Dietitian UK

30 April, 2013
by Priya
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Baked Eggs

Egg are a fantastic source of nutrition. Not only do they provide zinc, protein and vitamin D but they are also quick, easy family food. They are always on hand in our house ready for a quick brunch, lunch or a nutritious simple family dinner.

Here’s my latest take on eggs, baked eggs. This recipe results in either soft dippy eggs that are perfect with toast soldiers or potato wedges or have them well cooked and scoop them out of the dish. The great thing with this recipe is it really is easy and you can adapt it to use whatever ingredients you have to hand. I think these would be perfect with some chopped fresh herbs, a little melted cheese, leftover roasted chicken or some sliced tomatoes.

Recipe:

1 egg per person

Chopped ham/cooked chicken

Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180C. Place a large deep baking tray in the oven to warm.

Use 1 ramekin dish per person, place some sliced ham, chicken or tomatoes under breath one egg into the dish.

Place the ramekins into the baking tray and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Dietitian UK: Baked Eggs

Serving Suggestions:

1. Serve as part of a family dinner with potato wedges and veggies.

2. Serve as part of a brunch with toast and baked beans.

3. Serve for breakfast with toast and place some mushrooms or spinach in with the egg.

Dietitian UK: Baked Egs, potato wedges, mushrooms and peppers

This post is part of a linky on BritMums for #eggsmainsinminutes sponsored by British Lion Eggs. See the Main Meals in Minutes website.

Dietitian UK: No added sugar Fruit muffins

27 April, 2013
by Priya
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No added sugar fruity muffins

My toddler has got to the age where she is well aware about the delights of cakes and biscuits. Being a dietitian I’m not keen on her eating lots of bought and sugary snacks, so most weeks we have a baking session. I’m also pregnant at the moment so keen to find myself healthy treats to snack on too.

This week toddler girl asked to make some cakes, so I popped over to Mamcook’s blog for some inspiration. She has these lovely looking Fruity Prune Muffins on her blog which I’ve adapted to make them gluten and wheat free, plus we used apricots (toddler’s choice).

The whole family was pretty pleased with them, in fact these are likely to be adapted and cooked quite regularly as they were easy for the toddler to get involved with too.

Dietitian UK: No added sugar Fruit muffins

Recipe:

100g, 3.5 oz Gluten Free Self Raising flour or 50g rice flour, 30g cornmeal and 20g tapioca starch

40g, 1.5oz Porridge oats

1 tsp Gluten Free Baking powder

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

140g, 5oz Natural yoghurt

1 tbsp Apple juice

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

3 tbsp of Vegetable oil

1 Egg

140g, 5oz Chopped Dried Apricots

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4.
Mix the flours, oats, apricots, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.
Now mix the yoghurt, apple juice, vanilla extract, oil, egg together.
Next mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones.
Spoon into a muffin tin and bake for 12-14 minutes, they should be risen and golden.

Let me know what variations you try out.

26 April, 2013
by Priya
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Semi-Finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year Venus Award, Southampton

I’m delighted to say that I’ve been selected by Natwest as a semi-finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year. This literally blew me away! There were 131 ladies nominated and there are just 5 semi-finalists, so I feel very honoured.

I’ve been interviewed by some lovely ladies from Natwest and I found this quite emotional. Going through why I went freelance, why I am doing what I doing, what I do and then all my dreams, ideas for the future and what drives me… it really brought my passion out and was useful in itself. It also reminded me of all the things I have left to work on

I am so hoping I shall make it through to the final 3, this means a night out at the Awards ceremony and there the finalist will be announced!

Wish me luck

19 April, 2013
by Priya
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When in Spain…Eat Paella.

With parents living in Spain I’ve eaten a fair bit of paella and I must admit it’s yummy but often very rich and just a bit too much for our tummies. I’m also wheat intolerant and let’s just say that the area of Spain my parents live in is NOT good for special diets. We went out for tapas today and there was nothing suitable for me to eat. So as true Spainish residents my parentals set about cooking up a huge paella feast for us tonight that was family friendly.

