This chilli recipe works really well for the whole family. Fabulous for protein and iron from the beef mince, lycopene from tomatoes, vitamin C from red peppers, fibre in all the veg…..the list of health benefits could go on.

I’ll make it without the chilli powder for the kids and call it “Children’s Chilli”. It still retains the chilli flavour with cumin and paprika but without the heat form the chilli powder. When they’ve been served up, I’ll add the chilli for the adults. It’s perfect with a variety of optional extras: rice, jacket potato, tacos, coleslaw, sour cream or grated cheese.

Watching your weight?

You can swap beef mince for turkey mince, cut right back on the rice (or skip the rice altogether) and images-2 serve with coleslaw, salad or any other veg you fancy. Filling a few big iceberg lettuce leaves with the chilli and coleslaw is quite delicious. Aim to fill at least half your plate with veg/salad, and about 1/4-1/3 of the plate with the chilli.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube in 300ml boiling water
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
boiled rice or Tacos

In a pan, heat the oil, add the onions and cook over a medium heat until soft
Add the garlic, red pepper, chilli powder, paprika and cumin. Cook on low for a few minutes.
Turn up the heat and add the minced beef, stirring and prodding for about 5 minutes to break up the mince.
Pour in the beef stock
Add the tinned tomatoes, kidney beans and sugar
Squirt in the tomato purée and stir well.
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring to stop the chilli ‘catching on the bottom.
Turn off the heat for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to develop and to cool down.

Easy Pad Thai (that beats Wagamama’s)

Easy Pad Thai

SAUCE:

2 cloves garlic crushed, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar/white wine vinegar

PAD THAI:
2 rice noodle nests
3 chopped spring onions, 1 chopped red pepper
1 large egg, beaten
2 chicken breast, cubed

handful of bean sprouts

Method:

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Cook noodles according to package direction. Rinse and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium heat and add some oil.
Add chopped chicken breast, spring onions and red pepper. Cook until chicken has browned and cooked through.
Push the chicken and veg over to one side of the pan and pour the beaten egg into the pan in the space you’ve created and use your cooking spatula to scramble the egg.
Add the noodles to the pan and then pour the sauce over the noodles.
Reduce the heat a little and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. The noodles soak up the sauce and it will thicken.
Stir the bean sprouts in once everything has thickened and remove from heat.

For anyone who suffers with bloating, IBS or digestive conditions, e.g. Crohn’s or colitis, to make it Low FODMAP swap garlic for garlic infused oil (available in all supermarkets), only use he green part of the spring onions, and use Sainsbury’s own brand chicken stock (it has no garlic or onion)

Super Healthy Flapjacks – no butter or sugar

March 30, 2016September 5, 201771 Comments

It can be frustratingly difficult to find a healthy flapjack recipe that isn’t loaded with butter, sugar or syrup. If you would rather not load up on these ingredients, here is an alternative recipe to try.

Here’s why they are so great:

Super quick to prepare the mixture
No sugar, syrup or butter.
Ripe bananas and raisins add the sweetness.
If you feel the need for some extra sweetness, you can some honey, but you really don’t need too much.
Oats provide soluble fibre to keep you feeling full up, reduce cholesterol, keep your digestive system healthy and blood sugar levels steady.
Berries/Raisins are choca-block full of antioxidants and fabulous phytochemicals
Seeds/peanut butter are full of protein and healthy fats.

Top tip 1 For a seriously healthy and delicious Bircher Muesli breakfast, keep a few tablespoons of the pre cooked mixture in a bowl overnight in the fridge. In the morning, loosen with more milk.

Top tip 2 Did you know that the chunkier the oat the slower it is digested and will keep you full up for longer?

Basic Flapjack Ingredients (makes about 9): each provides 90 calories, 1.5g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 3g protein

150ml milk – or a milk alternative e.g. soya, almond, rice milk etc.

2 mashed bananas – the riper the better as sweeter and easier to mash

150g porridge oats (about 2 handfuls)

Ideas for optional extras:

a handful of whole/chopped/ground up sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
a tablespoon of cocoa powder
a handful raisins or cranberries
a few tablespoons of dessicated coconut
1 cup frozen berries (defrosted)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with a little extra milk (very good for constipation!)
For extra protein e.g. as post exercise snack, you can add a scoop of protein powder

Mix all the ingredients together. Put in to cake tin lined with greaseproof paper, or silicone bun cases. You can also make them in to cookies by placing the mixture in cookie shaped blobs on the greaseproof paper.

It can sometimes be a bit tricky to peel the greaseproof paper off, so you can grease the paper first with some oil.

Bake for about 40 minutes at 170 degrees C. Or until they are browning and you can smell the lovely aroma……..this is my method to check for readiness as I usually forget to look at the time I put them in! Enjoy playing around with variations of ingredients 🙂

If you like these, you’ll also LOVE Seriously Healthy Pancakes (2 ingredients), and Low Sugar Biscuits

How to choose a healthy yogurt

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Sainsbury’s sell about 400 different yogurts, with two aisles at my local one devoted to a technicolor of the tubs, pots and bottles.

