Pick up a pumpkin

Want an economical, versatile and healthy food? Pick pumpkin! £1.50 makes you a pumpkin pie/souffle and delish roast pumpkin which you can have as a side, in a salad, or in risotto.

Low-carb pumpkin pie

Ingredients
400g pumpkin (about half a small pumpkin or use canned if you can find it - Whole Foods is a good bet)

60g xylitol or splenda

2 eggs

3 tbsp wholemeal flour

175ml skimmed or unsweetened soya milk

80ml single cream

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp salt
 
How to do it
 
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased shallow pie tin or dish and put in the oven. Immediately

turn the oven down to 180ºC. Bake at this temperature for 40-50 minutes or until set in

the middle. Serve with a sprinkling of flaked almonds and yogurt, creme fraiche or single cream.
 

Roast pumpkin

1/2 pumpkin, peeled and chopped into small chunks
Drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dried herbs (sage, thyme, oregano)
Pinch rock salt

Put pumpkin in a large roasting dish and drizzle with the oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with the herbs, salt and add a splash of water.

Roast in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30minutes until pumpkin is tender. Serve!

Thai curry in less than 20 minutes!

I hate getting home from a long day and slaving for hours preparing dinner - I end up eating more when I'm cooking than the actual meal! This thai curry honestly took me less than 20 minutes and tasted brill. It was enough for me to save for my lunch tomorrow too (and with a little taste for Mum).

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, sliced
Handful of king prawns
1 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Any veg you have in fridge or cupboards (I used Spinach and mushrooms)
2 tbsp thai green curry paste
A splash of milk
A splash of boiling water
Grated coconut or 1/2 can coconut milk

How do I do it?
Microwave the sweet potato for 5 minutes until tender. Shallow fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then add the curry paste. Add the sweet potato, prawns, veg,coconut, milk and water and cook for a few minutes. Serve! Easy as pie.

Ruthy's butterynutty squash soup

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash
1 leek, sliced
1 rasher streaky bacon, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 litre reduced salt bouillon (veggie stock)
Dried herbs (rosemary or thyme)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
Black pepper

Cut the squash into large chunks (no need to peel) and place in a deep casserole dish. Add the bacon pieces, leeks and herbs and drizzle with the oil. Add a splash of boiling water and roast in the oven at 180C for around 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove from oven and place on the hob. Add the stock, chilli powder and black pepper and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes, until squash is squishy!

Blend until smooth and serve with a poached egg, or a dollop of creme fraiche. Yum.

Comfort foods

I've just read a really good article on comfort foods and with autumn coming in thought I'd share some of my fave (healthier) comfort foods:

1. Scrambled eggs on toast - my back up dinner for when there's nothing in the cupboards (usually about 3 times a week!) Quick, healthy, low GI and minimal washing up - perfect.
2. Soups - leek and sweet potato, tomato and basil, pumpkin... make a huge batch, freeze and have for lunch or dinner when you need warming up. Top tip - add a little coconut milk to pumpkin, veg stock and curry powder and spices for a creamy spicy option.
3. Porridge -  nothing beats it on a cold morning. If you can't stomach hot food in the morning, make a yummy cold alternative my mixing oats, berries or grated apple, soya milk and cinnamon.
4. Curry curry curry - again a back up for when I think I have nothing in but then find I have spices, curry powder, veg stock and some slightly withered looking veg. Tinned tomatoes are also a great addition, as are lentils, chickpeas or any frozen veg. Serve with brown rice for your carb cravings (only 170 calories per serving!)
5. Desserts in the winter tend to be heavier and you probably think of pies, crumbles and puddings. This yummy apple crumble gives you the comfort without the calories - try it!

Ingredients:

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled,cored and sliced

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

3 tablespoons of apple juice

For the topping

35g rolled oats

35g wholemeal flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of honey

Rind of half a lemon, grated

Place the sliced apple and cinnamon in a saucepan and cover with the lemon and apple juice. Cook on a low heat for ten minutes, until just soft. Mix the oats and flour with the olive oil, honey and lemon rind in a bowl. Transfer the apple to a baking dish and top with the oat mixture. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Out with the old, in with the new

So, here's what Jo ate before deciding to sort her eating out once and for all!

Breakfast - a starbucks cappucino, a couple of pieces of fruit
Mid morning - an apple and an orange
Lunch - nothing
Afternoon - 2 coffees and a tea, another piece of fruit
Dinner - If out, couple of glasses of wine, crisps and some sweets when get home (as starving!)

