recipes

Blog, Nutrition, Health

Women's health around the peri menopause stage of their life is a topic close to our heart, and we speak from experience as well as qualified professionals. Exercise has been shown to help control a number of physical and psychological problems and changes associated with menopause and midlife, including depression, weight gain, loss of muscle mass and bone density.

Feb 22

Feb 22 Cauliflower curry & homemade flatbread

This is a spicy vegetarian curry that will warm your soul as well as body. It’s packed with plenty of turmeric which has amazing health benefits (see tip below). We have served with a homemade naan bread. They are so quick and easy to make and once you have tried you won’t ever buy shop bought again. The recipe for the naan/flatbread is not unique, but we have become huge fans of making them and getting our kids of make them too. They make great pizza bases.

Feb 20

Feb 20 sweet potato and black bean chipotle chilli

This warming vegetarian one pot is made with chipotle paste which gives it a delicious earthiness. You can of course leave this out if you don’t have - but it does make it extra special and so it’s worth hunting out this Mexican mix of jalapeño peppers, spices and vinegar. This chilli is delicious on its own - but if you need something extra then serve with a little quinoa or brown rice.

Feb 19

Feb 19 Harissa, chickpea and apricot lamb koftas

When it’s all about meal planning, food prep and making sure you have good nutritious home cooked food ready when you need it, these are perfect to make all year round. Very quick and easy to assemble with no blender or processor, those lamb koftas can be served with a side salad or some quinoa and steamed greens. I like to serve them with a side of cumin and parsley yoghurt.

Feb 18

Feb 18 What foods to eat during the menopause

Blog

The menopause can be a scary time with lots of unexpected things happening in your body such hot sweats, irregular periods, weight gain around the middle, brain fog and anxiety. Peri-menopause is the time leading up to the actual menopause when changes start to happen and this period can last up to 10 years which can surprise lots of women. There are lots of foods that you can introduce or increase during this time to help you manage your symptoms.

Feb 9

Feb 9 5 tips to help teens find their groove with exercise

Blog

My number one rule will always be to only cultivate a mindset of positive association with exercise and avoid any negative connection to physical activity being a way to “burn calories” or “compensate” for that weekend pizza and ice cream!

Teens and exercise is a very wide subject, but for now , as I write during our third period of lockdown in the UK, I thought I’d give you a few tips particularly applicable to support your teens right now.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨:

Jan 17

Jan 17 salmon fishcakes with a raw slaw

This is a great way to get children to eat salmon if they tend to be a fussy. Using tinned salmon means it’s milder in taste and then combining with the sweetness of the sweet potato and peas it’s a winner. If serving to children you can swop the raw slaw for some cut up crudities such as carrots, cucumber, tomatoes or peppers.

Jan 13

Jan 13 Butternut squash garam masala soup

Soups always help making lunch quick, easy and healthy. The secret, as always, is in the planning and prepping! If you want your soup to keep you full until supper, you need to make sure it contains some protein and healthy fats. This soup contains coconut cream ticking both boxes. You could always swap for greek yoghurt, but the coconut does work really well with the garam masala spice. Perfect comfort food!
I make this soup using my slow cooker, but you could do in an AGA, or slowly on a stove.

Jan 11

Jan 11 5 nutritious winter warming salads

Blog, Soups and salads

A salad is normally associated with spring and summer, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We enjoy a salad all year round - it’s a great way to pack in your vegetables at lunch. However, the key to a winter salad is to incorporate some warm elements. This could be some warm roasted vegetables, just cooked lentils or quinoa or some heat with a spice such as harissa.

Dec 14

Dec 14 Top tips for staying healthy at Christmas

Blog

Christmas time is often a time of excess and it’s been shown that many people manage to put on over 5 pounds in weight during the festivities. So how do you remain healthy and not sabotage all the good you have done over the past year, while still enjoying yourself?

Dec 3

Dec 3 roasted red pepper and quinoa soup

I love a soup for lunch during the colder months - but so many just leave me hungry a few hours later. The reason is they just don’t contain enough protein or fat. We often add lentils to our soups for this reason, but when I had some leftover quinoa in the fridge I decided to use this instead. The result is this delicious soup. So easy to prepare - just put all the ingredients in a roasting tray in the oven and then blend and add the quinoa.

Dec 1

Dec 1 Immune boosting chicken soup

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.

Nov 29

Nov 29 Harissa sweet potato and squash soup

Soups make an easy lunch in the colder months. They are easy to prepare ahead and can be taken into work in a thermos flask. The key to a soup keeping you sustained for the rest of the day is to include some protein and healthy fats. In this soup we have two sources of protein and healthy fats - the coconut milk and the almond butter. If you are allergic to nuts just leave the almond butter out it won’t make this any less delicious.

Nov 13

Nov 13 Delicious dairy free date brownies

Recipes, Snacks

Life without the occasional brownie is not for me! For that reason, I love trying to play with swapping and replacing ingredients for those with a better nutritional value. For these brownies I have not used refined white or brown sugar but instead opted for medjool dates. You would honestly not notice the difference. But I will let you be the judge of that…Go on, have a go and let me know!

Oct 17

Oct 17 Green falafels and spicy tahini dressing

Falafels are one of my favourite “street foods”. I first discovered them when was quite young travelling with my family in Israel. They are also a staple of Lebanese cuisine that I love so much. I have tried many ways to make them and recently read about making them using dry chickpeas rather than tinned and so I thought I’d share. Falafels are versatile, nourishing, and full of plant based protein goodness. Perfect for your vegetarian friends! The tahini dressing is simple, creamy and tasty.

Oct 7

Oct 7 bacon, bean and kale winter stew

As the winter months hit I crave bowls of warming stews to nourish me. This can easily be made vegetarian with the omission of the bacon - but it provides a lovely smoky finish. This pleases both the meat and the bean lovers in our house as it caters for all. I have added lentils to this dish. If you have children that don’t like lentils then use the red ones as they disappear to nothing - the puy lentils are good if you have someone sensitive to lentils as less likely to cause bloating issues. Likewise with the beans choose your favourites - although the darker ones such as black, kidney and aduki work best.

Sep 29

Sep 29 Oats and plant protein energy snacks

Recipes, Snacks

We usually recommend to avoid snacking if possible and focus on 3 nourishing and balanced meals a day, but, family life, work, busy schedules, sporty kids and big workouts can often call for a refuel on the go. In that case, we would always prefer making our own snacks, with real simple wholesome every day ingredients we know and recognise and always include protein. These energy balls do not require any food processor or baking. 5 minutes to make and set in the fridge in an hour! Give them a go!

Sep 26

Sep 26 Overnight mango chia breakfast pots

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