tomato paste
Handful of basil leaves
Heaped teasp of mixed herbs
Half teasp of chill flakes

Using a medium to large saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the pepper, onion, garlic and carrot until soft.  Add the tinned tomatoes, (I also added in some chopped fresh tomatoes here that were getting soft).  Add the veggie stock, green beans, tomato paste and herbs – If you’re using fresh basil tear the leaves instead of chopping them – better for the release of flavour. Allow everything to come to the bubble! Add the pasta, peas strained beans reducing the heat, allowing the soup to simmer, stirring occasionally. After 20-30 minutes – check the pasta & green beans, once they’re cooked you’re ready to go.

You can vary this recipe to your taste - an opportunity perhaps to use up veggies from the fridge – e.g. add chopped celery to the sautéd vegetables or use diced potatoes or sweet potatoes instead of pasta.  Add more chili if you like a real kick. Use different types of beans. Add more stock to make it more soupy – I like a lot of bite in my soup so it’s more like stew.

Grated cheddar (or parmesan) makes a tasty garnish.
Toast pumpkin and /or sunflower seeds on a dry pan and add tamari or soya sauce to taste.  Once these cool they make a lovely crunchy topping. 

If there's any left store it in the fridge, it tastes even better the next day, an ideal recipe for batch cooking. 

Your Secret Weapon for Healthy Bones

Happy World Osteoporosis Day!  Happy in that it’s raising awareness, and that’s a good thing.  Worldwide, Osteoporosis affects one in three women and one in five men over the age of fifty, but it’s not exclusive to the over 50s.  Known as a ‘silent disease’, oftentimes people are unaware of their bone density loss until they suffer a fracture. 

Throughout childhood dem bones dem bones really do need calcium as well as vitamin D to help us absorb it, enabling us to reach peak bone density by the age of 25 – 30. These micronutrients are essential for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis as is weight-bearing exercise. From the macronutrient family, protein is an important body cell reparation and builder.  Other bone friendly nutrients include vitamin K, manganese and potassium all of which are contained with within prunes.

Let's shine the spotlight on prunes...When I think of prunes I think of that big bowl in the hotel buffet, which people under the age of not-caring avoid like the plague as helping yourself to a bowl of them would be the equivalent of standing on a chair and shouting ‘I have an announcement to make – I am constipated!’.

Digestive system benefits aside, prunes are becoming known for their bone building benefits. For the last twenty years, Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi has been at the forefront of research into prunes or ‘dried plums’ as he calls them (I see where you’re going here doc - nice try).  Chairman of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at Florida State University, his studies show that in conjunction with sufficient calcium and vitamin D, may help prevent and even reverse bone loss.

He claims that during his career he has tested numerous fruits and none of them have come close to having the positive effect on bone density that prunes have.  In 2011, over a twelve month period two groups of osteopenic (precursor to osteoporosis) women were studied. Along with calcium and vitamin D supplements, one group consumed 100g of prunes per day while the other consumed 75g of dried apple a day. The prune ladies after a year had ‘significantly’ higher bone mineral density compared to the dried apple ladies.

While the original the recommendation was to consume 10 – 12 prunes a day, following a further study, this has been revised down to the more achievable 5 – 6 prunes.  Channel 4’s ‘Superfoods: The Real Story’ recently included a feature on prunes and an interview with Dr. Arjmandi. They also revealed that prunes are highly recommended for astronauts who suffer bone loss due to floating around space stations for six or so months at a time.  Now that’s a bit more sexy.

Where do you find all these bone friendly nutrients?

Calcium – milk, cheese, yogurt, spinach, kale, collards, soya beans, whitebeans, tinned salmon, sardines, figs, whey protein, fortified cereals.

Vitamin D – sunshine! Tuna, mackerel, salmon, fortified foods and drinks, egg yolks. In countries that get a little less sunshine a Vitamin D supplement is recommended.

Protein – eggs, fish, chicken, beef (ideally go for lean), turkey, dairy products, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, quinoa, soya, spinach.

Vitamin K – spinach, cabbage, brussel sprouts,cauliflower, kale, liver, asparagus, broccoli, beans, soya beans, eggs, strawberries, prunes.

Manganese – beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, unrefined grains, prunes.

Weight-bearing exercise can include walking, hiking, running, body weight exercises, weight training, training with dynabands and general muscle strengthening exercises including Pilates. If you do have osteoporosis however and are attending a fitness class or a gym, it’s important to let the instructor know so they can offer you advice on modifications.

Oatily Delicious Bread Recipe

I’m more of a cooker than a baker, but this recipe is easy peasy with only a few ingredients all pickable uppable in a regular supermarket.  This bread is wheat free, low in fat, high in fibre and humminess and if you don’t like the texture of porridge but want the goodness of it this is a great breakfast solution.

 Ingredients for One Loaf:
175g porridge / oatmeal
175g pinhead oatmeal
120g oatbran
600ml buttermilk
1.5 teaspsoon bread soda
1 teaspsoon salt

Method:
Chuck everything into a bowl and mix it up, let it sit for half an hour while you preheat the oven.  Use non-stick greaseproof paper / parchment (turns out greaseproof paper isn’t non stick as I had thought!) to line your 900g/2lb loaf tin.  Bake at 180 degrees c for 1.5 hours.  To make it worth you’re while, given the baking time, it’s a good idea make two loaves of bread at the same time.  Keep an eye on it for the last half hour, to test stick a skewer or sharp knife and if it comes out without any sticky bits it’s done.  Leave the bread to cool for a bit before removing it from the tin and then place onto a wire tray, remove the paper carefully and leave it to further cool.

This bread keeps really well, but also a nice one to slice up and keep in the freezer, if you can stop yourself from devouring it all at once!