School’s back, Hot X Buns and Creme Eggs are in the supermarket, it’s darker in the mornings and winter clothes are appearing the shops already.

Yes, it’s a mere four weeks until autumn so we need to make the most of the wonderful array of fresh fruit and vegetables available to us currently to keep our meals simple, but interesting.

It’s also time to get back on track if you have been procrastinating since the holidays. Ignoring weight gain doesn’t make it go away – sadly. Don’t wait until the cooler months arrive to decide to do something about it, because by then you will have even more excuses as to why you can’t get started. Remember, the keys to successful fat loss are organisation and planning. Haphazard actions result in haphazard results. You need to have a plan of action, then put it in place and make it happen. Motivation comes from doing it and getting results.

Don’t make things too difficult for yourself. Make sure you shop regularly enough to have the right foods on hand. Keep a selection of easy to prepare and serve long life proteins on hand so that you then only need to whip up a simple salad and you have a meal. Things like smoked chicken which is vacuum packed and keeps for a few weeks, tins of salmon or tuna in the cupboard, Angel Bay Gourmet Lite Burger Patties in the freezer, eggs which can be hardboiled or made into an omelette. If you have these on hand, you can put together a simple meal faster than you can go and get takeaways.

Have you seen the new Salad versions of the Deli Menu pottles in the supermarket? There are two varieties, Mixed Bean with Tuna and Balsamic White Bean with Tuna. With one of these you just need to throw a couple of handfuls of salad greens into a container and then tip the pottle on top and you have a quick lunch. It is surprising how much the pottles actually hold and I especially like the Balsamic White Bean one. They are also very convenient if you are travelling as they have a fork under the lid and you could just take a piece of fruit to eat with it instead of salad.

With the warmer weather, remember to keep all your seeds and nuts in the freezer. They don’t freeze hard and they stay fresh. Light, heat and oxygen are the enemies of seeds and nuts, so keeping them in an open bag, in a warm place under light ensures they will go off quickly.

A tip for keeping dishcloths hygienic is to put the wet cloth in the microwave on high for two minutes. This kills the bugs and stops the smell.

Liquid Calories. Don’t get caught out with calorie loaded cold drinks. Products like iced tea, sports drinks, ‘energy’ drinks, etc all contain a load of sugar. Most of these products contain around 45-55g of sugar per 300ml serve. That’s 9-11 teaspoons of sugar. There are diet versions of some of the products which don’t contain sugar, so look out for these if you are wanting a flavoured drink. Don’t forget plain soda water for a refreshing drink and you can add Baker Hall Low Calorie concentrate to it for flavouring.

Remember too, that cafe type coffees pack a punch when it comes to liquid calories. You may have read of the new Starbucks super size, Trenta, which contains 916mls. It was launched in the States and apparently will carry iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade. Starbucks say that it launched the cup in response to demand. No wonder there is a huge obesity problem there.

If you have children who drink ‘energy’ drinks, are you aware of what is in them? Many children think that drinking these drinks will give them energy and they are drinking them on the way to school, instead of eating a decent breakfast. Downing a load of sugar and caffeine, which is basically all these drinks are, along with a token amount of B vitamins, will never replace real food as a sustained source of energy and nutrients that the body needs. The drinks simply provide empty calories with no nutritional value.

Energy comes from the food we eat. Put the right fuel in your tank and you should have sustained energy. Today, too many people rely on processed, instant foods. These kinds of foods generally contain many additives and chemicals, whereas real food is just that. For instance you can’t beat oats for breakfast. Oats are just oats. Pick up a box of breakfast cereal and check out what is in there, usually around 20 or more ingredients.

Fruit and vegetables in their natural state are just that. Our bodies are perfectly designed to deal with fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meat, chicken, fish, etc. When you eat these foods, simply prepared, you generally feel good and have plenty of energy. Our bodies have changed very little since mankind evolved, but the array of foods available to us with the huge number of additives and chemicals in many of them, is enormously different to what was available to our ancestors.

We all want to look forward to a healthy, active, mid life and beyond, but it is how we treat our bodies now that will determine our future to a large extent. New Zealand is officially the third fattest nation. That is an alarming statistic and we have to take action now if we don’t want our children and ourselves to end up reliant on prescription drugs in later life.

There is no quick fix. Taking care of yourself requires consistent patterns of good nutrition and regular exercise. Surely it is better to put in the effort now than live a restricted life with poor health in coming years. Don’t wait until things go wrong with your health before you make changes.

Whey powder and FX Lo Carb bars. I try to keep a small stock on hand, but please let me know if you want product, so I can have it here for you.

Grilled stone fruit. It’s so good to have the lovely stone fruits in season. Try cutting them in half and putting them, cut side up, under a hot grill for about 10 minutes, or until the fruit colours and is very tender. Serve with lite custard, lite yoghurt or lite ice cream for dessert. (1/6th of the lite custard container = a serving). Remember though, that each two halves = a piece of fruit, so don’t over-do it as fruit is high in sugar.

Roasted Cherry tomatoes are delicious and so quick to bake. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Cut tomatoes in half and place cut side up on the paper. Pour over a little balsamic vinegar and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake at 200 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped mint. Delicious! Cook extra as they are lovely cold too.

Lite aioli. Aioli is really high in calories so try making your own. Mix together lite mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice and crushed garlic.

Corn on the cob. Make the most of fresh corn and swap your potatoes, kumara or rice for corn some nights. 150g (raw weight) of potatoes or kumara = a medium corn cob. You can cook them in their skin in the microwave for 3 minutes, or peel them and cook them on the BBQ.

Bacon. It’s nice to enjoy bacon occasionally but you want to choose a less fatty version. Try Beehive Classic Rindless Bacon. Trim off any fat around the edge and dry fry. Two slices of bacon+ 2 eggs, plus tomatoes, mushrooms, etc, make a change for breakfast. Or make a two egg omelette and serve with two slices of rindless bacon. (rindless bacon is also called eye bacon, it doesn’t have the fatty tail)

Fresh turkey cuts are now available at selected supermarkets. Turkey is a great low fat protein choice. http://www.tegel.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/249

Saturday morning walks for the ladies. Sally of Fitness Fix www.fitnessfix.co.nz leads a walk from Mairangi Bay to Browns Bay every Saturday morning. Meet at Mairangi Bay beach at 7am and get a great start to your Saturday. The walk takes around 75 minutes return and the group then go for coffee. Donation of a gold coin is requested and this goes to charity.

Tangy marinade for pork or chicken (enough for 6 servings)

• 2 tbs orange marmalade
• 2 tbs teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp garlic (from jar)

Mix together well (if it is a cold day you might need to thin it down with hot water)

Toss large chunks of chicken breast or whole pork fillets in the marinade and leave for about an hour. Grill, bake or BBQ. So simple

Pesto and cheese fish – serves 4

• 4 x 150g white fish fillets
• 4 level tsp of pesto
• 4 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Spray a non stick pan with cooking spray and cook fish. Place on a baking tray or dish and spread with the pesto. Top with grated cheese then place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.

If you keep a bag of grated parmesan in the freezer you can use it for omelettes, homemade pizzas and other dishes and there is no temptation to cut off hunks, unlike having a block of cheese in the fridge.

That’s it for this month. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer and keep away from the Hot X Buns – for the time being anyway!

Lynda