1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Wash and trim the stems and roots off the beetroot.    Wrap beetroot in foil and bake for 1 hour or until tender in the middle.
2. Making the dressing:  combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and garlic in a small container.  Place the lid on and shake to combine ingredients.  Leave to stand for ~15 minutes.  Remove and dispose of the garlic.
3. Carefully unwrap beetroot and leave until cool enough to handle. Peel off the beetroot skin and cut into quarters (Beetroot can stain your hands so wear gloves)
4. Combine the spinach leaves, onion and drained chickpeas into a large salad bowl.  Pour in the dressing and mix well.  Serve immediately topped with pieces of beetroot, crumbled feta, coriander and parsley.

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spread hazelnuts on a lined baking tray and cook for ~7minutes or until lightly toasted.  Place hazelnuts on a clean cloth (tea towel is fine) and rub to remove the skins.  Chop coarsely.
2. To poach chicken:  In a large saucepan or fry pan place the chicken with enough cold water completely cover all the chicken and place over medium heat.  Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for ~12mins or until cooked through.  Remove the chicken from heat and place the chicken on a plate (make sure no water is on the plate) and set aside for 10 minutes to let it cool slightly.
3. Blanch the green beans:  In a medium heat proof dish, place the cut beans and cover with boiling water.  Set aside until bright green in colour and tender crisp (~2mins).  Refresh under cold running water and drain well.
4. In a medium sized bowl place the cut up apples and 1 tbs lemon juice and mix until well combined.
5. Dressing: Pour in the sour cream, 1 tsp water and 1 tsp honey into small pouring jug and gently mix together.  Gradually add the remaining lemon juice and stir until smooth.
6. Once chicken is slightly cool, thinly slice across the grain.  Place the chicken, apple mixture, beans, celery and lettuce into a large bowl.  Toss to combine.
7. Place salad onto plates and drizzle with the dressing.  Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve immediately.

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C
2. Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until just combined
4. Spoon into muffin cases
5. Bake for 15-20 mins or until golden

1. Pre-heat oven to 170C
2. Line a 20cm X 30cm baking tray with baking paper.
3. Combine oats, cornflakes, coconut, dates, apple and sunflower seeds in a large bowl
4. Combine condensed milk and sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium for 4 minutes, stirring after each minute
5. Add to dry ingredients and mix until well combined
6. Press mixture into tray (wetting your hands might help)
7. Bake for 15-20 mins until firm. Leave to cool in tray before slicing

1. Heat sandwich press. Spread 1 tortilla with avocado.
2. Top with tomato, sauce and cheese. Top with second tortilla.
3. Cook in sandwich press for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into wedges to serve.

NB Can use leftover Mexican mince to make more substantial quesadillas

1. Combine the oats, milk, yoghurt and honey in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight.
2. Place apples, water, cinnamon and lemon in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until apple is softened.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into the oat mixture. Stir the beaten eggs into the batter until just smooth.
4. Spray a non-stick pan with oil and heat to medium-high. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan and cook until bubbles form, turn and cook the other side. Remove and cover to keep warm.
5. Arrange 4 pancakes as a stack, top with apple and extra yoghurt.

1. Mix mint, parsley, lemon juice and oil. Pour ½ of the dressing over the chicken to marinate and reserve rest for the salad.
2. Boil qinoa for 10-12 mins, or until just tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Spray chicken and asparagus or broccolini lightly with oil and bbq/char-grill over high heat until chicken is cooked through. Rest for 5 mins and slice.

Add sliced chicken, asparagus/broccolini, fetta, spring onions, rocket and pomegranate seeds to the quinoa. Drizzle with reserved dressing. Toss.

1. Blend the beetroot, ricotta and chives until smooth.
2. Spread beetroot mix over one side of each piece of bread or wrap. Add turkey, greens and cucumber.

1. Mix oatbran, hazelnut meal, ricotta, honey or syrup, dried fruit, milk or protein powder and cinnamon in a large bowl until well combined.
2. Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the mix into balls with your hands. Put chia seeds in a sealable plastic bag, add balls a few at a time and shake to coat.
3. Can be kept in fridge for up to 3 days.

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

NB this can be FODMAPS friendly using your preferred milk and yoghurt

Thanks to Dairy Australia for these delicious recipes.

