Guilt Free Festive Beverages

 
 

It’s that time of year where food and beverages seem to be following freely – and your thinking those couple of extra drinks during the weekend, an extra soft drink or cordial here and there won’t hurt right? Wrong! It’s a sad fact that on average a person will gain 3-4kg over Christmas period and at least 50% of people will only lose half of that weight gained within the next year

Here’s how to make some your beverages that little bit lighter this silly season

Water

How do you make water more appealing whilst everyone is downing their sugary drinks?

• Add some fresh, lemon, lime or orange wedges

• Another option is a herbal tea (i.e raspberry & pomegranit) –

                 make it in a mug with 2-3 tea bags and hot water
                 add to a 1L jug  and top it up with cold water
                 add some fresh berries and ice cubes to serve

• Try using soda water for a fizzy refreshment

 

Here are some of my favourite refreshing  festive beverages

 

Peach & Raspberry iced tea

Ingredients

• raspberry and peach flavoured tea bags (2-3)
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/3 bunch of mint to serve

Method

1. Make a large teapot of tea using 2 to 3 tea bags
2. Cool & Pour into a large jug.
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Serve with ice cubes and fresh  of fresh mint

 

Green iced tea with ginger

Ingredients

• green tea bags (2-3),
• ginger tea bag (1)
• 2tsp honey

Method

1. Make a large teapot of tea using tea bags & add honey
2. Stir until honey is well mixed
3. Cool & Pour into a large jug.
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Serve with ice cubes

 

Jasmine & Mint Iced Tea

Ingredients

• Jasmine tea bags (2-3),
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 2tsp honey
• 1/3 bunch of mint to serve

Method

1. Make a large teapot of tea using tea bags & add the lemon juice and honey
2. Stir until honey is well mixed
3. Cool & Pour into a large jug.
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Serve with ice cubes and mint

 For more information on avoiding weight gain this festive season email naednutrition@gmail.com

Strawberry & Coconut Cheesecake

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan &  Raw

Makes 12

Ingredients

Crust

2 cup almonds
1/4 cup agave syrup OR coconut nectar

Filling

4 cups chopped strawberries
2 cup cashews
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup agave syrup OR coconut nectar
6 tablespoons melted cacao butter
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Method

1. In a food processor grind the almonds into chunky crumbs
2. Add the agave slowly over 20 seconds
3. Line your muffin pan with parchment paper cups & press mixture into the bottom of muffin tins 
4. Blend all but the coconut oil and butter until smooth and creamy in a blender
5. Add the oil/butter and blend to incorporate
6. Pour the filling over the crust.
   
7. Chill in the fridge or freezer until firm.

The Skinny on Fats

Let's get back to basics: Fat is necessary for growth, development, brain and heart function, satiety, reducing inflammation and actually helps burn body fat. Consuming dietary fat is important for absorption of nutrients, energy and cell membrane health. But not all fats are created equal!

 

The fats you want to reduce are saturated fats and trans fatty acids for alleviating many health concerns and you can do this by limiting poor quality fats as much as possible in your diet.

Saturated Fats are found in

• palm oil
• cheese
• processed meats
• chocolate
• coconut
• red meat
• nuts and seeds

Trans Fats are found in

• packaged foods
• margarine
• fast food
• packaged soups 
• frozen foods

There are exceptions to this rule. Nutrient rich saturated fat foods such as Coconut, red meat, nuts and seeds are an ESSENTIAL part of our diet – but roughly 30% of total food intake. Remember to always avoid trans fats.

 

When you are wanting to burn body fat and lose weight you want to focus on the unsaturated fats such as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA’s) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s). 

MUFA’s are found in 

• olives
• olive oil
• avocado
• nuts and seeds

PUFA’s (which include your omega 3 fatty acids) are found in 

• fish
• fish oils
• nuts
• seeds 
• algae  

For more information about the type of fat that should be in your diet to achieve your goals simply email naednutrition@gmail.com for more information 

Top 10 Tips for Food Prep

Ever wondered why some people are achieving results and some aren’t? A lot of the time is because one person is prepared & the other isn’t.  Can you guess which one is getting the better results? Here is My Top 10 tips for Food Prep

1. Plan you meals AND include the weekend: Write it down from Monday to Sunday, breakfast through to Supper, every meal & you want to eat. A common mistake people make is forgetting to plan their food for the weekend as well as during the week
2. Plan your snacks: Most people will plan their main meals, but what about your snacks? Don’t forget to get some variety to keep it exciting for both during the week and the weekend
3. Create your shopping list: from each day’s meals & each day snacks create you shopping list. Remember NEVER go to the shops when you are hungry…you will end up with many items you didn’t plan to purchase
4. Shop smart: Purchase you fresh produce from the markets; you will get better quality for half the price!
   
   
5. Don’t have the time? Make time! You don’t have to food shop & food prep on the same day – spread it out! Food shop Saturday (allow 1 hour) and food prep Sunday (allow 2 hours – depending on how many you are cooking for!)
6. Multi-task: Don’t do one recipe at a time, wash the dishes and start all over again, you will be there all day. Spend 5 minutes planning which items you are going to make first and have multiple recipes going. I.e Grill your chicken, steam your veg, boil your quinoa & at the same time bake your high protein muffins whilst you roll out some protein bites
7. Don’t leave it to the last minute: If you think you are going to come on a Sunday night at 9pm after being out all day & do a weeks’ worth of food prep, dream on. If you have a busy Sunday afternoon, what’s stopping you prepping you food on a Saturday afternoon, or Sunday morning, where it fits get it done
8. Prep what you like: If you don’t like cooking & freezing meals you don’t have to, your prep can be portioning out your meats & protein, cutting & washing & separating all your veggies for the week. You will be amazed at how much time you will save during the week
9. Portion control: Just because you have cooked up 1kg of chicken that is to die for doesn’t mean you eat it all in a day: portion out the correct portion and spread it out to get the best variety
10.  VARIETY VARIETY VARIETY: If you eat the same thing, every day, you will get the same results. Your body craves variety & responds to it so make sure you have a good mix of lean proteins, fresh produce and quality starches.

Need help with your food prep? Simply contact Sinead at naednutrition@gmail.com to find out how a personalised meal plan can help you with your food prep