To celebrate, I decided to treat myself to a little fruit bowl for lunch with some sliced up apples and a kiwi which I stuck a spoon into because that's the kind of guy I am! I switched up a lot of my meals, both breakfast and dinner over the last month, but the one thing I never went a day without was my fruit bowl! 

I have to say my favourites from the Centra hamper each week were without a doubt the lemon and coriander humous and carrot sticks. I had to resist scoffing them all immediately as soon as each hamper arrived! I really enjoyed the challenge of forcing myself to cook every day and be creative in what I ate over the last month, as I knew I had to produce something for this blog daily. I'd highly reccomend it as a way to be strict with your diet that's for sure!

I have to say a huge thanks to Centra for allowing me to take part in the challenge and for supplying me and of course some of the wonderful listeners with a delicious hamper each week! As well as this, the recipes and tips on the website were a huge help and I'll definately be using a few of them again in the near future! Lastly, thanks to all of you who supported me along the way and those who entered the competition to win hampers of your own. I really appreciate the solidarity and hope you all got as much out of this challenge as I did!

Here you have carrot sticks and some lemon and coriander humous, presented beautifully if I may say so myself! Such a quick and easy little number to lift the mood during the day. I have to be honest I couldnt imagine how these two could compliment each other well, but I was pleasantly surprised to say the least! 

I've typically been quite fussy and dismissive when it comes to new foods, none more so than humous, but i can safely say I've been converted over the last couple of weeks and this is definately a snack I'll be taking with me long after the challenge finishes!

The only problem is its extremely difficult to keep everyone's hands off them in the office!

Method

1. Put the diced chicken in a food processor with garlic powder, egg white, salt and white pepper. Mix until they form a paste and put into a bowl.
2. Put all the vegetables into the food processor and blend until they are finely chopped.
3. Combine the chicken paste with the finely chopped vegetables.
4. Using 1 tablespoon of the paste, form the shape of a chicken nugget and coat with the crushed cornflakes mix.
5. Place on a wire rack, on a baking tray lined with tin foil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes at 230C/Gas 8.

Ingredients

Today I brought my dinner into work as I knew I was set for a long day. I prepped it the night before which means I don't have to get up any earlier than I have to to make my lunch or dinner for that day! This is a great tip in general as you're guaranteed to stick to what you've made instead of having to go to the shop at lunchtime and being tempted by hot chicken rolls!

Today I had a simple salad with mixed leaves and peppers for some sweetness. I used some cucumber, grated carrots and cherry tomatoes too for a bit of crunch!

I boiled some carrots and chopped them up and added them to the plate to boost the eyesight for the day!

I took come corn on the cob and boiled a sweet potato too and threw it all together. This plate was extremely filling and I got about 3 of my 5 a day in this one plate! As you can see, it's not that hard to fit your five a day into your meals across the day if you really put your mind to it! 

Earlier in the day I had an apple and started my day with a bowl of porridge and blueberries that I picked up in Centra. 

For the day that's in it, I will admit I had a pancake for lunch and I threw some lemon juice and used some of the strawberries I got in my Centra Live Well hamper yesterday. It really added a nice natural sweetness.

I decided to dig in straight away and make myself a midday snack to keep me going until lunch. I sliced up one of the apples, and added a few grapes and some strawberries. It was hard to keep preying hands in the office away, much of the strawberries were snatched away in record time! 

I really enjoy having a little mix of fruit as a snack throughout the day and it's something I definately want to keep doing because I usually find breakfast doesn't keep me going for very long and I end up being famished by 1 o'clock. It's a matter of convincing myself that fruit is a better option than a handful of biscuits in the long run!

Plenty of delicious and wholesome meals and snacks planned for this week as my 21 day challenge nears its conclusion. I've certainly learned to be more creative and health-conscious when preparing my meals for the day, which can only be a good thing!

Centra have created a video with simple substitutes that you may not have thought of to help you reach your goal of 5 A Day.

Check it out right here!

