Thai Salmon Fishcakes with Quick Chilli Dipping Oil

These are a great lunchtime meal if you are following Slimming World - they come in at just 4.5 syns for the oil and Thai Green Curry Paste and I use my HEB for the Ryvita.

I serve with ribbons of carrot and cucumber made using a vegetable peeler a small side salad and a tiny pot of chilli infused oil.

The below makes two fishcakes - be warned they are moreish!

Here's how:
Dipping Oil:

• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tsp olive oil

Fishcakes:

• 1 100g fillet of salmon
• 2 spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 thumb of fresh ginger
• 1 red chilli
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander
• 1 tsp Green Thai Curry Paste
• 1 Original Ryvita 

Firstly in a small pot place the chilli flakes and the oil and leave to infuse a little - this is your dipping sauce and will act as a great dressing for any salad you serve alongside too.

Now drizzle in a tiny bit of oil or spray into a pan and place on a low heat.

Finely chop the spring onions, chilli and coriander and place into a bowl.

Mince the garlic and add to the bowl and grate in the ginger.Cut the lime in half and squeeze into the bowl.

Crumble the Ryvita into the bowl.

Next finely chop the salmon into small pieces and add to the bowl and give a good stir with a spoon.

Finally add the curry paste and again stir. Then you'll need to get your hands messy by smushing it all together with your hands and making two rounds which will be your fishcake. You could of course use an egg in this mixing process which will help bind the fishcakes too, I just chose not to.

Next add each fishcake to the pan and fry gently for three to four minutes on one side before turning over to do the other side. Each side should be nicely golden brown. Don't be tempted to cook for too much longer as the salmon will overcook. Enjoy!

Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup

I love a hearty soup and am a huge fan of lentil soups as they are super filling and nutritious too - my Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup is one of our family favourites and especially with thick, crusty bread. 

This soup is an ideal January recipe - it's cheap to make using mostly store cupboard items that are undoubtedly already sitting in your cupboards; plus if you're on any kind of new year diet or detox, soups are always on side and this one is around 300 calories, even with tasty fried chorizo in tow. 

Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup

The below serves a family of four as a main course.

Here's how:

• 140g cooking chorizo
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 carrot
• 320g red split lentils
• 2 roasted red peppers (I use the jarred variety from Lidl)
• 1x tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1.5 pints chicken stock (I used homemade but Knorr Chicken Stock Pots are great)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

Firstly place a heavy bottomed pan  on a low heat on the hob.

Chop the cooking chorizo into small pieces and add to the pan. Gently toss every minute or so until some become nicely charred and use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chorizo and set aside for now.

Now peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic and add to the pan in the chorizo juices.

Peel and dice the carrot and add to the pan.  Allow to gently saute and add the cayenne pepper at this point. 

Now place the red split lentils (I usually give a very quick rinse first) into the pan and allow to be coated in the oils. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and the white pepper.

Roughly chop the roasted red pepper and add to the pan and finally cover with the chicken stock.

Allow to cook through for 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through, then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. 

Blitz in a blender, Nutribullet or use a hand blender and return to the heat to warm through. 

When hot enough dish up and divide the cooked chorizo between portions and scatter on top as a delicious, meaty garnish. 

If you're looking for more soup inspiration this month here are a few of our other favourite family soups,

Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon
Restorative Green Soup
Mexican Mushroom Soup
Alphabet and Hidden Vegetable Soup
Mediterranean Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs

This is like an easy, milder introduction to Shakshuka for children, fusspots or spice novices and is a wonderful breakfast or brunch recipe. 

You can play around with the sauce to get it just how you like your tomato sauce - add rosemary, balsamic vinegar, a drop of red wine, or pump up the heat with cayenne pepper, fresh chilli or flakes or even a generous helping of sriracha.

My children absolutely adore this with some toast soldiers and if you are adhering to any kind of calorie control (as I am) then a half portion of this with one slice of buttered toast will bring you in at 199 calories - not a bad start to a weekend day.

Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs

Here's how:

• 1 shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Smidge of cumin
• Smidge of dried oregano
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 15g feta cheese

Pop the oven on at 180 degrees and heat the olive oil in a pan.

Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic and add to the pan on a low heat.

Once softened add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, cumin and oregano, stir and cook for a few minutes on a high heat. Season to your taste - go easy on the salt if preparing for the children.

Pour into a small oven-proof dish.

Now crack in two eggs spaced apart without breaking them.

Crumble the feta and scatter it all around.

Place into the oven and cook until the eggs are done to your preference - we do about 4-5 minutes until just cooked, so the centres are still soft. 

Enjoy with buttered toast. 

Healthy Cheese and Veggie Omelette Muffins

These healthy little breakfast bites are great for the January diet or generally for a quick, healthy and nutritious breakfast on the run. They're fab for little ones, my girls are big fans, and they're also good as a weaning finger food for tots.

The recipe below is only for four muffins, but if you're into food prep, you could bulk cook and re-heat when you want - each eggy muffin is approximately 83 calories (MyFitnessPal). 

They're so easy that aside from putting into the oven - my two girls prepared them themselves this morning (they're four and almost two) so if you are challenged in the kitchen, these are a great starting point.

You can also add whichever vegetables you either have to hand or are your kids' preference - mine love broccoli, peppers and sweetcorn, but you could use any type of vegetable leaf here too, peas or anything you like.

Healthy Cheese and Veggie Omelette Muffins

Here's how: 

• x2 large eggs
• Splash of milk (about 50ml)
• 25g Cheddar
• !/2 red pepper
• Handful cooked broccoli florrets
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and line a muffin or cake tin with x4 muffin cases.

If you need to cook the broccoli, do so, and rough chop into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside. Chop the pepper into small pieces too and set aside.

Now in a jug, crack the two eggs, add the splash of milk and season to taste, then mix well and add the grated cheese, cooked broccoli and the pepper pieces. 

Healthy Cheese and Veggie Omelette Muffins

Pour into the four muffin cases and place into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and muffin-like. Enjoy! 

Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

I'm as guilty as anyone else of loving my takeaways, and I always think if we have a Turkish takeaway it's healthier than most - although probably not when we have the chips to go with it all! I've been having a go for the last couple of months at different versions of a homemade chicken shish kebab, and this is where we've landed with it. Our very own fake-away!

I always serve it as a platter for the family, as it's just fun; it looks great to look at, and we all love digging in and sharing off of the same platter. I do have to do some plainer chicken, not for the baby, who will literally devour the chicken on these kebabs, but for Bridget who says these are too spicy! They are very mild, but that is toddlers for you! Luckily she does eat everything else on the platter! 

The recipe here is just for the chicken shish, but I serve with toasted pitta, a tomato, red onion and cucumber salad (literally as simple as that with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of black pepper), tzatziki, and either white rice, or couscous, or in this case, both! I'm obviously watching my calorie and carb intake, so couscous is a good option, but Bridget and Beatrice love their white rice, and Glen prefers it over couscous too! For my couscous, I use a basic one, and add parsley, mint, dill and chives plus some chopped up dried apricots - it's delicious with the chicken shish.

The below makes 5 healthy sized skewers and the trick is to marinate the chicken for as long as possible, if you can do overnight for the following evening meal, the chicken will be so flavourful and tender, it's well worth the wait. 

One final note - this is by no means an authentic Turkish recipe, it is in fact, an amalgamation of me trying tons of recipes and experimenting, and this is simply the one we've settled on as our favourite. 

Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

Here's how:

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 5 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 large lemon
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves garlic

Firstly open up the container you're using to marinate the meat, this can be a plastic container, a zip up bag, or you can use a large yoghurt container, as I have - I save these for such occasions! 

Pour in the olive oil, yoghurt and tomato puree. 

Now you need to grate the onion, and throw in the result, including the juicy pulp, into the marinade. 

Mince the garlic and add to the mix. Slice the lemon in half and then squeeze out as much of the juice as you can then throw the lemon halves into the marinade. 

Finally add all of the herbs and spices and give a really good stir. 

