The no-Christmas and the quietest New Years have been and gone and we’re still in the bleak mid-pandemic. Have you made any resolutions? Like start a healthy diet, shed pounds, drink less and work out more; be kind, be mindful, be calm; learn a skill, turn out kitchen cupboards, do the wardrobe clearout.
Eek.
I just wanna cook.
But to pander to those of you who have pledged to the first two suggestions above, here’s a bunch of skinny-meenie healthy ideas to start this new year with.
I’m not waving a flag for any particular diet. This time last year I had a good stab at keto – the eponymous diary is still there to see – and I don’t recommend it. Makes you feel hardly healthy if your breath stinks and it’s JUST. SO. BORING.
No – if you want to lose weight, the only diet that works is the Eat HAM diet: Eat Half As Much. So by all means make chicken chow mein for dinner tomorrow but have your portion in a small bowl. Do the same when you prepare baked rice with brown shrimp.
Salads are a good option, chicken feta and melon salad for instance, but don’t forget it’s winter and we need warming up. A pot of potato soup will tick a lot of boxes and it’s pretty skinny too. Fish, obviously, once it’s back in stock after the New Year’s break: maybe sea bass with spinach, or perhaps shakshuka with poached salmon.
Roast a veal topside for dinner and serve with winter rainbow salad or shaved brussels sprouts. Make a batch of seed crackers for nibbling and banana and nut granola for breakfasts. And if you’re really craving dessert, how about baking some sponge fingers to dip in strained Greek yoghurt? It’s an amazingly delightful treat; and you know what I always say: instead of ersatz, have just a little of the real thing, occasionally.
Happy New Year everyone!