I’m on a personal mission to reduce my biscuit intake. Now there is totally nothing wrong with a biscuit or 2, but these carrot cake energy balls add in variety and nutrition. I find they really hit the spot by giving me something to munch quickly when I’m running from job to job and they are more filling than my usual biccie.
These last for 3 days in the fridge and they also freeze well so why not make a batch and get them out the freezer in the morning, ready for when you need them.
More than excited to share this. I so hope you will share my enthuisiasm too.
25 dietitians have contributed their time and recipes towards a family meals recipe book with the aim of raising money for the Trussell Trust. The Trussell Trust is working to stop UK hunger and poverty. With a network of foodbanks providing emergency food and support to people in crisis. As dietitians we know the importance of great nutrition and access to a range of foods. So this is definitely a charity to support.
This project has been done entirely off our own backs, with no experience so it has been a huge learning curve, but the final product is 50 pages of fabulous recipes that you can use at home to create meals that are easy, delicious and used by ourselves for our own familes.
The cookbook has been endorsed by the British Dietetic Association and is being launched as part of Dietitians Week 2019.
Recipes include curry, pizza, lentil recipes, soups and some sweeter options too.
At only £3.99 it is a complete bargain and 100% of money will be going to charity.
Sundays for us are the one chilled breakfast day of the week. No school run. I don’t teach any Pilates classes so it’s a day to take time over brekkie and have something different. This is one of my favs.
So here is a my super simple recipe for you. These pancakes are easy, quick to make and packed with nutrition too, plus filling due to the seeds.
These are also perfect if you weaning as the pancakes are soft and make great finger foods. My children are always very happy when I decide to cook these.
Drop a serving spoon portion onto the pan/griddle and allow to cook for a couple of minutes, look for the bubbles on the top then flip it. These need a little more TLC than normal pancakes when turning them over.
I served mine with greek yoghurt and fruit.
Enjoy and let me know if you make them, I’d love to see your pics!
One of the things I am passionate about is making food simple. If you have time and can afford to be fancy with your meals then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Go for it. Normal life for my family in the week involves basic range ingredients, plenty of fresh and frozen veggies and quick meals. So that is what I am sharing with you today. Trust me, as a working single mum to 3 wonderfully active, inquisitive, helpful kids (you could read that as noisy, full of questions and chatter, like to stick their fingers where I don’t want them to) I need fast food. However I am wheat intolerant (the proper kind where eating wheat upsets my digestive system for several days) and my boy is lactose intolerance – which quite frankly sucks for him. So we have to cook from scratch.
I aim to plan at the weekend. This sometimes involves a bit of “get ahead cooking” where I cook a few meals for Monday and Tuesday in advance, or it just comes down to a vague plan. Either way without a rough plan my head gets super stressed.
“What am I cooking today? How will I fit it into my day? Do I have the ingredients? Do I have time to get to the shop?” These are questions that will float around my head taking up valuable time and energy. With a plan I’m part way there and will prep a bit throughout my day. That could mean I prep the veggies or even just get the ingredients out on the worktop so I can cook after the school run. It all helps.
So here is an example of our weeks meals and some of the recipes I cook. Simple things my children eat and that work with our dietary needs. I hope it gives you some inspiration.
One Pot Pepper Pasta:
This is one of those meals which I love to make as it is so easy, there is minimal washing up and my kids love it. WINNER.
It’s also a vegetarian, plant based and vegan recipe. So if you are looking for simple ways to increase your vegetable intake here you go. Of course you can totally make this your own and add in any veggies you like.
12small potatoes (if they are too large they will not cook in time so slice up using large potato)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7
Lay out a square of foil big enough to pop everything in and seal up. About 1.5 times your dinner plate.
Place a selection of veggies and potatoes on the foil, top with the fish and spread 1 tsp pesto on top.
Fold the foil parcel up so everything is covered and pop onto a baking tray.