Now dice the chicken into decent sized chunks, this doesn't have to be exact, but try to get similarly sized pieces where possible. Throw all of the chicken into the marinade, and use a spoon to mix so all of the chicken is fully immersed in the yoghurt mix, then pop the lid on and place back into the fridge. 

Chicken Shish Marinade

Try to leave to marinade for at least four hours, but overnight is better. 

If using wooden skewers, soak these for an hour or so in water before cooking. 

To cook, simply load the marinated chicken pieces onto the skewer, pack them pretty tight together, and leave a good gap at either end of the skewers, and place under the grill for about five minutes, then turn and cook for a further five minutes. If you like a more charred chicken shish, increase the cooking time slightly. Before serving, just use a sharp knife and make an incision into one of the biggest pieces of chicken into the centre, to ensure the chicken is cooked through. If so, turn off the grill, and leave the chicken to rest for a few minutes, before serving.

Serve with your choice of accompaniments: pitta, rice, couscous, tzatziki, hummus, salad, chilli sauce, feta, halloumi - all will work a treat! If cooking for the family, do try and serve on a board to add a bit of theatre and fun to your evening meal, pile it high and let everyone dig in! Enjoy! 

Paprika Grilled Sea Bass with Creamy Saffron Peppers and Spinach

As you'll know, earlier this year I had my second child, another lovely little girl (Beatrice). I gained around 3 stone during pregnancy and managed to shift two stone of that pretty sharpish, the last stone, is being a little more stubborn. I lose a few pounds, and then being the foodie that I am, will indulge with a few nice meals, a meal out, a bottle of my favourite Malbec, and I'm back at that 1 stone over where I want to be. This has been going on for a couple of months now, so I've decided to try to overhaul my (and Glen's) lifestyle somewhat, and for the past 8 days have been adhering to The Body Coach or Joe Wick's philosophy. This is largely making smarter and healthier choices with food, cutting out the alcohol as much as possible, and most importantly introducing exercise, 4-5 sessions a week. I managed it last week, and am on track this week - I'm also a couple of pounds lighter, so will be attempting to stick to this and see where we land after 30 days, before I make a decision as to whether to continue. 

Joe's mantra is that you have to 'work for your carbs', so aside from if you've just carried out an intensive HIIT workout, the idea is to have 'reduced carb' meals. We've tried a selection of Joe's fantastic recipes, and certainly have our favourites, but me being the cook I am, I can't follow recipes continually, I like to get creative myself, and this dish was born off the back of that. We've had several Lean in 15 sea bass dishes, and I came up with this dish as I had a glut of peppers in the fridge.

It's a lovely light dish, takes no time to prepare and the sauce is rich and creamy, but low calorie. The below is for two adults, and a single portion comes in at around 500 calories.

Paprika Grilled Sea Bass with Creamy Saffron Peppers and Spinach

Here's how:

• x4 sea bass fillets
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red chilli
• 1 spring onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp reduced fat creme fraiche
• Few strands of saffron steeped in hot water
• 2 handfuls spinach

First drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil into a frying pan and pop onto a low heat to warm up, while you prepare your vegetables. 

Slice the spring onion, garlic and chilli and place into the pan to flavour the oil and the pan. Whilst they are sauteeing, slice the peppers and throw into the pan also. 

Rip off a sheet of tin foil and cover the grill tray, so no fish sticks to the grates. Now in a small bowl, add the paprika, garlic salt and black pepper and mix. Take each sea bass fillet flesh side up, and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, then scatter over some of the spiced salt mix. Now place each fillet flesh side down onto the foil-covered-grill, and scatter the remaining spice mix over the top. Place the grill onto a medium heat and cook for seven minutes. (You may need to adjust this if you have particularly small fillets to avoid over-cooking). 

While the fish is cooking, the peppers should have softened a bit. Throw in the steeped saffron strands, including the water you steeped them in and allow to cook off for 30 seconds. Now add the creme fraiche and allow to cook down. 

Finally as the fish is almost cooked, add the spinach and just allow it to wilt in the peppers and sauce. Use a wooden spoon to move around, as it shouldn't take too much for the leaves to wilt. 

