​New Year, New Start!

Doesn't Christmas seem like a lifetime ago already? Sadly, despite the festive period disappearing fast in our memories, many of us will be left with the overhang of Christmas... literally! So let's take a look at some ways that we can embrace the 'new year, new start' philosophy as we get into the groove of 2025. Try these gentle and healthy 'resolutions' to bring you back into balance once again.

1. Stay warm with nourishing foods

Forget extreme calorie counting, meal replacement shakes or cold salads in January! We're still in the thick of winter, and our bodies need nourishment and warmth. Instead of starving yourself, focus on adding plenty of delicious vegetables and healthful ingredients to nutritious meals. This is the perfect time of year to bring your slow cooker out. Use it to make vegetable chilli, soups and casseroles. If you love cooking with meat, then just make a point of adding extra veg or throw in some lentils for added fibre. Add herbs and garlic to your dishes for their powerful nutritional benefits.

Soups, casseroles and stews are also a great way to use up leftover veg that we often buy in a fit of New Year enthusiasm... and then leave languishing at the back of the fridge! Most vegetables are perfect for soups and the key to a delicious finished result is to create your own richly-flavoured stock.

Make a stock with chicken bones, and you'll also get a beneficial dose of collagen (yes, that valuable ingredient that people pay a fortune for), as well as glycine, which helps to repair the gut lining after a season of party living. Here's a great recipe to get you started. Again, making chicken stock is perfect for the slow cooker as you can simply leave it well alone for several hours before letting the stock cool, sieving it and then storing it in the fridge or freezer, ready to use as a base for cooking.

Try this recipe to get you started. You can adjust quantities to suit the ingredients available in your fridge: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-stock.

Storing stock and soups

Glass bottles and jars are perfect for storing fresh stocks and soups. Simply store in ready portion sizes and heat for a quick meal on a cold day.

2. Make Juice Shots

If you've seen small glass bottles (or plastic alternatives) filled with bright orange, green or yellow 'shots' in the supermarket, you've spotted the trend for health shots. These are small and concentrated juices made with particularly healthy ingredients such as ginger, carrot, turmeric and green leafy vegetables. The idea behind the 'shot' is that it provides a concentrated dose of vitamins and nutrients in the most natural form. These are typically cold pressed or extracted and are designed to be taken as a 'shot' whenever you need a health infusion.

The good news is, with a few small glass bottles and a juicer, extractor or press of any kind, you can make your own health shots easily and then store them in the fridge until you're ready. If you store your health shots in glass bottles, they will last for several days in the fridge. You can even freeze them.

Here's a great recipe for a lemon, turmeric and ginger shot. It'll be sour but delicious - and packed with antioxidants as well as vitamins to help you sail through flu season. https://minimalistbaker.com/lemon-ginger-turmeric-wellness-shots/.

3. Upgrade your breakfast

Start the day right, and you'll put yourself on a healthy course for the entire day. Why not get into the habit of making smoothies the night before work and store them in glass bottles in the fridge, ready to enjoy in the morning? There are so many recipes and ideas to try and kids love them too. Similarly, layered breakfast parfait-type dishes with granola, yoghurt and fruit are healthy, easy and quick and they store beautifully in glass jars. Add nourishing ingredients such as nuts and seeds for those healthy fats.

4. Make your own yoghurt

It's actually very easy to make your own yoghurt and the finished results taste better than anything you'll buy in the shops. What's more, fresh homemade yoghurt is packed with beneficial bacteria for a healthy gut and immune system. You can buy little electric yoghurt makers very cheaply or simply use a Thermos flask. Find out more here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/18/how-to-make-yoghurt-make-your-own.

Stock up on glass bottles for your kitchen projects

From small glass bottles for ginger shots to large glass bottles for fresh banana and berry smoothies, they will be your best friend in the kitchen this January! Durable, versatile and chemical-free, affordable glass jars and bottles fit the bill for so many kitchen and household projects and they're also wonderfully inexpensive at a time when we're all looking to save. Browse through our range of glass for choice, great prices and fast delivery - not to mention our superb customer service. And remember that the Wares of Knutsford team are here to help whenever you need us. Order today for a healthier January!