Here are some easy recipes to help you stay healthy and energetic this summer.
The key is thinking ahead and getting organised. Do a shop on Sunday and plan your meals in advance to help avoid the easy option of processed foods during the day or logging on to a delivery app at night.
Take your pick from these tasty options - full instructions below:
Breakfast Smoothies: Summer Cold Kicker & Sunshine Fruit Smoothie
Homemade Muesli
Spinach & Sweet Potato Tortilla
Black Bean, Sweetcorn And Quinoa Wraps
Wholemeal Pitta Bread With Hummus And Vegetables
Couscous Salad
Broad Bean Dip
Lentil Salad With Feta
Egg Salad With Basil And Peas
Gaspacho
Sardines With Pesto Mash & Rainbow Vegetables
Baked Salmon With Noodles, Green Beans And Mange Tout
Prawn And Pea Curry
Chinese Chicken In Lettuce Cups
Beef Fajitas
Homemade Ice Lollies
Breakfast smoothies
1. Summer cold kicker
1 ripe banana
1 large handful of blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 – 3 kale leaves, with stalks
1 small handful of cruciferous greens (leaves of broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage)
Optional: a handful of goji berries
Water as needed
Blend and drink
2. Sunshine fruit smoothie
1 plum
1 peach
1 nectarine
170g Pot of Greek total zero yogurt
150ml Almond milk
1 teaspoon chia seeds or flax seeds
Blend and drink
Homemade muesli
850g rolled oats
100g unsalted mixed nuts e.g. almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts
60g pumpkin seeds
60g sunflower seeds
130g sultanas or raisins
40g dried apricots (optional)
75g desiccated or shredded coconut
Pour all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well.
Store in the cupboard in an airtight plastic or glass storage jar.
Serve with seasonal fruit, milk and / or a spoonful of natural yoghurt
Spinach & sweet potato tortilla
300g bag baby spinach leaves
8 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions thinly sliced
4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into thin slices
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 large eggs
Pour boiling water over the spinach, drain well and squeeze a little to remove any excess water.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a 25cm non-stick pan with a lid, then gently cook the onions for 15 mins until really soft but not coloured.
Add another 3 tbsp oil and add the potatoes and garlic. Mix in with the onions, season well, cover and cook over a gentle heat for another 15 mins or so until the potatoes are very tender. Stir occasionally to stop them catching.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, tip in the cooked potato and onion, and mix together. Separate the spinach clumps, add to the mix and fold through, trying not to break up the potato too much.
Add 2 tbsp more oil to the pan and pour in the sweet potato and egg mix. Cover and cook over a low-medium heat for 20 mins until the base and sides are golden brown and the centre has mostly set. Run a palette knife around the sides to stop it from sticking. To turn the tortilla over, put a plate face down onto the pan, and then flip it over. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and cook for a further 5-10 mins until just set and golden all over. Continue cooking on the other side. Again use a palette knife to release the tortilla from the sides.
Allow to rest for 5 mins, then tip onto a board before cutting into wedges.
Eat right away or wrap in foil or put in Tupperware box for a healthy on the go snack.
Black bean, sweetcorn & quinoa wraps
150g quinoa
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
400g tin of black beans, rinsed and drained
200g tin of sweet corn (or frozen and defrosted)
Juice of 1 lime
Small bunch of coriander, chopped
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and roughly chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
4 large wholemeal or seeded tortillas
Cook the quinoa in boiling salted water for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain and put to one side.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan and fry the onion until soft.
Add the garlic and spices and fry for another minute.
Add 1 tomato, the black beans and sweetcorn and cook for 5 minutes before stirring in the drained quinoa, half the lime juice and half the coriander. Cook for a few minutes until the quinoa has warmed through.
Gently mix the remaining tomato, lime juice and coriander with the avocado and chilli. Season well.
Pile the quinoa mix into the middles of the wraps, top with the avocado mix. Fold in the sides, and then roll.
Eat or wrap in foil to easily transport.
Wholemeal pitta bread with hummus & vegetables
2 pittas
Cucumber
Carrots
Spring onion
75g hummus
Slice pittas and fill with vegetables and hummus
Couscous salad
100g wholegrain couscous
Red and green peppers, chopped
Cucumber
4 olives
1 tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil