Eat well

[katie_1982]

I really want to start eating properly

[BadHare]

It's easily done!

If you're not used to cooking, buy a basic recipe book, & try some simple things to start. Soup is a good for this time of year. It's easy, cheap, & you can make it with just a few ingredients. I've seen some great chopped veg mixes in my supermarket that just need to addition of lentils, herbs, & water. I sometimes cheat by using ready chopped or frozen squash. Try some of these, then maybe ask Santa to bring you a hand blender for christmas so there's less chopping?

A few easy soup recipes:

1 large onion, chopped

2 or three sticks of celery, chopped

200g of red lentils

2 teaspoons of mixed herbs or 1 spoon & a veg stock cube.

1 litre of water, then add more as ithe lentils cook, to get the soup to the consistency you like.

Lots of ground black pepper

Put the onion & celery in a large pan with the water. Add the lentils, then bring it to boiling point. Turn down the heat & simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Remember to stir this frequently throughout cooking. Add back pepper, & sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley as this is good for vitamin C.

Once you get used to this, add different vegetables. I like kale, squash, sweet potato, tomatoes, & spices. I also like to add nutritional yeast for added B vitamins, which is really tasty in soup.

Another easy recipe is minted green pea soup.

Soak 500g of dried peas in water, overnight or all day. They are best left to soak in the fridge so that they don't ferment. They swell a lot, so make sure to put them in a large dish or jug.

Chop a large onion, & put this in a large pan with the peas, a teaspoon of mixed herbs, & a litre of water. Bring it to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, or until it's cooked. Remember to add more water as it thickens, or you'll end up with mushy peas! Add a large bunch of chopped mint & lots of black pepper, just befor serving. Basil is also nice. In summer time, I like to make this with more water, so it's not so thick, & add some fresh peas at the end of cooking.

My current favourite is cauliflower & broccolli, but this one definitely needs a blender.

A large leek &/or onion

1 medium to large potato

1 cauliflower & 1 bunch of broccolli (or kale is fine)

2 teaspoons of mixed herbs or 1 spoon & a veg stock cube. Lots of black pepper & a 50-100g of grated cheese.

Boil the leek, onion & potato, 1l of water & herbs for 15 minutes, then add the cauliflower & broccolli. Bring the pan back to the boil then simmer for about 15 minutes or until everything looks cooked. Poke the veg with a knife, but be careful not to burn yourself. Let the pan cool a little, then use a hand blender to puree the veg until it's creamy in texture. Add a sprinkle of black pepper & grated cheese to each dish before serving.

Try to remember to eat >5 portions of frut & vegetables a day, & especially fresh fruit for vitamin C. Avoid processed foods, especially anything containing artificial sweeteners, margarine, & sunflower oil.

[Hidden]

We have just released 4 more health and wellbeing workshops for this year, plus the pilot of a brand new healthy cookery class which is on 7th Dec. All of these are free (although being a charity we also love donations), except for the cookery class.

More details and book your place at:

togetheragainstcancer.org.u...

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

TACAdmin, the link doesn't work. Do you have one that does?

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

Hi, the link is:

togetheragainstcancer.org.u...

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

That looks really good! You must be helping a lot of people!

[colo60]

The main ingredient is Willpower and a desire to eat well, i'm sure a lot of users will post recipes, good luck and stick with it !

[Zest]

Hi katie_1982 ,

In our 'Topics' area there are lots of posts, but the one containing quite a few recipes is here, if you want to have a look:

healthunlocked.com/healthye...

Hope you'll join in and post any nice recipes you make - and good luck with your goals.

Zest