Joe Wicks has revealed how he plans to spend his first Christmas as a dad, following the birth of his daughter Indie in July. The Body Coach said welcoming his baby girl with girlfriend Rosie was a "dream come true" and he wants to make her first Christmas extra special.
"My plan is to spend my first Christmas with my little daughter Indie and give her a nice day and let her experience it. And also Oscar and Milo, my nephews. Just get all the family together, have a nice meal and just cook a nice big Christmas dinner," Joe told HELLO!. "I really like bringing people together. I like cooking and seeing everyone in the house and opening presents together. It’s nice, I’m looking forward to it."
© Photo: InstagramJoe Wicks is celebrating his daughter Indie's first Christmas
Although he’s known for following a healthy diet and exercise regime, Joe won’t be denying himself the odd treat. So what’s his favourite? "Pigs in blankets. I love them, that’s why I know I can’t go vegan yet, or fully veggie because at Christmas I love my pigs in blankets. And little stuffing balls. I could eat a whole plate of them and not have any turkey. Those little stuffing balls are the one," Joe said.
RECIPE: Joe Wicks' turkey, ham and mushroom filo pie
The celebrity chef also shared his tips for staying healthy over the festive period. "Enjoy a treat, enjoy the Christmas mince pies and all of that kind of stuff but try and keep exercising. It’s damage limitation so you’re still going to be burning calories and such. If you’re boozing, eating lots and stop exercising it’s very easy to gain body fat," he explained. "So try and keep up with your exercise, enjoy a little treat, but if you can, try and prep your own meals at home."
© Photo: InstagramJoe is releasing his new vegetarian cookbook in December
Joe is an advocate for home cooking, and has a few signature dishes he loves to prepare. "My favourite dinner to make is probably something like a spaghetti Bolognese or Thai green curry," he said. "I like things like that that are just quick and simple but you can also batch cook. So I always have a tin of chopped tomatoes and coconut cream in my house so that I can always make a curry."
MORE: Try Joe Wicks' chicken and mushroom pie
He’s also working as a Gousto recipe box brand spokesperson to highlight how easy it can be to prepare healthy dinners at home, following research that showed one in four people cook fresh meals once a week or less. "It's important that people know how easy it is to cook quick and healthy recipes at home. It's all about forming new habits and making sure that you always have fresh ingredients at home," Joe said. "Using recipe box companies like Gousto is so helpful as they deliver fresh ingredients to your door every week and you don't have to resort to ready meals or convenience foods."
Joe is a Gousto recipe box brand spokesperson
Joe is also hoping to shape people’s eating habits with the release of his new cookbook, Veggie Lean in 15, in December, which he says is his best. "The reason I think it’s my best is because I think it’s really going to make a change and make an impact on people’s eating habits in reducing plastic and the environment, animal welfare and all of that," Joe explained. "It’s just a good start to get people thinking about eating more veg. It’s not like I’m saying, 'You’ve all got to go vegan, and go hardcore,' because not a lot of people want to do that right now, but this is the veggie book for the meat lover and people who want to try and incorporate that into their diet."
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