recipes

With a busy hectic family life, managing time and meal planning is tricky. That's where your AGA or like me a “Crockpot” slow-cooker is a saviour several times a week. This shoulder of lamb is quick and easy to prepare first thing in the morning and will welcome you in the evening with warming spiced aromas and a healthy hearty family meal ready to serve, and hopefully leftovers for lunch the next day.

Oct 22

Oct 22 Boosting your immunity

Blog, Nutrition, Health

As the seasons change and the nights draw in it’s the return of the coughs and colds. I always find it’s when the children go back to school after the summer holidays that colds start to make a reappearance. It always amazes me just how quickly someone in the class gets a cold and passes the germs around.

Oct 14

Oct 14 plum & berry chia compote

Recipes, Breakfast and brunch

Who would say no to a better healthier breakfast, naturally sweet, nothing processed and so nourishing? Let’s all say yes and add this amazing fruit compote or jam. only 5 minute to prep and it will fill your kitchen with the sweet aromas or an old fashioned jam making kitchen! It is THE all round perfect breakfast partner to your overnight oats, porridge, or yoghurt topped up with nuts and seeds! Great with homemade waffles too!

Oct 10

Oct 10 mushroom, spinach & coconut curry

While Val, the French half of The Health Boost is all about blue skies, hot sun and Mediterranean flavours, I am a huge fan of Autumn. Cosy jumpers, snuggling under a blanket, log fires and slow cooks, stews and spicy curry. Well to me this wild mushroom curry sums up those Autumn flavours. So easy to make and totally delicious. Eating out of a large bowl in front of a log fire while wearing a cosy jumper is optional! While most of our recipes are suitable for families my children won’t even touch mushrooms so this only serves 2.

Sep 30

Sep 30 kitchen garden soup

Recipes, Soups and salads

Including lots of green in our diet is always top of our list. Soups along with curries are a perfect way to up the daily portions with reluctant eaters. The addition of ground cumin to this otherwise simple soup gives it that extra warmth and comforting quality. The apple and peas work wonderfully to balance out the strong Cavalo Nero and celery flavours.

Sep 25

Sep 25 apple & cinnamon bread

With autumn (fall) upon us as I write, we all suffer a little more urge for comfort foods. This apple bread is perfect for using up all the apple around at this time. It is gluten free and contains not other sugar than what the apples contain. Delicious served with a berry fruit compote and a dollop of nut butter.

Sep 18

Sep 18 a week of healthy snacks

Blog, Recipes, Snacks

Kat and I are not really snackers, but with 5 children between us and busy schedules we know that they are often a necessity to keep us all going, mums and children alike. However, with so many supermarkets and health shops increasing their range of so called "healthier option" snacks, it is easy to get confused with the often misleading claim on the front of the packets.The nutritional labels at the back are so often just as confusing. The solution to ensure you know exactly what you eat? Make your own snacks and get the kids involved with flavours. Many of the snack bars sold in the supermarkets or health shops as "healthy" are often still very high in sugar due to the dried fruit content or sugar alternatives used. We have so many great options on the website, baked snacks, raw options, all gluten free and mostly nut-free for a school policy compliant lunch box. We believe that a good nourishing snack should always include protein.

Sep 9

Sep 9 spiced chard & sweet potato cakes

This recipe came about after a surplus of chard in the vegetable patch that needed using up. I had previously just steamed the chard and used as a side dish, but the family weren't keen on the earthy taste so I needed to be more imaginative. This is the result and it worked. Husband gave it a big thumbs up!

Sep 8

Sep 8 crumble cake

With it's cake bottom and crumble top - this cake is delicious and was a hit with both big and small in the family. They never guessed that it contained a vegetable! It's got sugar in the form of maple syrup - that means it's a treat and not to be consumed everyday. However, if you want a treat - then this is amazing and will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Sep 2

Sep 2 lemon, honey & oat bars

With so many supermarkets and health shops increasing their range of so called "healthier option" snacks, it is easy to get confused with the often misleading claim on the front of the packets! The nutritional labels at the back are so often just as confusing. The solution to ensure you know exactly what you eat? Make your own snacks and get the kids involved with flavours! This lemon honey and poppy seed is a classic favourite in our family.

Aug 23

Aug 23 fat soluble vitamins

Blog, Nutrition, Health

If you follow us on Instagram you will know that we recently posted a series called Nutrient Spotlight, where we took each vitamin and mineral in turn and spoke of how it is used in our body, why we need it and any symptoms of deficiency - also most importantly how you can find these nutrients in your food. The series was so popular that we have added them to our blog so you'll be able to access them easily. This week we spotlight the fat soluble vitamins – Vitamins A, D, E and K. It's very important to remember that these vitamins are stored in our body (in the liver) and so it's very easy to reach high and potentially toxic levels.

Aug 17

Aug 17 mint & cashew rack of lamb

At The Health Boost we love our food of course, and we love to keep it simple with few ingredients without comprising on nutrients, quality and flavours. This simple lamb recipe is just that. A handful of ingredients carefully picked, local, fresh and easy to assemble for maximum effect and foodie pleasure.

Aug 14

Aug 14 provencal stuffed courgettes

If you visit Provence in the summer "Petits farcis" are everywhere. My grandma used to make a large saucepan of the sauce and add to a wide variety of mediterranean vegetables including: courgettes, tomatoes, aubergines, artichokes, red and green peppers and onions! How lucky was I growing up always eating such a delicious rainbow? This simple one pot recipe is my take on it. Merci Mamie.

Aug 11

Aug 11 courgette & chickpea salad

Recipes, Soups and salads

In August we are always looking for ways to use up a glut of courgette from the veg patch! This salad recipe is perfect. It's a good mixture of carbohydrates, green vegetables and fat from the avocado and dressing. This stores well in the fridge (without the avocado and dressing) and so can be taken into work for a healthy packed lunch.

Aug 8

Aug 8 harissa baked cod

At the Health Boost we're here to share quick simple and delicious recipes that you can make and enjoy again and again. This cod is packed full of the aromatic flavours of the Rose Harissa and simply baked in parchment paper. It is ready very quickly and can be served on a bed of crushed new potatoes or wild rice and a rainbow of seasonal veggies!

Aug 1

Aug 1 Let's talk about fat

Blog, Nutrition, Health

For those of us growing up in the 70s, 80s and 90s we were told that eating a low fat diet was healthy and we switched from high fat butter to margarine, full fat milk to skimmed milk and we stopped drizzling oil and butter on our salads and vegetables. Thankfully those days are now behind us and finally the message that eating low fat is healthy is starting to be replaced by the message that eating healthy fats is good for you. However, I still find there are many people that cling onto eating a low fat diet and have a fear of eating any fat. The idea that eating fat makes us fat was first touted in the 1950s and since this low fat message we have seen a rise in obesity, a rise in dementia-related illnesses and a rise in heart conditions.

Jul 27

Jul 27 broad bean & mint dip

Dips and sauces, Recipes

At the Health Boost we believe that the sure way to sustaining healthy eating on a long term basis is to keep it simple. Few ingredients, inspired by the seasons and available locally. This dip is just that and will make the perfect offering with summer drinks, barbecues served with warm flat breads or corn tortillas.

Jul 25

Jul 25 cherry & almond ice lollies

When temperatures soar and everyone suddenly fancies an ice cream, turn your smoothies into those amazing ice popsicles. The flavour combination is inspired by the gorgeous Kent cherries abundant in July and August, and the memories of the classic British Bakewell tart!

Jul 10

Jul 10 French Dijon dressing