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Healthy Christmas Menu Hacks

Have festive season fun and indulgence while maintaining a healthy lifestyle with these healthy Christmas menu hacks.

Whether you’re on a weight-management programme or you’re just keen to eat healthier – or stay eating healthy – this festive season, we have some healthy Christmas menu hacks for you and the whole family!

Christmas menus are often seen as super indulgent and can often lead to “food comas”, indigestion, hangovers and more. But with these hacks, you can feel celebratory while feeling good too. Here are our healthy Christmas menu hacks.

Always have jugs of water on the table. Sparkling water with fruit decor can feel “fancy” or a beautifully prepared water jug with cucumber, mint and strawberries not only looks festive, but tastes great too.
For every glass of wine, have a glass of water. This subtle “rule” allows you to still have the wine you want, but ensures you’re hydrated along the way.
In South Africa Christmas is at the height of summer and while traditional Christmas meals are heavy – think roasts and gravy – they were designed for the West’s cold Christmases. When planning your table, add more light dishes: salads, consomme (cold soup), fresh herbs and flavours. Try this festive strawberry salad recipe.
Christmas tables often also include bread. Instead of butter, add some healthy spreads to the table, like hummus or baba ganoush. Check out these three ways to pimp your hummus, here.
Have you heard of the “meat sweats”? Christmas tables can be laden with three to four different kinds of meat. For a healthier, lighter lunch that’s just as fancy, swap out meat for fish. Think: whole trout on the braai, salmon gravlax or even shellfish, like prawns or mussels. Add a vegetarian “main” into the mix too, like a butternut and spinach wellington, a nut roast or a vegetarian lasagne.
When it comes to dessert, instead of heavy puddings, make fun ice lollies! Get the kids involved the day before and blitz watermelon into a juice or make your own flavours with fruits like kiwi and basil or strawberry and basil. These will go down a hit and are a nice light, fresh way to end a meal on a hot summer’s day.

For more healthy recipes, click here. Looking for more plant-based meal swaps and ideas? Click here.

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Easy, Affordable Vegan Bolognaise Recipe

We’re celebrating World Vegan Day this November with another heart-healthy plant-based recipe that’s affordable and easy to make: vegan bolognaise!

The trick to this recipe is to treat the process similarly to how you’d make a regular mince bolognaise, but add a few more flavour elements. This recipe uses affordable, healthy brown lentils and not a plant mince substitute. The texture of the lentils works well, plus nutritionally, the lentils are a great source of both fibre and protein.

Vegan Lentil Bolognaise Recipe

What You Need:

Olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
¼ tsp each ground cumin and ground coriander
1 tsp each dried oregano and dried thyme
1 large carrot, peeled and finely cubed / chopped (or grated)
½ cup finely chopped/ cubed brown mushrooms
2 x 400g tins brown lentils, drained and rinsed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes (or 6-8 tomatoes, diced)
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve:
Cooked pasta of your choice
Fresh chopped basil or Italian parsley
A drizzle of olive oil (optional)
Pinch of nutritional yeast (optional)

Method:
1/ Sauté the onion in olive oil over a medium to low heat. After a few minutes, add your garlic and spices and dried herbs and continue to saute for a further couple of minutes, until fragrant.
2/ Add your chopped carrot, mushroom and lentils to the pot and stir occasionally for about 3-4 minutes.
3/ Add your tomatoes, stock and balsamic vinegar. Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste test before seasoning with salt and pepper. If the acidity is too high from the tomatoes, add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, stir in and simmer for a few more minutes.
4/ Serve bolognaise with pasta of your choice, herbs and an optional drizzle of olive oil and pinch of nutritional yeast. We also recommend serving your pasta with a green salad.

Our #MedshieldMovement site is packed with healthy, tasty recipes. Looking for another lentil or plant-based recipe to try? Make this healthy lentil bobotie.

For a list of easy plant-based food swaps, click here.

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Easy Plant-Based Food Swaps For World Vegan Day

1 November is World Vegan Day! Including more healthy plant-based options into your diet may help lower your risk of lifestyle disease and improve things like: digestion and energy levels. Plus it’s better for the planet. So if you’re looking to add more plant-based meals into your diet, here’s a list of easy swaps to get you started.