1.    Toss beef in flour and shake off excess. Heat oil in a non-stick frypan (or your slow cooker base if it allows) over medium-high heat.  Add the beef and cook until browned.

2.    Transfer to the slow cooker if required.  Add the vegetables, garlic, wine, stock, tomatoes and oregano.

3.    Slow cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours or until beef is extremely tender.

4.    When ready to serve, taste and season as desired.  Serve with steamed green beans.

1. Finely slice the carrots and radish.  You can use a large gauge grater, mandolin or the slicer on your food processor if you prefer.
2. Quarter apples, core and finely slice to a similar size to the vegetables.
3. Mix vegetables, apple, sultanas, herbs, vinegar, oil, tahini and season to taste.
4. Heat non-stick pan and add prawns and spices.  Cook until just pink.
5. Top salad with prawns and spinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Now this is not the time to give up and say you’ll think about it next year…

In one month you can:

• lose 2-4kg
• take up 1 new health promoting habit such as drinking 2 litres of water per day
• improve your fitness by at least 10%
• increase your strength by 10%
• ensure you eat 2 pieces of fruit per day, not such a hard task in stone fruit season
• eat more salads, also not hard when its too hot to cook anyway
• get up early to exercise 3 mornings per week – since the sun is up before 6 you can too
• reduce your cholesterol by a few points

In the silly season, it may be unrealistic to avoid all champagne, plum puddings and savoury nibbles, but you can aim to keep your current good habits.  For those who like to achieve, you may even be able to pick up a new, healthy habit in the next month.  Giving up is one option, but taking steps to a healthier you in 2013 can start in 2012!

Here’s to early morning runs, followed by some stone fruit, a bottle of water and a salad for lunch! What’s your 1 month challenge?

The jacaranda’s are in bloom and that means its exam time!  While the trees may display their beautiful blossom, for students it means time to stay indoors and hit the books!  This can also be a time when healthy eating habits take a backseat and exercise becomes an infrequent event.

Did you know that the brain exclusively uses carbohydrate to think?  If you don’t feed your body a constant supply of energy good, the brains ability to concentrate, retain information and general comprehension declines.  Not the ideal circumstance for acing exams and finishing that assignment.

Good energy foods to give you long lasting energy include:

• Fresh, canned or dried fruit
• Grainy crackers such as Ryvita, Vitawheat, Soy & Linseed topped with tomato/vegemite/cream cheese/cheese/peanut butter/tuna
• Oat or nut based cereal or muesli bar
• Tub of plain or flavoured yoghurt
• Glass of plain or flavoured milk
• Air popped popcorn
• A slice of grainy or nut & nut bread

Keep a healthy eating routine by aiming to eat at least every 6 hours if not every 3-4 hours.  You are usually more productive to work in 1 hour segments of time and then have a 10 minute break.  Just make sure you don’t eat at every break!  This 10 minute break is a great time to do some exercises to get your blood pumping to your brain such as star jumps, running on the spot, running up stairs, push-ups or a few yoga poses.  Remember to grab a drink of water too!

Try to include at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, whether that be 3 x 10 minute exercise blocks or taking 30-60 mins off the books to clear your mind with a walk, run or gym session.

Eat Smart wishes you the best of luck with your exams!

As our swimmers finalise their preparations for the 2012 Olympics, I cannot wait to sit back and watch come the end of this month! As a former swimmer I must admit, it is certainly easier to be providing the dietary advice and watching from the sidelines than it is to be doing all the hard work in the pool!

At this phase of preparation, Olympic swimmers are making the final changes to their diets as their training decreases during their tapering phase. Swimmers will be ensuring they are getting the right mix of nutrients to recover adequately so they can back up and perform as best as possible for every session. The right mix of nutrients also includes those that protect the immune system, as any illness is likely to negatively impact performance – and with the Olympics only coming round every 4 years this may be an athlete’s only chance at Olympic success.

Three swimmers from the Eat Smart Chandler clinic that I will be following closely will be comeback queen Libby Trickett (watch her in the 4x100m freestyle relay), Brisbane golden girl Kylie Palmer (800m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay) and veteran Jessicah Schipper (200m butterfly, 100m butterfly, 4x100m medley relay). We wish you all the very best!

