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
A little lemon juice
1 cooked chicken breast chopped or 1⁄2 packet chopped grilled tofu
A little salt and pepper
Cook the couscous according to packet instructions.
Chop the chicken or tofu and vegetables.
Stir into the couscous, together with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Broad bean dip
300g broad beans (podded weight)
3 tbs crème fraîche
½ a lemon
1 tbs fresh dill
Chopped cucumber, carrots and/or celery
Cook the broad beans in boiling water, drain and leave to cool.
Blitz the broad beans, crème fraîche and a little seasoning together in a food processor.
Put in a bowl and squeeze in the lemon juice.
Pick, finely chop and stir through the dill
Lentil salad with feta
100g of dried or tinned puy lentils
1⁄2 avocado cut into small cubes
1 tbsp chopped coriander or parsley
1 tomato finely chopped
1⁄2 red pepper cut into small cubes
50g feta cheese cut into small cubes
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Combine the lentils with double volume of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until they are soft.
Rinse with cold water.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.
Pour over the lemon and olive oil.
Egg salad with basil & peas
150g new potatoes thickly sliced
160g French beans, trimmed
160g frozen peas
3 eggs
160g Romaine lettuce, roughly torn into pieces
For the dressing
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
½ tsp English mustard powder
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped basil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp capers
Cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering water for 5 mins.
Add the beans and cook 5 mins more, then tip in the peas and cook for 2 mins until all the vegetables are just tender.
Meanwhile, boil the eggs in another pan for 8 mins. Drain and run under cold water, then carefully shell and halve.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl with a good grinding of black pepper, crushing the herbs and capers with the back of a spoon to intensify their flavours.
Mix the warm vegetables into the dressing to coat, then add the lettuce and toss everything together. Pile onto plates, top with the eggs.
Gaspacho
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
1kg ripe plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
3 slices of stale crusty white bread, chopped
2–2½ tbsp sherry vinegar, or to taste
Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and spring onions in a large bowl.
Add the bread and season well with salt and pepper.
Add the sherry vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and mix together with your hands, pressing down to squeeze out the juices. Cover and chill.
Leave to marinade for at least 30 mins or overnight.
Put the vegetable mixture into a blender and whiz until smooth. Check the consistency. If it is still rather thick and not very rich, add another glug or two of olive oil until you reach a consistency you like.
Sardines with pesto mash & rainbow vegetables
For the pesto mash:
1 red-skinned potato, grated
1 handful flat leaf parsley leaves
1 handful basil leaves
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp pine nuts
4 tbsp olive oil
55g/2oz Parmesan grated
For the sardines:
2 sardine fillets, skin scored, pin bones removed – can be straight out of a tin
1 tbsp olive oil - use the oil from the tin
For the pesto mash:
Boil the grated potato in a pan of salted water for 3-4 minutes, or until tender.
Drain well, squeezing out any excess moisture, and mash until smooth using a potato masher or ricer.
Blend the remaining pesto mash ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Add two tablespoons of the pesto mixture to the mashed potato and stir until well combined.
For the sardines:
Sandwich the sardines between two sheets of cling film and flatten using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Or just leave them unbashed!
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat, add the flattened sardines and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown on both sides.
Remove from the pan and set aside on a warm plate to rest. Put a lid over the pan to stop the house from smelling of sardines!
To serve, spoon the pesto mash into the centre of a serving plate and place the fried sardines on top.
Drizzle the remaining pesto around the edge of the plate.
Decorate the plate with an array of colourful steamed vegetables.
Baked salmon with noodles, green beans, mange tout
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Fresh basil
Pepper
1 lemon
4 salmon fillets
300g green beans
300g mange tout
400g fresh noodles
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Crush the garlic and then mix with the olive oil, chopped basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Cover the salmon fillets with the mix then place them in foil and cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 190C.
Steam the green beans and mange tout and boil fresh noodles in water.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Prawn and pea curry
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
600g raw peeled prawns
400g sugar snap peas
240ml low fat coconut milk
Juice from one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add curry powder and cook, stirring for a minute or two.
Add prawns and peas and cook, stirring for about 4 minutes.
Add coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Serve with rice
Chinese chicken in lettuce cups
300g chicken, pork or turkey mince
A pinch chilli flakes
2-3 spring onions, chopped
1⁄2 red pepper chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp olive oil
Drizzle of sesame oil
1 carrot grated
Handful of green beans finely chopped
2-4 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp clear honey
Baby gem leaves (romaine, round or cos lettuce leaves)
200g cooked rice/noodles, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
Chopped peanuts (optional)
Mix the mince with the chilli, sesame oil, spring onions, garlic, and ginger. Leave to marinade and prepare the vegetables.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan or wok over a medium heat and cook the mince mixture for about 5 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat up with the back of a fork until golden brown.
Add the green beans, red pepper and carrot, stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Add soy sauce, honey, chilli flakes and five-spice powder.
Stir to combine and continue to heat until the chicken is cooked through, the liquid has evaporated and it starts to sizzle. Add a squeeze of lime juice and turn off the heat.
Serve the mince in baby gem leaves, with cooked rice or noodles and lime wedges to squeeze over. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Beef fajitas
350g sirloin steak
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1⁄2 tsp cumin
1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
1⁄2 tsp black pepper
1⁄2 tsp salt
8 wholemeal tortillas
1 red onion
1 green pepper
1 red or yellow pepper
Rocket
Guacamole (try homemade), salsa or low fat sour cream to serve
Slice steak (or chicken if you'd rather) into thin strips.
In a bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper.
Add beef or chicken strips and stir so meat is coated in marinade. Set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 200C.
Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.
Chop onion and peppers into strips.
Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in a griddle pan or large non-stick pan over a medium heat.
Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the meat and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
To serve, spoon a portion of the beef mixture into the centre of each tortilla, top with your desired toppings, fold bottom of tortilla up over filling and fold the sides in, overlapping.
Serve with a rocket salad and corn on the cob, if desired.
Homemade ice lollies
Most smoothies can be frozen into ice lolly moulds, even when they contain vegetables. Try this easy one that even the kids will like:
3 oranges, juiced
1 mango 2 tbsp of coconut cream (scraped from the top of a can of coconut milk) 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Skin the mango and blend with the fresh orange juice, coconut cream and cinnamon. Freeze in lolly holders
The leftover coconut milk can be added to a Thai coconut prawn soup or add a creamy texture to a homemade curry.
Bring out your inner chef
Preparing your own meals and snacks is a great way of monitoring exactly what goes into the food you eat and can also be relaxing and rewarding.
Many summer recipes are pretty straightforward so it’s a good time to get into the habit of cooking and experiment with the type of dishes you like.
Try incorporating a new dish into your routine each week.