I picked up some fresh tuna steak on my way home from work and combined it with some greens and some brown rice. I pan-fried the tuna steaks after marinating them with some olive oil, and I steamed both the broccoli and kale in the meantime. Steaming the vegetables took quite a while but it was worth it in the end as they were perfectly soft and crumbly, just the way I like them!

I've grown to prefer having brown rice over white rice as its much lighter and I find it has more of a taste. All in all this is a dish I'll definately be making again!

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160oC. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat. 
3. Put it into a casserole dish. 
4. Add the onion to the pan and sauté over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. 
5. Add the flour to the onions, mix well and cook for about 3 minutes.
6. Put the onions in the casserole dish with the beef.  Then add all of the other ingredients and enough boiling water to cover the beef and vegetables by about 1 inch. 
7. Put in the oven and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours. 
8. Serve with boiled potatoes or wholegrain bread and a side of green vegetables – broccoli or green beans.

Ingredients

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

Decided to switch up the fruit game a bit today and combine the fresh strawberries and grapes from the Centra Live Well hamper. Last week I matched some apples with a pear and they complimented each other really well as an afternoon snack during what was a particularly busy day.

I found that the fruit bowl was the perfect answer to my energy drain come midday and a great solution to keep me going until the afternoon so i decided to attempt the same today with the tasty strawberries and grapes.

The great thing about fruit is how versatile it can be! I used the same combination of fruit last week to make a delicious healthy dessert using greek yoghurt and granola to satisfy my cravings for something sweet. I'm finding the challenge of coming up with different ways to get through the hamper really enjoyable.

Two of my 5 a day in the bag here with this simple, yet satisfying snack!

Ingredients

Method

1. Add the chopped strawberries to a cup and drizzle with the honey and vanilla.

2. Mix porridge, flour, baking powder, honey and cinnamon until well combined.

3. Place the crumble mixture on top of the strawberries and place in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes. Check every 10 seconds after the first minute.

4. Finish with a fresh strawberry and yogurt.

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

Today for dinner I roasted a chicken breast for 25 minutes in the oven. This is my favourite to cook chicken as it hangs on to most of the juices.

I accompanied this with some mixed leaves, sweetcorn and celery. This again is an easy way to help you get your 5 A Day for the Centra 5 A Day Challenge.

I used a small bit of mayo as a sauce which was a nice addition of flavour.  

I really did think before I started this challenge that it was going to be difficult to definitely get my 5 A Day but it's turning out to be a lot easier than I imagined.

I'm still working my way through my brilliant Centra hamper that was delivered to me yesterday. A banana or apple as a snack during the work day is a great way to add to your five a day so I always make sure to have a small selection of fruit on my desk to avoid going to any vending machines or getting tempted on a quick stop at the shop!

I hope everyone is getting on well!

Today I put together a simple salad plate. I picked up some veg at my local Centra and used some cucumber, celery, cherry tomatoes, mixed leaves, peppers and onions. I threw a small bit of balsamic vinegar over this after taking the picture to add a bit more flavour. It may not look like much but it was actually a pretty satisfying lunch and very tasty too! I also had a banana that I picked up at Centra which was only 21c!

I also got the delivery of my great Centra Live Well hamper today! A great start to the week as I had completely ran out of fruit.

Ingredients

Method

1. In the cup, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Then using a fork, beat in the egg, honey, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice until very well blended.

2. Add the Blueberries on top

3. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until it has risen and the centre is just set. Check every 15 seconds after the first minute. This will depend on the power of your microwave.

4. Best eaten immediately. Serve with blueberry and yogurt.

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

Well done to Simply Suits, Sky At Wilton Shopping Centre, RKD Architects, The River Lee Hotel, and Shipping Solutions at The Port Of Cork!

I've made my way through my delicious Centra Live Well hamper and it's almost gone!

Today I took a couple of the last few apples and a pear out of the basket and brought them to work with me to ease my sugar cravings throughout the day. You can't beat natural sugar from delicious fruit!

Chop up one of the apples for easier snacking! I got at least three of my 5 A Day Out of this so it's definitely something you can do too especially when Loose Pink lady apples are only 21c in Centra!

