Our recipes are specially created to be healthy, nutritious and family friendly. Tuck in!
All tagged make ahead
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?
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!
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.
I enjoyed my very first falafel on a family trip to Israel as a teenager. Served very spicy with mixed salad, in a flat bread. As a chickpea fan, I naturally love them and I enjoy playing around with ingredients, flavours and colours. This beetroot falafel is not just pretty, it's quick and easy to make, healthy, packed with whole ingredients, ideal to make ahead and really filling. If you've never tried them, have a go!
These are a healthy and gluten free alternative to the frozen fish finger. By making them yourself you can be confident on the quality of the fish and ensure there's no added nasties. Many fish fingers from supermarkets are coated in unhealthy oils, which have no place in our diet. Serve with a side of sweet potato fries and a couple of green vegetables as a perfect balanced meal. If your child is suspicious of 'green bits' then leave the parsley out!
Growing up in France, my paternal side of the family was from French North Africa and I grew up enjoying many of the flavourful dishes of the cuisine of the Sephardic Jews. My grandmother spent her time spoiling us with feast after feast of delicious spicy foods. My favourite was her "Choukchouka". Little did I know that this dish would see such a revival and feature in every culinary, foodie, healthy cookbook or blog! So here's my own family recipe for you to enjoy.
A fresh and zingy curry - perfect now that there's a chill in the air. It's packed full of ginger and garlic, both great anti-inflammatory foods that will help if you are feeling below par. I often just serve this on it's own, but you could always add some chickpeas or other beans. Can be served on its own, with brown rice or cauliflower-rice. You can substitute the butternut squash with pumpkin if you prefer.
When looking for inspiration for healthy on-the-go finger food, I find that the mediterranean food I grew up with has a lot to offer, and I thoroughly enjoy revisiting old family recipes. These koftas are quick and easy to make, keep well, and will provide you with the perfect make ahead lunch box item for kids and adults alike.
This tagine serves a delicious spicy punch. Not one for little ones unless adventurous! A great vegetarian meal that packs in lots of different vegetables. Can be made ahead and reheated and leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day. Delicious served on its own, but if you are super hungry then serve with brown rice, quinoa or some cauliflower rice. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients - the spice paste is ever so easy to make!
This is perfect for introducing your children to spices. It's not that hot, so I add a couple of dried chillies when I cook it for some extra heat. If your children aren't used to spices then don't add any chillies the first time you make it and then introduce gradually. Don't be put off by the long list of spices it's a very simple dish and the oven does the hard work!
With its origin in the area around Provence and Nice where I spent all my summers as a child, the word “ratatouille” originally meant a coarse stew as "touiller" or "ratouiller" means to stir in French. Ratatouille is a dish I make weekly all year round, because besides being loved by all at home, it is extremely versatile and packed full of vitamins and nutrients.
These French Puy Lentils are a staple in my house just as they were in my Grand mother's kitchen in Burgundy growing up. Quick and easy to prepare, they don't need to soak and cook in just 20 minutes. They are a great protein packed alternative to meat, rice or potatoes and are incredibly versatile, enjoyed hot or cold as a base for a salad. Chorizo and Dijon mustard is our favourite way to cook them, but get creative with them and enjoy!
One of the difficult things about a busy hectic family life is managing time and meal planning. That's where your AGA or like me a slow-cooker is a saviour several times a week. This gammon joint offers really intense flavours and requires no stock or liquid added.
When you love asparagus, the season is not really long enough, so I really try and come up with new recipes to include them at least a couple of times a week. This new recipe could very quickly become a seasonal staple for my family. It is quick to prepare, nutritionally balanced, can be adapted, can be eaten hot or cold, makes a perfect picnic or lunchbox item and when cut into squares it's a great finger food for the younger ones. What are you waiting for?
These little chia pots are so easy to make and are an ideal quick breakfast or even a pudding. My son likes one for breakfast and he mixes with some homemade granola or even just some nuts and seeds.
We like to include a couple of vegetarian or meat-free days in our week. This helps to keep the weekly food budget down and gives our digestion a rest from processing meat. This bean chilli is a perfect recipe for those meat-free days. It's great on its own, but could be served with some brown rice if you are particularly hungry. Leftovers are also great the next day for lunch. It's best prepared with dried beans - see tip below, but you can use tinned if you prefer.
Dips and sauces prepared in advanced can make a world of difference at the end of a hectic day with the kids or at work. This pesto is made with watercress because it is currently in season but could be made with kale, spinach, parsley or basil. And isn't that colour just amazingly inviting?
