We know how it is – trying to stay on top of nutrition at Halloween can feel like fighting a losing battle. With sugary sweets and chocolates galore, getting enough of the good stuff in your family’s diet can be a real challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help.
We spoke to The Naked Nutritionist, Daniel O’Shaughnessy about easy ways to maintain the fun factor at Halloween whilst staying healthy.
Get the juices flowing
Kids may turn their noses up at a vegetable-based juice, so make sure you mix the fruit:veg ratio in a way that keeps it sweet, but also packs in one of those all-important five-a-day. A celery, apple and cucumber juice makes a perfect ‘slime juice,’ or try this recipe:
Dark magic juice
This is a great veggie blend to enjoy over the winter months to keep colds and flu at bay. Extra vitamin C and antioxidants will strengthen the immune system.
2 purple kale leaves
½ uncooked beetroot
2 celery stalks
½ lemon with skin
2cm piece root ginger, peeled
1 apple
- Cut the ingredients small enough to fit the juicer chute and juice.
- Pour over crushed ice.
Soup it up
Pumpkin soup is a fantastically spooky option for kids, given that it’s filling, full of flavour, and immune boosting – meaning those nasty Halloween bugs won’t stand a chance against your little one’s healthy diet.
Pumpkin soup with chilli and crème fraîche
1 tbsp butter
2 onions, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, plus extra to serve
1 tsp ground cumin
1kg pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
650ml hot vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper
4 tbsp crème fraîche, plus extra to serve.
- Place the butter, onions, garlic, chillies and cumin in a large bowl and cover with pierced cling film. Cook on medium in a microwave for 5 mins or until soft.
- Cut the pumpkin or squash into small cubes, then add to the onion mix. Add the hot stock, cover and cook on high in a microwave for 20 mins or until soft.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the crème fraîche. Allow to cool before blitzing in a blender. Return to the microwave and heat on high for 3 mins before serving.
- Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of crème fraîche and a scattering of fresh chopped chillies.
Break bread
Mop up dregs of soup and use up any leftover pumpkin with this autumnal bake.
Butternut squash, walnut and blue cheese bread
100g roasted pumpkin or butternut squash cooled and diced
1 tsp yeast
500g strong white flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
300ml water
1 tsp olive oil
50g blue cheese
50g toasted walnuts
- Place all the ingredients except the walnuts in the pan of a bread maker.
- Add the walnuts to your bread maker’s raisin and nut dispenser if you have one, if not set them aside to use later.
- Set the bread maker to Basic Raisin Bake, approximately 4hours.
- If you do not have a dispenser, add the walnuts when the bread maker beeps. Finish baking and enjoy!
All recipes created as part of Panasonic’s Fresh Family campaign, for more recipe ideas please visit www.theideaskitchen.co.uk