Dear Nestlé ~ Easy-to-do and practical tips to live well and eat well

As we celebrate with our loved ones, we’ve all got little tips and secrets to make our festive occasions extra special. Join us and our friends Meera, a school teacher, Janet, a number crunching accountant, and Sharina, a supermom with tiny tots aged 5 and 7, as we share a treasure trove of personal touches. Making the table look good Sharina remembered her grandma’s décor sense, “She uses banana flower petals to serve toasted soy beans, corn chips and even sambal. They’re pretty and colourful… easy to find at any pasar malam.” Jazz up plain water “Sounds great! I usually add a stick of celery to a jug of water. It looks festive and the water tastes fresh,” added Janet.

Sweet scents of the season
Meera reminded us how important the sense of smell is. “I love vanilla scented candles for my table settings. They put me in the mood to enjoy a good time. Of course, if you’ve got kids visiting, make sure the candles are out of the way.”

Keeping the kids happy
Expecting young guests? Sharina who looks after her two kids all day, offered this child-friendly tip: “Use large pieces of white paper as table cloth for little guests. Give them crayons or colour pencils and let them go wild without the mess.”

“You could also have the latest animated movies on standby,” added Meera.

Good to know
Soy beans and chick-peas are high in protein. When toasted instead of fried they’re also low in fat.

Good to remember
Afraid to over-indulge? Here’s a great tip from a Dear Nestlé member, Nur Haslinda Jamil of K.L. “I plan my meals when visiting the homes of friends. I have an appetiser in one house, the main course in another and so on.” Thanks Nur, we’ll keep that in mind!

With just 1 week to go, Janet suggests…

Make space
Clear out the clutter and make space in your fridge. And when the fridge gets crammed with all those curries, place a piece of charcoal inside to keep it odour-free.

Money stretchers
If you’ve got a budget for the festive season, make it work with a shopping list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. This way you’ll be able to spread out your shopping and take advantage of festive sales.

Game plan
Map out your visits so you don’t have to travel back and forth. It’ll save you time on the road and give you more time with family and friends.

All about you
Tired, stressed out and wish you could escape for a little R&R? Pamper yourself with a refreshing papaya body spa. Just take a few ready-to-eat papayas and puree them. Next, scoop handfuls of the paste and spread all over your body. Enjoy a tingling sensation as the natural exfoliants remove dead skin. Luxuriate in it for 20 minutes and simply wash off.