Our recipes are specially created to be healthy, nutritious and family friendly. Tuck in!
That sweet taste of summer... belongs to the gorgeous strawberry! We simply can't resist them, especially when you grow your own. This granita is so quick and easy to make and very versatile. Perfect to serve and present as a grown-up dessert for your barbecue with friends or equally loved by kids like a healthy slushy refreshing treat. Perfect for batch making for those summer evenings.
The gluten free aisle in the supermarket is huge, and is growing larger every month. In 2016 the global gluten free market was worth $14.95 billion and is expected to grow at an annual rate of just over 9% every year. This rise in the gluten free market has also seen a rise in people claiming they are eating gluten free without being diagnosed as coeliac or intolerant to gluten. So is eating gluten free healthier for you?
Smoothies are a quick, easy, practical and versatile way to refuel efficiently during sports events. Packed full of nutrients, real fresh ingredients, they should become your best friends.
This new smoothie tastes like a treat and contains balanced amounts of good carbs, fibres and protein, with the added bonus of that sweet summer strawberry flavour.
A cold soup on a hot summer's day is exceptionally refreshing, but sometimes not that filling. With the addition of avocado, cashew nuts and coconut milk, this soup is creamy and will keep you full until the next meal! You won't need to serve this with bread. We have added mint and basil, but do substitute with other herbs that you have to hand.
The hearty, warm and spicy dishes of the mediterranean are my best food memories from summers in the South of France, enjoying my grandmother's home cooking. Chicken is an easy and inexpensive source of lean protein but being creative with it is key to re-inventing how you will enjoy it all year long. Slow cooking is not just a winter months thing. It's a must for busy health conscious families. Put everything in early morning and your delicious flavoursome meal will be awaiting when you all get home, stopping you reaching for other unhealthy processed ready made options.
As you know, at The health Boost, we are passionate about encouraging the whole family to eat real food together. This recipe is tasty, only takes a few minutes to make and will be loved by all, from toddlers to grown-ups and everyone in between. It is a great vegetarian or meat free day option that you can spice up with extra chilly!
At the Health Boost we love a green pesto. Spring and summer provide us with amazing green herbs, leaves and shoots and the greatest opportunities to experiment with green pesto. A homemade pesto is a great base for a bright and zingy salad dressing if you add olive oil and the juice of a lemon. As a make ahead and refrigerate item, it will become your best friend for a last minute delicious meal. Spoon some on top of a salmon fillet or chicken thighs before sliding in the oven and serve with a side salad.
When the weather gets warmer we love nothing better than a smoothie for breakfast. It's light and refreshing. The problem with many of the smoothies or smoothie mixes from the freezer you can buy from supermarkets is they are really high in fruit not vegetables and there's no protein to keep you full. This has protein from the chia seeds, healthy fat from the flaxseed and a good mix of vegetables with a touch of sweet from the mango.
I could not offer a more simple, balanced, delicious make ahead breakfast than this one! I wasn't even sure I was going to write this as a "recipe". But at The Health Boost we are passionate about simple real whole foods and ingredients. Being healthy does not require fancy ingredients and long winded fussy recipes. So here it is, a simple fairly rustic and fail safe recipe for a balanced breakfast. What fruit will you pick to make yours?
As there is no end to the creativity you can indulge in with waffle making, I embarked on a slightly more grown up tasting waffle. Matcha powder is not just for frothy lattes! It packs a really original flavour punch I very much enjoy adding to healthy baking. This recipe is refined sugar free and naturally gluten free thanks to using buckwheat flour. I enjoyed those waffles warm straight from the iron with frozen blueberries, toasted coconut, roasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of honey!
Do you love asparagus but struggle with ideas? Try this fresh and lovely summery wrap. When entertaining over the summer months, we're always after new ideas for salads and easy healthy foods that we are able to prepare ahead to offer a wide selection of colourful, balanced sides for picnic and barbecues. This can be prepared ahead, presented as a salad, or served as a topping for a summery tart. The flavours will transport you to a sunny mediterranean destination!
A very simple dish that is prepared in one pot so minimal washing up, which has to be a bonus. I serve this with a mix of red and wild rice and some in season greens on the side such as broccoli or kale. This is a great dish for children that are fussy with fish. Cod is a mild flavour and the yummy tomato sauce can hide the fish if needed.
All over the country, teenagers and adults are preparing for a summer of exams, whether itβs finals, A levels, GCSEs or end of year exams. Make sure your brain is in tip top condition by following our simple tips below to boost your brain and give yourself the best chance for success.
This soup is best served in April and May when the nettles are young and sweet, but the days still have a chill and warrant a soup. If you've never cooked with nettles before do give this a try - no sting we promise! Pick the top shoots from young nettles with thick protective gloves and wash thoroughly before using in this dish.
A savoury flapjack is a mixture of oats, seeds and vegetables baked until crispy. What's not to love? Here we've used carrots, spinach, feta and coriander to give a fresh vibrant flapjack. If you, or your children, don't like seeds then finely blitz them in a food processor before adding to the oat mix. To make this vegan, substitute the feta cheese with a vegan cheese or nutritional yeast. Can be served cold in a packed lunch or warm straight from the oven for a perfect vegetarian meal.
I started writing this post back in January, and decided to leave it until now, early April, as days are longer and brighter. Why? because this is NOT a story of January resolutions forgottenand abandoned come February. At the Health Boost, we don't believe in quick fixes, we are passionate about making small changes for long term, long lasting benefits. Personally, I am not a big fan of the word resolution. I prefer stronger, more positive and upbeat words like goals and challenges and changing the mindset. Like strategy and tactics, goals and challenges work hand in hand: they range from a daily challenge to a milestone goal or never attempted before challenge. They can be very personal or shared with family and friends.
Since getting my waffle maker at Christmas, we have had lots of fun with it. The kids keep coming up with some of their favourite flavours and I experiment with lots of different flours or starch in order to offer good nutritional value as well as fun. As always, no refined sugars, gluten free and easily dairy free if you chose so. This winning lemon & poppy seed combo worked beautifully, especially when served warmed with greek yoghurt, fresh blueberries and a drizzle of honey!
Heart disease is unfortunately still on the rise and is still the leading cause of death for both men and women in the world. Nutritionally there is much that you can do to protect yourself and since prevention is invariably better than cure itβs time to protect your heart.
This is one of those quick and easy meals that can be rustled up when nothing else is planned. Apart from the chicken fillets, the other ingredients are probably already in your cupboards. The recipe below uses chicken fillets as they cook quickly. However this can also be made with chicken breasts cut in strips, just make sure they are cooked through before serving.
At The Health Boost, we are foodies and passionate about good food to be enjoyed with our friends and family. And who doesn't enjoy a nice cookie! As always, we try and keep it free from nasties and rich in the good stuff. Including lavender flowers into the cookie dough has transformed those little thumb print cookies into real taste buds adventures. Don't get bored, be bold with food !
