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It’s almost mid-December and many of us are now on the count down to Christmas, with mince pies popping up to tempt us all over the place! It’s lovely to indulge in these treats at Christmas, but also easy to end up on a diet full of fat, sugar and alcohol! Not the way to feel your best, or look your best at Christmas parties! It’s worth trying to pop some extra veg into your meals if you can, to get a boost of vitamins and goodness, in amongst the treats.

One way to do this is to add more veg into dishes you’re already making. Fish or shepherd’s pie for example. I made a big fish pie last night and there was more veg in it than fish! I added in curly kale, spinach, peas and plenty of shredded cabbage. Not only do these add plenty of fibre (to help digestion), but also vitamin A (needed for bone growth, reproduction, and skin health), folate (important for conception and energy release), thiamin (important for growth and development), vitamin C (you probably know about that one already – it is essential in collagen formation , wound healing and is also an antioxidant helping to protect against infection), vitamin K (helps in blood clotting)!

Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are also full of essential fatty acids – essential because we can’t produce them in the body naturally so we have to eat them, and because they’re necessary for all sorts of important things – particularly growth and development. More on these essential fatty acids another time!

Back to the veggies! I’m a big fan of sticking them in in extra quantities into existing meals – I add spinach to scrambled eggs (more folate and iron) on toast, courgettes, carrots and more spinach to bolognnaise or shepherd’s pie (as well as plenty of chopped tomatoes and a good spoonful of cinnamon) and even beetroot into brownies! It gives a lovely moistness and squishiness. Most meals can have more veggies added to them, either obviously, or you can sneak them in if you’re also feeding fussy eaters.

It really is worth keeping up your veg intake, not just to help you look good throughout the party season, but also to feel less bloated by all the sugar, fat and alcohol on offer. Although ‘5 a day’ is the officially recommended number of fruit and veg a day in the UK, your body will thank you for eating a lot more – especially veggies. On top of this, there is also lots of evidence now that diets rich in fruit and vegetables are associated with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and other degenerative diseases associated with ageing*. So it’s worth sticking them in when you can…

*Dietary supplements and functional foods, by Webb, 2011; and Food Standards Agency (FSA)

Many people struggle to find the time to cook or eat properly. We’re all so busy all of the time. Most people want to be healthy but find it difficult and inconvenient to cook. As a student of nutrition, I’m keen to change that and to help you eat better, sleep better and generally feel better!

A super quick, easy and nutritious meal is chicken or salmon noodle soup. This is full of protein and vegetables, as well as water. It’s quick to make and easy to digest, so makes an ideal meal if you’re late home from work. This recipe has the added benefits of tasting like you’ve spent a lot more time preparing it than 15 minutes and can all be cooked in one sauce pan, saving time and washing up!

Ingredients (for one, but double/triple etc depending how many people you’re cooking for)

• One salmon fillet or chicken breast
• A few broccoli florets
• 1/3 of a leek
• 1/3 courgette
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 garlic clove
• A small grating of ginger
• Soy sauce
• One medium saucepan
• One ‘nest’ of wholewheat egg noodles
• 300 ml boiling water from the kettle

Firstly, chop up the onion, leeks, courgette and garlic and sauté lightly in the saucepan a drop of olive oil.

Now decide if you fancy salmon or chicken noodle soup. If salmon, remove the skin by placing the fillet skin side up. Slide a knife under the skin at one end and hold the fillet down with one hand, carefully slice your way under the skin and discard (in the compost/ food waste bin!). Chop up the salmon or chicken fillet into small bite sized pieces and cut off any fat from the chicken.

Pour 300 ml of boiling water to the saucepan containing the onion, leeks, courgette and garlic, and add the salmon/chicken pieces. Put the water on to continue boiling until the salmon / chicken is cooked all the way through (take out the biggest piece and check it is cooked through).

After a couple of minutes add two tablespoons of soy sauce and the broccoli florets to the boiling water. Also stir in chopped/grated ginger and give it all a good stir.

Once you’ve checked the chicken/salmon is cooked all the way through, add the noodles and simmer for a further two – three minutes, until the noodles are cooked.

Ladle the noodles, veg, chicken/fish and ‘soup’ into a dish and dinner is served! You may wish to add extra soy sauce to suit your taste.

You could also use any other green veggies which might be lurking in the fridge and need to be eaten – including pak choi, fennel, cabbage, spinach although you might want to give the cucumber and lettuce a miss this time.

Remember you can always chop the rest of the courgette/leeks and freeze these to use another day.

Let me know what you think of this recipe on Facebook and post some of your own favourite healthy recipes!