Ruth says 'Jo's diet was very high in fruit (as she is trying to lose weight and thinks this is a healthy option). Fruit is healthy, but it's also high in sugar, and as she's eating a lot of it, it's making her blood sugar levels soar and then fall quickly. Jo often skipped lunch as she was too busy, or because there were no healthy meals available at work. In the evenings, if Jo went out, she would probably not have dinner and then be starving by the time she got in so would eat crisps and sweets.

Jo was gaining weight, bloated and lacking energy despite working out almost every day. Her digestion was sluggish and her skin was suffering. She was also constantly hungry and missing out on the enjoyment of eating out.'

The new no-sugar plan!


Breakfast - porridge with skimmed or soya milk, 1 tbsp linseed and a small handful of almonds, OR 1 poached/boiled egg with wholegrain or rye toast and mushrooms, OR 4 tbsp natural yogurt with berries and 1 tbsp linseed.


Mid-morning snack - 2 oatcakes and 2 babybel light, OR 1 green apple and 6 almonds, or veggie crudites with low-fat hummus


Lunch - any salad with protein (fish, chicken, mackerel, egg, feta/goats cheese) + skinny popcorn, OR bean/lentil based soup with 2 oatcakes or ryvita, OR small sweet potato with fish/chicken and salad OR Innocent Veg pot


Dinner - Homemade veggie curry or chilli with 1-2 tbsp brown rice OR halloumi and veg kebabs with salad OR roast chicken and roast veggies, OR pesto salmon with brown rice or wholemeal pasta, OR prawn/chicken stir-fry with 1-2 tbsp egg or buckwheat noodles.


Desserts - If Jo fancies something sweet, she can have natural yogurt with agave syrup (a low GI syrup, much better than honey or golden syrup!), a couple of squares of dark choc (but have a couple of almonds or brazil nuts with it to counterbalance the sugar).


Caffeine is limited to 2 max per day and diet coke is a no-no.


Within 2 weeks, I guarantee, the sugar cravings will disappear, she'll feel less bloated and her appetite will be regulated. Let's see how she gets on...

This is Jo

Jo has decided enough is enough and wants to quit her sugar habit for good. Follow her ups, downs and see if she can kick the habit for life here.

Sugar diaries

Find out how self-confessed sugar addict Jo gets on when put on a no-sugar food plan. Follow her progress here and see whether she'll manage to change her eating habits for life. Keep tuned in...

Pippa's bum - really down to Pilates?

There's been a lot of hype around Pilates since it came out that Pippa M's bum in that dress was all down to her weekly Pilates sessions. Is there any truth in it? As a Pilates instructor myself I can confirm that it can do wonders for your derriere - particularly if you don't want to bulk up the area but want a peachy pert perfect behind! Try this exercise below every day for a week and see if you notice a difference: The heel squeeze Lying on your front, turn your legs out and bend your legs into a diamond shape with your heels together, toes turned out. Breathe in pulling in your tummy and as you breathe out squeeze your heels together as hard as you can holding for three seconds. Release and then repeat 12-15 times.

Don't sweat the gluten!

Novak Djokovic put his latest masters victory down following a strict gluten-free diet. The 23yr old has coeliac disease which means he's intolerant to any grains containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley and even some oats). However, it's likely that it's actually the weight loss, rather than the gluten-free diet itself which has helped get him a 39th straight victory - gluten is found in many cakes, pastries, sauces, bread, pasta and processed foods. Most people would do well to cut back on these foods, so if you're generally healthy, best to cut back on this stuff rather than stress about the gluten!

He shoots, he goes into downward dog..yoga for footballers?

Ryan Giggs has recently be raving about his love of yoga and the massive effect it's had on his game - and has even said Wayne Rooney's been known to join him in the studio. It's not surprising that Giggsy's still at the top of his game - yoga makes you supple, strengthens your core (cutting your risk of injury) and on top of that keeps you calm (maybe Wayne needs a few more sessions!)

The pill may actually help you lose weight

It's a common belief that taking the pill causes weight gain. But a new study (ok, it was in monkeys, but it's a start) has just found that being on the contraceptive pill may actually help you to lose weight. This is because it may increase your metabolic rate. Having said this, the study was small, and the pill certainly should not be used as a weight-loss technique! Other ways which may be more effective in raising your metabolic rate are to eat small healthy snacks regularly, include some strength training in your workouts and to avoid crash dieting.

How are you getting on?

About now is probably when most people quit their new year resolutions - 'I'm going to give up drinking, give up sugar, give up eating' that kind of thing.

Instead of thinking about what you're going to give up, an easier way to make better habits is to think about what you're going to start. How about 'I'm going to start eating breakfast every day', 'I'm going to start going to a new exercise class once a week' 'I'm going to start walking to the station instead of driving'?

Write down your new goals, stick with it for a month and then buy yourself something to reward yourself (preferably not a bar of chocolate!)

Happy 2011!