Bake for 20 minutes
Lentil Bolognaise:
A regular favourite for us and so versatile. You can use up your odds and ends of veggies, and make this into lasagne, cottage pie of as a bolognaise. It freezes super well too.
Literally the easiest thing on a Friday after school. I give the kids a wrap, squirt tomato puree on, they pile on toppings from a selection on a chopping board and we cook them for 10 minutes at Gas Mark 5. Do keep a close eye on them as they cook very quickly!
Chicken Satay Stir Fry:
You can’t beat a stir fry for ease. My kids love peanut butter so satay is usually a winner. Totally use a frozen veg mix or a stir fry pack for ease if you want to. Serve with noodles or rice.
As much as I like to have some plant based meals in our week my kids are firm fans of sausages. I’ve been using some meat free variations out and they have been largely successful, plus easy to cook straight from frozen – so do think about the meat free range. No recipe as I literally cook the sausages in the oven, along with potatoes cut into wedges with olive oil and garlic on them. Serve with veggies!
I hope these are helpful and give you some ideas on how to keep meals simple in your week. I’d love to hear your ideas too as I always need inspiration.
The temperature is set to drop. For me that means it’s time to bring out the slow cooker. What I love is how such little effort brings such great rewards. This chicken casserole took minutes to prepare, hours to cook and then was devoured. Plus the house smells amazing when you get home.
So here is the recipe for you. This is totally something to make your own, use whatever you have in your store cupboards remembering to add a little liquid but not too much!
I served ours with extra veggies on the side (I have a broccoli addict of a child) and rice. My children love a slow cooker meal as it’s always so soft, easy to cut and chew.
Now this recipe, it’s not a combination that instantly springs to mind, in fact I remember Gregg being dubious when we cooked this on Eat Well for less. … however it works. This is a great way to get oily fish back on the menu for family meals.
Oily fish is such a important food to try and incorporate into your weekly meal planning due to the omega 3 content. Omega 3’s are a essential fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory effects, can help with brain health, cognitive function, heart health and even asthma.
I hope you enjoy the recipe – do make sure to turn off the heat before adding in the sauce of the yoghurt will curdle.
350gboneless smoked mackerelskin removed and flaked
240gbaby spinach
1small bunch flat leaf parsleyroughly chopped
Instructions
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the spaghetti and stir well. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until cooked.
While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Whisk together the horseradish sauce, yoghurt, eggs and parmesan. Season with black pepper.
Heat a large pan until medium hot, add the oil and stir fry the courgette for 2 minutes until it has started to soften.
Add the smoked mackerel, mix well then cook for another minute. Stir in the spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until wilted down.
Turn the heat off (to prevent curdling), add the horseradish and yoghurt mixture into the pan. Stir really quickly until mixed throughout the courgettes and mackerel.
Drain the pasta and tip straight into the pan, with about 100ml of the cooking water, then stir until totally covered in the sauce.
Serve straight away with the parsley scattered over the top.
After making these I was named the Empress of Veggies by the one and only Gregg Wallace, so I felt I had to share this recipe! It is a little messy to make (make sure you squeeze the fluid out of the veggies) but those dips combined with the croquettes = heaven.
Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. Line a large shallow baking tray with parchment paper.
Place all the grated vegetables into a large bowl and mix together. Add the remaining ingredients and mix really well, squishing it all together until evenly mixed. Set aside to soften for 15 minutes.
Mix once more then divide into 8 in the bowl, then take each portion and form into two little sausages. Place onto the lined baking tray then repeat with the remaining mixture to form 16 sausages.
Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the croquette golden brown on the outside, .
Place all the ingredients for the pea guacamole into a large food processor and pulse until just broken down, then scrape the sides of the processor down. Blitz until just beginning to get smooth - you want a little texture left. Tip into a serving bowl and taste
Swiss chard is such an easy veggie to grow and it gives you back time after time. Plant a few seeds, water and care for a few plants lovingly and you will find you always have bountiful supply.
Some interesting chard facts.
Swiss chard was discovered by a Swiss botanist – hence it’s name.
It is a member of the goosefoot family, called this due to the leaves looking like a goose foot.
Chard is packed with nutrition including vitamins A,C, K plus magnesium, potassium, iron and fibre.
So the question is what to do with it? The great news is it goes in virtually everything. I’ve added baby leaves to smoothies, savoury muffins and scones. Then use it like you would spinach in dhal, stir fry and omelette. Or wash it and freeze, I’m totally up for an easy life and don’t cook it before freezing. I find it works fine to add to casseroles and other meals where you add as it cooks.
One of the easy summer recipes I sometimes pull out the back of my mind when the chard patch and my mind are overflowing, and I need to cook but also need a break – this chard and pasta dish. It works so well. The rosemary gives it a warm lift and the bacon adds the saltiness, plus it means my children eat it. Now my boy isn’t a fan of his greens, but will eat this meal all up. It goes to show sometimes it is what a food is paired with that matters.
I let my children decide their own portions of this meal and eat according to appetite. My eldest girl after a busy day at school had seconds, my boy cleared his plate and was satisfied. My toddler ate off my plate too!
One of the questions I get asked a lot is for healthy snack ideas. Walking around the shops there is a plethora of snack items but so many of them are expensive items that you can make yourself in batches with a little knowhow and patience. Energy balls are one such item. Often sold for £1.50-£1 a portion, these can be made a lot cheaper at home. See my analysis below. Whilst there are a lot of energy ball recipes out there on the internet this one is so delicious that I had to share it. I love having snacks like these to hand for instant snacking and even better, these freeze well. My boy also loves making these with me.
Perfect mid morning snack for me between clients and an afternoon snack for the kids at a much better cost than buying from the shops.
Blitz up the cashews, oats and dates in a food processor or grinder. I do this in batches as my grinder is smalll. You may need to stop grinding and stir it around a bit from time to time.
Put the mixture into a bowl, add in the ginger and stir.
Now roll into balls and roll in the sesame seeds (if wanted).
Store in a tin, the fridge or freeze.
Costing = £2.20 for 10 balls (5 portions for an adult)
Stir Fry is one of those meals we make a lot at home. It is fast food, easy to make and satisying. This one, made on Eat Well for Less uses frying steak which is quick to cook due to it’s thinness and cheaper than other cuts. Top tip – you don’t want to overcook this so having all your ingredients pre chopped and ready for action is a good idea.
This is one of those recipes you can make your own. Adding bamboo shoots and beansprouts would give it a nice Chinese style touch, or add any other veggies you have.
Use gluten free soy sauce and stock cube to make this a gluten free meal.
Red meat is important for iron and zinc intake, something that we know is an issue for teenage girls and young women. This can then be exacerbated if you become pregnant. So whilst red meat is sometimes frowned upon, this recipe provides a great way to include it in your weeks meal plan.
I’ve modified it from the version on the show, scaling it down to serve 4 people rather than 6.
Rinse and drain the rice. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the basmati, stir well then cook according to the packet instructions.
Heat a wok over a high heat until hot, add half the oil and when it’s just smoking, add the beef. Sprinkle with cornflour and stir-fry until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Stir-fry the cashews until just golden-brown then set aside with the beef.
Carefully wipe the wok until clean using kitchen roll. Bring to a high heat and add the remaining oil. Once hot, add the red onion and fry for 1–2 minutes, or until just soft. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute
Half fill the kettle and bring to the boil. Add the broccoli, soy and oyster sauce to the wok and mix well. Add the vegetable stock cube with 400ml/14fl oz boiling water and bring to the boil, stirring well. Cover with a lid (use kitchen foil if you don't have a suitable pan lid) and cook for 2 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender (you don’t want to lose the bright green colour).
Add in beansprouts, bamboo shoots if wanted at this stage.
Stir the cooked beef and cashews through the sauce and heat for a minute. Scatter over the coriander and serve immediately with the cooked, drained rice.
Freelance Dietitian specialising in helping those with Eating Disorders and a Media Spokesperson for the profession.
