The One Pot Roast

It’s all in the timing…

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Cost per serving: $2.50
5 A DAY portions per serving: 3

What you’ll need
8 chicken pieces (thighs, legs, breasts – whatever you fancy)
5 carrots
3 parsnips
2 red onions, peeled
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

And on the side:
4 potatoes (for mashing), peeled
1 small swede, peeled
2 teaspoons margarine
100ml hot milk
4 handfuls of green beans

Get cooking
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / gas mark 6
Put the chicken pieces in a large roasting tin
Peel and chop carrots, parsnips and red onions (it doesn’t really matter how you do this – big chunks will make your dish seem more rustic) and add to the roasting tin
Peel and crush the garlic and add to the tin or simply add the whole cloves
Pour a bit of olive oil over the chicken and vegetables and put the whole lot in the oven
Cook for around 40 minutes or until the juice runs clear when you put a skewer in the chicken pieces
For the mash
Peel and chop the potatoes and swede and put together in a large pan of boiling water for 20 minutes or until they are soft
Drain the water from the potatoes and swede
In the same pan (for minimum washing up) mash the potato and swede together with a little hot milk, a small knob of butter and seasoning

Why not?
Add some green beans on the side – either steam them or add them to boiling water for a few minutes. They’ll brighten up your dish and add to your 5 A DAY
Add some finely chopped spring onions or some chopped fresh herbs to the mash
Serve the mash, chicken and vegetables all together

Juice it up!
To make real gravy pour the juices from the roasting tin into a saucepan (try to
skim off any excess fat) and stir in about a tablespoon of flour. Once the flour is
mixed in, slowly add about 2 cups of the leftover water from your vegetables
and a stock cube. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring,
until it starts to thicken.

ENJOY!

Things you never knew about fruit

A fruit is the seed-bearing part of a plant so a tomato is a fruit not a vegetable.

Fruit contains no cholesterol but is high in all sorts of minerals, vitamins and fibre that help the body work as it should, and fruit’s also great for helping to fend off disease.
And it’s good to mix and match your colours, the greens and oranges, red and yellows, as different coloured fruits contain different elements.
Fruit juice counts as one of your 5-a-day fruit and vegetables.

Apples

In Greek mythology the apple was the symbol for love; in the Bible in the Garden of Eden it was the symbol  for knowledge. According to archaeologists and historians, apples originated in the Middle East more than 5,000 years ago and have been grown in the UK for at least 1,000 years.
More than 80% of an apple is water. Carbohydrates make up about 10% while minerals and vitamins take up 4%. There are about 40 calories in an average apple but no fat. While most of an apple’s fibre content is in the peel there’s also some in the core. However, if you eat the core, remember that apple pips contain traces of cyanide – but not enough to poison you! But that explains the bitter taste. Another reason to eat the peel of an apple – after washing it – is that most of the apple’s vitamin C is just under the skin.


Royal Gala, Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippins and Granny Smiths are amongst the most popular varieties in the UK but specialist greengrocers and supermarkets are beginning to stock a far wider variety of British apples, giving consumers greater choice and helping to preserve some of the old-fashioned flavoursome varieties.

Bananas
A banana tree isn’t a tree but a herb, Musa sapientium, that originated in Asia some 4,000 years ago. The name comes from the Arabic for finger, banan.
Bananas are so good for you that it’s a wonder the government haven’t passed a law making us all eat at least one a day! Eating just two bananas will give you the energy for a 90 minute aerobic workout. Eating a potassium-rich banana for breakfast helps wake your brain up and the potassium in a banana is also good for calming you down when you’re stressed. A banana is high in iron, fibre, vitamin A and vitamin B. Eating a banana is recommended if you have heartburn or an ulcer because of its antacid effect. Bananas also contain tryptophan, which the body converts to serotonin – the happy hormone! See what we mean about how good it is?!

It’s even said that sticking a piece of peel, yellow side out, on a wart will get rid of the wart. But it’s not all good: there are, on average, 300 banana-related accidents a year.

Oranges
Strictly speaking an orange is a berry, consisting of several segments, each with seeds. Orange trees originated in South Asia but are now grown commercially throughout warm regions of the world, producing sweet, navel and bitter oranges.
Fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free, oranges have a high level of antioxidants, which combat ageing. High in fibre, a medium-sized orange will supply you with 130% of your daily requirement of vitamin but once you’ve cut or squeezed an orange, eat it soon as it will quickly lose its vitamin C content.

Ripe oranges sometimes draw green chlorophyll back into themselves from the leaves, giving the orange a green colour. This doesn’t affect the taste; it just proves that the orange is ripe and might even make the fruit sweeter than it would have been.

