Every little helps

No, I'm not on commission from Tesco. Yet!

It's the month of diet and detox, so I thought I'd throw my two penn'orth into the ring. I'm not a fan of 'proper' diets of any kind, but I firmly believe that small, manageable changes make a difference. So here's my top tips for small changes to create a better way of eating.

1. Don't peel potatoes before roasting them or making oven chips or wedges. The skin is the best bit! Worms won't grow out of your face.
2. Use reduced-fat olive spread instead of any other kind of butter or butter substitute.
3. Add pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and sultanas to food as often as possible. Sprinkle them on top of salads or pasta, for instance.
4. Don't buy salt. Most food is salty enough without it and you can't be tempted to add it if there's none around!
5. Eat soup as an easy way to consume more fruit and vegetables.
6. Have crumpets for breakfast, with a bit of peanut butter or honey. They're relatively low in fat and calories, quite filling and also yummy.
7. Buy loads of plastic storage containers so that you can easily save and freeze leftovers rather than feeling obliged to eat them!
8. Make a low-fat apple cake on a Sunday morning and have a small slice whenever you want a snack or treat. It should last until elevenses on Wednesday!
9. Mash potatoes with a tiny bit of wholegrain mustard instead of adding milk, butter, cream, cheese, etc.
10. Go out for dinner frequently - it gets you out of a food rut, can inspire new recipe ideas and usually means you'll eat a balanced meal rather than a lazy home-cooked one.

Stick a fork in me - I'm done.

Take it away now

My house is very close to the train station. It takes me about five minutes to walk/run there in the morning (downhill all the way) and about seven minutes to get home (uphill struggle). On that short journey I pass three Indian restaurants, two Chinese restaurants, a delicatessen, a cafe, two convenience shops, a restaurant, two pubs and a fish and chip shop.

Imagine my delight and relief, therefore, to find out that a new Indian takeaway has opened at the station!

This one, however, is an Indian takeaway and coffee house, which does mean that one can buy a hot drink and snack at the station when the train is delayed. Theoretically it also means one can phone ahead an order to be collected on the way home, although this means I must remember to put a menu in my bag! I've picked up a menu: it looks fairly standard, with one or two things I fancy trying.

It was freezing cold on Saturday and I couldn't summon up the energy to go out for food, so I decided to order a takeaway. What better opportunity to try out the new place? Oh - except they don't deliver on Friday or Saturday! Well, what's the point of that? Everyone knows Friday night is curry night, except those people who know that Saturday night is curry night! And I was extra-frustrated by the fact that they'd put a leaflet through my door at about 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Ok, it's just down the road but it was cold out, and that's the point! I can't help but think it was a missed opportunity, new boys.

New year, new treats

I have tasted some wonderful things over the past few weeks, some of which I craved all last year. So one of my resolutions is not to save absolutely every treat for Christmas.

High on my list is the fabulous Brussels sprout, one of my favourite vegetables. Sprouts taste amazingly right with a traditional Christmas dinner, followed a very close second by the taste of a sprout in my Boxing day bubble and squeak. These are both meals, however, with close equivalents in my year-long repertoire; I think I will certainly start buying sprouts to eat with roast chicken or with sausages and mash, too.

Mince pies are lovely little things. I tend to start eating them at the beginning of December and indulge until January when, for some reason, they disappear completely from our shops. It's still winter in January and February, and I see no reason not to enjoy the seasonal spicy flavours. What better way to combat the early-February blues than with a yummy mincie and a warming glass of mulled wine, after all? If I can't find them in shops I shall make my own.

Chestnuts - there's another one. They'd be great in a salad or with pasta, so i'm going to keep them in mind all year round as an alternative to walnuts, which I tend to stick in everything without even thinking.

Finally, the whole ethos of Christmas eating is something I don't want to lose. I like cooking a huge lunch and making it the focal point of the day. It brings a family together, frees up whole afternoons and evenings and makes some use of our dining tables! I also like the idea of having odds and ends around to graze upon, whether it's nuts, satsumas, cheese and biscuits or the odd chocolate. It doesn't have to be unhealthy: substitute the salted nuts for natural roasted ones, swap the Quality Street for good-quality dark chocolate and go easy on the cheese. But retain the no-guilt, non-scheduled, celebratory, healthy attitude to food - go on, treat yourself!