February 22, 2012

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Kick-start your healthy eating regime

January 31, 2012 By

January’s almost over now, which, for some of you, might mean the end of the month-long detox many people start after the period of Christmas over-indulgence.

Even if you only decided to give up alcohol for a month and try to cut out crisps and chocolate, you can still continue some things even when February arrives.

Healthy eating is really easy to do and the best thing is, in most cases, it’ll help you save some money.

If you choose to make your own lunch using healthy sandwich fillings, you’ll probably save around £3 a day – even more if you work inLondon – which will add up quite nicely over a month.

Just grab yourself some Hovis bread from the supermarket and get creative. You can pretty much put anything you want in sandwiches – that’s the best thing about making your own, so you can leave out the cucumber if you hate it and double-up the tomatoes instead!

If you’re not really a sandwiches person, don’t worry – there are some great alternatives at lunchtime.

You could make your own soups, if you’ve got some time on your hands. Just make a huge vat one evening and it’ll last you through a good few lunches at work. As long as you use plenty of fresh vegetables in it and a touch, but not too much, cream, it’ll be really healthy.

Alternatively, you could make some filling and healthy dishes involving cous cous, lentils or even quinoa. These are all bound to tide you over until dinner time and if you couple them with some low-fat meat and plenty of fresh veg, they’re a very healthy lunch option indeed.

Just use your imagination and you’re bound to come up with some great lunch ideas which are both cheap and healthy.

Filed Under: Eating Healthy, Food Tagged With: , , , , ,

Have friends round for dinner

January 23, 2012 By

Eating out can be an expensive business and sometimes when your food arrives at a restaurant it can be a real disappointment – especially if it’s an expensive place. Yet, if it’s been a part of your life for a long time, it can feel a little dull staying in at home instead.

What you could do, though, is get into cooking again and start inviting friends round for dinner. If you’ve got friends with kids the same age as yours, invite all the family and have a fun night in together. The more you do it, the better your cooking will become.

Start off with something you know how to make and is relatively easy. You might be a bit worried about getting everything right – so it’s good to start off with recipes that you are familiar with. In fact, you should never serve up a first time recipe for guests – it’s always best to test a recipe out on your own family first.

Sites like Super Savvy Me have a whole range of recipe ideas, and you might get inspired to try something new. We can all be guilty of getting into a cooking rut – where we produce the same four or five recipes every week. Ring the changes and try a new style of cuisine – have a go at making Indian or Thai food, for example.

You could start a trend with different couples you know – and probably you’ll all become more imaginative with your cooking against the backdrop of a little healthy competition. Each host will want to outdo the previous evening! And when it’s time to do the washing up, you can pass the non-cooks the Fairy Liquid, so they feel they’ve made a contribution to the evening as well!

Filed Under: Eating Healthy, Food Tagged With: , , , ,

Keep busy and avoid the January blues

January 1, 2012 By

Christmas has come and gone, the cold nights are still here and there isn’t much to look forward to in the immediate future. Don’t let drag January drag you down – enjoy yourself!

The best way to avoid the January blues is to keep yourself busy. Money is obviously an issue at this time of year. Christmas has bled the coffers dry and payday seems a million miles away. A weekend away might not be conceivable, so why not invite some friends around for dinner or a small party?

Entertaining is relatively cheap, as long as you ask your friends to bring a bottle of something! It is a great way of getting all your closest friends under one roof. Good food, good drink, good company – there is no better way to spend a winter’s night.

If you don’t fancy the hassle of cooking, just order out. Everybody loves a takeaway – an Indian or Chinese banquet would go down a treat. A takeaway means minimal effort and minimal mess – perfect!

The trickiest part is usually getting the alcohol in. As mentioned, friends usually bring a bottle or two of their own, but you don’t want to get caught short. Play safe and get a crate or two of premium lager and perhaps a couple of bottles of wine as well. Worst case scenario – you will have some alcohol leftover to help you through the rest of the winter!

It can be difficult to choose a lager to suit all. I find Foster’s Gold hits the spot and is popular with all. Its clean, crisp taste and attractive packaging makes it attractive to both men and women.

It is understandable to feel a bit down post-Christmas, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Keep your mind occupied and enjoy yourself!

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