Tip of the Week

Home-made pizzas

Pizzas can be a great family meal. Make sure you load them up with veges (a great way to use leftovers) and serve with a side salad. See how we used roast vegetables in this pizza .

Iodised salt is the way to go

No we aren’t suggesting you add more salt but when you do be sure to choose iodised. New Zealand soil is low in iodine so New Zealanders are prone to iodine deficiency. Iodised salt is one way to decrease your risk.

Make extra dinner for lunch

Make an extra large dinner meal and refrigerate or freeze the extra serves in plastic containers. These make great lunches that can help keep away from takeaways at lunchtime.

Safe school lunchboxes

A simple way to keep a lunchbox cool and safe is to freeze a drink bottle, yoghurt pottle or fruit juicie overnight and pop it into the lunchbox in the morning. For more tips about school lunches read our article Pack a Healthy Lunchbox for Children .

Invest in vegetable oil spray

When pouring oil straight from the bottle it is easy to be heavy handed. A vegetable oil spray is great for ensuring only minimal oil is added. It is also a great alternative to butter for greasing baking trays.

Get the kids in the kitchen

Passing on simple cooking skills to your children could make all the difference to their lifelong health- preventing a reliance on convenience and takeaway foods. Tasty Stuffed Potatoes make a great school holiday lunch.

Pick your plate carefully

Did you know that when people eat on smaller plates they tend to be satisfied with smaller portions? Using slightly smaller plates, bowls, glasses and cutlery can make a difference to how much you eat each day.

A lighter pastry option

If you’re a die-hard pastry fan a healthier alternative to flaky/puff pastry is filo pastry. It is easier to use than you think so don’t be scared to give it a go. Try your hand at our easy Chicken & Corn Filo Triangles .

Guilt-free nibbles

Instead of high-fat chippies or cheese and crackers offer guests vegetable sticks (carrots, celery and cucumber) and hummus or home-made salsa. Delicious, healthy and colourful.

Stop grazing while cooking

Many people find it hard not to eat while they cook. A good tip is to pop a piece of peppermint gum in your mouth as soon as you get into the kitchen. It keeps your mouth busy, and you’ll soon learn that not many things taste nice with minty gum.

Start your day with breakfast

Breakfast is important to kick-start your metabolism for the day. It also decreases the likelihood of overeating throughout the day. If you’re not a morning person try our Bircher Muesli that you prepare the night before. Ready to enjoy when you wake!

Make a smart milk swap

Changing your milk to a lower fat option is a small change that can make a big difference over time. If you currently buy standard (dark blue top) try swapping to lite (light blue top) or trim (green top).

Up your Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids provide a variety of health benefits. One of the richest sources of Omega-3 is fish, especially oily varieties like salmon. It is recommended to have at least 1-2 servings of fish a week. Check out our recipes using fish and seafood if you need some inspiration- Seafood Recipes .

Don’t drink tea with dinner

Tea is high in tannins, a compound that makes it harder for your body to absorb iron. This means to get the most iron out of your food you should avoid drinking tea within an hour of a meal. For more information on iron read our article- Iron Power .

Go easy on those dressings

Salads are fantastic for you. However, a common mistake is to drown them in salad dressing. A good rule of thumb is to choose clear dressings over creamy ones, or look out for lite products such as the Eta Lite & Free range.

Vege up your BBQ

Barbecues don’t need to be all about the meat. Vegetables taste fabulous cooked on the barbecue. Corn on the cob is my personal favourite but other goodies are courgettes, capsicums, mushrooms and eggplants.

See how we’ve used barbecued vegetables in our BBQ Lamb and Summer Vegetable Salad .

A guilt-free summer dessert

Pop berries, grapes or bananas in the freezer so that a light dessert option is always on hand. Frozen fruit is sweet and refreshing- some would say even nicer than fresh. Great for sweet cravings on summer evenings.

Easy idea for left-over vegetables

A great way to use up left over vegetables is to make a frittata, quiche or omelette. Try our Chicken Bacon & Vegetable Frittata but just substitute some of the Wattie’s Frozen Super Mix for whatever leftover vegetables you have.

Smuggle extra vegetables into your burgers

When making home-made burger patties try adding grated carrot and finely sliced onion. It is a great way to add some extra vegetables and it really boosts the flavour. Win-win!

How about a fruit platter?

December is usually full of shared meal occasions. Try taking along a fresh fruit platter or fruit kebabs. They add lovely colour and are always a hit.

The Plate Model

At dinner try to make your plate ½ colourful vegetables, ¼ protein (e.g. meat, fish, egg, tofu) and ¼ carbohydrate (e.g. rice, pasta, potato).

A good example of this is our Beef & Corn Tortilla Basket recipe.

Loving legumes

Add canned legumes such as chickpeas to your next salad. It adds fibre and protein to keep you sustained for longer.

See how we used them in our Tuna Chickpea and Orzo Salad .