It’s getting cold and gloomy and we all want to reach for our comfort foods!!!
When it’s cold outside comfort foods are often on the menu. The problem is that while they’re keeping us warm, they’re also expanding our waistline.
During winter we naturally burn more body fat because our body temperature is forced to adjust to the change in temperature (however, don’t use this as an excuse not to exercise because our body doesn’t burn enough on its own!)!

Winter is one of the hardest times to keep motivated and therefore many of us become lazy and our physical activity drops. This is why we need to be careful not to overindulge on the wrong foods.
To keep you headed in the ‘right healthy direction’, choose foods based on vegetables, meats, fruits, whole grains and dairy.

Planning meals in advance means we are less likely to snack on junk foods, however if you can’t resist the temptation I recommend having a low-fat hot chocolate or a small portion of your favourite treat.
During winter most of us want to snuggle up on the sofa and watch our favourite television programs. Instead try to organise time out to enjoy the company of friends and family, together you can motivate each other on starting a new exercise program rather than sitting at home.

Winter forces us to take exercise inside, and it is easy to find activities that will keep you fit whilst protecting you from the elements. Activities like yoga, dancing, boxing and the gym are all great winter warmers that you can do with your friends to keep you healthy.

In saying that, I’m going to give you my winter super foods that will keep you warm and healthy this winter:
• Green tea for antioxidants
• Vegetables, they are low in calories
• Citrus fruits are nutritious and a great source of vitamin C that will help fight infection
• Vegetable based soups (add some chilli to increase fat burning)
• Eating more meat and vegetables then over indulging in pasta, bread & rice
• Adding garlic & ginger to your diet as both have an antibacterial and warming effect, also a great support to your immune system.
• Limit high-fat treats such as pizza or dessert to once a week
• Focus on eating more good fats like nuts, oily fish, dairy and avocado

Come on and beat the winter blues with me! Get motivated with a new exercise program and a new and improved diet to keep warm and healthy!

Chicken & vegetable pies

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 30g butter
• 500g chicken breast fillet, cut into 2cm chunks
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs flour
• 1/3 cup (80ml) white wine or water
• 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
• 1/2 cup (125ml) thick cream
• 1 large carrot, peeled, cooked, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled, boiled, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas, cooked
• 1 tbs chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• 4 sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a frypan over medium heat, add the pieces of chicken and cook until lightly browned and almost cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the leek and garlic to the pan and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and bring to the boil for 1 minute, then pour in stock and cream and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes over medium-low heat.
2. Return chicken to pan with cooked vegetables and tarragon, season well, then set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
4. Cut four 18cm squares from the pastry, reserving off cuts. Place some chicken mixture in the centre of each square, then lift up the sides of the pastry to form a parcel, pinching edges together to seal. Cut out leaf shapes from the pastry offcuts and place over the joins. Make a small pastry rose for the centre of each parcel.
5. Place parcels on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Basic tomato sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leave

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened.
2. Add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. Add basil. Stir to combine and Serve.

Amatriciana

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 quantity Basic tomato sauce (above recipe)
• 8 slices (125g) prosciutto, chopped
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Cooked rigatoni pasta and thinly sliced chilli, to serve

Method

1. Make Basic tomato sauce, adding prosciutto and chilli flakes with onion . Replace basil with parsley.
2. Serve with rigatoni Pasta, top with chilli and Serve.

Bacon & cauliflower soup with parmesan crisps

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 500g bacon bones, cut into pieces
• 1 (700g) cauliflower, trimmed
• into florettes
• 1 litre water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup lite cream, optional
• 1/2 tsp horseradish cream
• Salt & white pepper
• 1 tbs snipped chives

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Saute the onion and bacon bones over the heat for 5 mins. Add the cauliflower, water and bay leaves and bring to the boil.
2. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer the soup for 15 mins. Remove the saucepan from the heat, set aside to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bacon bones and bay leaves and process the soup in a food processor in two batches until smooth.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place tablespoons of parmesan cheese onto baking trays, spread out to form 6cm rounds, bake in batches for 5-7 minutes mins or until crisp and golden. Working quickly lift the parmesan crisps from the tray and set aside on a cooling rack.
4. Return the soup to a saucepan and warm gently, add cream and horseradish and season. Sprinkle with the chives and serve with the parmesan crisps.

