Wow. So quick and easy to make.

This is now officially one of my favourite food stuffs. The tuna steak has to be from the fish counter – previously tried cooking packaged tuna steaks, but they clearly need to be chunky!

Served with 75g green beans (18 cals) and 175g roasted tinned new potatoes sprinkled with paprika (125 cals).

Maple and Mustard Seared Tuna Steaks – 351 calories

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Serves: 2

Calories per serving: 351

Ingredients

Tuna, Steaks, Raw – 2 x 175 g

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin – 2 Tsps/10ml

Maple Syrup – 1 Tbsp/20g

Paprika – 1 Tsp/2g

Dijon Mustard – 15g

Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp

Olive Oil -10ml

Method

Combine syrup, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, oil, and paprika in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Reserve 4 teaspoons syrup mixture.

Add tuna to remaining syrup mixture, turning to coat. Let stand 10 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes.

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with a teaspoon of olive oil. Remove tuna from marinade; discard marinade.

Sprinkle tuna with salt and black pepper. Add tuna to pan; cook 2.5 minutes on each side or until cooked to taste.

Remove tuna from pan. Cut across the grain into thick slices. Drizzle with reserved 4 teaspoons syrup mixture.

[i]Nutrition Data Per Serving[/i]

Calories (kcal) 351.2

Carbohydrate (g) 7.9

Fat (g) 13.9

Fibre (g) 0.5

Sodium (g) 0.291

Fruit & Veg 0.1

Protein (g) 49.1

My sister bought me some Trofie pasta for Christmas, so I hunted out a recipe to try it out and found this one! It was very easy and quick to make. The original recipe made 2 portions, but I divided it into three.

One-pot aubergine

Preparation Time:  10 mins

Cooking Time:  25 mins

Serves:  3

Calories per serving:  360

Ingredients

Olive Oil – 2 Tbsps/30ml

Onions, Red – 100g

Garlic – 1 Clove/3g

Bay Leaves, Dried – 1 Leaf/0.9g

Thyme, Fresh – 2 Tbsps/8g

Aubergine, Raw – 300g

Chilli, Dried, Flakes – 1 Pinch/0.1g

Tomatoes, Chopped, in Tomato Juice – 1 Can/400g

Stock, Vegetable, Stock Pot – 1 Serving/125ml

Water, Mineral Or Tap – 300ml

Lemon, zest – 1 Tbsp/6g

Basil, Fresh – 2 Tbsps/10g

Parmesan Cheese – 25g

Trofie – 150g

Method

This warm, hearty dish is packed full of flavour and texture.

Chop the aubergine into 1cm cubes and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle with 20ml of the olive oil and place into a preheated oven (190 degrees) for 20-25 minutes until browned – stir half way through the cooking time.

Heat the remaining 10ml of the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the peeled and finely diced onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add the garlic (peeled and diced), bay leaf, thyme (stripped from the tough stems) and chilli. Cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the trofi, tinned tomatoes, stock, water and lemon zest. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Add in the cooked aubergine. Simmer for 14 minutes, or until the aubergine and trofie are cooked through.

Stir in the basil and season to taste. To serve, divide between large bowls and scatter over the cheese shavings (or grated), extra basil and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve with rocket or salad leaves

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 360

Carbohydrate (g) 46.3

Fat (g) 13.5

Fibre (g) 5.7

Sodium (g) 0.249

Fruit & Veg 3.6

Protein (g) 12.7

Celeriac, Leek and Thyme Gratin

The delectable combination of nutty celeriac, soft leek and aromatic thyme makes this dish the perfect warming winter main. Topped with deliciously zesty breadcrumbs, this healthy vegetarian recipe packs enough heat to liven up any night of the week.

If I was making this again, I’d leave out the chilli and increase the amount of lemon zest. But otherwise, it was delicious. Have 4 more portions ready to stick into the freezer!

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Serves: 6

Calories per serving: 231.1

________________________________________

Ingredients

Olive Oil-1 Tbsp/15ml

Leeks, finely sliced-230g

Garlic-4 Cloves/12g

Thyme, Fresh-1 Average Sprig/5g

Flour, Plain-1½ Tbsps/22.5g

Tap Water-1½ Glass/300ml

Cream, Double-50ml

Celeriac, Raw-400g

Butter-1 Thin Spread/7g

Potatoes, Maris Piper-450g

Bread, Ciabatta-100g

Red Chilli Peppers-1 Pepper/13g

Parmesan Cheese, Grated-25g

Lemon, zest-1½ Tsps/3g

Stock Pot Vegetable-1 Pot/28g

________________________________________

Preparation:

Peel and finely slice the celeriac and potatoes. Wash and slice the leeks. Peel and slice the garlic cloves.

De-seed and finely chop the chilli, finely chop the thyme. Zest half a lemon.

Grate the Parmesan.

Put the bread into a food processor with a metal blade and plus to obtain course bread crumbs.

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan. Add the leeks and garlic, then cover and sweat, over a medium heat, for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the leeks catching. Stir in the thyme, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, prepare the breadcrumbs. In a food processor, whizz the ciabatta to coarse crumbs. Tip into a small bowl and mix with the chilli, cheese and lemon zest. Set aside.

In a small jug, stir the flour into 4 tbsp stock. Add the cream, followed by the remaining stock; stir to combine. Set aside.

Grease a 2 ltr (3 1/2pt) ovenproof dish with butter. Layer up the celeriac, potatoes and the leek mixture, alternating between each until all are used up. Pour over the cream mixture, then scatter over the breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until tender and golden. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, before scattering with the extra thyme and serving.

________________________________________

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 231.1

Carbohydrate (g) 26.7

Fat (g) 10.5

Fibre (g) 4.6

Sodium (g) 0.468

Fruit & Veg 1.1

Protein (g) 6.8

Made this up as there were many things in my fridge which needed to be consumed!

Creamy Courgette and Leek Pasta Bake

Serves: 3

Calories per serving: 350

Ingredients

Fusilli, Whole Wheat, Dry Weight – 100g

Olive Oil – 12ml

Leeks, Raw (x2)  191g

Courgette, Raw (3 medium) – 300g

Garlic, Raw – 2 Cloves/6g

Creme Fraiche, Full Fat – 80g

Mature Cheddar Cheese – 40g

Parmesan Cheese – 25g

Marjoram, Dried – ½ Tsp/0.5g

Thyme, Dried – ½ Tsp/0.5g

Chestnut Mushrooms – 125g

Preparation:

Wipe the mushrooms, cut into chunks. Wash the leeks and finely dice. Coarsely grate the courgette and lay onto a clean tea towel (to absorb moisture). Peel and finely dice the garlic. Grate the cheese and combine the cheddar and parmesan.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the leek. Cook over a medium heat (don’t allow to brown, but to soften) for about 10 minutes. Add the diced mushroom and cook for a further 5 minutes. Finally add the courgette and the herbs.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain thoroughly and combine with the courgette and leek mixture.

Allow to cool before adding the creme fraiche and about half of the grated cheese.

Combine, and tip into a shallow oven proof dish.

Top with the remaining grated cheese.

Place into a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees for about 20 – 30 minutes until turning golden and crispy.

Serve with some rocket.

Next time I’m going to add some chopped walnuts to this, or toasted pine nuts.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 349.3

Carbohydrate (g) 25.7

Fat (g) 20.8

Fibre (g) 5.9

Sodium (g) 0.186

Fruit & Veg 2.4

Protein (g) 15.0

Yesterday I was in London to listening to Dr Rangan Chatterjee and some of his colleagues talk about a different way of managing one’s health – through lifestyle change.

Because of the huge strain placed on GP’s and the fact that they only get 10 minutes to see their patients, they are often quick to prescribe pills rather than to identify what may actually be at the root of an ailment. Dr Chatterjee’s approach is to spend longer taking a full history and then suggesting small lifestyle changes that can slowly start to bring about health improvements – physical, emotional and also mental health.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening (I had some great company!) – Dr Chatterjee is an excellent public speaker. He has a very clear and eloquent way of describing this approach, using lots of case examples of how patients health has been completely turned around – often when all else has failed.

We all came away with a signed copy of the book – it’s a beautiful book with lots of lovely images.

We all understand that making drastic lifestyle changes doesn’t necessarily stick with most people. Therefore this no non-sense guide whittles everything down to the essentials and recommends small, managable changes.

In the list below (taken from the book) aims to achieve 2 points in each of the 4 sections – rather than the full lot.  This way its more manageable and you are more likely to achieve some of the goals – they will (hopefully!) become embedded in every day life.

