‘Tis the Season to be Jolly’
How to enjoy yourself without looking like a snowman afterwards
It is really important to have a game plan for every function and to be thinking about how you should prepare during the week. Here are a few things to consider:
- How many functions to do you have? Pop them all in your diary so you know what to expect (less excuses to say ‘they just crept up on me).
- If you have a few functions then embrace the attitude of ‘I have a few functions to try different nibbles and have drinks so I don’t need to binge out at one’. This means you shouldn’t over eat or over drink.
- Have a GAME PLAN for each function. For example think to yourself ‘I will be designated driver for this occasion (which means limiting the calories on the alcohol) but someone else can drive on the next one. Or ‘I won’t have the starters or pre- drink canapés as I would like to have dessert’. Then at following function you can skip on dessert and have the starters. Having a Game Plan saves you from overeating/ over drinking at every function which can contribute to weight gain.
- If you think you might splurge at the function, then have light meals leading up to it throughout the day and day before or after. This will compensate for those extra calories.
- Watch portion sizes! If Christmas desserts are your thing then have a light dinner. Or vice versa.
Tips on how to make Christmas Treats healthier
1. Try swapping your ceam-based items with yoghurt (Yoplait Vanilla Delight is nice) or at least go 50/50 with yoghurt and cream. For example on pavlova or merigue-type desserts.
2. Make your own choc dipping sauce with cocoa powder. Add a little water to the cocoa powder to make into thick paste and add honey to sweeten. Fantastic to add to fruit. This has less sugar and fat than chocolate and easier/ less messy than melting chocolate.
3.Instead of buying mince pies or making them with standard pastry, try making little open christmas pies or tartlets using filo pastry (low in fat and calories). Prepare Filo sheets as normal (stacking them with a little brush or spray of oil in between), cut the sheets into four equal squares and place in a muffin try to form little baskets. Put in oven on 180 degrees for around 10mins or until crispy. Take out and add your Christmas mince to the baskets and serve with dollop of lite custard on top.
4. For triffle, instead of laying it with cream. Increase the fruit layers and inbetween add sponge with layers of vanilla yoghurt or lite custard. Or as seen in picture, just keep cream to the top for decoration.
5. Brandy Snaps. A fun to be different is to make a chocolate mousse type filling for these. There are a number of different ways to make healthy mousse. An easy way is simply mixing vanilla yoghurt with cocoa powder together. The sweetness of the brandy snap will compensate for not needing more sugar in the mixture.
Product Review
Thank you to everyone for sending in your products for me to review. I have chosen the Sealord Simply CrumbedTM Hoki Fillets which are frozen fish fillets.
It is beneficial to have fish or seafood a couple of times per week to boost the body’s stores of omega 3 essential oils and frozen fish is a good way to do this. However, there are definately some better than others. You do need to be careful of crumbed seafood, these normally add on alot more calories and additives to the body than needed. I like the way Sealord has made an effort to make their cumbing mixtures healthier. They have developed 3 variations; Simply Crumbed Hoki Fillets with Linseed, Sunflower & Pumpkin Seeds, Simply Crumbed Hoki Fillets with Toasted Oats and Simply Crumbed Hoki Fillets with Wholemeal. However, when looking at the ingredients, the majority of the crumbing is still wheat flour (the rolled oats only came out at 3.5% of total product) and there are many thickeners to make sure the fish stays plump and binds together.
Further looking at the ingredients list there is added sugar, manufactured mineral salts, raising agents (450, 500) and stabilisers (415, 412). In addition, if you are trying to watch your calorie intake, the serves (120g) are quite high in calories with the seed version coming in at 858kJ, the Toasted oats at 983kJ and the Wholemeal at 940kJs. A better variety would be to go for the Sealord Hoki lite Fillets which come out at 454kJs. In my opinion, instead of going for convenience, best to buy some fresh hoki and pan fry it or grill with a bit of lemon juice and rock salt. You will taste the real flavour without the additives. Per serve this will also be lower in calories too. Otherwise make your own crumbing with wholemeal flour, bran flakes, salt and pepper. Keep it simple.
Kate Gray on December 14th 2010 in Food Facts, Uncategorized