You'll know the fish is ready once the skin is crispy (the salt will help to make a beautiful crispy skin), and the flesh is a pure white colour, rather than opaque. Serve the fish fillets on top of the peppers. Enjoy!

Restorative Green Soup

This soup is so cleansing and restorative, I rely on it as the start of any detox or diet, especially if I've had a period of over-indulgence. The multiple green vegetables combined with the healing ginger and garlic and the Indian spices really do aid with digestion and give my stomach a good kick-start. 

I always use broccoli and spinach, but you could use greens, cabbage, kale or whatever you have to hand. 

The below makes a large batch, of which you can freeze some and defrost as and when required. 

Restorative Green Soup

Here's how:

• 1 head broccoli
• Pack of spinach, washed
• Cup of peas
• 2 large spring onions
• 2 sticks celery
• Fresh ginger root - about 40g or 3-4cm long
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp back pepper
• 1/2 lime
• Handful fresh coriander and parsley
• 800ml water
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Firstly add the olive oil to a large, heavy bottomed pan and place on a low heat.

Slice the spring onions, celery and garlic cloves and add to the pan.

Peel and slice the ginger and add to the pan - allow all to soften slightly,

Now add the cumin, salt, pepper and garam masala and squeeze over the half of lime juice. Allow to cook for a few minutes, the soup base should take on a brown hue.

In the meantime, chop the broccoli into florets, and wash the spinach, if it isn't already prepared. 

Add the broccoli and peas into the pan and allow to fry for a moment or two, then pour over the water and allow to cook for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the broccoli is tender to touch with a fork. 

Now add the spinach and the coriander and parsley - no need to chop, and stir through, allowing to cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a while. 

Restorative Green Soup

Blitz in a blender or Nutribullet until smooth, and then return to the pan to reheat, and ladle into soup bowls to serve. Enjoy!

Here are some other soup recipe ideas you might like:
Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi
Vegetable Soup
Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Leek Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Restorative Chicken Broth

Cod in a Mediterranean Tomato and Garlic Sauce

In a bid to shed some remaining baby weight, I have been trying to limit some of my carbohydrate intake and devised this lovely dish as a summery evening meal. My other half Glen, and my eldest, Bridget had the same with some crusty fresh bread to dip into the sauce.

You could use any white fish, such as haddock or coley, but I had some cod in the freezer and this worked perfectly. 

Equally, if you're trying to disguise some extra vegetables for your little ones, a tomato based sauce is an easy way of doing so - grate in some carrot, and the other vegetables below can be grated in too if it helps get more down them. Luckily Bridget is past her recent fussy phase - for now at least! If you're serving this to under 1's then please remember to omit from adding the salt - and it may be worth doing a separate batch without the olives - as these can be quite salty too.

This is a really quick and easy meal so is perfect for midweek when the pressures of work, school and extra curricular activities may take the brunt of your energy - it can be prepared in ten minutes, and on the table in 30. I served with some steamed sprouting broccoli topped with a little shaving of Parmesan. 

Cod in a Mediterranean Tomato and Garlic Sauce

The below serves 3

Here's how:

• 3 fillets of cod or other white fish
• 1 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 sticks celery
• 2 large tomatoes
• Handful fresh green olives
• Jar passata
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Add the olive oil to a heavy bottomed pan and place on a low heat. 

Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to saute.

Finely slice the celery and add to the pan. 

Dice the tomatoes, and once the onion, garlic and celery has softened add the tomatoes and olives to the pan and cook for five minutes. Add the paprika, oregano and seasonings to the pan and pour over the passata, stir well and cook for 25 minutes. 

Cut the raw cod into bite sized chunks and add to the pan for the last ten minutes of cooking. Stir with a wooden spoon to ensure each piece of cod is immersed in the sauce and allows for thorough cooking. 

Prepare the green vegetables and any other accompaniments of your choice and ladle the dish into bowls. Enjoy!

Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup

This is my final and favourite post from my 'Seven Days of Soup' challenge - the Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup was utterly delicious and a different version to the one I often make.

