The Christmas season is over — and so is the nonstop holiday bingeing on ham, queso de bola, lechon, morcon, crispy pata, lengua, embutido, roast beef, callos, barbecue, leche flan, fruit salad, cakes and cookies.

Chances are that you’ve gained quite a few pounds over the holidays, and now you need to lose the excess weight and get back in shape

Chances are that you’ve gained quite a few pounds over the holidays, and now you need to lose the excess weight and get back in shape. Well, it’s time to get your body moving and start eating light and healthy, too, and there’s no better time to do so than now.

Fortunately, Nestlé Philippines recently held an intimate “Wellness-ize” session with select members of media at the Nestlé Wellness Kitchen on the ground floor of the Nestlé Philippines headquarters in Rockwell Center, Makati City.

In keeping with Nestlé’s “Wellnessize” program, it showed how meals can be made healthier via a short kitchen demonstration conducted by chef Tess Galang Sutilo. She made a flavorful yet healthy appetizer and dip, Chili-Tofu Bean Nachos, which she later served with colored nacho chips, as well as a cheesy beverage simply called Choco Cheese Drink.

Chef Tess Galang Sutilo showed how to prepare the Choco Cheese Drink. Lunch was served buffet style, and it, too, had all the elements of Nestlé’s “Wellnessize” program. In chafing dishes were Crispy Papaya Okoy, Squid Sinigang, Shrimps in Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil and Fragrant Chicken.

To help everyone get off to a good start in 2019, World of Flavors shares with you three of the light and healthy recipes featured. Chili-Tofu Bean Nachos is a lot healthier to munch on than regular chips and fast-food items. With Shrimps in Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil, you get not just a delicious pasta dish that’s not your usual tomato sauce with hotdog and cheese, but also the health benefits of garlic and olive oil. The Choco Cheese Drink, meanwhile, fills the body with calcium for strong bones.

THEChili-Tofu Bean Nachos is a lot healthier to munch on than regular chips and fast-food items. Chili-tofu bean nachos

1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes with juice

1 cup Nestlé All-Purpose Cream, soured with 1 Tbsp. calamansi juice

Put tofu inside the microwave oven and heat for two minutes to squeeze out water. Drain tofu and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in pan. Add garlic, onion and tofu. Stir-fry until tofu is completely dry.

Add bell peppers, diced tomatoes and sweet chili sauce. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap, bay leaf, Maggi Savor Classic, sugar and salt to taste.

Pour in water and add red beans. Cook for a minute. Remove from heat.

Assemble. Mix red beans into the tofu dip. Scoop onto a plate. Spoon sour cream on top, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve with tortilla shells or chips.

This plateful of Shrimps in Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil is not your usual pasta dish. Shrimps in spaghetti with garlic and olive oil

chopped pepper flakes or chili pepper or 2 pcs. siling labuyo

2 Tbsps. chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Heat olive oil in pan. Sauté garlic until light brown and fragrant. Add prawns. Cook until prawns turn orange, about three minutes.

Add pepper flakes. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap, salt and pepper.

Toss spaghetti into the sauce and mix thoroughly until spaghetti is fully coated with sauce.

Top with parsley and serve with crostini and slices of French bread on the side.

FOR stronger bones, gulp a glass of the Choco Cheese Drink. Choco cheese drink

Process cream cheese, Milo and milk in a blender. Add sugar and blend again until everything is fully incorporated.