For those who will be watching at home, and dreaming of Rio 2016, sports nutrition advice from an expert can help get you there. Why not contact one of our Accredited Sports Dietitans today and arrange an individual consultation!

Jess

We all know we should exercise regularly – whether it be for weight loss or maintenance, for general fitness for work and play, for your heart, to help you sleep better or for your chosen sport or activity. The amount and type of exercise that is best to help reach your goals may vary enormously. The American College of Sports Medicine has posted its latest exercise recommendations for health, general fitness and longevity. Here’s a summary.

Include CARDIO type exercise at least 150 minutes or 2 1/2 hours each week. For example, 30-60 minutes of moderate -intensity exercise 5/week. You could do this as one continuous session in a day or multiple shorter sessions (of at least 10 minutes).

Then add some RESISTANCE exercise 2-3 days per week using a variety of exercises and equipment e.g. at a gym, at home, even using your own body weight with no equipment.Lighter intensity exercises are best for older individuals.

Also perform some FLEXIBILITY exercises at least 2 or 3 days/week to improve range of motion.

Finally you need some more functional exercise that we call NEUROMOTOR exercise. This is recommended for 2 or 3 days/week for 20-30 minutesand should involve motor skills (balance, agility, coordination etc). Examples include Tai Chi, pilates and yoga. This is very important to improve your physical function and also to prevent falls in older individuals.

Although this adds up to 5-6 hours total for the week some sessions can be kept quite short and done at various times of day – as well as possibly combining sessions such as stretching with another more strenuous workout.

Remember that Sedentary behaviour, such as sitting for long periods of time, has been shown to be a health risk in itself. Meeting the guidelines for physical activity does not make up for a sedentary lifestyle!

Choc-alot! Or a little!

While Easter is a great opportunity to socialise with family and friends, celebrate the season and relax over a long weekend, sometimes the traditional ‘extras’ of Easter, like the all too enticing chocolate Easter egg, can become a little too much!

Here are some tips to help you keep the Easter munchies at bay and resist having just ‘one more’ too many times:

• If you can, buy the best quality chocolate eggs and other goodies. This will help you feel as if you’re indulging in the best, will satisfy you much sooner, and as you probably pay more for quality, this will help you buy less chocolate as well.
• Choose small, dark, plain chocolate over large or filled eggs that have caramel, cream or other fillings. These add quite a lot to the energy content.  Dark chocolate tends to satisfy people’s chocolate cravings earlier, and thus they eat less!
• Try and plan activities for home that will encourage exercise and bring your family and friends together. You may want to organise an Easter egg hunt, or stage activities in the back yard like an Easter egg and spoon race for the kids with prizes other than chocolate – like a fluffy bunny instead!
• Take advantage of the pleasant weather and head down to the park or even the beach and remember to ‘slip, slop, slap!’ Try and be as active as you can over the Easter period.
• It’s ok to have a little more chocolate than you usually would but try not to go overboard. 1 mini Cadbury Easter egg (solid) is around 150kJ. 4 of these =  20 minute power walk, 15 minute run or a 25 minute bike ride or swim.
• If you find you’re getting an influx of Easter chocolate (from work parties, neighbours or you made too many purchases) then wrap them up into assorted little bundles (4-5 small pieces, 2-3 medium pieces or 1 large piece) to have on the table for family and friends to take home.
• Don’t buy extra eggs after the Easter weekend is over because they’re on special. Remember: Easter is an indulgent time that shouldn’t last weeks because your fridge is over stocked and the specials were too hard to resist, so try and get back to your normal eating and exercise routine as soon as possible.
• Remember that hot cross buns add energy to your diet – a bun should replace 2 pieces of bread, not be consumed in addition to your sandwich!
• Easter is a great time to include more fish in your diet so make sure you get your omega 3’s but avoid your fish being fried, crumbed or battered.  Try barbequing, grilling, baking, opening a can or eating it raw!

Keeping these tips in mind over the Easter period should help you and your family stay healthy, happy and full of energy without over indulging in Easter madness! Remember that Easter is a time for treats and it’s still possible to enjoy yourself without going overboard – Happy Easter!