How to Eat Healthy In Winter - 3 Easy Recipes

Simple Recipes to Supercharge Your Winter Wellness

At my retreats and workshops this winter, so many people have told me they struggle to eat healthy in winter when fruit and veggies are hard to find.

So! Here are my top 3 recipes full of super healthy foods you can make with the best seasonal veggies winter has to offer!

1. Vegan, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Soup

You don’t need heavy cream to create a great pumpkin soup! This one is super easy and jam-packed full of rich vitamins to supercharge your winter wellness.

Cooking Time: 1.5 hours (but mostly simmering. You can work on your Aprivé Wellness workbook while it's cooking!) 

You’ll Need:

• 1/2 Pumpkin

• 1 tbsp. Gluten-free, vegetarian stock (Vegeta is my fave)

• 2 Sweet Potatoes

• 1 Leek

• 2 Potatoes

• 6 Cloves of garlic

• 1 Brown onion

• 1 jar of chilli flakes

• Salt & pepper

• 1 cup of raw lentils

Method:

1. Fill your kettle and boil the water. Once ready, pour the boiling water into a saucepan and add the lentils. Boil for 20 minutes or until soft. Wash and drain in a colander (no you don’t have to soak them overnight!)

2. Dice garlic, onion and leek into small pieces. Only use the leek up until the green leafy part.

3. Add a big soup pot to your stove and turn up the heat. Once it’s hot, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and the garlic, onion and leek. Add salt, pepper and a sprinkle of chilli and stir rapidly.

4. Once the mixture has browned, turn it off and set it aside while you peel and cut the other veggies into small squares.

5. Once your pumpkin, sweet potato and potato are cut, add them to the onion mixture and stir on a high heat. 

6. Add a litre of boiling water and around a tbsp. of stock.

7. Bring the mixture to the boil and let it bubble away for around 5 mins.

8. Turn it down to simmer, and let it simmer slowly for around 1 hour (you can work on your wellness goals while it’s cooking!)

9. Once the mixture is mushy and soft, squash it with a wooden spoon to make it lumpy and thick. If you prefer a smooth soup, take your hand blender to it!

10. Add lentils and garnish with a little curl of leek and it’s ready!

2. Pumpkin Salad with Feta - Your Healthiest Lunch Yet!

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Tip: Get up 30 minutes earlier on Monday morning and cut up pumpkin (leave skin on) and sweet potato with garlic (skin on). Cover in 2 tbsp. olive oil and add salt and pepper. Bake until soft. Then keep the mix in the fridge, ready for your lunches for the week!

You’ll Need:

• Half a pumpkin and 2 sweet potatoes pre-roasted with garlic & salt and pepper

• 2 handfuls of baby spinach

• 1 tomato

• 3 slices of feta

• 1 grated carrot

• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

• 1 squirt of mayonnaise or a creamy vinaigrette

Method:

1. Get all the ingredients

2. Throw them into a big tupperware container

3. Put it in the fridge at work

4. When you’re ready to eat it, give it a good shake till the feta, balsamic and mayo all mix

5. Eat!

3. Silverbeet & Ricotta Side Dish - The Super Food Winter Side Dish

If you’re a fan of meat and three veg, you can sick of the standard steamed broccoli side. Try this silverbeet dish. Silverbeet is full of iron and tons of goodies only found in dark green leafy veggies, and it’s best in winter! Perfect!

Cooking Time: 5 mins

You’ll need:

• 1 pack of Silverbeet (around 12 stalks)

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1/2 tub Ricotta cheese

• 6 Mushrooms

• Hot sauce

• Sweet Chilli sauce and/or Hot Sauce

Method:

1. Cut out the stalks and stems of the silverbeet so you’re left with only green leaves.

2. Cut the silverbeet into thick ribbons

3. Squash your garlic, remove the skin and dice into small pieces

4. Place a non-stick frypan onto your hottest element and warm it until it’s too hot to touch

5. Add a tbsp. olive oil

6. Add garlic and stir quickly

7. Add silverbeet and turn down the heat

8. Once the silver beet is covered in oil, add mushrooms

9. Once mushrooms are gently brown, add Ricotta

10. Stir fry for 3 minutes. The Silverbeet will shrivel up a lot, especially when coated in ricotta. Don’t worry it’s normal!

