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A very happy New Year from Rosemary and the team
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I hope you had a fabulous time over Christmas.
As we recover from the feasting frenzy, it is time to look in the fridge and see what is still hanging around. Thankfully, as we are so well aware of not wanting to waste food, here are some easy ideas to put any leftovers to good use:
- Leftover Christmas pudding. This works brilliantly mixed in with vanilla ice cream. Pop the new ‘Christmas Pudding Ice Cream’ in the freezer for when you have friends or family around in a couple of months’ time.
- Leftover turkey. This can be chopped up and served with a white sauce with mash – just make sure you heat the meat fully before serving, or try making our Recipe of the Week, Turkey & Pepper Stroganoff. Why not boil the bones up with chicken stock cube to make a nutritious turkey broth. You can freeze it in appropriate portions for a tasty lunch.
- Christmas cake. If you have some left after New Year, the safest thing to do (to prevent you from continually nibbling such a high calorie treat) is to cut off and discard the marzipan and icing and cut up the rest of the cake in small fingers and wrap individually in clingfilm to freeze for when unexpected visitors arrive. Alternatively, give a slice to anyone living on their own as it is a nutritious, high-calorie treat for them.
- Unopened tins and boxes of chocolates, biscuits, sweets and treats. Give these to your local Hospice. They can either be enjoyed by their patients or used as raffle or tombola prizes to raise funds.
- Cheese. This is the one thing I often over-buy as I never know which kind of cheese folks will eat. Some cheeses lend themselves to be grated and then frozen - ideal for topping a fish pie. If you have leftover Stilton, try this delicious Broccoli and Stilton Soup recipe.
- Party food. New Year parties are often over-catered because folks have eaten loads over the Christmas period and just don’t have the appetite they had 10 days ago. Rather than waste it, send folks home with a goodie bag of leftovers. You really don’t want them tempting you!
After all the festivities, I think there is nothing better than looking into a fresh and normal fridge again!
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TURKEY & PEPPER STROGANOFF
Serves 4
Per serving: 280 calories, 3.4g fat (excluding rice or salad)
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
450g lean cooked turkey flesh, cut into strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300ml chicken stock or use a stock pot
1 tbsp plain flour
150ml Madeira (or Marsala) wine
225g small chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
300ml fat free thick live yogurt
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of paprika to dust
4 lemon wedges to garnish (optional)
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan or wok. Spray with a little rapeseed oil to coat the pan and add the cooked turkey and the onion. Dry-fry for 2 - 3 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the red pepper and garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add 2 - 3 tbsp of the stock and sprinkle the flour over. Mix well with a wooden spoon and ‘cook out’ the flour for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining stock and the Madeira wine, stirring continuously. Add the mushrooms, stir in the mustard and cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat completely and stir in the live yogurt and parsley.
- Check the seasoning, dust with paprika and garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately with boiled basmati rice or a salad.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness with Mary Morris MSc.
As we approach the New Year it is such a good time to reflect on the year gone by and then swiftly move on to what you have in mind for 2025.
I have never been one for looking back too much, except possibly to reflect on what I have achieved over the last 12 months and particularly to revel in the fact that I am still well enough to do all those things I enjoy the most. As you can imagine they centre around ensuring I am staying as fit and as healthy as possible, and more than anything I want that to continue.
A New Year gives us new opportunities to explore new avenues in life. I recently suggested in a previous Newsletter that thinking about New Year’s resolutions provides us with a good moment to plan a new activity. Of course we don't all believe in New Year’s resolutions, as they are so easily broken (studies show that within three weeks many renege on their commitment!) but more we should think of the next year as being a new start. The opportunity to take a fresh look at what we normally do, with possibly the intention to do some things differently, particularly if they will impact on our health and how well we age.
Every week we try to bring you information that hopefully will inspire you to live life better and 2025 will be no different. I know the same messages are often being repeated, but I have always believed that repetition is the 'core' of learning, with the result that those messages will provide a long-lasting and significant impact on your overall health. Hearing the same messages regularly will at some point bring about the change we desire, whether it be to lose weight, do more exercise, or socialise more. We know that all those things are the mainstay of growing old gracefully!
I sincerely wish you all the very best for the New Year ahead.
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- This is not an easy week to keep up your normal activity particularly if you are away from home. Keep up the daily 30+ minute walk without fail and take others with you whenever you can.
- If you possibly can, try to do three Strength Workouts from the website.
- DVDs are a great way to give you the ‘total body workout’ and we have some in our online Shop or find a YouTube workout you have not tried before that is suitable for your age and fitness level.
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Did You Know...
It is very likely that on New Year's Eve at some point you'll hear someone stumbling through a chorus of Auld Lang Syne, a traditional Scottish song dating back to the 1700s, about times gone by and good friendships, but what other traditions might you encounter?
Scots also take part in First Footing. As soon as midnight passes, people wait behind their doors for a 'dark-haired person' to arrive. It is thought that the custom may date back to the Viking invasion of Britain when the arrival of a blond-haired person signified bad news. The visitor carries a piece of coal, and sometimes other items such as bread, whisky and money, to bring good luck. The coal ensures the house will always be warm this year, the bread that everyone will be fed, and so on. The visitor is then required to take a pan of dust or ashes out of the house with them, signifying the departure of the old year.
In Spain, popping one grape into your mouth at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year, but you must have swallowed all the grapes before the last of the chimes dies away.
In Ecuador, South America, to banish any ill-fortune from the past year, people set fire to scarecrows filled with paper at midnight on New Year's Eve. They also burn photographs of things that represent the past year, as a way of putting the past to one side and looking forward.
In Puerto Rico, people believe that dumping a bucket of water out the window drives away evil spirits.
In other South American countries, such as Mexico, Bolivia and Brazil, people’s fortunes for the year ahead are all decided by the colour of their underpants! On New Year’s Eve, they must wear red to find love; yellow if they want to get rich; or white if they’d like some peace and quiet!
In Denmark, people stand on their chairs and "leap" into January at midnight to bring good luck and banish bad spirits.
In Germany and Austria, people give gifts of lucky tokens to friends and family to bring them good fortune. These include pigs, mushrooms, clovers and chimney sweeps! (Representations of these things can be bought at Christmas markets, and include edible versions made from marzipan).
Or, of course, you can just wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
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And finally...
Whether it's a quiet night in or a big party night I hope you enjoy seeing in the New Year. Next week I will be giving you a three-day Binge Buster Plan and each day will include Mary's Exercise Challenge to help us all shift all those unwanted lbs accumulated over the festivities!
The following week, we have a very exciting new fitness programme to add to the website.
Enjoy your celebrations and we will see you in 2025!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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