Recipes for a ‘better’ life

By Yasmin Noone

Sydney-based in-home care provider, Just Better Care, is running a recipe competition of sorts worth $6,000 to encourage a national conversation about the importance of good quality food and lifestyle choices throughout the entire life span.

Recipes for a Better Life – the provider’s second campaign competition this year – calls for people of all ages from across the country to share their four vital, inspiring  ingredients ‘for a better life’ online.

Entrants can submit as many times as they like before the competition closes in March 2013, and the winner will receive $500 every month for 12 months to spend on anything “that will make their life great”.

So far, the competition has attracted recipes from average Australians, all vying for a taste in cash prize money and a desire to improve the lives of older Australians.

And, it’s got the backing of a host of celebrity chefs including former Senior Australian of the Year (2010), Maggie Beer, actor Stuart Wagstaff and Paralympic gold medal sailor Daniel Fitzgibbon.

Each have submitted their own recipes and are involved in the media campaigns to promote the competition and cause – a good life and quality, nutritious meals for older adults.

“The new campaign is not just about food but what makes for a good life,” said director and founder of Just Better Care, Trish Noakes.

“We want people to contribute their thoughts on what makes a ‘better life’ and [online readers] can vote on the best answer.

“We want to drive conversations to get people thinking about what matters as life is short and precious.”

Ms Noakes encouraged Australians from all walks of life to enter: “you’ve got $6,000 to win. It’s a simple entry and all you have to do is think about what’s important in your life…instead of racing through life”.

“It’s quite a good thing to ask yourself at the start of a New Year.”

The provider’s previous foodie campaign, Recipes for Life, was launched in August 2012 and gained the support of 17 of the country’s best chefs, led by the Masterchef regular, Christine Manfield from Universal Restaurant.

It called for people to send in recipes for the website that older people could cook and eat on their own, using only four ingredients.

“The campaign was something that resonated with the chefs…I just know they ‘got it’. They understood what the campaign was about because they spend their life around food – quality food – nutrition and flavor. And they feel that good food should be part of everybody’s life.”

A seasonal recipe from the Recipes for Life campaign

Christmas pineapple fruit cake (by Just Better Care’s franchise support manager, Veronica Hopley)
 
Ingredients

1kg mixed fruit
2 cups canned crushed pineapple (including juice)
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cups walnuts (or other similar nuts), roughly chopped

Method

1. Soak mixed fruit in crushed pineapple overnight
2. Preheat oven 130 degrees Celsius.
3. Stir in self raising flour and nuts; pour mixture into a 22cm lined cake tin and bake for two-two and a half hours.
4. Enjoy!