Healthy Diet for the New Year

Healthy Diet for the New Year: Nutritious Recipes and Meal Planning

A healthy diet is the key to your well-being and knowing how to create nutritious and exciting dishes for your family is a huge advantage. Whether you’re an experienced cook wanting to expand your repertoire or have taken the decision to move away from ready meals and start cooking from scratch, our selection of healthy recipes will inspire you to get going.

Meal planning and cooking from scratch can save you money and time, as well as ensuring your diet is balanced and healthy. Read on for our guide to meal planning and our selection of recipes that are great for your health. Whether you’re feeling unwell or just want to boost your immune system throughout the winter months, we’re sharing some excellent warming meals that will soon be firm favourites in your household.

 

Healthy Meal Planning

Involving the whole family in meal preparation and cooking can be very helpful, motivating children to try the foods they have helped to create. Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated, you can simply start with a list of meals that are popular in your house and look at your schedule to work out the best options for each day. If you have a day with plenty of time to cook, you can plan to try a new recipe or a more ambitious dish, whereas a busy day will require a quick and easy option.

You can save money when you meal plan, by simply ordering online or shopping for the ingredients you need for each recipe instead of being tempted by other options. You might want to have a routine of planning for 2-4 weeks at a time and then use these plans on rotation, or you may add in different options or new recipes weekly. It’s all about making the meal-planning process work for your family, so take your time to experiment and see what is best for you.

Try as much as possible to include healthy foods as suggested by the NHS

 

Recipes for a Healthy Diet in the New Year

You’ll love our selection of recipes for the new year, packed with goodness and all the vitamins you need for your health. These are simple, delicious options that will soon become family favourites.

 

Steaks with Goulash Sauce

Ingredients:

2 small onions, halved and sliced

1 green pepper, deseeded and diced

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp smoked paprika

85g halved cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

2 fillet steaks, approx 250g, rubbed with oil

Rapeseed oil or olive oil

 

Add your onions to a nonstick pan with 1 tsp rapeseed or olive oil. Stir, and then cover and leave to cook for five minutes. When you remove the lid, they should be a little charred. Stir in your diced green pepper and two cloves of garlic, sliced, and re-cover the pan for another five minutes. Next, stir in 1tsp smoked paprika and add 150ml water. Then stir in your halved cherry tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato puree and a teaspoon of stock powder, and cover and allow to simmer for ten minutes. 

While your goulash is cooking, pan fry your steaks in a hot, non-stick pan, usually for 2-3 minutes on each side but this will depend on their thickness and how well done you like them. Leave the steaks to rest for five minutes, then serve with the goulash. You can serve this meal with sweet potato fries and green vegetables for an extra healthy boost. 

This delicious recipe is packed with iron, which is essential for your body. If you are low in iron, you may experience fatigue, dizziness and brain fog, as well as many other symptoms. Iron tonics and supplements can be helpful if your iron levels are low, and you can check this with your doctor and request a blood test if you are concerned. We recommend Floradix, a natural iron supplement that comes in liquid or tablet form and includes iron gluconate with Vitamin B2, B6 B12 and vitamin C. 

 

Chicken Broth with Kale, Quinoa and Preserved Lemon

Ingredients:

1.4kg whole chicken

2tsp black peppercorns

1 onion

2 carrots

3 bay leaves

10 garlic cloves

Sprigs of lemon thyme or thyme

1 head of celery

1 bulb of fennel

200g quinoa

Olive oil

2 quarters preserved lemon, remove flesh, thinly slice zest

1 green chilli

60ml white wine vinegar 

1 lemon, juiced

50g kale

Toasted pumpkin seeds, optional to serve.

 

In a large stockpot, combine 8 garlic cloves, most of the celery and thyme, bay leaves, carrot, onion and peppercorns, add 1 tsp salt and your chicken and cover with water. Add the woody stalks and fronds from the fennel, reserving the fennel bulb for later. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for an hour, or until the chicken is cooked through. When cooked, cool the chicken in the pan and then remove from pot and set aside.

Strain the contents of the pan through a muslin or jam bag and discard any solids. Skim the surface of your stock when cool.

Rinse quinoa with cold running water and then cook in 500ml stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, covered, for ten minutes or according to pack instructions, then set aside.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and add your remaining celery, thickly sliced, and preserved lemon. Stir over heat for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften, then add your remaining garlic cloves, finely chopped, and chilli. Stir for another 1-2 minutes, then add the thinly sliced fennel bulb and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add white wine vinegar, remaining stock and thyme and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook until warmed through.

Cut chicken breast meat and legs from the bone into thick slices and add to the pan, simmer for five minutes and then add kale and cooked quinoa. Allow to cook for five minutes until the kale is wilted then add seasoning and lemon juice, add pumpkin seeds if you wish, and serve.

This is a wonderful recipe for your health, bringing you all the benefits of traditional chicken soup with an extra dose of vitamins and an amazing taste. Vitamin C is vital for fighting off bugs all year round and lemons are even higher in vitamin C than oranges! The herbs and garlic in this dish are excellent for your immune system and you can be sure that the whole family will appreciate the love and care you have poured into it. The body cannot store vitamin C so it is often helpful to take a supplement, especially during the winter. We love Emergen-C, a food supplement that supports the immune system with a unique balance of vitamins and minerals including vitamins C, B12 and B6.

 

Hot Lemon and Honey Drink

Ingredients:

A lemon quarter

1 tsp honey

Recently boiled water

 

Boil enough water for one mug in your kettle and allow it to cool slightly. Squeeze your lemon quarter into your mug and pour the hot water in to fill, then stir in a teaspoonful of honey and enjoy.

It is important to allow the water to cool slightly as boiling water may affect the active properties of the honey and the lemon. Honey has antiseptic and antimicrobial benefits and is a well-known healing food, and local honey is the best option for your health.

This recipe is an old classic but it’s a great healer and is packed with Vitamin C to fight off illness. It’s very effective to clear the sinuses and boost the immune system and it has all the benefits of a comforting hot drink that is great for your health. If you are struggling with a cold or flu bug, you might want to try a medicated hot drink such as Lemsip Max which includes 1000mg of paracetamol to provide you with the pain relief you need. It comes in lemon or blackcurrant flavour and can help to ease headaches, sore throats, aches and pains and fever.

You can find many healthy recipes online and talk to us about specific dietary plans for illness or weight loss. Meal planning can be a great way to stick to a healthy diet and adding inspiring new recipes into your diet ensures you will be enjoying an exciting range of nutritious meals throughout the new year!

 

Visit Gray’s Pharmacy Today

Here at Gray’s Pharmacy, we aim to support families in our local community with their healthcare needs and our experienced Pharmacists can help you with all your health queries. We offer online prescription services, online doctor feedback and online shopping and delivery options, as well as extensive face-to-face services in-store. 

We have a wide range of healthcare and personal care products available online and in-store, including excellent hair and beauty products and gifts. Browse our online store or visit our Irish independently-owned community Pharmacy in Castletroy, Limerick, where we’re always happy to help.