Top tips for a healthy autumn!

With summer picnics and alfresco eating well and truly over and the darker nights drawing in, itês time to start thinking about meals and dishes to suit the colder weather. However, this doesnêt have to mean lots of stodgy comfort food - in fact autumn is one of the best times to eat more fruit and vegetables, as so many come into season during the harvest months, making you spoilt for choice and it even easier to meet the five-a-day fruit and vegetable target. Try these tasty recipes using in season fruits and vegetables:

Roasted root vegetable stew ( see recipe )
This warming vegetable stew is especially delicious because the vegetables are roasted first, giving them extra flavour. The carrots in this stew are one of the richest sources of beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A, which is needed by the body for night vision to help you see during the long winter nights! The sweet potatoes are rich in three of the main antioxidants: vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene, all of which are needed to boost the immune system and help ward off winter cold and flu-like infections. Parsnips will help to prevent feelings of sluggishness as they provide B vitamins needed to boost energy metabolism.

Stuffed marrows ( see recipe )
Comfort foods like chips and bacon butties are popular in winter, but are high in salt and can result in raised blood pressure. Try this simple recipe for stuffed marrows as a tasty healthier alternative! Marrows are a good source of potassium, helping counteract high intakes of salt by lowering blood pressure and chestnuts provide zinc, which is essential for the immune system.

Pumpkin soup ( see recipe )
If you are buying a pumpkin for Halloween then make use of the scooped out flesh and create a filling soup! Pumpkins are another excellent source of beta-carotene and are also naturally low in fat and high in fibre. The joy of this soup is it fills you up without piling on the calories!

Roasted sweetcorn with salsa
Although barbecue season is over, corn-on-the-cobs can still be roasted under the grill. Instead of covering them with butter, which is high in saturated fat, brush them with a little olive oil and place them under the grill, turning occasionally. Olive oil is high in monounsaturates, which help lower blood cholesterol levels. Sweetcorn is a good source of magnesium needed to help keep bones and muscles healthy. Serve with a tangy salsa.

Apple and blackberry crumble ( see recipe )
Try this healthier version of apple and blackberry crumble. Using muesli and low fat biscuits for the crumble topping reduces the fat and calorie content dramatically. The blackberries are packed full of many of the nutrients needed to keep you healthy during the winter months including vitamin C, potassium, calcium, beta-carotene, vitamin E and folate.

Poached pears ( see recipe )
Pears are at their best at this time of the year and are high in soluble fibre, which can help to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
The autumn and winter months can be a time of year to easily gain weight. As it becomes colder and the long summer evenings disappear, staying in by a cosy fire is infinitely more tempting than a trip to the gym, so remember these top ten golden rules for losing weight and by the time Christmas comes you’ll look fabulous in your little black dress!

1. Try to have regular meals and work out in advance what you are going to have.

2. Throw away leftovers immediately.

3. Keep a food diary for a week to help identify your danger times and be prepared.

4. Exercise with friends – you are less likely to let them down!

5. Always have a healthy snack to hand.

6. Do check nutrition labels and compare products that may seem similar but contain different amounts of calories.

7. Drink plenty of water. Many people confuse feelings of mild hunger with mild thirst and drinking plenty of water will help avoid these feelings. Water before and with meals helps you feel fuller resulting in you eating less.

8. Eat breakfast. Eating soon after waking kick starts the body’s metabolism and provides energy to get you through the morning.

9. Don’t weigh yourself too often. Limit weighing yourself to once a week, at the same time of day and wearing the same clothes.

10. Set realistic goals and don’t give up!

RECIPES

Roasted Root Vegetable Stew
Serves 4
225 g carrots
225 g sweet potato
225 g parsnip
6 small onions
Fresh thyme sprigs
50 g flour
500 ml cider
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
350g butter beans

Dice the vegetables, brush with oil and oven roast until the skins start to crisp. Add the vegetables to a flameproof casserole dish and sprinkle in the flour. Add the thyme, season with salt and pepper, then pour in the cider, plus the Worcestershire sauce and butter beans. Put the casserole on the hob and bring it up to a gentle simmer before covering with a tight-fitting lid. Place a sheet of foil under the lid to ensure a good seal. After that, place the casserole on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and cook for 41/2 hours at 150 C/Gas Mark 3.Stuffed

Marrows
Serves four
1 marrow
200g cooked rice
40g shallots – chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
Pinch each of chopped chives, chopped parsley and chopped coriander
50 g chestnuts – finely chopped
100g mushrooms – sliced
150ml white wine
1 tbsp olive oil
200ml single cream
150ml vegetable stock
200g chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper, to taste
Peel the marrow and scoop out the seeds. Saute the garlic, shallots, chestnuts, mushrooms and herbs until soft. Add the tomatoes and after a few minutes add the cooked rice. Pour the wine and stock and leave on a medium heat to reduce. Lower the heat and stir the cream and continue to cook until a thickened consistency has been reached.

Spoon the mixture into the marrows. Arrange the marrow on a piece of folded foil and fold carefully to seal. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes at 180C / Gas Mark 4.

Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4
Flesh of one pumpkin
Few sprigs of rosemary
150 g red lentils – washed
1 onion – finely chopped
900 ml vegetable stock
Freshly ground pepper
Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and cut into smaller chunks and place in a roasting tin. Sprinkle over the rosemary and season. Roast in a preheated oven at 200C / Gas Mark 6, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in a saucepan. Cover with water, bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Strain, then return the lentils to a clean saucepan with the onion and stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Remove the pumpkin from the oven and scoop out the flesh, mash with a fork and add to the soup. Simmer for 25 minutes and ladle into 4 bowls. Garnish with extra rosemary.

Crumble
Serves 6
300 g apples, peeled and sliced
200 g blackberries
2 tbsp of honey
1 inch cube of root ginger grated
Pinch of cinnamon
Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
125 g unsweetened muesli
50 g of low fat digestive biscuits – crushed
50 g plain flour
25 g low fat spread

Arrange the fruit in an ovenproof dish. Top with honey, ginger, cinnamon and orange juice and rind.

Cook in a preheated oven at 200C / Gas Mark 6, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix to make the crumble topping.

Remove the fruit from the oven and scatter the crumble mixture over the top. Continue cooking for a further 20 minutes. Serve with low fat custard or low fat fromage frais.

Poached pears
Serves 8
8 large pears
500 ml Marsala
50 g castor sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla pod

Peel off the outer skin of the pears, lay in a casserole dish. Pour in the Marsala then sprinkle over the sugar and add the cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod. Place on the hob and bring up to simmering point, then cover the casserole and bake the pears on a low shelf in the oven for about 3 hours at 130 C / Gas Mark 3. Serve with crème fraîche.