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!

Crunchy Christmas

Everyone keeps saying the words credit and crunch in conjunction as if it makes a well-known saying. I'm not entirely convinced that 'credit crunch' really is a proper thing, or that I actually need to economise, due to the extraordinary sales taking place everywhere. I may be the exception, however, so here's some thoughts on having a crunchy Christmas!

Now - turkey is a fairly low-cost meat (as well as being low-fat) and can be eaten for about a week after the event, so we're already off to a good start. Choose an extra-massive turkey for Christmas day and you're already economising on meat for the festive period. Buy a jar of Stokes Coronation sauce to whip up some tasty Coronation turkey sandwiches, salads or jacket potato toppings.

Christmas dinner seems to be made up largely of vegetables, which you can buy in large quantities in most supermarkets, making the most of the 2 for 1 deals. Either stick them in the fridge drawer in bags, or freeze them. If you cook vast mountains of vegetables all in one go for Christmas lunch, you can also enjoy bubble and squeak for the next couple of days, either with cold meat and pickles or with omelette and baked beans.

For me. Christmas is all about being able to eke out the supplies for days on end until the shops open again. I don't care if they're open all the way through these days - it's the spirit of the thing! Who cares if lunch is one sausage, some crackers and the last of the brie? It's Christmas!

Winter killing

It nearly happened again! Last Monday, at the first proper whiff of winter, I very nearly said "oh, it's my favourite season!"

I got as far as "oh, it ..." before remembering my solemn vow of loyalty to its older brother autumn.

I've been roasting parsnips til the cows come home (to be made into lovely fillet steak and eaten with redcurrant sauce and roasted parsnips!) and I caught a glimpse of some wonderful sprouts in the supermarket the other day. I've also got cupboards full of pickles, biscuits for cheese, nuts and chutneys for Christmas, so I'm all set for a happy, healthy, warm winter.

Thai-ing up loose ends

Non-authentic pad Thai

Ah, go on then! I've left you dangling long enough and I've even bought a wok in the meantime!

So, this is how I make pad Thai, based on eating it in restaurants and hastily reading a serving suggestion on the back of a noodle packet.

First heat a little bit of groundnut oil in a wok and fry chicken pieces until they start to brown. Shred them up into smaller pieces with a spatula as they're cooking. Add some beansprouts, a tiny bit of red onion and a little bit of shredded cabbage. You could also add some prawns at this stage, if everyone to be involved in the eating process likes fish.

Add some of those ready to wok noodles at this point - preferably the allegedly authentic ribbon ones. Toss them with the other ingredients and drizzle some lime juice, a pinch of brown sugar and a dash of soy sauce in as you're mixing. Fish sauce would be a traditional addition here (again, some people don't like fish!) but it's fine without.

Next, make a well in the centre of the wok and crack two eggs inside. It's a good idea to turn the heat up significantly so that the eggs start to cook immediately. Once they're showing the first signs of solidifying you need to jush them around a bit and mix them into the noodles.

The final topping for this dish is to serve it piled high in noodle bowls with crushed peanuts on top and a lime quarter on one side for extra squeezing!

Eastern promise

I'm reliably informed by a colleague that the programme I mentioned previously, with the apple-cheeked presenter, was called Chinese Food Made Easy. I quite enjoyed it, even though the homemade pot noodle item wasn't for me. The book accompanying the series is fab, too.

I've been on a bit of a mission to improve my Chinese, Thai and other kinds of oriental cooking this year, for various reasons. I'm actually quite proud to say that I've done rather well and some of my favourite homemade meals these days are Eastern-influenced. I'd even go so far as to say that's what I may cook if I was out to impress!

I've particularly got into noodles and I've been perfecting my not-at-all-authentic pad Thai. Remind me to give you the recipe sometime!!