recipes

Recipes, Breakfast and brunch

Creating good breakfast habits is often a very hard one to crack! Making ahead is one of the best advice we can give. Those overnight chia breakfast pots take 5 minutes to prepare the day before, keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, are rich in protein to keep you full and can be made with an endless list of fruits! What’s not to like! You can easily make a “pick & mix” batch to suit everyone in the family! Any fresh or frozen fruit can be used! Today’s choice is frozen mango!

Sep 21

Sep 21 30mins dairy free mushroom soup

Recipes, Soups and salads

My husband loves a creamy mushroom soup - but we’ve recently discovered an intolerance to dairy so he’s gone dairy free. I have used some coconut milk to give this a creamy feel - but it doesn’t taste too coconutty as I’ve balanced with tamari sauce. You can blitz this smooth - or leave a little chunky it’s up to you.

Aug 17

Aug 17 Perfectly balanced breakfast bowl

Possibly my 3 favourite Bs: Balance, Breakfast and Bowl. Building a balanced breakfast bowl is so much fun and far easier and quicker than it looks. This is how I built this pretty and colourful bowl of yumminess. Most ingredients can be swapped for similar items you will have in your fridge or cupboards, fruits can be changed based on seasonal availabilities and yoghurt can be replaced with your dairy-free option if necessary.

Aug 1

Aug 1 Green power breakfast smoothie

In the summer I love nothing more than a lovely fresh green smoothie for breakfast. If it’s a spin class morning, I like to enjoy it after but if I am strength training, I need a boost of power before I hit the weights. This is my recent most favourite to give me that boost on a summer’s morning! One of my favourite Plant based protein powder is by ThatProtein and contains Baobab, recognised for its immune boosting properties, high iron and vitamin C nutritional profile!

Jul 15

Jul 15 Quick and easy teriyaki salmon

Salmon is a popular fish in our house - but when I add a teriyaki sauce then it’s even more popular. Rather than the traditional brown sugar found in teriyaki sauces I have swopped to a maple syrup - so it maintains its sweetness without adding any refined sugars. I marinade the salmon for 30 minutes - but if you are short of time then you can shorten to 10 minutes. I like to cook this with one large piece of salmon fillet. I ask the fishmonger for a piece to feed 6 as my teenage sons eat more than most adults!! I serve this with buckwheat noodles and stir fried vegetables.

Jul 10

Jul 10 Lean green machine smoothie

I never drink smoothies in the winter or cooler months - but in the summer they make a lovely light breakfast. I especially enjoy them if I am not feeing that hungry - or have trained before eating and then it might only be a few hours before lunch. I always include some protein - but if it’s close to lunch then I don’t need to go overboard. I have included flaxseed in this smoothie for its importance in female hormone health - see tip below.

Jul 6

Jul 6 French healthy 5 minute sardine pâté

Dips and sauces, Recipes

If you want a tasty, budget friendly 5 minute recipe which is also brain boosting, look no further. This is perfect for children who love the taste of tinned sardines. This quick sardine pâté recipe is packed with omega-3 fatty acids and the ideal savoury healthy snack or delicious as part of a summer lunch spread, served with toasted bread, carrot sticks or oat crackers.

Jul 4

Jul 4 Hormone balancing smoothie

Why have we called this smoothie help your hormones? We originally designed it for those that came to our Menopause workshop to highlight some fantastic hormone balancing ingredients. We have shared with you all as it’s also perfect for hormones at any age, not just women going through the peri-menopause. See our tip at the bottom for why these ingredients are perfect for your hormones. And also note the warning about grapefruit if taking some medications.

Jun 24

Jun 24 raspberry and pistachio frozen yoghurt bark

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!).

Jun 19

Jun 19 Easy Chickpea flatbread - Socca

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!

Jun 17

Jun 17 Moroccan carrot and chickpea salad

Recipes, Soups and salads

North African classic flavours and spices have always been some of my favourites as I grew up with them. Harissa, cumin, sumac mixed with the sweet and sour of lemon and honey easily elevate a very simple, fresh and quick to rustle up salad that brings summer to your table. Give it a try. Also works really well if you add some grated beetroot.

Jun 14

Jun 14 carrot, lentil & black bean chilli

This recipe came about at the beginning of the 2020 lockdown when suddenly I had a massive surplus of carrots. I needed to get inventive as the family were getting bored of steamed carrots! My husband loved this and it instantly became a great way of using up a carrot surplus! If you don’t have the parsnip or sweet potato, just add more carrots!

Jun 13

Jun 13 dairy-free pineapple and coconut ice lollies

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.

Jun 10

Jun 10 mild curried vegetarian chickpeas

I came up with this recipe during Lockdown. My daughter was getting fed up with the amount of meat her brothers were demanding at mealtimes and was begging for some vegetarian meals. Although the title states curried, this is a very mild flavour as my daughter doesn’t like super heat - she’s more of a masala girl! It’s super quick to make and so can easily be rustled up alongside other meals. You can eat this on its own, or add some brown rice for a slightly more substantial meal.

May 27

May 27 Easy French moules marinieres

Mussels are usually something I don’t prepare at home. I tend to have them as a foodie treat when I go back home to France. But as I write, we are in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restaurant trade has collapsed. So local fishmongers normally selling to pubs and restaurant are selling direct and have an amazing selection of seafood, including mussels. Please don’t be scared by them as they are the easiest to prepare. I hope you have a go!

May 22

May 22 Coconut, almond and nut butter snacks

Nut allergy sufferers stay away! I’m afraid these slices are made almost entirely from nuts in natural, butter, oil and flour form. This kind of snack is my absolute heaven. I love nuts, all of them and I love a sweet and salty treat. However, I would recommend moderation as they are very calorie dense. They are gluten free, packed with good fats and contain no refined sugar so much better than any of the shop bought industrial plastic wrapped processed snack you can buy on the high street. Sure to satisfy a sweet craving without the nasty ingredients!

May 20

May 20 turkey and coriander meatballs

Turkey is an underused meat, but I think it should feature more on our plates. We all need to increase the diversity in our diets and adding not just different vegetables, but also different meats goes a long way to help this. You could serve these with a simple tomato sauce with some brown rice and green vegetables or include in a wrap with some salad. Using thigh meat will make them more succulent. They can be eaten hot or cold.

May 6

May 6 carrot and banana spiced bread

There is often a debate in my house which goes like this: there is team carrot cake and team banana bread . So I thought I would try and bring the two together! Brave I know and lots of confused faces! I will leave you to judge on that once you’ve tried it! Delicious served toasted with a dollop of your favourite nut butter.

May 2

May 2 Easy spicy harissa hummus