If you’re never done a “Green Monday” before or perhaps you come from a meat-heavy family background, thinking of how to prepare a plant-based meal may feel daunting. But these days – thanks to the wide range of products available – it’s actually super easy. Plus, making simple food swaps can have a significant impact on your health, the environment and animal welfare.
So, #MedshieldMovement here to help you out with a handy list of easy plant-based food swaps. Who knows? Maybe some of them will stick!

Here are seven simple meal swaps that don’t require much effort, but a simple purchasing choice:

1. Swap Beef Burgers for Veggie Burgers. Opt for delicious veggie or black bean burgers that are packed with plant-based proteins and flavours. They’re easy to buy ready-made or to make at home.

2. Trade Dairy Milk for Plant Milk. Replace cow’s milk with almond, soy or oat milk for your cereal, coffee or baking.

3. Choose Hummus Over Creamy Dips. Hummus is a healthier and plant-based alternative to creamy, dairy-based dips. Check out our guide on three ways to pimp your hummus, here.

4. Use Nutritional Yeast Instead of Parmesan. Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavour to your dishes without any dairy. In this lemony asparagus pasta recipe, we show you how!

5. Opt for Avo Instead of Mayonnaise. While you can find vegan mayo on shelves, mashed avocado is a creamy, heart-healthy replacement for mayo in sandwiches and salads.

6. Replace Ground Beef with Lentils. Lentils make a hearty, protein-packed replacement for ground beef in tacos, chilli, and pasta sauce. Try this veggie-packed lasagne recipe!

7. Replace Pulled Pork with Mushrooms. Finely chopped or pulled mushrooms can mimic the texture and flavour of pork in various dishes. If you’re keen on mushrooms, try our mushroom, millet and tofu salad recipe.

If you’re keen to make dietary changes, but not sure how to start, contact your doctor for medical advice or a dietician for a tailor-made nutrition plan that suits your needs. Explore our “recipes” section for more healthy meals to help inspire you in the kitchen.

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Midweek Lemony Asparagus Spring Pasta

Make the most of seasonal spring greens, like your herbs and asparagus and throw together this easy midweek pasta recipe.

If you’d like to make this recipe low-carb, simply swap out the pasta for courgette noodles or cut your own slices (no need to buy the fancy stuff or even use a spiraliser). Simply cut your courgettes into a shape that resembles penne and then lightly boil and then sauté in olive oil. While this recipe is plant-based, you could easily use cow’s milk and add grated Parmesan instead of the nutritional yeast. Short on time? You could also cook the asparagus in an air-fryer or pan, just watch for burning! And check that it’s cooked through but still has a little bite.

What You Need:

Bunch of asparagus (about 150g)
2-3 lemons, zested and cut into slices
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Pasta of your choice, cooked according to package instructions

For the white sauce:

2 tbsp tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic sliced into slivers
2 tbsp flour (a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works just as well)
1-2 cups plant milk (I used oat)
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast (to your taste)

Method:

1/ Preheat the oven to 190-200 degrees Celsius. Roast asparagus topped with lemon slices, olive oil and salt & pepper for about 20 minutes, until tender with a slightly charred.

2/ While the asparagus cooks, prepare your pasta according to package instructions and make the white sauce.

3/ Start by sautéing the garlic slices in the olive oil until just cooked. Add the flour and stir to combine and immediately start adding the milk, a little at a time, constantly stirring. Make sure to get the lumps out (a whisk works best). When you have the desired volume and consistency, add the nutritional yeast and a squeeze of lemon juice.

4/ Stir your cooked pasta into the white sauce to coat. Once your asparagus is cooked, remove from the oven and slice into bite-sized pieces then add these to the pasta and sauce mix. Garnish with lemon zest, seasoning and more nutritional yeast (or Parmesan).

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Easy Tomato, Chickpea and Aubergine Stew Recipe

This vegetarian meal is great for meal-planning as it keeps really well in the fridge for up to four days. It’s also easy to mix up: serve it one day as a warm bowl with quinoa, couscous or brown rice, the next in a pita with some tzatziki and hummus, on grilled sourdough slices with a drizzle of olive oil or alongside an added portion of protein, like a chicken breast.