11. Serve with a lashing of sweet chilli and hot sauce. My favourite are the home made versions from Caribe or Empanada kitchen in Queenstown

Want more winter recipes to boost your health? Try this handy breakfast one below

AND

Follow @aprivewellness for more free wellness tips & tricks!

Queenstown Winter Wellness Workshop - Lululemon

Join me for a free yoga/Pilates fusion class & wellbeing workshop to help you supercharge your health, energy and strength this winter. We'll end with a goal setting session to leave you inspired! Head to Lululemon at 7:30pm on June 30th. Wear your workout wear, get ready to sweat and

See you there xo

Little Known Ways to Hack Healthy Eating

Eating healthy is one of the most common health and wellbeing goals, but so few people manage to make it a lasting reality. This is almost always because they put nasty restrictions on what they can and can’t eat, and end up feeling crappy.

To make themselves feel better, they’ll eat even more unhealthy food, and they’ll continue the cycle. 

If weight loss is your goal in 2016 - STOP! 

Studies show that those who prioritise being healthy over weight loss lose more weight long term, and are more likely to keep it off. 

Ditch negative goals

Swap negative goals like “I’ll fit into my skinny jeans in 4 weeks or I won’t eat carbs for a month” and switch your mindset to incorporating healthy, positive goals into your eating.

Swap ‘losing weight’ with ‘being healthy.’

Once you focus on eating healthy food, you’re bound to lose weight anyway!

There are so many ways to eat healthier, but here are just a few hints.

Print off this list and put it on your fridge. Put a tick next to each one when you’ve tried it.

1. Take Mason Jar salads to work for lunch; they're healthy & look beautiful. Layer salad dressing, then legumes, then greens, with tomatoes and nuts on top.

2. Add super foods to your diet (chia seeds, amaranth, spirulina, psyllium husks)

  -Try adding them to smoothies if you struggle with the texture or taste

3. Add one extra veggie to your dinner every night. Try to aim for three to start, and work your way up to 5.

4. Eat vegetarian meals four out of seven days. Indian, vegetarian dishes are my favourites for hearty meat-free meals.

5. Occasionally swap bread for corn thins or rice crackers.

6. Take bliss balls to work for the 3pm slump instead of coffee.

7. Decrease your coffee intake by one cup a day (if you drink four now, try swapping one coffee for green tea instead - you'll save money too!)

None of the tips above are about limitation or deprivation, they’re about trying new, exciting things to brighten your plate, and give you more energy!

photo: snob fashion blog

The best way to eat healthy long term

Reading a blog post isn't always enough - you might need some personalised, tailor-made help through a one-on-one session with me.

After getting to know you through an initial consultation form, I’ll help you understand what’s holding you back from eating healthy via a one-hour Skype session. From there, I’ll give you a tangible, meaningful Wellness Action Plan to help you move forward and get results.

Whether you choose one session or a package, the small, meaningful changes you make via your Wellness Action Plan will help you learn what's holding you back from having more energy and eating good, nutritious food. I'll help you become the person you long to be; the truly amazing person you are.

By spending this time together, you’ll get evidence-based steps to help you live a happier, healthier life. 

AREAS WE CAN WORK ON INCLUDE:

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Why should you work with me?

After practicing Physiotherapy, PT and health consulting for years around the world in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I’ve learned how to make health fun and inspiring. You’re not like anyone else, and your program needs to be designed for you, and only you. 

What to do in Queenstown March 2016

Come to our retreat! The holidays are over and you've settled back into work, life and general busy-ness. You're tired, stressed and worn out and you need a fun day of luxury relaxation to rejuvenate you for autumn!

Our next retreat is an inspiring day of yoga, Pilates, nutrition, relaxation and meditation designed for people of all experience levels to live a happier, healthier life. Whether you're a hardcore health nut or just after a fun activity for the day, this special one-day retreat is for you.

YOUR DAY INCLUDES:

YOGA/PILATES FUSION CLASS

Get moving with low impact exercise to strengthen your spine, balance and learn how to prevent back pain

NUTRITION WORKSHOP

Learn the biggest nutrition myths about weight management, and what you can do to better manage your weight

HEALTHY VEGETARIAN LUNCH

STRESS & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT GOAL SETTING

MEDITATION

Learn why it works and how it can help you manage your weight

LUXURY SPA RELAXATION

Dive into luxury at Nugget Point Boutique Hotel. Enjoy the spa, sauna, steam room, cold pool and relaxing lounges

PLUS! Special gifts from The Skin Kitchen NZ, Ashley & Co & more.