Dietitian UK: Paella

Paella for me is full of food memories. A few that stand out in my mind: I’m pretty sure it was mine and my hubby’s (then fiances’) first visit to Spain, it was Christmas and we had the most wonderful paella at a local restaurant in a town called La Cala. That food memory has led to a bit of a Christmas tradition and on quite a few years we have cooked paella over the Christmas season. A notable one being a year when everyone in my family was ill except poor hubby who had to cook it (he isn’t the best cook but did an amazing job – bless him).

Our family version of paella is a celebration of veggies. Think saffron rice, cooked in stock with peppers, whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, pea, carrots and pumpkin seeds. As I’m pregnant so staying away from too much seafood this version just had white fish in.

We tend to make this dish by starting off cooking chorizo or pancetta, onions and garlic in a little oil.Add peppers,, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms, cook till softened. Add saffron, paprika and rice. Traditionally Spainish short grain rice is used but you can use basmati. Coat the rice in the oil and spices, then add some white wine, when it is bubbling add a good quality stock and stir frequently like a risotto. Add the fish and cover with a lid, let it cook for about 10 minutes. Now add peas and a combination of fresh herbs, allow to cook gently until the rice is ready. Add the seafood at the end of cooking, cover with a lid and it will cook in the steam.

Paella cooked like this at home really is a whole family dish, you can put whatever you like it in, just cook it slowly like you would a risotto and make it your own. What would you add in to a paella? Do you have any paella stories to share?

17 April, 2013
by Priya
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Holiday Foods: what does it mean to you?

Holidays, what do they mean to you? To me it’s usually about relaxing, enjoying great food, seeing amazing sights and making special memories. My parents live out in Spain, which means we have to go out and visit them from time to time…..all that sun, sea and Sangria…. it’s a hard life

This holiday has involved having the joys of a toddler…and I really do mean the joys. Today I loved hearing “Wow, horses” at horse drawn carriages and watching her sheer delight on the beach has been amazing, plus being in a hot place has meant the treat of an ice lolly.

Being pregnant and having a toddler has meant things are slightly different… no going out in the evenings for dinners and drinks, no long lazy lunches as toddler needs a nap, the constant need to find toilets (for me) and carry snacks (for us both) and definitely no Sangria (major BOO).

However, I do have a toddler who is also loves food, trying new places to eat and new experiences. So we have been treated by my parents to some super yummy meals cooked at home and have enjoyed snacking out and about. Being wheat free makes it slightly more complicated but not impossible.

I’ve been having giant amazing strawberries with breakfast, lots of different cheeses, my mum has cooked steak for my hubby (his favourite) and prawn for me (one of my favourites).

What are your favourite holiday foods?

Here are some of our favourite food moments so far:

Dietitian UK: Steak and Salad

Dietitian UK: Holiday Ice-Cream!

Dietitian UK: Prawns of yumminess.

13 April, 2013
by Priya
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Health Hangout: Early Life Programming, watch it here.

On Thursday evening I took part in another Health Hangout, you may remember the one I took part in on Vitamin D? Well this one was on Early Life Programming. Scratching your head wondering that means… I was too! It’s all about how what you eat/do when you are pregnant and in early infancy affects things later in life. So what and how you wean your child can affect the risk of diseases later in lift. As a mum and someone who is pregnant it is all pretty scary stuff!

We also covered breastfeeding and weaning so please have a watch to get some top tips and hear from the experts.

If you are a health professional then why not watch and reflect on it afterwards as part of your CPD?

12 April, 2013
by Priya
2 Comments

The Homemade Bread Trial

After about 12 years my trusty old breadmaker recently gave up on me, well to be more precise, I gave up on it. It was making all kinds of odd noises and only baked bread properly with a tea towel over the top of it, my wheat free bread wasn’t working at all. So I’ve splashed out and treated myself to a brand new shiny Kenwood breadmaker with a special gluten free setting (I’ve not had one of those before).

Since getting the new machine we’ve gone a bit bread-tastic and I decided to trial us making all our own bread. Up till this point I’d made bread for myself and the toddler but my husband is a bread monster and will easly devour half a bought loaf. Yes really, a bread monster and somehow he is the lower end of a normal BMI.

So over the past month we have made all our own bread, both wheat free and normal bread. The result is that the house regularly smells edible, we are all eating bread which contains “no nasties” and getting through less bread. At first I thought this was a coincedence….. but my husband tells me the homemade bread is so much more filling so he just can’t eat as much of it, which means he is eating healthier and we are saving a few pennies too – RESULT!

