My favourite recipes

I’ve been busy adding some of my favourite healthy recipes to my website. So, in this blog I wanted to give you a quick whistlestop tour of my recipes and my insight on how they can help you feel energised and nourished, whatever your goals are, whether that’s weight management or sports performance or equally as importantly, to create healthy habits for life! 

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day.

I’m such a fan of a healthy breakfast to set us up for the new day.

Breakfast is the first meal we eat after an overnight fast, so it’s really important to make sure our breakfast is balanced with protein, healthy fats and carbs.[1] This helps to balance blood sugar levels, reduce cravings and energy slumps, all supporting healthy weight management. If you’re exercising, it’s especially crucial to make sure you have the right amount of carbohydrate and good quality protein before you exercise to avoid stress on the body, particularly in peri-menopausal women. Why? Stress = more cortisol = more insulin = weight gain.

Why choose my recipes? Most of our traditional breakfast foods are high in refined carbs (think cereals, pastries and toast). This kind of high sugar breakfast can lead to a sharp rise in blood sugar levels first thing in the morning, followed by an energy slump when these blood sugar levels fall[2]. This can cause us to feel hungry, sluggish and reaching for the biscuits by mid-morning! So, in contrast, my recipes focus on building a balanced breakfast with protein and healthy fats, as well as healthy carbohydrates. Think brown rather than white or beige. Wholemeal or wholegrain varieties are best. This is going to help support more stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, ultimately supporting weight management without the need for restrictive diets (something I’m so against) but also giving you longer lasting energy.

Check out my balanced breakfast recipes here. 

Super smoothies

I love smoothies as a way to get more nutrients into the diet. There are so many plant-based goodies that you can blend in to make a really nutritious, easily-digestible drink (frozen or fresh berries, flaxseeds, chia seeds, nuts or nut butters, vegetables…)

Smoothies are also great for fuelling before and after exercise. Add carbohydrates like banana and oats plus protein such as nuts, seeds or my one of my favourite quick-fixes: a high-quality protein powder. I always go for a protein powder with low carbohydrates, saving my all-important carbs at every meal and snack for fresh fruit or wholegrains. If you want to know more about my favourite protein powders, get in touch.

Smoothies can also be a good go-to snack when you’re craving something sweet. My raw cacao and peanut butter smoothie is a personal favourite for those moments when I feel the urge for chocolate.  

For my favourite smoothie recipes, click here. 

Soups

I LOVE making soups! I find it very therapeutic as it’s so difficult to get wrong. In a world where sustainability is the big buzz word, it’s also such a great way to use up the vegetables that are beginning to look a bit tired in my fridge. Soups are one of my go-to recommendations for a balanced lunch, supper or even snack for so many reasons but one being they are so quick to prepare. Just heat and then eat!  

My soup recipes are packed with loads of vegetables, so you know you are getting a range of different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as fibre. This has been shown to help with blood sugar levels as well as promoting gut-health.[3]

Balanced mains

It can be really hard to make sure you are getting the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats with every meal. My main meals are specifically designed to ensure you get this balance right, helping you stay fuller longer, reduce cravings and energy slumps that might cause you to snack on sugary or highly-processed foods. 

Many of us don’t get enough protein in our diets, which is really important for blood sugar balance, muscle recovery and lots more! I love fish as a source of lean protein, so have incorporated lots of easy fish recipes on my website.

Check out my favourite main meal recipes here.

What I love about these is that they work whatever your health goals are.

If your goal is weight loss, you may want to serve with a smaller carbohydrate portion but knowing that your fat and protein requirements are taken care of. If you come to me for help with weight management, I will help you set your daily carb intake which we review weekly, often tweaking it, depending on how you are progressing towards your target weight.

If your goal is sports performance, your carbohydrate are super important. So, you can just add enough healthy carbohydrate such as oats, brown rice, brown pasta, quinoa, chickpeas, lentils or rye bread to suit your specific needs within your current training programme. If you’re not sure how much is enough for you, reach out. It’s something I love helping clients with.

References

1.    Shimy KJ, Feldman HA, Klein GL, Bielak L, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Effects of dietary carbohydrate content on circulating metabolic fuel availability in the postprandial state. Journal of the Endocrine Society. 2020Jul26;4(7). 

2.    Page KA, Seo D, Belfort-DeAguiar R, Lacadie C, Dzuira J, Naik S, et al. Circulating glucose levels modulate neural control of desire for high-calorie foods in humans. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2011;121(10):4161–9. 

3.    Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AF. Metabolic effects of dietary fiber consumption and prevention of diabetes. The Journal of Nutrition. 2008;138(3):439–42.