What You Need:

Olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp smoky paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes (or ras el hanout spice blend)
2 medium-large aubergines, sliced into 2-3cm pieces
1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tins chopped tomatoes (or 6-8 freshly chopped tomatoes)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to season
Fresh basil or Italian parsley, for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1/ Heat a large pot over medium heat. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil inside and then sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and a little extra olive oil as needed and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.

2/ Add your aubergines and stir to coat in the spices and slightly cook the outsides. Aubergines suck up liquid quickly, so add another tablespoon of olive oil. After 2-3 minutes, add the chickpeas and tomatoes. Stir to combine.

3/ Add 1 to 2 cups of water, to cover the vegetables, and set aside to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4/ Once the vegetables have cooked through and the mixture is thick, remove from the heat.

5/ Taste test and season accordingly. (hint: if your mixture is too acidic from the tinned tomatoes, add a ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda and stir it in, to help neutralise.)

6/ Garnish with herbs and serve.

Enjoy!

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Easy pak choi, pea and rice vermicelli stir-fry

This stir-fry is a celebration of Spring green veg and is a great week-night meal to make because it cooks in less than 15 minutes.

Rice vermicelli is a thin rice-based noodle that cooks really quickly. Simply soak in boiling water for a minute to two and then add to your stir-fry pan with the rest of the ingredients. Stir-fries are meant to be cooked in a hot pan, so it’s advisable to get all your ingredients chopped and ready to go, because once the cooking starts, it all happens quite quickly. Do not overcook the greens.

What You Need

1-2 tbsp sesame oil
150g protein of your choice (tofu cubes, chicken breast slices)
1 brown onion, peeled, sliced into 1cm thick rounds
200g-300g pak choi
100-120g sugar-snap peas
100g bean sprouts (optional)
100-120g vermicelli
Coriander leaves, for garnishing
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnishingFor the Stir-Fry Sauce:
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp freshly chopped green chillies
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp sesame oil

Method

1/ Heat your wok to medium-high heat and put the kettle on to prepare the noodles.

2/ Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to your pan and once it’s hot, add the protein of your choice. Cook until just ready and then remove and set aside on a plate. (Don’t forget to soak your noodles according to the package instructions).

3/ Add a second tablespoon of sesame oil and add the onions. Sauté for one minute. Add the sauce and then the rest of the veg. Add a couple tablespoons of water.

4/ Once the veg has just wilted, add the noodles. Stir-fry for a further couple of minutes, making sure that everything is coated.

5/ Serve immediately, garnished with coriander and toasted sesame seeds.

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Low-Carb, High-Protein Broccoli And Trout Week-Night Dinner

This is a quick-and-easy, healthy 15-minute meal to whip up during the week. This recipe is also low in carbohydrates and high in protein, thanks to the fish and the broccoli.

This recipe requires one pan and can literally be made in 15 minutes. While this recipe uses a head of broccoli, you are welcome to replace it with tenderstem broccoli instead. You can also mix up the green veg to include other greens, such as mange tout, sugar-snap peas, courgettes and asparagus. Essentially you want to cover a 30cm pan with green veggies.

Local trout is a more sustainable and more affordable alternative to salmon. We recommend using hot-smoked or smoked trout, which means that the fish is already cooked and just requires heating up. If you choose to use lightly smoked trout, keep in mind that you will need to cook the fish for a little longer (we recommend 4 minutes a side).

You could also prepare this entire meal in the airfryer. This works ideally in a dual airfryer (such as the Alliance Dual Air Fryer) where you can cook the broccoli separately to the fish, but one could work well too, you’ll just add the fish after for a few minutes (choose the grill setting). This recipe serves 2.

What You Need:

300g or 1 head of broccoli (or 400g tenderstem)
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Salt & Pepper, to season
¼ tsp red chilli flakes
180-200g hot smoked trout

Method:

1. Slice the broccoli into bite-sized florets, halved again if necessary.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan set over medium-high heat. Add the green veg, pour over the lemon juice, season and add the chilli flakes. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, until the broccoli is just cooked, but still bright green. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Add a little more olive oil to the pan if necessary. Place the trout in the same pan and heat for 2 minutes if using the hot-smoked trout (if using lightly smoked trout, see notes above).

4. Serve all together, garnished with lemon zest.

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Roast vegetable and quinoa salad recipe

This warm salad recipe is a great way to use up leftovers and to get your veg in. It also keeps really well in the fridge, so it’s a great option for meal–planning and to take to work in the week for a healthy lunch.

For this recipe you can use a variety of vegetables that are great for roasting. We recommend a mix of colours and textures. For the quinoa, you can use red or white quinoa, depending on what’s available. If you’d like to try an alternative high-protein, gluten-free grain, we also recommend using millet.

What You Need

200g courgettes, sliced
200g red pepper, sliced
200g red onion, sliced
200g, butternut, cubed
1 large twig rosemary
4 garlic cloves, skin on
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper, to season
2 cups cooked quinoa
Italian parsley, optional, for garnishing
For The Dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
½ tsp mustard

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius.

2. Place all the prepared vegetables in a roasting tray with rosemary, garlic, olive oil and seasoning. Give it a good stir through and then roast for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables. (You want the vegetables to be perfectly cooked through.)

3. Prepare quinoa according to package instructions.

4. Mix the dressing ingredients together.

5. Once all the elements are prepared, serve the vegetables on the quinoa. (Remove the rosemary twig and garlic cloves. If you like, squeeze the roasted garlic into the dressing mix. Stir to combine.)

6. Drizzle the dressing over the dish, stir to combine all the flavours. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

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How To Make Baba Ganoush – A Healthy, Low-Calorie Dip!

Baba Ganoush is a mediterranean dip that’s easy to make, low in calories and works well on toast, in a wrap or served with pita breads. Here’s how to make it.

Whether you grill your aubergines in the oven or grill them on the braai, this recipe is a great way to make that veg so versatile! Braaiing the aubergine will give it that classic smoky flavour, while oven roasting will yield a subtler flavour. The trick with baba ganoush is to char the aubergines whole and, when they’re cooked through, to then scoop the flesh out, leaving the charred skin behind. If the aubergines are undercooked, they may taste bitter, so make sure that you cook them until they are really soft.

Helpful Tips

To create a more flavourful baba ganoush, allow some of the moisture from the cooked flesh to drain in a sieve over the sink for around 10 minutes. This is not necessary, but can help if there’s a lot of moisture.
User 3-4 smaller aubergines, as opposed to 2 large ones, could mean less moisture and less seeds.
Use firm, ripe aubergines, not overripe or soft aubergines as these can be more bitter.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make a chunky version of this dip by mashing and mixing with a fork or using a pestle and mortar.

What You Need:

3-4 aubergines, pricked all over with a fork
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp tahini
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch each of salt, cumin and paprika
A fig sprigs of fresh parsley (to garnish, optional)

Method:

1. Whether you’re braaiing, grilling or roasting your aubergine, allow them to cool down before scooping out the flesh. Once cool, scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender.

2. Now make the dip, by adding the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blitzing until smooth or your desired consistency is reached. Add only 1 tbsp lemon juice and then taste test before adding more.

3. Garnish with some olive oil and serve. To store in the fridge, place in an airtight container with a little olive oil drizzled over the top and consume within three days.

To read more about the health benefits of aubergines, click here! Plus, there’s a great Caponata recipe, which also works so well as a side dish, on toast or in a lunch box.

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Nutrient-Packed Green Soup

Nutrient-Packed Pea, Courgette and Baby Spinach Soup

This green soup is packed with nutrients, low in calories and easy to prepare, making it a great weeknight meal.

What You Need:

1 small brown onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
4 fingers of celery, finely chopped
Olive oil
4 to 6 medium courgettes, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
500ml vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas
Pinch each of black pepper, salt and chilli flakes
2 handfuls baby spinach
¼ cup cream or coconut cream (optional)
Fresh basil, for garnishing

Method:

Sauté the onion in a little olive oil over medium heat. After a couple minutes, add the carrots and celery and saute for a further 3-4 minutes until cooked through.
Add the courgettes and garlic and saute for a further 2 minutes before adding in the vegetable stock.
Add the peas to the liquid and continue to cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes.
Taste the liquid to check for saltiness and then add the seasoning.
Add the baby spinach and let it steam / wilt.
Using a hand-held blender, begin to blitz the soup until roughly smooth. The cream is not essential, but adds richness to the soup, but also more calories (optional).
Tear in a handful of fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

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Category: Recipes

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