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Unlimited Soup to fight Winter Munchies

25/4/2015

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In winter we stay inside more and, if you're anything like me, the cold weather makes me feel hungrier! 

Last year I discovered a quick, nutritious,delicious soup I could make that made me feel all warm inside without needless calories and it can be ready in 15 minutes. I make it in bulk and keep it handy so whenever I feel peckish I grab a cup of soup - or two. It helps me get my daily vegetable intake, makes me feel warm and importantly full. 
Great before your main meal too!

The recipe came from discovering the great new range of frozen vegetable mixes in the freezer.  My favourite is Watties Super Mix because it doesn't contain vegetables like corn or peas which have a higher carbohydrate content.  The little blocks of spinach are fabulous for the soup too giving it lots of flavour. And there are countless variations you can make to keep it interesting all winter long.
Unlimited Soup recipe
2 stock cubes (or equivalent)
2 litres of water
500g of frozen vegetables
Spices of your choice

Simply boil it up and take to it with your stick blender to make it as smooth or chunky as you prefer.
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Variations to try
  • Add 3 grated carrots to improve the colour mix.  It can be quite a green soup otherwise.
  • Try adding a can or two of chopped tomatoes. Add lentils or pasta and call it minestrone!
  • Experiment with different flavoured stocks.  Fish stock or Maggi Seafood soup mix is a great alternative.
  • For a full meal add your favourite carb - 2/3 of a cup of rice or your favourite pasta.  Blend the soup first.
  • Try adding curry as the spice to pair with a chicken stock.
  • Refreeze portion size containers as a handy lunch.
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Low-Cal Condiments for Vegetables

6/7/2014

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Condiments are a great way to add variety and flavour to your healthy food choices and there are great options that don't pack on the calories.  Recently with cooler weather and in an effort to eat more vegetables, we've been looking for condiments that can be used with steamed vegetables to add variety and interest.
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Mustard.  There are some many types of mustard available that there's sure to be one to suit your taste buds. From hot English mustard, to mild American, Dijon or whole seed - mustard can be tossed through steamed or stir-fried vegetables to give them a zing or can replace butter in your sandwiches.

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Chunky Salsa.  Yes great as a  dip for your vegetables but salsa is a fantastic condiment to add to any meal with lots of low-cal flavour. A fresh chunky tomato salsa is even fantastic as a savoury topping on a slice of crunchy wholegrain bread. Here's a link to some Great Low-Cal Salsa Recipes.

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Horseradish Sauce:  A traditional accompaniment for roast beef, horseradish can be a very strong (polarising) taste however Royalty Horseradish Sauce is fantastic tossed through steamed vegetables.  It's milder than the horseradish you normally have with beef and, being more sauce-like, spreads through the vegetables well.  It's particularly great stirred through steamed broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. 

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Light & Free Dressings.  Dressings don't have to be for salads only.  Check the labels in your supermarket and you'll find quite a range that are fat-free and some are deliciously creamy.  My favourite is the ETA Light & Free Feta & Garlic dressing although their Honey Mustard dressing is fabulous too.  They are usually 95% or more fat-free but their sugar levels can creep up so read the label well as you're choosing. The creamy ones can be used as a butter substitute in a salad sandwich.

Do you have any other low-cal tasty condiments or sauces that you use with vegetables?  Share in the comments section.
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Vege Gadgets

29/6/2014

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Colourful, non-starchy vegetables are a weight watchers friend so don't let the time to prepare them put you off.  Instead arm yourself with kitchen tools that and safe, quick and easy to operate. When you can power through vege prep you can have attractive salads made in no time, beautifully presented vegetables and garnishes and finely chopped vegetables for primavera sauces or soups.
One of our recent favourite vege gadgets is the Nicer Dicer.  In essence you force the fruits or vegetables through sharp cutting blades in a variety of shapes into the storage container below.  There are blades for quartering and wedges as well as slicing and four different dicing sizes. There's also attachments for grating and mandolin fine slicing plus a peeler included.  
It can be quite loud as you slam the top down to force firmer vegetables through the blades - that being said its speed and versatility make it worth while.
The Nicer Dicer has one of those hard-sell "but wait there's more" videos which you can see here - but don't be put off - it's a great gadget for fruit and vegetable preparation.
It's available from lots of retailers or online.
Nicer Multifunction Fruit Vegetable Dicer Plus Slicer Cutter Peeling Cutter Scrape Kitchen Treasure Kitchen Helper
Nicer Multifunction Fruit Vegetable Dicer. Click for details.
Spirelli Grater Vegetable Julienne Spiral Slicer, Easy Spiral Vegetable & Fruit Slicer Twister World Cuisine Vegetable Cutter
Spirelli Grater Vegetable Julienne Spiral Slicer. Click for pricing and more details
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Unavoidable Vegetables

8/6/2014

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To have any real chance of success with weight management you need to embrace vegetables!

Quite apart from their significant nutritional value, they are one of the best means of feeling full at the end of a meal without overdoing the more calorie heavy carbohydrates and proteins.

The key is not to settle into vege routine and to have a pantry full of condiments to make your veges sing! No over cooked watery veges like mother used to make and there are a few sneaky tricks we can share too.

Watch out for more posts in the coming weeks on:
  • Great low cal condiments
  • Super Easy Soups
  • Vegetable Cookbooks
  • Salad Surprises
  • Vege Gadgetry and
  • Vegetable Taste Carriers
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