So what’s the difference between them all. How do you choose a good one? What is the difference between plain and natural, Bio and live cultured, Greek and Greek Style, are low fat yogurts always loaded with sweeteners and thickeners, why does natural yogurt have sugar on the nutrition label? I’m an avid nutrition label reader (it’s part of my job), and I have to admit to being left confused and overwhelmed.

Yogurt is big business. In 2014, 80% of us bought it – that’s almost 42 million British stocking up on the (mostly) good stuff. 57% of British adults have yogurt as a dessert. Natural yogurts are the only variety that men are more likely to buy than women.

What makes yogurt ‘yogurt’??

Yogurt is made by fermenting milk with two very specific types of harmless bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermopiles (these are the only 2 cultures required by law to be present in yogurt).

The bacteria that are added to milk convert the naturally occurring sugar in milk (lactose) into lactic acid, which causes the milk to thicken, giving yogurt its characterised consistency and tangy taste. People who have difficulty digesting lactose in milk are generally able to tolerate yogurt better: this is because some of the lactose in yogurt has been broken down by the harmless bacteria used to make the yogurt.

Extra bacterial cultures, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifido-bacteria may be added to yogurt as probiotic cultures. These probiotic cultures benefit human health by improving lactose digestion, gastrointestinal function, and stimulating the immune system.

In the UK, yogurt is most commonly made from cows’ milk and can be made using full-fat or lower-fat milk. New variations are also available: soy, coconut, sheep’s, goat.

Plain/natural: yogurt at its simplest, with no additional ingredients. Just milk and the bacteria
Flavoured: with added sugar, honey, fruit juice, natural flavours, sweeteners, syrups, whole or puréed fruit and/or cereals.
Low-fat: contains no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 grams.
Fat-free: contains no more than 0.5 grams of fat per 100 grams.
Light: contains 30% less of a specific nutrient (for example, sugar or fat) compared to a range of similar products.
Greek yogurt (not Greek Style yogurt): genuine Greek yogurt is made by straining regular yogurt, removing the liquid whey and resulting in 2 to 3 times higher protein content. Greek yogurt is available in full fat, reduced fat and 0% fat. Even the 0% fat Greek yogurt is much thicker than regular yogurt. Total by Fage is a popular one.
Live yogurts: The majority of yogurts sold in the UK are ‘live’ yogurts – this means that they contain live bacteria, even if not stated on the label. Some yogurts have extra beneficial bacteria added e.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifido-bacteria. To identify if there are these extra biocultures added, you need to look on the ingredients label (due to EU legislation a manufacturer can not claim on the front of the pot that it contains ‘probiotics’)

Calcium: Yogurt made from milk is one of the best absorbed dietary sources of calcium. Calcium is needed for the development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth and is also important for blood clotting, wound healing and maintaining normal blood pressure. Most yogurts also contain varying amount of vitamins B6 and B12, riboflavin, potassium and magnesium.

This unsweetened natural yogurt has 6.5g of natural milk sugar (lactose)

Sugar: This is where it can get confusing. Many people ask me about yogurts and sugar, or make the comment that all yogurts are high in sugar. Because yogurt is made from milk, it will contain some naturally occurring sugars (lactose), from 3g/100g to 7g/100g; the amount of lactose depends on how much of it the bacteria has turned in to lactic acid. So although a plain/natural yogurt does not have added sugar, on the nutrition label you will read that there is sugar……confusing!

However, many manufacturers load their yogurts with sugar and very sweet fruit purees or juice. Unfortunately, the label does not differentiate between the naturally occurring lactose and this added sugar.

This yogurt has a 15.2g sugars. About 7g of this is naturally occurring milk sugar (lactose = good), the remainder is added sugar (not good)

This yogurt has a 15.2g sugars. About 7g of this is naturally occurring milk sugar (lactose = good), the remainder is about 2 teaspoons of added sugar (not good)

How to choose a healthy yogurt

Ideally, choose a plain/natural yogurt and if you want flavour or sweetness, add your own e.g. fruit, puree, vanilla extract, jam, sugar or honey. That way, you have more control over the amount of added sugars. One teaspoon of honey, jam or sugar is approximately 5g of sugar.

If choosing a flavoured yogurt, look for one that has below 12g/100g of sugar. This generally indicates that there has been less than a teaspoon of sugar added.

Below is a comparison of just a few of the most popular yogurts in UK supermarkets. I’m a fan of the Total Greek yogurts, due to the high protein, low sugar and extra bacteria probiotic bacteria Unknown-6 added (high protein yogurts have been shown to make you feel full up for longer and reduce appetite). I must give St Helen’s Goat yogurt a try, nutritionally I would award it second Unknown-9 place, but I’ve never tasted it! Onken Naturally Set also has a great nutritional profile, although lower in protein than Total.