● RELAX

Me-time every day

Weekly screen-free sabbath

Keep a gratitude journal

A daily practice of stillness

Eat one meal per day around a table – without an e-device

● EAT

De-normalise sugar (and retrain your taste buds)

Eat five different coloured vegetables every day

Eat all of your food within a 12-hour window

Drink eight glasses of water per day

Unprocess your diet by avoiding any food product that contains more than five ingredients

● MOVE

Walk at least 10,000 steps per day

Do a form of strength training twice a week

Do a form of high-intensity interval training twice a week

Make a habit of exercise snacking

Do daily glute exercises to help warm them up

● SLEEP

Create an environment of absolute darkness

Spend at least 20 minutes outside every morning

Create a bedtime routine

Manage your commotion

Enjoy your caffeine before noon

I’m pleased to say that I possibly do at least one or even two of these things under each heading already – but already I am planning to try others – especially the screen free sabbath and the cutting out caffeine after midday – those will be a huge challenge to me!

Preparation Time:   30 mins

Cooking Time:   30 mins

Serves:   4

Calories per serving:  443.2

Ingredients

Onions                                                                  –    1 Onion/100g

Garlic                                                                    –    2 Cloves/6g

Aubergine                                                             –    1 Lge/550g

Olive Oil                                                                –    3 Tbsps/45ml

Fusilli, Dry Weight, Wholewheat                             –    200g

Cheese, Mozzarella, Half Fat                                –    1 Ball/125g

Mature Cheddar Cheese                                       –    50g

Tomatoes, Chopped, in Rich Tomato Juice           –    1 Can/400g

Basil, Fresh                                                           –    1 Tbsp/5g

Olives, Black, Pitted                                              –    45g

Vinegar, Balsamic, of Modena                              –    1 Serving/10ml

Method

Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the instructions on the packet and when cooked, drain and set aside.

Halve the aubergines and remove stalks, cut into 2cm chunks. Place in a roasting dish and sprinkle with 2 tblsps of the olive oil. Place in an oven at 190 degrees for 30 minutes. When cooked, they should be soft and golden brown.

Peel and dice the onion and garlic. Pour the remaining 1tbsp of oil into a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions for 5 minutes, don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic, cook for a further minute. Then add the tomatoes and the olives. Continue to cook reducing the liquid for 15 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar. Cut the olives into quarters and add. Tear the basil and stir through along with the thyme (leaves only). Combine the cooked pasta, tomato mixture and cooked aubergine.

Grate the cheddar cheese using a coarse grater and tear the mozzarella into pieces.

Put half the pasta mixture into a shallow oven proof dish. Sprinkle over the mozzarella pieces and then top with the remaining pasta mixture. Finally top with the grated Cheddar

Place dish into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top.

Perfect served with rocket topped with toasted pine nuts.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)  443.2

Carbohydrate (g)  42.9

Fat (g)  21.7

Fibre (g)  8.9

Sodium (g)  0.343

Fruit & Veg  3.3

Protein (g)   18.9

This was such a quick, easy recipe – and so delicious and filling! The original recipe I took it from said to serve 2, but there’s no way we could have eaten half of it, so a third portion goes into the freezer for another occasion!

Smoked haddock and celeriac hotpot

Preparation Time:35 mins

Cooking Time:30 mins

Serves:3

Calories per serving:  323

Ingredients

Butter -14g

Olive Oil – 10ml

Onions – 1 Med/100g

Celeriac, Raw, Average – 360g

Potatoes, Maris Piper – 200g

Vegetable Stock Pot Knorr – 1 Pot/28g

Haddock, Fillets, Smoked – 250g

Bay Leaves, Dried – 1 Leaf/0.9g

Milk, Semi Skimmed – 200ml

Sweetcorn, Naturally Sweet, in Water, Tinned, Drained – 1 Tin/160g

Parsley, Dried – 0.5 Tsp/0.5g

Method

Peel and chop the celeriac and potatoes into chunks. Peel and finely dice the onion. Remove pin bones and skin from the haddock.

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the celeriac and potato to the pan, season well and fry for 5-6 minutes, then add the stock, bring to the boil and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and leave covered.

2. Place the fish in a large pan with the bay leaf, cover with the milk and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes or until just cooked. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and flake into large chunks, removing any skin.

3. Return the onion and root-veg mixture to a medium heat. Add the milk from the poached fish and the sweetcorn and gently simmer for 2-3 minutes. Check the seasoning. Divide the chowder into two and serve half immediately, with half the haddock, sprinkled with the parsley.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 322.9

Carbohydrate (g) 30.5

Fat (g) 10.9

Fibre (g) 7.0

Sodium (g) 1.563

Fruit & Veg 2.6

Protein (g) 24.2