Ingredients

Could be served with some chopped tomatoes, coriander or ground paprika.

Method

1. Make sure your avocado is ripe and ready to eat. (See video)
2. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and carefully place in an ovenproof dish.
3. Carefully remove a little more of the avocado from the centre and then crack your egg into the hole.
4. Bake in a hot oven 230C/Gas 8 for 15-20 minutes.
5. Remove and serve with a little freshly ground pepper.

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

I had a similar snack bowl during work today that I had earlier in the week with Centra carrot batons and lemon & coriander houmous. I can't get enough of it now! 

After dinner this evening I decided I wanted something sweet. As we all know, desserts can be packed full of sugar but not if you do it right!

Using some of the fruit from the great Centra Live Well hamper I received this week I put together this tasty and easy treat! I put some greek yoghurt in a bowl with some really nice cut up strawberries and grapes. I then threw a tablespoon of granola on top for a bit of crunch! Again, this is really easy to put together and it's a dessert that anyone in the house would enjoy, young or old! 

As you can see, there are two of my 5 A Day in this bowl. There's so many ways to make sure you hit that target!

Ingredients

Method

1. Put the diced chicken in a food processor with garlic powder, egg white, salt and white pepper. Mix until they form a paste and put into a bowl.
2. Put all the vegetables into the food processor and blend until they are finely chopped.
3. Combine the chicken paste with the finely chopped vegetables.
4. Using 1 tablespoon of the paste, form the shape of a chicken nugget and coat with the crushed cornflakes mix.
5. Place on a wire rack, on a baking tray lined with tin foil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes at 230C/Gas 8.

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Always keep fruit in sight in a fruit bowl. You are more likely to think of eating some if you see it! Keep sliced fruit or vegetable fingers at the front of your fridge where you will see them. That way you will think of snacking on fruit and veg instead of other treats when you go to the fridge.

2. 1 dessertspoon of dried fruit counts as one of your 5-a-day. Add raisins to your porridge in the morning.

3. Soup is a great way to add veggies, especially when it is cold outside. Try vegetable soups, tomato and basil or carrot and coriander. A bowl of vegetable soup counts as 1 of your 5-a-day.

4. An avocado counts as 2 portions of your 5 a day. Why not spread some on brown bread and top with fresh sliced tomatoes- simple and delicious.

5. A ½ tin of baked beans counts as one of your 5-a-day so try beans on toast or a poached egg and beans for breakfast.

6. Fussy eaters? Why not try Centra’s hidden meatballs with tomato sauce! It’s delicious and counts as one of your 5 a day!

7. Try a simple fruit dessert to help get one of your 5 a day- like frozen berry yogurt. Another fruit desert option is Centra’s simple banana and peanut butter ice cream- see Centra.ie for more details.

These tips are brought you by Centra and Sarah Keogh Consultant Dietician

As you saw in yesterday's blog, I got 3 out of my 5 A Day in my snack bowl alone with spinach, banana and carrots. I had some potato and broccoli with dinner too so that totaled my 5 A Day.

Today for dinner I've thrown together some broccoli, spinach, sweetcorn, sweet potato and a chicken breast. I must admit I was stuffed after this and even better that's four of my 5 A Day in one meal and with the Loose Pink Lady apple I got in Centra for just 21c earlier that's my 5 A Day! The best thing about it is how quick and easy it is to put this kind of dinner together. The Centra Live Well range is great for being able to hit the target of 5 A Day. You can get all your fruit and veg in the one place for a great price! It just shows it's not that hard to do it if you put your mind to it!

Phil

The work day can be long and it's easy to get peckish throughout the day.

I've put together this simple snack bowl to keep me going and keep up my energy levels. I've used the handy Centra Carrot Batons to accompany the delicious houmous you can see in the photo. I don't normally like houmous but this lemon & coriander flavoured type is very tasty and really makes it easier to get another one of my 5 A Day.

I've also included some mild spinach leaves and a sliced banana to keep the sugar levels steady.

