“I am but no saint!” Hot tips for supplement taking and healthier meals
As a mum, you want to make sure that your family is eating healthy and getting all the necessary nutrients to support their overall health and wellbeing. However, it can be challenging to get everyone to eat their veggies and take supplements regularly. That's why we spoke to a mum who's been through the programme and asked her for her hot tips on how she manages to incorporate healthier meals and supplements into her family's diet.
1. Buy a Nutribullet
Eating healthy is preparing vegetables. They take time to clean, chop, and cook, which can be a barrier for many busy families. That's why a Nutribullet can be a game-changer. With this powerful blender, you can blitz vegetables, fruits, and nuts in seconds, making it easy to incorporate them into smoothies, soups, and sauces. Not only is it quick and easy, but it's also an excellent way to sneak in extra nutrients that your family might otherwise miss.
2. Wild Garlic Pesto with Cashew Nuts
If you're looking for a way to jazz up your veggies, try making some wild garlic pesto with cashew nuts. This delicious spread is easy to make and can be used as a sauce, dip, spread, or dressing. Add to Meats and vegetables… think on top of roasted potato’s or chicken fingers glazed. Sandwiches and toasties, Sausage rolls or pies. Classic pesto pasta.
Simply blend:
Wild garlic leaves
Cashews
Olive oil
Sweetened with white organic balsamic vinegar
Season with salt and pepper
The result is a creamy, garlicky pesto that's packed with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Your family will love it!
3. Supplements
Supplements can be a great way to ensure that your family is getting all the nutrients they need, especially if they're picky eaters or have dietary restrictions. However, getting kids to take supplements can be a challenge. One solution is to incorporate them into foods that they already enjoy or tip: something of their request probably driven from the fact they weren’t allowed when younger.
For example, Muchbunch yoghurts can be an excellent way to introduce supplements to your family's diet. As they get used to the idea, you can switch to regular yoghurts or even mix the supplements into apple juice or water.
Overall, there are many ways to incorporate healthier meals and supplements into your family's diet, even if you're not a saint. By using a Nutribullet, trying out new recipes like wild garlic pesto with cashew nuts, and gradually introducing supplements into your family's diet, you can help ensure that they're getting the nutrients they need to thrive.
Here's an additional recipe suggestion to try - Michela Chiappa's Viral Bolognese Pasta Bake.
This hearty and healthy meal is perfect for a family dinner, and it's easy to make.
Michela’s TikTok bolognese (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
Pasta
400-600g pasta (half cannelloni shapes but shells also work) & we love this Gluten Free pasta from Waitrose >
60g Parmesan cheese
60g grated mozzarella
Salt and pepper to season
Cheat Bolognese sauce
1 carrot, peeled, top and tail
1 celery stick, peeled, top and tail
1 onion, finely diced, peeled, top and tail
2 cloves of garlic skin on
1 beetroot
1 courgette
500g beef mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes blended
3 tablespoons tomato purée
1 stock cube dissolved in 400ml of boiling water or beef stock
Salt and pepper to season
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Few glugs of olive oil
(Jazz up using 1 anchovy and tablespoon of Bovril)
Bechamel sauce
80g corn flour/plain flour
80g butter
800ml milk
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to season
Method:
Cheat Bolognese
1. Preheat your oven to 200C.
2. Place your vegetables in a roasting tray (no need to chop them - just clean/peel and top and tail them). Drizzle some olive oil and season with some salt. If you don't want to turn on the oven, you can also roughly chop your veg and steam/boil it in a saucepan.
3. Place the vegetables in the oven to roast gently until soft.
4. Meanwhile, (Optional) - dissolve the anchovy in a little olive oil. Or put a glug of olive oil into a saucepan on a medium heat. When the oil is hot, brown your meat.
5. Once the meat is brown, add your stock, tin tomatoes, and tomato puree, (optional Bovril), and season with salt and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 2 hours. Add a few splashes of water if it dries up.
7. Once the veg is soft, squeeze out the roasted garlic and discard the peel, then blend all the veg until smooth using some juices from the meat to loosen. Once blended, add the veg to the meat and allow to continue to simmer
Bechamel
1. Melt the butter over a gentle heat.
2. Add in the flour and mix to form a roux.
3. Off the heat add a little milk and dissolve as much of the roux as possible into the milk.
4. Slowly add more milk until the bechamel thickens.
5. Season with plenty of pepper, some grated nutmeg and salt.
Pasta
1. Once you have made your bechamel and bolognese, preheat your oven to 180C.
2. Put a couple of spoons of bolognese at the bottom of the cake tin.
3. Place one layer of the pasta cylinders (facing upwards) onto the base of the tin.
4. Cover with bolognese then sprinkle half your parmesan over the meat.
5. Cover with bechamel.
6. Add the remaining bechamel and grated mozzarella on the top.
7. Put in the oven for approx 40 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the top is golden.
Reference: https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/michela-chiapas-viral-bolognese-pasta-bake