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All in Recipes
This is NOT just another vegetarian curry option. It is one of those really satisfyingly easy dish to pull together for a mid week meal or a Friday night with friends. Packed full of flavours, purple and green vegetables, good amounts of protein and fibre. What’s not to like? I have previously served it as a main or side dish, with brown rice or quinoa or simply flatbreads. Chicken or lamb are the perfect meat to accompany.
We all love a curry in our house and Saturday nights have become a curry night ritual. Pleasing different palates is not always easy - some like a hot curry and others not so much. However this tikka masala seems to please everyone! I know it’s not traditional to add spinach to a tikka masala, but i like to add another vegetable whenever I can! I use 6 chicken breasts to feed my brood of 5 as my two teenagers are permanently hungry. However, unless you too have growing teenagers then adjust portions by using 1 chicken breast per person.
I have been wanting to make a lemon cake using a whole lemon for a while. The important phytonutrients in lemons are found in the peel - the part we normally throw away (see tip below). This cake remedies this! Since the whole lemon is used this is quite a grown up taste and not massively sweet. I love this lemony, nutty hit – but if you love your cakes very sweet this might not be for you! Be sure to choose organic lemons to avoid wax and pesticide residues.
I almost didn’t write this up as a recipe - after all it’s nothing complicated and fancy. Just 6 ingredients thrown together. However it’s been a winner in my house with all the family and so I thought I would share with you - after all we all need those quick and simple recipes to keep us going day in day out! To serve 4 or even 6 then just alter the amount of chicken breasts. My two teenagers seem to be going through a growth spurt at the moment so I often cook 6 chicken breasts for the 5 of us!
Beetroot and chickpeas are one of my favourite combo in a summer salad but this time I decided to team them up in a winter warmer with a taste of Morocco! This is a lovely balanced meal option for vegetarians, or an ideal side paired with slow cooked lamb. It is packed full of good dietary fibres and prebiotic goodness for help naturally improve and support your whole family’s gut health.
In an effort to simplify good home cooked family food without compromising on taste or essential nutrients, having a few recipes for versatile delicious sides is key. This is a dish I used to make with my grand mother as a child in France. She used to serve it with Toulouse sausages, or roast chicken. Should you have leftovers( I doubt it unless you save yourself a portion) I have found that cold the next day it makes a delicious salad, topped with crumbled feta.
This is a perfect dish when you want a vegetarian meal that looks a bit special. Can easily be doubled to provide a meal for four if needed. It’s very easy to make, but still looks impressive. I am always looking for ways to include more mushrooms in my diet as they are so highly nutritious for us. See the tip below for all the benefits.
You can never have enough soup recipes and this one hits the spot. Protein from the lentils, lots of cruciferous vegetable goodness from the cauliflower with the warming undercurrent of anti-inflammatory turmeric.
Cookies are part of life as a foodie…They are also most kids favourites so let’s enjoy them for what they are… a fab treat. They sometimes get a bad reputation but it doesn’t have to be that way. Dried fruits also get a bad rep but as long as they are used in moderation and are just that, fruits, no additives, no added sugar, just fruit, they are delicious and count towards your portions. These oat cookies went down a storm in my house.
More and more foodies show an interest in vegetarian options, so as big advocates of including lots of vegetables in our daily diets we like to ensure that we always add lots of recipes to our offering. A veggie curry is so versatile. Served on its own, this squash and cauliflower curry is heartwarmingly delicious. For a more filling meal, add chicken or serve with brown rice or your choice of whole grains.
This recipe is for all of you out there with foodie families and those who enjoy entertaining! We all need those One-Pot recipes in our repertoire. Simple, yet delicious heart warming, ideal to prep in advance and…packed full of vegetables and all round goodness. Leave the chorizo out for a vegetarian option, serve with roast chicken or slow roast lamb for a winter’s cosy Sunday lunch.
This chunky soup is really hearty and could probably fall into the stew category! If you need warming up then this will work. Despite the spices it’s kid-friendly too - my daughter enjoys it although as she prefers a smooth soup I blitz all of hers up rather than leaving half chunky. The cooking of this soup is very hands off and easy to rustle up for a quick lunch. I sometimes like to add a dark green leafy veg such as chard, kale or spinach to the soup and I just stir this in at the end to wilt.
Soups are perfect for warming you up during the Autumn and Winter months. They are also a great way of boosting vegetable intake into any reluctant vegetable eater! This soup is very child-friendly with naturally sweet root vegetables. This soup is ideal if you are suffering from a cold or want to boost your immunity. The garlic and ginger are both anti-inflammatory and immune boosting.
Not another snack requiring NO BAKING… said no-one ever! Whenever we are invited to talk at an event, be it a wellness event, nutrition talk or workshop at a school it seems most families struggle with choosing healthy snacks. They are not always necessary or even recommended, but when trying to manage a busy schedule and aspiring to a healthier regime it is really important to have the right balance of nutritious and flavoursome ingredients to keep us going. These snacks taste just like lemon drizzle cake!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