That's already three of my 5 A Day! It's a lot easier than you think!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• Centra Fresh Cream 250ml
• Centra Olive Oil 142 ml
• Centra Onion 2 finely chopped
• Centra Pumpkin 1 - medium
• Centra Sour Cream 1 (Optional)
• Vegetable Stock 700 ml

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured.
2. Add the pumpkin chunks to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.
3. Pour 700ml stock into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the pumpkin is very soft.
4. Pour the cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender.
5. For an extra-velvety consistency you can now push the soup through a fine sieve into another pan.
6. Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve with a cute spider web design. Just fill a sandwich bag with sour cream and snip off a corner.  
7. Draw a spiral in sour cream and then run a cocktail stick from the center to the edge.

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

I spoke to Sarah Keogh to get some tips and tricks on the best and easiest ways to get your 5 A Day!

The carrots are also great with the Centra Houmous! It's the perfect snack.

An added bonus is the hamper doubles as a great weight!

We also gave a hamper to Simply Suits today, they were delighted to get some fresh fruit into the office that they can snack on.

This is a quick, cheap and easy way to start your day and will keep you full! Not to mention it's also delicious!

Ingredients:

1 Banana

35g Centra Kale

200 ml (roughly half a cup) Centra Whole Milk

1 tbsp Flax Seeds

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

Method:

Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over some ice and enjoy!

This recipe is brought to you by Centra in association with My Nutrition Ireland. Visit Centra.ie to find your local store, and make sure to check out Centra on Facebook and Twitter.

Ireland gets exotic with mango sales up by a staggering 420% in Centra stores

Though it would seem as a nation we are more informed than ever on achieving a healthy lifestyle, research shows that we are only getting half of our 5-a-day. The majority of us know about 5-a-day (75%), but only 36% of us actually consume it.

Starting from today, Centra has launched its 5-a-day challenge encouraging customers to increase their intake of fruit and veg over the next 21 days (because we all know it takes 21 days to create a habit!). Leading Irish blogger and Centra ambassador Pippa O’Connor, who launched Centra’s 5-a-day challenge today, will blog her progress during the 21 days and is calling on the rest of Ireland to join her!

To help you take the challenge, Centra and consultant dietician Sarah Keogh have created a week by week guide offering hints and tips on ways to increase your daily intake of fruit and veg. Check out www.centra.ie for the week by week guide, as well surprisingly simple recipe ideas to help change habits. To make it even easier, Centra will have plenty of fresh offers over the coming weeks including 21 cent for a pink lady apple, banana or orange, a punnet of blueberries for just €1, as well as 3 for €2 on a range of fruit and vegetables. On the 1^st February, a punnet of blueberries will be just 5cent via the Centra app.

The 5-a-day campaign builds on Centra’s commitment to shake up the convenience sector by providing healthy choices on-the-go. Since the launch of Centra’s Live Well programme last summer, the retailer has sold an additional half a million pieces of fruit. Sales results show a growing trend towards certain fruit and vegetables, with avocados remaining on trend with sales rising by over 90% in Centra stores. Due to increased availability, sales of sweet potatoes have risen by over 200% and sales of mangos have risen by a staggering 420% in Centra stores.

Speaking about her involvement, Pippa said, “I’m conscious that I need to get into the habit of getting my 5-a-day as I’m definitely guilty of getting less than five every day because I’m constantly on-the go. For me, with a growing family, I need to get the right balance in my diet and this challenge gives me all the tips and hacks to help me on my way. I’m committed to getting into the habit of increasing my 5-a-day intake and I’m calling on the nation to join me in the challenge!”

Speaking at the launch Sarah Keogh, Consultant Dietician with Eatwell.ie and a member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute said: “Too many people are confused about healthy eating with many caught up in the idea of the perfect diet, the “all-or-nothing” approach which is hard to sustain.  This applies to getting your 5-a-day. It doesn’t have to be complicated and the tips I’ve drawn up are easy to follow. Centra will be providing information, offers and support to help you improve eating habits. Best of luck!”

Check out Centra.ie for Sarah Keogh’s blog on getting your 5-a-Day along with information and great offers across fruit and veg in your local Centra store.