Six wholesome meal recipes to make this week

Do you need a meal plan? (Image: Second Nature)

Now Christmas is finished and dusted and the leftover turkey has been cleared from your fridge, what on earth are you going to eat this week?

As the New Year starts, many of us will want to brush up our food repertoire a little.

And this refresh, we believe, will be focused on health, if only to relieve the persistent gas and lethargy from eating Stodge for the past month.

The NHS-sponsored Second Nature healthy eating plan is here to help you with breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes that are nutritious, tasty, and require little effort.

So if you’re in the process of putting together the menu for your week, you might want to give it a try.

Breakfast: peanut butter jam oatmeal

A tasty twist on your usual oat (Image: Courtney J Bennett)

Preparation and cooking time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

For one serving

• 40g oatmeal
• 250 ml milk (oats, soy, almond or dairy products – your choice)
• 2 teaspoons of chia seeds or ground flax seeds
• 60g frozen berries
• 60ml water
• 1 tbsp peanut butter

Method:

1. Mix the oat flakes, milk and 1 teaspoon chia seeds or ground flax seeds in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until desired consistency is achieved.
3. In the meantime, prepare the berry jam in a different saucepan. Stir in the frozen berries and the remaining 1 teaspoon of chia seeds or ground flax seeds with 60 ml of water. Simmer for 4-5 minutes or until lightly steamed.
4. Transfer the oatmeal to a serving bowl and add a splash of milk if needed to get the consistency you want.
5. Cover the oatmeal with the berry jam and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs on weekends

Yes, that’s right. It’s a recipe for scrambled eggs. Deal with it. (Image: Second Nature)

Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes

ingredients:

For one serving

• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 medium or large eggs
• 1 teaspoon fresh chives or basil

Method:

1. Beat the eggs with 1 tbsp butter directly in a cold saucepan. Turn on the heat and start stirring the eggs with a spatula.
2. When the eggs start to boil (it sticks to the bottom of the pot), remove the pan from the heat for 10-15 seconds and keep stirring. As soon as the eggs have cooled down a bit, put the pan back on the stove. The key to this recipe is to keep stirring in all places.
3. Repeat step 2 until the eggs have reached the desired consistency (slightly runny vs. firm).
4. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir the mixture one last time before serving. Sprinkle herbs on top.

Lunch: Halloumi Chermoula Traybake

Popped in the oven and done (Image: Second Nature)

Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes

ingredients:

For four servings

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large handful of fresh coriander (stems included)
• 1 large handful of fresh parsley (stems included)
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ lemon, grated and juiced
• 2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2 zucchini, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2 red peppers, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 1 red onion, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 block of halloumi, sliced
• ½ lemon, juiced

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C or 180 ° C fan oven.
2. Prepare the chermoula by adding the garlic, coriander, parsley, paprika, cumin, lemon zest and juice, the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender and stir until smooth.
3. In a baking dish, mix the eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, red onion and chickpeas, mix in the chermoula evenly and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Place the sliced ​​halloumi on top of the vegetables and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the halloumi is lightly golden. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower Fennel Soup

Enjoy with bacon or keep it vegetarian (Image: Second Nature)

Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For four servings

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves, chopped garlic
• 150ml water
• 800 ml chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you are meat-free)
• 300ml single cream
• 2 bay leaves
• 150g bacon, diced (leave it off if you are a vegetarian – it still tastes great)
• 60g hazelnuts
• 1 small handful of chives, sliced

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C / 180 ° C fan oven. Tooth the cauliflower in 2 tablespoons of oil on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turn once, until the florets are browned all over and tender, 30–35 minutes.
2. While the cauliflower is roasting, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Fry the shallot, fennel and garlic until tender (5-8 minutes). Add 150 ml of water and cook until almost evaporated (about 5 minutes).
4. Add toasted cauliflower, broth, cream and bay leaves; season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is very tender.
6. While the soup is simmering, fry the bacon in a small non-stick pan and set aside until golden brown. No oil needs to be added as the bacon releases oils.
7. In the same pan, roast the hazelnuts until golden brown. Set aside to cool and then roughly chop.
8. Take the bay leaves out of the soup and throw them away. Let the mixture cool down a bit
9. Puree the cauliflower mixture until it is very smooth. With a hand blender or blender. However, make sure the mixture has cooled down if you use a blender.
10. Serve topped with bacon and hazelnuts.

Dinner: Beef Bourguignon

A classic dish that is super tasty (Image: Second Nature)

Preparation and cooking time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For four servings

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 800g beef flank or skirt, diced
• 3 carrots, cut into rounds
• 1 stick of celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 200g pearl onions
• 200g baby chestnut mushrooms, halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 500ml beef stock
• 300ml red wine (or an additional 300ml stock)
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C / 160 ° C convection / gas mark 4.
2. In a large saucepan or casserole dish, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the diced beef and sauté for 5 minutes, until it is mostly browned on the outside but not cooked through.
4. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
5. Add the celery, carrot and onion to the saucepan and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender.
6. Add the garlic, thyme leaves and tomato puree and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Add the red wine, broth, pearl onions, bay leaf and browned beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Bring to a boil, then add the lid and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour.
9. Remove from the oven and add the mushrooms, plus more wine / broth and season as needed.
10. Put in the oven for another hour.
11. Take out of the oven and place on the stove over medium heat.
12. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with a dash of water, then add to the saucepan and mix until the sauce thickens.
13. Garnish with parsley or green vegetables (both carbohydrate-free) or serve with mashed potatoes or fried potatoes.

Dinner: bacon, borlotti and bean stew

A hearty dinner (Image: Second Nature)

Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For four servings

(again, you can leave out the bacon for a vegetarian option)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced or chopped
• 220g strips of bacon, finely chopped
• 200g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 2 x 400g cans of borlotti beans, rinsed and drained
• 300ml chicken broth
• 80ml cream or coconut milk
• 2 large handfuls of kale
• 1 large handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

method

1. Heat the oil in a pan or saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Fry the leek and garlic for 3 minutes until tender.
2. Add the bacon and cook for 3 minutes until browned. Add the mushrooms, zucchini and beans and cook for another 3 minutes until tender.
3. Stir in the chicken broth, cream and kale, then season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. To top up this meal, add a side of steamed broccoli and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

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