Melinda Messenger shares her thoughts and top tips

Melinda Messenger, British TV Presenter, Comments:

“Having three children has made me really conscious and aware of the positive health benefits of eating a variety of at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Its great to work with fellow mums to understand what counts towards your 5 A DAY and makes a portion.‘’
“Sharing tips with other mums involved in the campaign we’ve discovered that, roughly 80grams of fruit or veg equates to one portion – e.g. for 80g of tomatoes that’s roughly 4 medium sized fresh tomatoes or half a can of toms! Yes, canned fruit and veg count too, – as do frozen and dried fruit and veg which can be just as nutritious as fresh and tend to be cheaper
“Getting involved with the 5 A DAY campaign to encourage people to eat more fruit and veg is really important and exciting to me.
“Working with other mums to discover what counts as a portion of 5 A DAY has been particularly enlightening. I didn’t realise that canned, frozen and dried fruit and veg all count – which is great news – especially for keeping the costs down on your weekly shop.
“We can be made to feel guilty for using canned and frozen fruit and veg – but to discover they are just as nutritious as fresh is great news.
“I was gutted to find out that potatoes don’t count! While the starchy food is an important part of a balanced diet – it doesn’t count towards your 5 A DAY – so don’t forget the broccoli with your chips!
“My daughter Evie loves Broccoli – raw fresh broccoli spears are one of her favourite snacks – great news as Broccoli contains folate and carotene. As you need a handful of broccoli to make up one portion – its great that a little gentle persuasion has helped Evie to snack on fresh veg and fruit. One of the best ways is to involve her in the kitchen – something she does both at nursery school and at home – seeing adults tasting and enjoying fruit and veg and involving them in preparation has helped Evie become a true vegetable fan.
“Evie doesn’t really have a favourite fruit, as she likes most fruit – as long as it is prepared! She will happily tuck into a banana she has watched me cut for her but wouldn’t take a banana from the fruit bowl – although she would take broccoli if I put it there! If you asked her what her favourite fruit is she’d actually say broccoli (although it’s a vegetable!)
“Sharing tips with mums and dads is an important part of the work of 5 A DAY – the web site is packed with top tips to help encourage our children to enjoy eating more fruit and veg. I have learnt so much by sharing with other mums – so I’d encourage
you to log on and share what tips works for you and your family – you might even find out a new idea or tasty recipe to get your get eating more fruit and veg.
“Food can affect our bodies in negative and positive ways. Fruit and veg help to increase energy, help our kids to concentrate better and can reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease and stroke. A healthy diet rich in fruit and veg can even put a stop to obesity.
Here are some tips I use at home with my kids for fun, delicious meal times
• We love making and eating healthy fruit lollies by freezing 100% pure juice and fruit puree. The kids love making these as well as eating them.
• Frozen grapes and pieces of melon make a tasty treat – popular with my older children.
• A tasty vegetable soup is a real favourite – you can cook up a mix of fresh, frozen, tinned and even dried veg for a meal of a soup – an instant vitamin fix – that can contain three or more portions of your five a day. A handful of frozen peas or half a tin of sweetcorn are both one portion that add great taste and flavour to soups – whether home made or straight out of a can.
• Spaghetti bolognaise is a great family favourite that we enjoy at home – as a vegetarian I make this with soya or quorn mince mince packed with canned tomatoes, fresh carrots and frozen peas.
• Just cutting up fruit, makes a real difference to how much my children will eat and enjoy! You can also try adding fresh cut apple, raisins and grated carrot on a salad for a little sweetness and great flavour.
• A little dried fruit is a great snack alternative to sugary sweets – although I’m careful to make sure this is seen as a treat – as dried fruit is still high in sugar.
• A glass of 100% fruit juice (150ml) or smoothie with breakfast is a great way to start the day with one portion of your 5 A DAY – add fruit to your breakfast and you can start the day with two portions!
• Growing fruit and veg is a great way to excite children about food, strawberries and tomatoes are great for growing in small spaces – from hanging baskets to a small garden. We have a small tub outside that we fill with strawberry plants. My youngest Evie loves being able to pick and eat the fruit straight from the plant.
• We try to eat meals together as a family, it means we get to spend more time together and the kids respond to seeing their mum tucking in and enjoying fruit and veg. My kids love to mimic me so I hope I can help teach them some really good habits that will help them for life!

One Pot Wonder

The best thing about this meal is that you can use whatever vegetables you have to hand. The ingredients below are just a guide.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 1 hour

Cost per serving: $2.50

5 A DAY portions per serving: 2

What you’ll need

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

1 small swede

2 medium parsnips

2 medium leeks

1 clove garlic, crushed or

finely chopped (you could

cheat and buy some garlic

granules or paste, or simply

leave it out all together)

1 tablespoon dried mixed

herbs

300ml vegetable stock

1 tablespoon plain flour

4 large potatoes, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon margarine

Freshly ground black pepper

Get cooking

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190 °C / gas mark 5. Chop the vegetables into

chunks and arrange in layers in a large casserole dish (except the potatoes).

If you don’t have a casserole dish, you can put them into a saucepan and

cook on the hob

Season the vegetable layers lightly with black pepper and sprinkle them with

garlic and chopped herbs as you go

Step 2

Boil 300ml water and add the stock cube. Add the flour to the stock and pour

over the vegetables

Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers on top. Dot with a small amount of

butter and cover tightly

Step 3

Cook in the oven (or on the hob) for about an hour, or until the vegetables

are tender

Remove the lid from the dish and cook for a further 15 minutes until the top

layer of potatoes is golden and crisp at the edges

Serve and enjoy!

Top Tip:

If you want to add meat to this meal, gently

brown the diced meat first, then add to the

casserole dish with the raw vegetables. The meat

will be very tender if cooked slowly and will soak up

all the flavours from the vegetables

Tips for Children - from the experts

Encouraging your children to eat more fruit and vegetables can be hard work, often making you resort to bribing or forcing them to eat their greens.
It doesn’t have to be so difficult. There are some simple things you can do to encourage children to eat a range of fruit and veg as part of their daily diet.

1. “If your child will not eat vegetables on their own, create things like a vegetable sauce for pasta. Use vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms and red pepper blended into the sauce. What children cannot see they cannot pick out!”
ANNABEL KARMEL, FOODWRITER

2. “Try making soup – chop up any leftover vegetables (including brussel sprouts!) and boil them altogether. Add stock for flavouring and process the whole lot until it is an appealing consistency. My daughter loves this soup and is getting many vegetables all at once without knowing what she is eating!”
HELEN BRUNTON, HERTS

3. FOOD WRITER, OLIVER GILLIE SUGGESTS ADDING OTHER VEGETABLES TO MASHED POTATO.
Although the potato doesn’t count as a portion, the vegetable you add will: “Children love mashed potato. I have found that they also enjoy mashed potato with swede or parsnip mashed in as well”

4. FOOD WRITER MAGGIE PANNELL SUGGESTS HAVING PREPARED SNACKS:
“Make up little goodie bags of mixed dried fruits to pack into lunch boxes or to take on outings and picnics. Raw vegetables are generally preferred to cooked ones and kids usually like finger food so cut up a selection of veg to serve with dips”

5. Or try making ‘Traffic Light Fruit Salad’ which consists of strawberries, kiwi fruit, yellow melon, yellow plums and mango. This is all chopped up very small.” You can use tinned or fresh fruit for this and experiment with different fruit and vegetables in the same colours.
HELEN BRUNTON, HERTS

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables.

Increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. It has been estimated that eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day could reduce the risk of deaths from chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer by up to 20%.

It has been estimated that diet might contribute to the development of one-third of all cancers, and that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is the second most important cancer prevention strategy, after reducing smoking. In 1998, the Department of Health's Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy and Nutrition (now called the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) reviewed the evidence and concluded that higher vegetable consumption would reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. There was also weakly consistent evidence that higher fruit and vegetable consumption would reduce the risk of breast cancer. These cancers combined represent about 18% of the cancer burden in men and about 30% in women.

Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables also reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. A recent study found that each increase of 1 portion of fruit and vegetables a day lowered the risk of coronary heart disease by 4% and the risk of stroke by 6%. Evidence also suggests an increase in fruit and vegetable intake can help lower blood pressure.

Research suggests that there are other health benefits too, including delaying the development of cataracts, reducing the symptoms of asthma, improving bowel function, and helping to manage diabetes. Some fruit and vegetables are also good sources of folate (such as green leafy vegetables and oranges). All women of childbearing age are recommended to increase their consumption of foods naturally rich in folate and foods fortified with folic acid. Women who are trying to conceive or who are likely to become pregnant are advised to take a daily 400microgram supplement of folic acid until the 12th week of pregnancy.

As well as the direct health benefits, eating fruit and vegetables can help to achieve other dietary goals including increasing fibre intake, reducing fat intake, help maintain a healthy weight, and substituting for foods with added sugars (as frequent consumption of foods with added sugars can contribute to tooth decay).

The message at the heart of the 5 A DAY programme - to eat at least 5 portions (400g) of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day - is consistent with dietary recommendations around the world, including those from the World Health Organization.

The reason why fruit and vegetables are so beneficial is because of their array of compounds. As well as vitamins and minerals, fruit and vegetables also contain many complex plant components (called phytochemicals), including flavonoids, glucosinilates and phyto-oestrogens. Some of the vitamins and phytochemicals are also antioxidants, destroying free radicals in the body. These free radicals are known to have a role in causing cancer as well as other harmful effects.

It appears that the benefits of fruit and vegetables stem not only from the individual components, but also from the interactions between these components. Dietary supplements containing isolated vitamins or minerals do not appear to have the same beneficial effects as fruit and vegetables themselves. Indeed, in some studies, supplements caused more harm than good.

10 Tips

1. Add flavour to a sandwich - throw in some lettuce and sliced tomato.
2. Have a glass of orange juice with your lunch.
3. Make your breakfast fruity by slicing a banana into your cereal.
4. Feel like a snack? Reach for an apple instead of chocolate.
5. Try dipping veg sticks into a tomato salsa.
6. Keep a fruit bowl in the living room so it's easy to snack from.
7. Invest in a smoothie maker or juicer.
8. Need to lose weight - lots of fruit and veg in your diet fills you up and is low in calories.
9. Don't peel that apple - most of the vitamins are in or just under the skin.
10. Having a family day out - take small bags of dried fruit, bananas, carrot, celery or pepper sticks with you, instead of buying expensive snacks once you’re out.

If you have any good tips please let me know.