Keeping it chunky really made it feel more hearty and more of a meal than some of the more watery soups and it felt like a real, restorative, robust treat during my week long liquid diet. I've made it again since, and this will firmly be one of my staple soups going forward.

Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup



Here's how:

• 2 rashers smoked bacon
• 250g red split lentils
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 large carrot
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 litres chicken stock
• Pinch sea salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Handful bay leaves
• 1 pack kale
• Water to top up as necessary
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Firstly place the lentils into a sieve and give a very thorough rinse to remove any excess dirt or starch from the lentils. Keep running water pouring over if possible whilst you prepare the other parts of the soup.

Place the coconut oil into the pan and onto a low heat. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add to the pan to slowly cook through.

Peel and finely chop the onion, mince the garlic and finely dice the celery stick and add all the pan. Throw in the thyme and rosemary and season generously.

Peel and dice the carrot into small cubes and add to the pan with the lentils. Cook like this for five minutes.

Now pour over the stock and give a thorough stir through and up the heat to a medium. Add the bay leaves now too.

You will need to keep an eye on the soup throughout cooking and remove the 'cooking scum' or the weird bubbly mess that will rise to the top of the pan. Cook for a good 30-40 minutes, then remove the bay leaves.

Now remove about 2 ladle fulls of the soup and set aside. Once cooled, this will be blitzed then returned to the pan, so there is a real combination of textures. Taste at this point and add salt and or pepper as required.

Once the blitzed and chunky part of the soup are combined, return to the heat and add the washed kale and allow to cook for 7-8 more minutes before dishing up into deep bowls. Enjoy!

The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Vegetable Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Vegetable Soup

Another one of the soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' challenge whereby I took on souping and juicing for one week, to shift some baby weight before our family holiday to Spain (7lbs in one week is not to be sniffed at).

This particular soup though is a fail safe, and can be adapted to whatever you may have in the fridge or larder. I make this regularly and batch cook so it makes a family dinner, but then the same again, which goes in the freezer for another week. Soup freezes really well!

Feel free to adapt to the ingredients you have to hand but I suggest always using either a white or sweet potato, a carrot or parsnip to make up the 'bulk' of the soup. This recipe is suitable for vegetarians too.

Vegetable Soup



Here's how:

• 1 white potato
• 1 carrot
• 1 parsnip
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 leek
• cupful peas
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil
• Handful bay leaves

Firstly pour in the olive oil into the pan and place on a gentle heat. Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan.

Slice the celery and leek and they can go into the pan too.

Peel the potato and wash thoroughly, add to the pan. Do the same with the carrot and parsnip.

Make up the vegetable stock and pour over. Give a stir and season accordingly with the salt, pepper and bay leaves.

Cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft to touch with a fork.

Remove the bay leaves and allow to cool slightly. Then blitz with a hand blender or a Nutribullet or alternative blender, return to the pan and re-heat. Enjoy!


The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi

This classic Chicken Noodle Soup is my absolute go-to 'quick dinner' if I'm short on time or have been out all day, as it takes hardly any preparation but is packed full of flavour and is so super nourishing too.

I always turn to this if I'm feeling under the weather too - it's true it is medicinal - it must be the chilli, garlic and ginger. Restorative and delicious this was another soup in my 'Seven Days of Soup' challenge recently - this one is a naughty carbohydrate one though with the noodles but the Mama Instant Rice Noodles complete this meal for just over 160 calories per portion and they're well worth it.

You can of course cook your chicken for this soup yourself, but for me it benefits from being made from cooked chicken (throw the bones in and remove before serving) and using a really good quality, or homemade chicken stock.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi

Here's how:

• 500g cooked chicken
• Handful Spring onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 cm fresh ginger
• 1 chilli
• Handful mushrooms
• Handful bean sprouts
• Handful fresh coriander
• Handful fresh chives
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Shaohsing wine
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 lime
• 2 portions Mama Instant Rice Noodles or alternative
• 2 bulbs of Pak Choi
• 1.5 pints good quality chicken stock

Firstly tear up the chicken and throw into a large pot. Use kitchen scissors to snip in the full spring onions.