Managing your weight shouldn't be about feeling bad

So many of us need a chance to relax, take a minute, and look after ourselves. Unfortunately though, we're often too busy to think about ourselves, and end up stressed, tired and grumpy.

Thinking about weight loss becomes about punishment, avoidance and self loathing and you get fed up of thinking about it all. It doesn't have to be this way.

This inspiring day will give you the tools to understand the main issues that make managing your weight difficult.

From stress to anxiety, habits and confusion around nutrition and food, this day will help give you the tools to make lasting changes, and help you achieve your weight management goals.

The perfect day out with friends, or a solo activity to get away from everyday life, this event is for everyone!

Queenstown Wellness Retreat

The Countdown is On

Only 3 days until out New Year, New You wellness retreat, and I’m getting so excited! We've still got 2 spots left - BOOK YOURS NOW!

What is this retreat about?

You know how hard it is to make, and stick to new years resolutions? This retreat was created to help my guests set real, achievable goals, plus give them strategies to help them achieve their dreams in 2016.

Starting with a Yoga Pilates fusion class overlooking the stunning Shotover River, guests will get stretchy while learning how to activate and work their cores. Then, they'll learn how to use real food (not starvation!) to cleanse their bodies in the Nutrition Workshop. 

Goal Setting Retreat

We've never had goal setting at one of our retreats before, but since goals are such an important part of starting the new year, we had to include it! I’m hosting this session which uses techniques from WOOP; acknowledging what obstacles stand in your way, and devising strategies to overcome them. 

The Collective Hub, an inspiring brand for entrepreneurs and dreamers, sent us gorgeous 2016 diaries for our guests. Jam-packed full of beautifully drawn motivational messages, these diaries are the perfect way to inspire our guests this year.

Meditation

Even if you’ve never tried meditation before, it’s such a good way to slow down and reset for the new year. We’ll be meditating outside, overlooking the stunning Shotovoer canyon, surrounded by wildflowers at Nugget Point Boutique Hotel. 

I’m so incredibly excited for our retreat on Saturday and to meet all our lovely guests. I just can’t wait to help people live happier, healthier lives in 2016 with proven wellness strategies and a splash of luxury.

want to attend this retreat?

Queenstown Weddings: Exclusive New Service

Bespoke Wellness Experiences for Bridal Parties

Imagine gazing over a breathtaking canyon as a crystal clear river runs far below as you gently transition through your sun salutation. Surrounded by your best friends, this yoga class is the first time you’ve been able to relax and take a deep breath since your wedding planning began. Not only is it deeply calming sprinkled with lots of laughs, this special experience has given you and your friends an exclusive birds eye view of Queenstown landscape few people will ever see.

If you’re getting married in Queenstown, you’re probably so excited to hang out with your friends and family, but not sure exactly what you should do!

This beautiful mountain town has so many incredible activities from the Shotover Jet to bungy jumping, winery tours and everything in between. I’m excited to introduce the newest Queenstown activity for brides and bridal parties: Bespoke Wellness Retreats by Aprivé Wellness.

Whether you wish to have a fun yoga or Pilates class (or both!) followed by some laid back relaxation and meditation, a nutrition workshop, spa session, massage or wine tour, you can choose exactly how you wish to spend this special day of wellness and indulgence.

Destination Weddings in Queenstown

Wedding stress happens to the most laid back brides, but sometimes it threatens to ruin your destination wedding experience. A destination wedding involves every worry for a bride from looking after family members to finding venues and battling Queenstown’s ever-changing weather. By indulging in a half day, full day or overnight wellness retreat with you friends and family, everyone can take a breath and relax into the luscious beauty of this mountain town, plus have lots of laughs and a whole lot of fun.

Your bespoke wellness experience is designed just for you, and can include whatever you wish. If you’re a hardcore health nut and want a day packed full of yoga, hiking, stretching, Pilates and a healthy lunch, I can create a luxury version just for you.

If you’re more into balanced wellness, I can create a fun day for you and your friends with relaxed yogalates, meditation, herbal tea and spa relaxation finished with some local wine tasting.

Don’t let wedding stress ruin the lead up to your special day. Let me organise a beautiful, inspiring and happy day for you and your friends so you can recharge and rejuvenate for your wedding day.