recipes

Roast chicken on a Sunday is my ultimate comfort food. What’s even better is knowing that nothing will go to waste. First make a stock/broth with the leftovers and then make the ultimate comforting and immune boosting chicken soup. Full of the warming goodness of ginger and turmeric, packed with vegetables, this soup is a winner every time. I have also added pearl barley to make it go further , but you could ommit or swap for brown rice, giant couscous or quinoa.

Sep 22

Sep 22 Plum and ginger upside down cake

Recipes, Snacks

With Autumn comes a beautiful fruit season, especially when you live in Kent, the Garden of England, surrounded by orchards and this upside down cake is a great alternative to a crumble. It present beautifully, keeps well and is delicious with a little vanilla ice cream! It contains no sugar besides the fruits and a little maple syrup. It is naturally gluten free and so quick and easy to prepare.

Jan 6

Jan 6 stuffed vegetarian butternut squash

Recipes, Mains

This is a perfect dish when you want a vegetarian meal that looks a bit special. Can easily be doubled to provide a meal for four if needed. It’s very easy to make, but still looks impressive. I am always looking for ways to include more mushrooms in my diet as they are so highly nutritious for us. See the tip below for all the benefits.

Dec 10

Dec 10 cauliflower, lentil & turmeric soup

You can never have enough soup recipes and this one hits the spot. Protein from the lentils, lots of cruciferous vegetable goodness from the cauliflower with the warming undercurrent of anti-inflammatory turmeric.

Nov 17

Nov 17 sweet potato & lentil soup

This chunky soup is really hearty and could probably fall into the stew category! If you need warming up then this will work. Despite the spices it’s kid-friendly too - my daughter enjoys it although as she prefers a smooth soup I blitz all of hers up rather than leaving half chunky. The cooking of this soup is very hands off and easy to rustle up for a quick lunch. I sometimes like to add a dark green leafy veg such as chard, kale or spinach to the soup and I just stir this in at the end to wilt.

Nov 14

Nov 14 carrot, parsnip & ginger soup

Soups are perfect for warming you up during the Autumn and Winter months. They are also a great way of boosting vegetable intake into any reluctant vegetable eater! This soup is very child-friendly with naturally sweet root vegetables. This soup is ideal if you are suffering from a cold or want to boost your immunity. The garlic and ginger are both anti-inflammatory and immune boosting.

Oct 10

Oct 10 mushroom, spinach & coconut curry

Recipes, Mains

While Val, the French half of The Health Boost is all about blue skies, hot sun and Mediterranean flavours, I am a huge fan of Autumn. Cosy jumpers, snuggling under a blanket, log fires and slow cooks, stews and spicy curry. Well to me this wild mushroom curry sums up those Autumn flavours. So easy to make and totally delicious. Eating out of a large bowl in front of a log fire while wearing a cosy jumper is optional! While most of our recipes are suitable for families my children won’t even touch mushrooms so this only serves 2.

Sep 30

Sep 30 kitchen garden soup

Including lots of green in our diet is always top of our list. Soups along with curries are a perfect way to up the daily portions with reluctant eaters. The addition of ground cumin to this otherwise simple soup gives it that extra warmth and comforting quality. The apple and peas work wonderfully to balance out the strong Cavalo Nero and celery flavours.

Sep 25

Sep 25 apple & cinnamon bread

Recipes, Snacks

With autumn (fall) upon us as I write, we all suffer a little more urge for comfort foods. This apple bread is perfect for using up all the apple around at this time. It is gluten free and contains not other sugar than what the apples contain. Delicious served with a berry fruit compote and a dollop of nut butter.

Sep 8

Sep 8 crumble cake

Recipes, Snacks

With it's cake bottom and crumble top - this cake is delicious and was a hit with both big and small in the family. They never guessed that it contained a vegetable! It's got sugar in the form of maple syrup - that means it's a treat and not to be consumed everyday. However, if you want a treat - then this is amazing and will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Mar 20

Mar 20 spiced red lentil soup

As much as we keep going on about green vegetables, a large helping of warm coloured soup makes everyone happy! Packed with great fibres, vitamins and health boosting spices this heart warming soup makes a great starter or one pot supper . Soups are one of the best "batch cooking" meal to make ahead and freeze. Great healthy option for busy family lives.

Feb 28

Feb 28 carrot, apple & ginger soup

I'm not sure I can claim any credit for this soup. My daughter was chatting about her love of carrot, apple and ginger juice and saying she wished it was hot since she didn't like drinking a cold juice in winter. So I suggested that I make it into a soup and she was very excited. It was her idea to include turmeric as our local cafe serve a carrot and turmeric juice which she loves.

Feb 25

Feb 25 healthy, spicy baked beans

Recipes, Breakfast and brunch

Baked beans are a quick and very popular meal. However the variety in a tin are full of hidden sugar which I'd rather not eat or give to my children. These beans can be adapted spice wise to make them more child-friendly (just reduce the cayenne pepper). Serve these on toast for a quick breakfast or stir in a handful of spinach at the end of cooking and make a well and crack two eggs in and you have a very filling and delicious, hearty breakfast. You can use whatever beans you like - I have used butter beans, but haricot beans are the traditional beans used in baked beans. This is also delicious with chickpeas.

Feb 7

Feb 7 prebiotic soup

It is very much soup season all year round as far as I am concerned! Why? Soups, whether hot or cold, are a fantastic way to easily include lots of daily veggie portions. This soup is packed full of real food pre-biotics, very light and works really well as a warming starter. Soups are a great make ahead and freeze healthy option for busy lives.

Jan 19

Jan 19 tomato, rosemary & bean soup

Many people don't eat soup for lunch as they say it doesn't fill you up. The key is to add some protein. This could either be a sprinkle of nuts or seeds on the top, or some coconut milk swirled through – or in the case of this soup some delicious butterbeans. Despite the fact that this soup has beans it is still light and smooth. With all the winter colds and flu around at the moment this is perfect if you are feeling below par.

Jan 1

Jan 1 vegetarian hygge bowl

Recipes, Mains

When it's cold outside and you want something warming and easy on your digestion this is perfect. It's like being wrapped in a soft blanket in front of a crackling fire. This is what I want to eat when on a crisp autumnal evening or when it's dark and cold outside. The vegetables can be varied depending on what you have in. No squash? Then just add another sweet potato or another carrot. I rarely weight out the ingredients - just use whatever I have in the fridge/cupboards.

Dec 13

Dec 13 ginger chicken broth

I love nothing more than a roast chicken on a Sunday! Even more so when I know that nothing will go to waste as I will be making broth with the leftovers. If you are ever feeling like you are coming down with a cold then this is the option for you. We have lost the tradition of making stock every week like our grandmothers and great-grandmothers – but I think we are missing a trick.

Nov 13

Nov 13 beta-carotene soup

During the autumn and winter we turn from refreshing salads to warming soups for lunch. Soups are also ideal for children as you can disguise plenty of vegetables that they might otherwise refuse. This soup is very child-friendly with lots of naturally sweet root vegetables. We have served this with a cashew nut cream and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. These boost protein to keep you fuller for longer.

Oct 29

Oct 29 glorious green soup