Peel and slice the garlic and ginger and place all in the pot. Slice the mushrooms and chilli, keeping in the seeds, and add these too.

Pour over the stock, the fish sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, shaohsing and soy sauce and cook for 30 minutes.

In the final few minutes of cooking, add the noodles, and tear in each individual leaf of the pak choi. This will literally need 1-2 minutes more of cooking.

Now remove from the heat and add the final seasonings. Cut the lime in half and squeeze over half into the pot and stir. Now tear in the coriander leaves and throw in, add the bean sprouts, which will cook enough in the heat of the broth and finally again use the kitchen scissors to snip in the chives. Stir thoroughly and serve each portion in a deep bowl with a sprig of coriander and an additional lime wedge for personal seasoning. Chilli fiends may wish to add some fresh, raw chopped chilli too. Enjoy

The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Vegetable Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil Bacon and Kale Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Another hearty, warming and delicious soup that formed part of my 'Seven Days of Soup' whereby I followed a liquid diet for 1 week pre-holiday to shift some further, stubborn baby weight and lost half a stone.

This one is heavy on the spice so not for the faint-hearted, and if you have it over more than one sitting (makes sense when making a batch of soup) expect the heat to intensify overnight.

It's really simple and you can use either Green, Yellow or Red Thai Curry paste - I use Sainsbury's own brand Red personally.

Thai Sweet Potato Soup



Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3cm piece ginger
• 500g Sweet Potato
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 pint vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp Red Thai Curry Paste
• 1/2 tsp Fish sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Handful fresh coriander
• Pinch black pepper
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Firstly pop the coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and place on a low heat. Then peel the garlic and onion and finely dice - add to the pan to soften.

Peel the ginger and slice and add to the pan.

Peel the potatoes and cube into small pieces - add to the pan with 1 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste, sea salt and black pepper and allow to cook for a few minutes.

Now add the coconut milk and make up and pour in the vegetable or chicken stock with the fish sauce. Allow to cook for 30 minutes, then check the sweet potato with a fork - it should be nicely soft - if not cook for a further 10 minutes then test again.

Once you're happy the potato is soft, add the fish sauce, lime juice and coriander and allow to cool before blitzing in a blender or Nutribullet.

Return to the heat once blitzed until completely warmed though - enjoy.


The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Vegetable Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Chunky Lentil Bacon and Kale Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Another delicious soup recipe which formed part of my 'Seven Days of Soup' souping/liquid diet adventure pre-holiday and really helped boost my postnatal weight loss.

The parsnips make for a hearty, almost creamy soup but without the heavy calories of a cream-based soup and the sweetness is offset by the curry and spices - a traditional flavour pairing, but one that works time and time again. You can up-spice if you're a chilli fiend or make slightly milder if you have some diners that are less tolerant of heat.

Guarantee you'll make this more than once after the first time - so easy, so delicious and moreish. You can stir through a tablespoon of crème fraiche or sour cream at the end if you want a slightly richer finished article - but be warned it ups the calories and fat content significantly.

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

 

Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 400g parsnips
• 1.5 pints vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 heaped tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 bag spinach
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Firstly peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to a heavy-bottomed pan with the coconut oil and place on a low heat to soften.

Peel the parsnips and cube then add to the pan with the curry powder, salt, pepper and all the spices. Stir so all parsnips are slightly covered in the spices.

Make up the stock and cover the parsnips. Place the lid on and simmer for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool before blitzing with a blender or Nutribullet and then return to the pan to re-heat. Add the washed spinach one minute before dishing up as it will cook incredibly quickly. If adding crème fraiche stir through the entire pot before dishing up. Enjoy!

The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Vegetable Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil Bacon and Kale Soup

Turkey and Hidden Vegetable Bolognese

Like most parents I speak to, we sometimes have a hard time encouraging Bridget to eat her vegetables. Gone is the foodie baby that barely turned her nose up at anything, and in her place is an opinionated, strong-willed, almost three-year old young lady who refuses point blank to eat carrots. Except of course when Mummy has cleverly disguised them in a number of different ways. Pasta sauces are the easiest, as the carrot can simply be grated into the sauce and this turkey Bolognese has become a family favourite over the past few months.

