Christmas Planning

It's hard to believe that we have reached the end of October already.  The year that has been 2012 has flown by making a myriad of memories.  With a matter of mere weeks before Christmas comes, I am starting to make mental lists to ensure we have a fabulous time as the year comes to an end.

We have spent many recent Christmases holidaying away from home, which is something we love.  We enjoy having our Christmas meals made for us, we like having a range of activities available for everyone and we like that holiday feeling adding to the togetherness of the season.  This year, because my grandson is due on the 18th December, we have decided to stay at home ready for when the call comes to tell us that the baby has been born.  So I am having to think hard and make plans to ensure we have a wonderful Christmas.  I am quite excited about having a change.

Food is a big part of our family traditions at Christmas.  We love eating the festive fayre that is available at this time of year.  Being vegetarians means that we have to be a bit more creative with our Christmas dinner but there are some traditional foods that we love as much as the next man!

Cheese and Christmas go together perfectly. There is nothing as evocative of Christmas than a cheeseboard, loaded with fabulous blue cheeses like Stilton and Shropshire Blue, alongside a smooth Brie and Camembert, a tangy goat's cheese, a traditional Cheddar and a crumbly Lancashire.  I also love Austrian smoked cheese which reminds me of being a little girl at Christmas.  It was always my favourite and my children now love it too.  Add some top quality crackers and a bunch of grapes and you have the perfect Christmas tea time treat.

A Premium Cheese Selection from Waitrose

A fruit bowl is also synonymous with Christmas.  I love buying a crate of Satsumas which still have the leaves on, making them somehow more special!  I also buy the usual assortment of apples, oranges, bananas, grapes and plums, which the kids can dip into whenever they fancy a fruity snack.  It's much healthier than having mountains of chocolates and sweets permanently accessible!

I love baking for special occasions.  At Christmas, it is wonderful to make traditional gingerbread with the children, yummy frosted cupackes and festive muffins.  It is lovely to cook together and even lovelier to enjoy the spoils of a day's baking while sat down together enjoying a Christmas family movie.

I've definitely got lots to look forward to this year and I'm excited about making my plans to ensure we enjoy lots of fun activities together.   Having my family around is what really makes Christmas special, sharing traditions and indulging in the finest festive fayre.  Plus I'm about to be a Grandma...it doesn't get much better than that!

Disclosure Policy

Love Life You Count

The new Waitrose LOVE Life You Count… range, including tasty breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking options, is the simple way to watch what you eat – and relish every mouthful.

The range is based on the principles of healthy weight loss - eat a bit less and move a bit more. Selecting products from the LOVE Life You Count... range at each meal occasion will make sure that you eat around 500 fewer calories than you normally would, which, when combined with our regular exercise, should help you to shift any excess pounds.

The new range boasts lower fat versions and calorie controlled portions of favourites including a tasty Macaroni Cheese, creamy yogurts and indulgent chocolate puddings. With brightly coloured calorie counts on the front of the packs – you can literally count the calories as you do your shopping.

I was treated to some of the products to try out.  I was very impressed with the packaging which clearly showed the calorie content and nutritional details of each and every product.  This made it easy to see exactly what each product contained.  If you are trying to stick to the recommended 2000 calories a day for a woman, the information made it very easy to tally up your intake.  It keeps it simple yet really informative.

The range is very extensive and covers both chilled and ambient products so you can find a Love Life You Count...option in most aisles!  There are quite a few veggie options which is really pleasing!

This is what I thought of the products that I tried:

• The Soup in a Cup makes a nice hot snack, perfect for this chilly weather and at only approximately 60 calories it is not going to contribute too much to your daily intake!
• At just 44 calories per serving the Cottage Cheese is a great filling for a jacket spud for a wholesome lunch.  The Macaroni Cheese was  pretty good, but I prefer a more vegetable based meal meal that would contribute towards my five a day and would be less calorie heavy.  It was good comfort food though.  
• The Chocolate Sponge at only 198 calories is a lower calorie alternative to stodgy puddings if you want to indulge your sweet tooth.  They are not as good as a luxury cake oozing in cream, but they are a fraction of the calories.
• The yoghurts were good and creamy and fruity.  A good light dessert or snack.    
• The cereal bars are under 100 calories and are quite filling.  I liked the flavour varieties on offer and the kids enjoyed them.
• My favourite product overall was the Crustless Cheese Quiche which was delicious!  As the thick pastry crust was not present, the calories were reduced to just 277 calories.  It was moist, cheesy and full of flavour.  Perfect for lunch with some salad.

The website contains lots of information to help you to adopt a healthy lifestyle, with meal planners, exercises and recipes.  You can also catch up on news from three people including sportsman Sir Matthew Pinsent, who have taken on the Love Life Challenge.