Special thanks to www.taste.com.au FOR THESE YUMMY RECIPE IDEAS

I recently found myself with an abundance of lemons and thought I can’t possible drink that many gin and tonics (although I gave it a very good crack)!

So in my search for a solution to my overflowing fruit bowl I found the perfect recipe for lemon tart, a Stephanie Alexander classic. Very tasty and super easy especially if you cheat (like I did!!) and buy the pastry!

Lemon Tart

1 quantity of shortcrust pastry (or two sheets of pre made pastry)

3 large lemons

6 eggs

250grm castor sugar

200ml of cream

Icing sugar to dust

Method

Line a 24cm loose-bottomed deep flan tin with pastry, then bake blind at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes. Reset oven to 160 degrees C.

Zest and juice the lemons. Combine eggs and sugar until well amalgamated, then add zest and juice and stir well. Add cream and mix well using a balloon whisk. Pour into just baked pastry case and bake for 35-45 minutes until almost set. Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Serve dusted with icing sugar and lashing of thick cream!

My tip for the perfect lemon tart is be careful not to overcook the tart keep an eye on the tart in the last  10-15 minutes to make sure you pull it out when it is just set.

To cool off in the sweltering heat we all love a beer on the beach but why not try this deliciously refreshing salad and cocktail for a change. 

Watermelon and Feta Salad

¼ of a watermelon chopped into bite size chunks

150 grms of salty feta

A handful of pitted kalamatta olives

1/2 a red onion thinly sliced into half moons

Fresh mint chopped

Juice of one lime

Extra virgin olive oil

Put watermelon on a large plate squeeze lime juice over, crumble the feta over and dot with olives mint and onion and drizzle with olive oil. For a different version and extra bite add thinly sliced radishes (in season in January) instead of red onion and scatter over the top.

Mojito

High ball glass

45ml white rum

½ lime cut into wedges

1 tbs brown sugar

8 mint leaves

Soda Water to fill glass

Ice

Place mint limes and sugar in the bottom of a glass and with a muddle stick if you have one or rolling pin, muddle the ingredients squeezing all the juice from the limes. Then fill the glass almost to the top with ice pour the rum over the ice and top up with soda. This drink takes me right back to the beach in Barcelona….Heavenly refreshing!

Made by our very own Alex Kelly for staff at Caroline Serviced Apartments! Best tasting x'mas present!

Look no further why not put your hand to a little baking and give a homemade gift.

Try these delicious Choc- chunk cookies or Ginger bread men.  Make them impressive with funky gift wrapping ideas. By making the Choc-chip cookies large you can use paper CD cases to hold the cookies bundling them together in twos or threes and wrapping them in Christmas ribbons.

Ginger bread men look great in clear plastic bags tied with Christmas ribbons. And for that extra Christmas touch use a couple of different sized cookie cutters and make a whole ginger bread family!

Choc-Chunk cookies

250grms butter (soft)

2/3 cup Brown sugar

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs beaten

3 cups plain flour

1tsp bi-carb soda

500grms chocolate chips (great with a mix of dark, milk and white choc!)

Vanilla essence

Method

Pre Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line baking trays with grease proof paper.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and smooth. Add egg gradually once combined add flour and bi-carb and mix until combined. Then mix through choc chips with a spoon.

Spoon out a large tablespoon of mixture roll into balls, flatten slightly and place on already lined trays leaving enough space for biscuits to spread. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Should make 12 large cookies

Ginger bread men

¼ cup brown sugar

2 ½ cups plain flour, sifted

2tsp ground ginger sifted

1tsp bi-carb soda

125grm butter, chopped

2/3 cup of golden syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Mix dry ingredients together and place in the bowl of a food processor with butter and golden syrup.  Process until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough into two pieces and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Roll out between two sheets of greaseproof paper until it is 4mm thick. Using a ginger bread man cookie cutter or any shape you like cut out the shapes and place them on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on an airing rack before packaging as gifts!

Watch this space for more exciting recipes from our resident chef Alex : )