All by Kat Bright

gochujang red lentil and bean soup

We love a soup - but too many of them are low in protein to keep us satisfied. This one is not only full of protein - but also rich in fibre which helps to keep our blood sugars stable. We use the jarred beans from Bold Bean Company which are so good. Sprinkle with as much feta as you need to hit your protein target. If you divide this soup into 3 this will give you around 18g of protein. If you use chicken stock slightly more. Then adding 50g of feta and 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds will increase this to 30g protein.

Beetroot, feta, quinoa and toasted seed salad

If you have ever attended a talk of ours or been a client of Kat’s you know one of her favourite vegetables for just about all areas of health is beetroot. It’s great for heart, liver and hormone health. We grate a large batch of beetroot to keep in fridge and add to salads through the week. With the quinoa, feta and seeds you are looking at around 25g of protein for this salad.

Pan fried halibut with harissa chickpeas

My children scored this a 9.2/10 - and said it would have been 9.8 without the chard! Spinach can be used or other greens if your family aren’t keen on kale either. I have mentioned the brands of harissa paste and chickpeas as these are really good brands that make such a difference to the overall dish. See tip below for protein content of the dish.

Sardine omelette - a bone building lunch

Sardines are one of the most non-dairy, nutrient dense forms of calcium with a 135g tin usually containing 363mg of calcium. Choose a good quality tin of sardines with the bones. I like the brands Parmentier or King Oscar. This lunch contains a whopping 561.5mg of calcium to show you just how easy it is to incorporate calcium in a non-dairy way to your diet. See tip below for calcium amounts of other ingredients.

One pot creamy coconut chicken

You can’t beat a creamy chicken and this one is dairy free as well as being gluten free and low carb. It’s quick and easy and low washing up with just one pan used. I use the handy little 240ml pot of chicken stock from Osso which I get from WellEasy so reduced in price from the supermarkets. I also get my coconut milk from there.

High protein paneer omelette

In order to get enough protein into our diet we have been adding extra protein sources to our eggs for a higher protein breakfast. Two large eggs contain 14g of protein but adding 80g of paneer cheese gives you another 14g of protein. This works for us for better glucose control, muscle growth and no sugar cravings or hunger.

high protein fluffy eggs with cottage cheese

In a bid to make sure we hit a decent amount of protein for breakfast we have been trialling ways to increase protein in our eggs. Two eggs is just 14g of protein, but adding 100g cottage cheese increases the protein to 25g. I have added a small amount of smoked salmon to increase the breakfast to 30g of protein. This is optional, but for my needs 30g of protein is optimal.

Green buckwheat courgette salad

Buckwheat is a gluten free seed and is very useful in a gluten-free diet as it gives a grain-like texture. It’s slightly nutty in taste and cooks in les time than quinoa or rice. For the health benefits see tip below. This salad is also a good way to top up your calcium levels. You’ll find calcium in the buckwheat, tahini, sunflower seeds and feta cheese.

Vanilla cauliflower protein smoothie

I know what you are thinking - cauliflower in a smoothie - yuck! However, please believe me when I say you really can’t taste the cauliflower and you get all the cruciferous vegetable benefits. I buy packs of frozen cauliflower rice and keep in the freezer as a useful and very easy meal side. If you haven’t got vanilla protein powder then use your normal protein powder and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the vanilla flavour. I often freeze cut up bananas that are going brown in the fruit bowl and they are great for adding to smoothies.

Our top tips to help with exam stress

The summer months can be a fraught with stress with uni finals, A levels, GCSE’s and end of year exams for our teens (and us parents!). It is essential that we create some calm and provide our teens with some good nutrition during this time. This will help to ensure we nurture our brain so that we maximise its capacity and ensure good recall when in the exams.