Dietitian UK: Homemade Bread

Personally I love my breadmaker, I know it’s probably not as good as hand making it, but it gives a great result and takes me 5 minutes to throw all the ingredients into the machine. Why not try out making your own bread for a month and see the difference? We aren’t going back to the shop bought version, see what your household thinks.

My Top Breadmaking Tips:

Don’t set the bread maker late at night, it will make the house smell amazing and you will want to eat bread in the middle of the night!

Do try using a delay timer so you have fresh bread to wake up to.

Use less salt in your homemade bread, it won’t last as long as the shop bought version but your loaves will be smaller so you will get through it faster.

Homemade bread can be made, sliced and frozen, then used from the freezer.

Keep your yeast in date!

Use either half and half white and wholemeal flour or all wholemeal flour to get some wholegrains in.

Try adding a variety of seeds to your bread for texture and taste.

7 April, 2013
by Priya
2 Comments

Butternut Squash baked and stuffed with lentils

I love butternut squash, this recipe was inspired by a friend has made a similar dish for me for lunch on occasion and it’s alwasy stood out in my memory, so here is my take on it. Its a good way to get veggies into those who aren’t keen on them, the butternut goes sweet, soft and sumptuous in the oven.

It was a cold weekend day when I made this one, unusally the toddler was feeling out of sorts and cuddled on the sofa under a blanket, this was meant to be comfort food but it turned out she didn’t want her dinner oh well, it happens! Both myself and hubby enjoyed it lots and I’m pretty sure the toddler would on another day.

Dietitian UK: Baked Butternut Squash stuffed with Lentils

Recipe:

1 medium butternut squash (will serve 2)

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

Olive oil

1 cup of lentils

Water

100g mushrooms

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp mixed herbs

Cut the butternut squash in half (do not peel) and gouge out the seeds. Either throw these away or wash and either roast them or save and plant them!
Remove some of the butternut flesh, leaving a few cm rim around it. You should have a large cavity. Keep the flesh and chop it.
Prepare the onions and garlic. Place these in a pan with a little oil and cook, then add the cumin.
Add the lentils and stir to coat in the onions and oil. Now add enough water to cover the top of the lentils by 1 1/2 cm and leave to simmer.
After 20 minutes add the chopped mushrooms and herbs plus the chopped butternut squash. Cook for 10 minutes so the vegetables are cooked. Season to taste.
Stuff the butternut squash with the lentil filling. You could now wrap these in foil and keep to roast another day.
Top with a little crumbled cheese and roast for 40 minutes at Gas Mark 5, the squash should be soft when pricked with a knife.
Serve with a mixed salad.

7 April, 2013
by Priya
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Obesity Epidemic, Priya in the local paper.

Picture the scene, it’s lunchtime, I’m around a friends house, we have 2 toddlers and 1 smaller one round the table munching away which if you know toddlers is not a very quiet time of day. My phone rings as it’s the local paper, the Daily Echo wanting to interview me about Childhood Obesity. In a true feat of multi-tasking I chat away whilst also mediating the lunchtime madness – typical of one of my days actually….. and here is the finished result. I was pretty pleased

What are your thoughts on obesity and the changes that we need to make?

Priya in the Daily Echo March 2013

31 March, 2013
by Priya
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Choc Choc Eggs

Easter. It’s full of chocolate, new life and for us celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. What has made this year extra special has been time with family. We currently have 3 children aged 1,2 and 3 on one side of the family, so you can imagine the fun when we all get together.

Our Easter this year has not been chocolate free but I have suddenly realised that at 3.30pm on Easter Sunday I have not actually had any chocolate. To some that may seem like a travesity, to me it shows how it’s not all about the chocolate.

The children all were given an Easter egg and ate a small amount of it on Easter Saturday – my 2 year old loves “Choc Choc” and was very excited at the idea of a Chocolate Egg…. but in the moment there was far more excitement to be had in playing with cousins. Precisely how it should be, celebrating this special event with family and chocolate being second best.

Dietitian UK: Cousins chill together.

We had some Easter themed activities activities: making Easter bunny masks, colouring in Easter egg pictures and hopping like bunnies. What more could you want?

Dietitian UK: My Easter Bunny

I hope your Easter has been one of reflection, peace, gratitude and good times with family