All amounts are per 100g (about half a cup)

	Calories	Sugars	Protein	Fat	Extra Probiotic bacteria added
Sainsbury’s Greek Style	120	5	4	9
Yeo Valley Full Fat Plain	82	7	5	4	Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium
Onken Naturally Set	68	3	4	4	Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium
Yeo Valley Greek Style	150	14	3	8	Lactobacillus acidophilus Bifidobacterium
Total Full Fat	96	4	9	5	Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidus and L. Casei
Total 0%	57	4	10	0	Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidus and L. Casei
Danio flavoured	100	12	7	2
Activia Strawberry	99	13	4	3	Bifidobacterium Lactis (Bifidus ActiRegularis®)
Yeo Valley Fruity Favourites	107	13	5	4	Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus Acidophilus
Alpro Soy Cherry	73	9	4	2
Muller Crunch Corner Choc & Vanilla balls	148	18	4	5
Co Yo (coconut yogurt)	183	1	3	19
Woodland Sheep Natural	92	5	5	6	Lactobacillus acidophilus
St Helens Goats Natural	105	3	6	7	Lactobacillus acidophilus Bifidobacterium

Children’s yogurts are a WHOLE new ball game which deserve a post all of their own……watch this space!

9 of the Healthiest Supermarket Ready Meals

January 8, 2016April 13, 2016Leave a comment

Microwavable Ready Made Meals: the antithesis of healthy eating. In an ideal world we’d spend the morning tending our vegetable patch/chickens in the back yard, then the afternoon pootling about in the kitchen performing alchemy with our produce.

Historically, ready meals have been relegated by chefs and dietitians to the bottom of the culinary and nutrition pile. Little boxes of mush, hidden from view in cardboard boxes, often providing your full daily requirement for unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar.

I took a detour down the ready made food aisle at my local Sainsbury’s the other day (that loon taking photos of the food was me). Things have changed. We appear to have had a quiet food revolution.

Aware of the growing market for health foods, supermarkets have used dieticians, nutritionists and chefs to develop a new generation of microwavable ready meals. Can you now ping yourself to health (on full power) in 3 minutes? Is a healthy microwavable meal a contradiction in terms? I’m prepared to eat my words and cautiously say, yes, maybe……

What to look for in a healthy ready meal:

you want to see what you are going to eat, so a clear container
an ingredients list that only has the names of actual food, like carrots, beans, chicken and rice. Not modified maize starch, stabilisers, di-, tri- and polyphosphates, citric acid, firming agents and maltodextrin
aim for 300-400kcal
how much veg can you see? Look for meals with about 1/3-1/2 colourful veggies
a good protein portion: 20-30g: the label on the back will tell you this, make sure you look per portion
Not too much carbohydrate – about 1/4 of the meal. Extra points for wholegrain rice, baby potatoes, quinoa, beans, lentils
Below about 1g salt per portion: Colour-coded nutritional information on the front tells you at a glance if the food has high, medium or low (red means high, amber means medium, green means low)

Here are some of the best of the supermarkets’ own ranges:

Sainsbury’s My Goodness range: (£3.25, currently on offer £2.50) typically 300-400kcal per pack, plenty of lean protein, a lovely mix of colourful veg, with a controlled portion of carbs. Look for the ones with a green circle stating ‘high protein’.

M&S Balanced For You range: high protein, moderate carbohydrate meals. All meals provide slow release carbohydrate from various sources such as beans, pulses and vegetables.

Miso Chicken Noodles; Aromatic CHicken Skewers; Spiced Cauliflower Rice and Chargrilled Tikka Chicken

Tesco Healthy Living: £2.00 Some of the Healthy Living range meals can be high in salt, lacking veg or a bit low on protein. Here are two of the better ones: Chicken Noodle Laksa, South Individual Indian Curry With Pilaf.

Waitrose Love Life range: (£3.30, currently 3 for 2) fresh ingredients, 300-400kcal, high in protein (typically 27g per pack), lots of veg.

Chicken Madeira; Green Thai Chicken Curry

Seriously Healthy 1 minute muffin

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High in healthy fats and protein, low carbs.
The main ingredient in these healthy muffins is ground flaxseed. Flaxseed is a source of healthy fat, antioxidants, and fiber; rich source of micronutrients, dietary fiber, as well as manganese, vitamin B1, and the essential fatty acid omega-3.

Modern research has found evidence to suggest that flaxseed can also help lower the risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. I regularly recommend it to patients especially for constipation.

Flaxseed can be bought in most of the big supermarkets or health food shops (it is the same as ground linseeds – my Mum tells me they used to put linseed oil on horses tails to make them healthy and shiny)

Add a little bit of honey/maple syrup/agave nectar/sweetener/raisins if you like (they can be a little bland without any sweetness!)

Nutrition info: 320 kcal, 1g carbohydrate, 16g protein

1/4 cup flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 teaspoon light vegetable oil, such as olive oil
optional sweetener of choice (1/2 teaspoon sugar/honey etc)

 In a coffee mug, stir together 1/4 cup of flax meal, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, sugar/honey/sweetener if using and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Be sure to use a coffee mug, not a cup.
Add 1 egg and 1 tsp. of oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Microwave the mug for 45 to 60 seconds.
Pop the muffin out of the mug and enjoy.

Eat on the run, or serve with a high protein yogurt and berries.