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by Sarah-Helen King founder, psychologist and wellness coach of Invigorise Do you ever find yourself throwing scraps of food together from the fridge for dinner, knowing that the concoction you’ve created is really not the healthiest, but telling yourself ‘it will do’? Have you noticed how often this is happening? Maybe it’s because you’ve finished work late and still have the kids to feed; Or you’ve just generally lost your motivation to cook; Perhaps the monotony of putting 3 meals together, at home, has become all too much; and you’ve just run out of ideas, so, it’s either this option,…

Give your tweens and teens responsibility for one meal a week; this will give you a well-deserved break from cooking whilst teaching them valuable life skills. Click on the link and enter your email address; you will be sent a booklet with 5 recipes for you to try – they are simple, delicious and taste even better if someone else cooks them for you!     It’s time to let the kids take charge!  Getting your older children to take responsibility for an evening meal has a whole host of benefits.  Some of my subscribers are already doing this and it is…

15 hacks to simplify the time you spend in the kitchen: from repurposing your waste, to cleaning your chopping boards and cooling your cocktails, there really is a tip for everyone! If you want more of the above, I have a very popular feature on my facebook page known as #toptiptuesday. I love researching the tips and putting them together and I love the comments and suggestions that my followers give me! Do you have any top tips to share? I am beginning to run out of ideas so could do with your help! You can message me on facebook…

Now, I want to start by saying that I am not one for dieting – I am a firm believer in variety and balance (it’s why I set up Delicious and Real). But if I had to choose my favourite diet it would be the Mediterranean one. Why?  Because it delivers what I love most: a rainbow of colour.  It has been recognised as one of the healthiest diets in the world because it is packed full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein sources, herbs and spices, and healthy fat sources (like chia seeds, walnuts, avocado and olive oil). …

We love mac and cheese in our house, but it goes against one of my basic food rules: although utterly delicious and my ultimate comfort food, there is no colour! I am not a lover of a plate of beige – I really feel that when my plate is bursting with colour, it boosts my mood. It also makes me feel good knowing that I can tick off a couple more food groups – just adding a few veggies means that you are on your way to five-a-day. So, with this in mind, I have compiled a list of ways…

Make 2021 the year that you reduce your food waste!

Canned and frozen foods are often seen as less nutritious than their fresh counterparts but that’s not always the case.

Meal-planning is the simple act of taking some time to plan for your weekly meals- and yes, this can include going out for dinner or ordering a take-away!  Delicious and Real is a, Harpenden based, meal-planning service that aims to simplify this process and take the stresses out of meal-times. For just £5 a month (99p for your first), you will have access to an online weekly planner which contains 7 delicious dinner recipes: you can swap them for one of the others in the extensive library, you can print them out or you can simply keep them as they are. …

A study, by Imperial College London, calculated that changing our eating habits in such a way could prevent 7.8 million premature deaths each year. But, we all know how hard it is to get children to eat fruit and vegetables; changing children’s eating habits requires consistency and persistence from parents.  As part of the BBC’s Terrific Scientific Campaign, around 80 pupils (aged nine to eleven) were asked to eat kale every day for 15 days; afterwards almost all the children had changed their tastes and willingly ate the vegetable.  There are lots of ways of ‘hiding’ vegetables in your children’s…

According to research, us Brits have a rather limited repertoire in the kitchen.

I have really grown to love my garden during lockdown and have taken to growing some fruits and vegetables: there really is something rather special about eating fruits and vegetables that you have grown. It’s amazing what you can grow in containers or in those little spaces of underused garden!

When we go on holiday, we usually stay in a house or villa meaning that we are responsible for our own meals!  I love planning what we are going to eat and I thoroughly enjoy visiting the different shops and markets. There is something rather special about trying what delights the local area has to offer. Certain foods taste so much better when on holiday: tomatoes are sweeter and fish fresher.  Meal times are the highlight of my day on holiday: we will eat together, chat, laugh and play card-games … little pleasures that the stresses and strains of everyday…

Why buying loose fruit and vegetables from the market is better for the environment, your pocket and your general well-being!  Recently I have ditched the supermarket and started buying my fruit and vegetables from a local market stall.  My primary reason for doing this was to try and reduce single-use plastic. The amount of packaging had become ludicrous and it seemed an easy swap. But this hasn’t been the only benefit to changing my shopping habits:  When buying loose items, you get to choose the exact quantity and size that you need.  This will help to reduce your food shopping bill and…

It’s that time of year when many of us are trying to ward off the colds by increasing our vitamin C intake.  But which foods are rich in it and what are the benefits to our health? Vitamin C is not only associated with a healthy immune system; it is also involved in the formation of collagen (helping to maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage) and improves cell health and wound healing.  It is important to remember that Vitamin C is water-soluble so is not stored in the body: this means that we need to ensure that we get an…

There are lots of oils out there and they all boast different health benefits and qualities so it can be confusing deciding which ones to choose. I tend to stick to these three oils: Olive, Rapeseed and Coconut. I use olive oil for sauces and dressings; cold-pressed rapeseed oil for cooking and coconut oil or baking if I need a vegan alternative and sometimes for frying. So why is rapeseed oil my got to bottle and why do I not tend to cook with olive oil? Olive Oil – tastes good; rich in monounsaturated fats; contains many antioxidants which can…

Potatoes are incredibly versatile and tasty, but they have managed to stir up some controversy in recent years with many people choosing to eliminate them from their diets. But, potatoes don’t have to be the enemy:  they are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, resistant starch* and fibre. It’s our portion size and chosen cooking methods that determine whether the potato is a healthy or unhealthy food choice!  I never fry them, I use oil or butter sparingly and I leave the skins on whenever possible.  Personally, I couldn’t live without the humble potato!  Sweet, white or new; baked in their…

By planning ahead, you can make sensible and informed choices about your diet, incorporate a range of food types and balance your individual meals.  It’s much easier to do this on ‘paper’, than to try and do it whilst rushing around the supermarket and randomly grabbing items off the shelves (if you have children, you will know that this task becomes even more of a nightmare with them in tow!)   When we are hungry, our blood sugar drops meaning that we are more likely to go for the most convenient food option – this is often not the best choice. …