I've been favouring turkey over my usual steak or pork mince as it's got a much lower fat and calorie content, which has been key in me still having delicious, homemade food, but with tweaks, such as these to slowly but surely reduce the baby weight gain!

This is a fantastic, cheap and healthy family meal that freezes well too. I have been enjoying this alone or with some courgette but I serve with pasta for Glen and Bridget - I'm sure it won't be too long till Beatrice enjoys some Bolognese too.

I very finely chop or dice the rest of the vegetables so they aren't detected by Bridget and have done the same for friends' children too - one of which is almost a teenager and has no idea so this is a parenting trick I'm sure I'll be using for years to come.

Turkey and Hidden Vegetable Bolognese

 

Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 450g turkey mince (I prefer thigh as it's less dry but breast is fine too)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 sticks celery
• 1 courgette
• 2 carrots
• 2 tomatoes
• Handful mushrooms
• 1 jar or carton passata
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Black pepper
• Salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Glug of good olive oil

Firstly pour the olive oil into a non-stick pan and place onto a low heat. Really finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and place into the pan. Once softened add the turkey mince and slowly brown, using a wooden spatula to break up as you cook and avoid it all sticking together in one big lump.

Add the cinnamon, black pepper and salt to taste.

Finely dice the celery and roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the mince mix.

Peel and grate or very finely dice the carrot and add to the mix.

Finely dice the courgette and slice the mushroom (or if also hiding that, dice too) and add to the mince with the passata, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, red wine and tomato puree.

Finally make up the chicken stock and add to the Bolognese. Stir thoroughly and keep on a low heat to cook through for as long as you can. An hour to two hours makes for a really richly intense flavour, but if you are short on time, 30 minutes will do it. Taste during cooking and add additional seasoning if need be.

Serve alone, or with some pasta of your choice and a little Parmigianna or other hard cheese of your choice. Enjoy!

Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Following a lovely pumpkin-picking session at The Pumpkin Patch on Sunday, I made this delicious Thai-inspired Pumpkin Soup on Monday for me, Glen who was at home poorly, and Bridget, for a healthy, hearty and warming lunch.

It’s super simple to make, tastes great and you could make a huge batch of it if you so wished. After pumpkin season has passed, you could substitute the pumpkin for butternut squash; which is readily available throughout the year, or even sweet potatoes. But for a lovely, Halloween-inspired meal, this is a great choice – and it works for vegetarians too.

If you're catering for little ones or those without a heat tolerance - maybe tone down the chilli usage to just half a red chilli - we don't need to as Bridget loves a bit of spice and it's a great family meal.

Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Here’s how:

• 1 small roasted pumpkin, or half a larger one (roast for 40 minutes)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large white onion
• 1 red chilli
• 1 clove garlic
• Two thumb nail piece of fresh ginger
• Two sticks celery
• Handful fresh coriander
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 can coconut milk
• 150ml vegetable stock
• ½ Lime

I like to roast the pumpkin for 30-40 minutes first, then allow to cool, peel and chop into bite-sized chunks, discarding the centre seeds and pith, unless you are doing something with the seeds.

Place the coconut oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and place onto a medium heat.

Now peel and dice the onion and add to the saucepan to slowly sauté. Peel and mince the garlic and chop the chilli and add to the mix. Slice the celery and add to the saucepan, and peel and slice the ginger and again, add to the saucepan.

Add the pumpkin then pour over the pumpkin and vegetable stock, add the kaffir lime leaves and allow to cook down for 30 minutes or so, to allow the pumpkin to absorb all of the beautiful, fragrant flavours.

After 30 minutes, remove the kaffir lime leaves, add the coriander leaves and the juice of half a lime and allow to cool a little.

Once sufficiently cooled, use a hand blender or food processor to blitz to a fine soup consistency.

Return to the pot, and place on a medium heat to bring it back up to the required temperature. Serve with some delicious bread – enjoy!

Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup