Easter is a wonderful time of year to get together with friends and family, get away for the weekend or simply to relax and rejuvenate. Staying focused on healthy eating and exercise can be difficult but it doesn’t have to be, even though everything is geared towards chocolate eggs, hot cross buns and sweet treats but, yes, you can still enjoy these whilst following a healthy eating lifestyle plan. The good thing about it being a ‘lifestyle plan’ is that it takes into consideration holiday foods, meals out and celebrations.
Here are our tips for enjoying the Easter weekend without feeling like you are missing out:
- Make sure you have a healthy breakfast with plenty of protein as this will help to control those hunger pangs. For something different try Greek yogurt with berries and healthy granola, omelette with black beans and feta cheese, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, spinach and ham quiche or peanut butter and sliced apple on wholewheat toast.
- Snack on nuts and fruit.
- Try to have lighter lunches over the Easter weekend such as healthy salads with lean meat or fish – Easter Sunday is an exception 😊 We will be having our traditional Easter Sunday lunch with all the trimmings! Just watch your portion sizes!
- The weather forecast is looking great so make sure to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Go for a walk, play with the kids or visit a local attraction, as long as you are moving.
- Enjoy your Easter egg! You don’t have to miss out. A treat now and again is great, and you don’t eat Easter eggs every day of the year!
Try our lovely Easter menu that we have put together with the help of bbcgoodfood.com, goodhousekeeping.com and nicsnutrition.com. We’ve chosen some of our favourites that we will be enjoying on Easter Sunday. We couldn’t choose between the deserts so had to do both 😊
Asparagus Soup – Serves 4 (bbcgoodfood.com)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Nutrition Per Serving:
- Calories: 101
- Fat: 8g
- Saturates: 4g
- Carbs: 4g
- Sugars: 4g
- Fibre: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Salt: 0.6g
Ingredients:
- 25g butter
- a little vegetable oil
- 350g asparagus spear, stalks chopped, woody ends discarded, tips reserved
- 3 shallots, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 large handfuls spinach
- 700ml vegetable stock (fresh if possible)
- olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
- rustic bread (preferably sourdough), to serve (optional)
Method:
- Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan until foaming. Fry the asparagus tips for a few mins to soften. Remove and set aside.
- Add the shallots, asparagus stalks and garlic, and cook for 5-10 mins until softened but still bright. Stir through the spinach, pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then blitz with a hand blender.
- Season generously and add hot water to loosen if needed. Ladle into bowls and scatter the asparagus tips over each. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with sourdough bread, if you like.
Healthy Easter Lamb – Serves 8-10 (bbcgoodfood.com)
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 55 mins
Nutrition Per Serving:
- Calories: 439
- Fat: 17g
- Saturates 5g
- Carbs: 15g
- Sugars: 6g
- Fibre: 12g
- Protein: 49g
- Salt: 0.37g
Ingredients:
- 2 onions, peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 large carrots, thickly sliced
- boneless leg of lamb (around 1.5kg), trimmed of excess fat
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the veg:
- 800g baby carrots, peeled
- 500g frozen broad beans
- 600g frozen peas
- small bunch mint, finely chopped
- small bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Method:
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the onions and sliced carrots in a large roasting tray. Remove any string from the lamb and put it on top of the veg, skin-side up. Pierce the lamb with the tip of a knife to make small pockets in the meat, add garlic slices and a few rosemary leaves to the holes. Rub the lamb with 1 tbsp olive oil and season. Pour 100ml water into the tray.
- Roast uncovered for 45 minutes at the top of the oven. Check the internal temperature, it should read 60C for medium (pink). Cook for another 15 minutes for well done. Rest the meat under foil for 10 mins while you cook the veg.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the carrots, and cook for 8 minutes until tender, adding the peas and beans for the last 2 minutes. Drain the veg and toss with 1 tbsp oil, chopped herbs, lemon zest and juice. Season to taste.
- Carve the lamb into thin slices. Spread the veg onto a large, warmed serving platter and arrange the meat in the middle.
As we can’t decide between chocolate brownies and Eton mess, or rather, we have different favourites, I have included both deserts 😊
Low-Fat Brownies – makes 16 (goodhousekeeping.com)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Nutrition Per Serving:
- Calories: 180
- Fat: 11g
- Saturates: 5g
- Carbs: 17g
Ingredients:
- 50 ml (2fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra to grease
- 250 g (9oz) good-quality dark chocolate with at least 50% cocoa solids
- 4 medium eggs
- 150 g (5oz) light muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 75 g (3oz) plain flour
- ¼ level tsp baking powder
- 1 level tbsp cocoa powder
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) mark 6. Grease and line a 20.5cm (8in) square tin with greaseproof paper. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Take the bowl off the pan and put to one side to cool slightly.
- Put the eggs into a clean bowl, add the sunflower oil, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk together until pale and thick. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into the bowl, then carefully pour in the chocolate. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold all the ingredients together – if you fold too roughly, the chocolate will seize up and be-come unusable.
- Carefully pour the brownie mixture into the lined tin and bake for 20min – when cooked, the brownies should still be fudgy in the middle and the top should be cracked and crispy. Cut into squares immediately, then leave them to cool in the tin. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy.
Healthy Eton Mess – Serves 4 (nicsnutrition.com)
Nutrition Per Serving:
- Calories: 165
- Carbs: 35g
- Protein: 7g
Ingredients:
- 1 large or 4 individual meringue nests
- 500g fresh strawberries/frozen summer berries (defrosted)
- 450g fat-free vanilla/Greek yogurt
Method:
- Break up the meringue nests with the back of a spoon.
- Then simply layer the ingredients in 4 wine glasses: yogurt, meringue, berries, yogurt, meringue, berries, yogurt, meringue.
- OR mix the broken meringue nests and yogurt together before folding in the berries and spooning into 4 wine glasses or bowls – top with sliced strawberries, berries or meringue.
Bonus Recipe
We’ve added an extra recipe that can be used as a desert or for breakfast. We love pancakes, although we don’t often make them in bunnies anymore lol, but it’s a great way to get the kids involved.
Healthy Easter Bunny Pancakes – Serves 4-6 (bbcgoodfood.com)
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Nutrition Per Serving:
- Calories: 107
- Fat: 3g
- Saturates: 1g
- Carbs: 14g
- Sugars: 2g
- Fibre: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Salt: 0.16g
Ingredients:
- 50g self-raising flour
- 50g wholemeal flour
- 2 small eggs, separated
- 150ml skimmed milk (use whole or semi-skimmed milk if making for children under 5)
- oil, for frying
- a few raisins for bunny paws, to serve (optional)
- 30g banana, sliced into rounds for the tails
- extra chopped fruit, to serve
Method:
- Put both the flours into a large bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Add the egg yolks and a little of the milk, whisking to a thick paste. Add the remaining milk, a splash at a time, to loosen the batter. (Use whole or semi-skimmed milk if cooking for under fives, dependent on age.)
- In a separate bowl and using a clean whisk, whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula, trying to keep in as much air as possible.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper. Using a large spoon, add a generous dollop of batter to the pan in a round, for the bunny body. Add a smaller round for the head, two small ovals for feet, and two long thin strips for ears. Fit all the bunny components into the pan or cook them in batches.
- Flip the pancakes after a minute or two, once the edges are set, the base is golden brown, and bubbles start to pop on the surface. Cook for another min until golden brown.
- Put the bunny body in the middle of the plate, position the head, ears and feet just overlapping to look like the back of a bunny. Add a banana slice for the tail, and raisins (if using) for the feet pads.
- Repeat with the remaining batter. Decorate with extra chopped fruit if you like.
Have an amazing weekend, whatever you decide to do 😊
Happy Easter from all of us at W Fitness!
Much Love
Caroline & Hannah xx