Our recipes are specially created to be healthy, nutritious and family friendly. Tuck in!
All tagged summer food
During the warm spring and summer months we look at salads as a delicious way of packing in the vegetables. However there’s a real difference between a salad that consists of some iceberg lettuce and a piece of tomato and a Health Boost salad. We use salads as a way of packing in lots of nutrients and making them nutrition powerhouses.
Healthy and quick to make dips are a great made ahead solution for a savoury snack, a lunch box or a BBQ spread. It takes 5 mins to make and keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. That classic pea and mint combo is divine on toasted sourdough, or as a side with grilled chicken, salmon or grilled lamb chops.
This plant-based bean and avocado salad is one you will adopt and make over and over again. Perfect as a lunch prepped ahead for a couple of days, where you can add a different source of extra protein (boiled egg, feta cheese, leftover roast chicken, poached salmon). It is also a fab salad to make to work alongside those summer BBQs we are all looking forward to!
Bonus, it’s super quick and made from everyday affordable ingredients!
Omelettes or frittatas are your friends! They can be breakfast, brunch, lunch and can be eaten hot or cold! Eggs are a great natural, simple, complete and affordable source of protein teamed up with any seasonal vegetable you may have to hand. An omelette takes 5 minutes to make for a quick lunch at home. Made ahead, they are ideal cold in a wrap with extra salad leaves.
I used to make those as a kid with my Jewish grandma in the South of France. Now I have passed this on to my 15yr old. If you have made my tapenade before and enjoyed it, this simple delicious recipe makes great use of it. It is so so quick to make. It’s a perfect starter or ideal with summer drinks or for a picnic. Spinach, black olives and feta are a classic greek combo I adore. You could swap the tapenade for a pesto and generally be creative with flavours. Great finger food for the little ones too!
Mango and raspberries are always in my freezer. Fab ingredients for smoothies, but in the summer we make ice lollies and iced desserts! Based on a classic mango lassi recipe, the cardamom brings these flavours together beautifully. This recipe is made using Greek yoghurt but also works with non-dairy alternatives such as coconut milk/cream or almond milk. Once the ice moulds are full, enjoy the leftover as a smoothie.
When my kids were little, as most toddlers do, they went through a phase of refusing everything green added to their plate. Shock horror! My way round it was to add Green Pesto to their pasta. From then on, pesto, was always going to be homemade. Over the years, I have made green pesto and red pesto alike. It is so easy and delicious. Pick and choose the vegetables you enjoy, pick and mix the nuts and have fun creating....and eating of course! This is my favourite Mediterranean combination.
We love black rice. It is higher in fibre than the other rices. It also contains some protein and so this salad will fill you up and keep you satisfied all day long. This is perfect on its own for lunch or you could serve in the evening alongside some grilled salmon, chicken or a BBQ.
This was inspired by a jar of Brindisa Monjardin organic lentils. The lentils looked so pretty that I wanted them to be the star of the salad. Do use whatever lentils are your favourite - although if you do find the Brindisa brand then I urge you to give them a go. This salad takes minutes to make and can be enjoyed on its own or alongside some grilled salmon or chicken.
Good old fashioned oat cakes are so so delicious and versatile. They are also super easy to make, as a batch and keep. With the main ingredient being pinhead oats (or steel cut oats) they make the perfect high fibre savoury snack teamed up with our smoked mackerel pâté or French sardine pâté. Another French way to enjoy those is with a little butter, some sliced radishes and a little salt. I like to vary the herbs or spices I mix in them; I have tried and tested rosemary, oregano, garlic, turmeric, curry powder, cumin and paprika. If you want to have them with cheese, I recommend to stick to herbs.
With BBQ season kicking off soon and 2 teens looking forward to make up for lost social time, weekend gathering around food will hopefully be regular occurrence. There seem to be more and more vegetarians amongst my teens’ friends so I am busy creating, planning and testing some new recipes to suit all dietary requirements. This is so so tasty with a nod to my home country with French goats cheese and caramelised red onions! And no processed fake meat in sight!
Can you resist these? Really simple to make, but also, amazingly healthy and nutritious. What’s not to like? Children will love to get involved and they can customise with their favourites. You can substitute with blueberries or blackberries - or any of your favourite berries. You can use frozen berries too. A colourful snack or healthy treat perfect to share (or not!).
This is hand on heart the easiest flatbread you can make and it’s naturally gluten-free! Socca is a traditional French dish from Nice where I partly grew up. It was probably my favourite street food. Cooked on very hot grills, they were usually served in a cone of brown paper with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and pepper, maybe thyme or rosemary. It it was one of those South of France classic for which everyone has their own technique for cooking, but the ingredients however are pretty much always the same: equal parts chickpea flour and water, add olive oil, that’s it. That simple!
When your Fruit & Veg box unexpectedly contains a pineapple and the sun is shining? Turn that smoothie into a delicious popsicle. That well known pineapple and coconut combo works every time. A simple and delicious way to enjoy the homemade frozen treat at home all summer long.
If you have never tried a savoury crumble, now is the time with this recipe! This is a fun, really quick and easy vegetarian meal you can put together in the evening for kids. It can be used as a side or as a main dish. Add Oregano as you herb of choice and it will taste like a pizza! Add olives and Herbes de Provence and you’ll find yourself in sunny South of France. I’ve had massive thumbs up and great success with kids with this recipe and you could turn it into a pick and mix where kids make their own veggie choices and share the crumble topping in individual dishes!
This is hand on heart the easiest most delicious bake you could ever make ahead and keep for a healthy and balanced lunch.
Growing up, in France, I probably had something like this once a week! The flavour combinations are endless, vegetarian or not, you can go with the flow of seasonal veggies, add spices and even play around with flours. What’s not to like? My favourite is olive with anything.
This very easy gazpacho is all about enjoying and embracing summer ingredients. Full of gorgeous mediterranean vegetables and flavours, totally refreshing and perfect to make in advance. No cooking is involved and pretty much any blender will do the job. Just make sure you allow a couple of hours to refrigerate it. An absolute keeper to make again and again as a starter on a summer’s evening.
That sweet taste of summer... Yes I am talking berries and ice cream combination in any way possible!! Except that this ice cream has no milk! It’s the power of the humble banana striking again. We always have bananas in my house, fresh in the fruit bowl for those quick energy refuel moments. I also usually have some sliced frozen bananas in my freezer to add to smoothies or make this nice cream. Once you’ve done this one…do experiment with your favourite flavours!
At The Health Boost we love our food of course, and we love to keep it simple with few ingredients without comprising on nutrients, quality and flavours. This simple lamb recipe is just that. A handful of ingredients carefully picked, local, fresh and easy to assemble for maximum effect and foodie pleasure.
