This month at Lose Baby Weight we are encouraging all of you to join us in our Winter Weight Loss Challenge.
Did you know that the average weight gain over winter is 4kg? Stop that 4kg in its tracks by joining our challenge here.
As part of the challenge, we want to educate you on how to make the best possible food choices.
Did you know that eating seasonally tastes great, helps to save you money, is better for the environment – AND it can also be beneficial for your health?
Eating fruits and vegetables that are in season can definitely save you money. It’s basically a supply and demand issue – when there is a lot of something available on the market (or at the market!) the cost generally falls.
That’s why in the middle of winter you would be better off looking at recipes using pears and apples rather than fresh strawberries as the berries would be very expensive (and possibly not as tasty as they are in the middle of summer).
We all want to buy fruits and vegetables that taste good. But the thing about buying items when they aren’t in season means that they need to be grown in another part of the world.
By the time a piece of fruit has been picked, packed and shipped to your local store it has lost some of its vital nutrients and flavours.
Often they are harvested early in order to reach their destination in a reasonable condition. Or perhaps they may need to be sprayed with chemicals or wax to keep them looking good.
As well, transport costs are often added on to the final price you pay. It also means a huge amount of fuel is used, adding to the carbon footprint of the item.
The other option for the suppliers is to grow their products in a hothouse style environment. You may have seen some sad looking tomatoes for sale, which may have been produced in this way and don’t taste as good as a brightly coloured local tomato that is purchased in season.
All of these things can mean that the product isn’t as healthy as one that was grown locally and bought in season.
Not sure what’s in season and when? Well besides growing your own produce, visiting a farmer’s market is a great way to learn all about seasonality by speaking to the people that grow it. Often they will have some great suggestions for how to cook with it too.
Using seasonal produce to make a healthy soup is a great way to eat well and enjoy the fresh flavours.
Today’s challenge asks you to do just that:
Enjoy a freshly made soup using seasonal ingredients once per week for the next 4 weeks.
Not only is it a delicious meal idea for the family (babies love it too!), it is a quick and easy option to reheat for lunch the next day.
Here are some examples of some vegetables that are in season in June that you could use to make your own healthy soups.
- Beetroot
- Broccoli
- Brown Onions
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Chinese Greens
- English Spinach
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Jerusalem Artichokes
- Leeks
- Parsnip
- Potato
- Pumpkin
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Spinach
- Sweet Potato
Pumpkin is in season now, which means it is not only very affordable but full of flavour. Today’s recipe is for a delicious pumpkin soup that is sure to be a family favourite.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg pumpkin, cut into chunks
- Sea salt and pepper to season (chilli flakes optional)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 750 ml salt reduced vegetable stock
- 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 4 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt to serve
- 4 slices wholemeal mountain bread to serve, toasted
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 200C.
- Place the pumpkin onto a baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil.
- Season with a little sea salt, pepper and chilli flakes.
- Roast the pumpkin for 35 minutes until soft.
- Blend the pumpkin with the stock, beans and ginger until smooth. Pour the soup into a saucepan and heat through gently.
- Ladle into bowls with a spoon of natural Greek yoghurt and mountain bread on the side
Serves: 4. Calories per serve: 257.
Healthy Eating Tip
Make an extra batch of soup, divide up portions into containers and place in freezer. Next time you or your bub need a healthy meal in a hurry, simply pull out a serve and heat up over the stove!
Join the Lose Baby Weight Winter Weight Loss Challenge! Click here for details.
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