This week I thought I would give you a bit of an insight into how I create the meal plans.
Every week, my goal is to provide you with a tasty balanced plan that helps deliver the nutrients you need for a healthy and happy week.
My meal plans start from the nutrition recommendations of the NHS’s Eat Well Guide. In a nutshell: lots of fruits & vegetables, different types of complex carbs, protein from various sources, more fish and less red meat, less sugar, less salt, less and better fat.
Every week, I choose the fruits and vegetables that are in season, for maximum freshness and taste, a different and seasonal fish dish, and a poultry-based recipe. Red meat is on the menu every other week, so a week without red meat, is a week with pulses instead. I also estimate the quantities of ingredients based on the recommended portions.
I make sure that all the ingredients are used up throughout the plan to reduce food waste and save money. For example, if there is a recipe in the plan that asks for half a red pepper, there will be another recipe in the week that uses up the other half.
And finally, all the recipes are developed to satisfy your taste buds and make sure that eating remains a pleasure before anything else.
I hope this gives you a little insight into how I work and now I’ll leave you with next week’s plan.
Monday: Sea bream with a vegetable julienne
I made this sea bream with vegetable julienne recipe for my Dad but it didn’t have enough garlic for him. He loves his garlic and his top tip is to always stuff fish with lots of garlic. He usually uses at least 5 cloves of garlic in each fish! This recipe can easily be made with filets if you can’t find a whole sea bream but don’t forget to adjust the cooking time.
Tuesday: Pepper and potato omelette
My Dad always eats omelettes with a dash of harissa on the side, and I totally take after him and always eat my omelettes with it too! It adds such a nice kick! My top tip with omelettes is to try not to cook them too much. Fry the omelette to begin with and then finish off under the grill to avoid overcooking.
Wednesday: Turkey escalope with mushroom polenta
There is no need to add a cream sauce to this turkey escalope with mushroom polenta recipe. Simply cook the polenta with milk and a knob of butter and you’ll have a really creamy texture.
Thursday: Aubergine curry penne pasta
Italy meets North Africa in this aubergine curry penne pasta recipe! It’s been inspired by the North African flavours of cumin, harissa, chickpeas and aubergine.
Friday: Quinoa stuffed peppers
We are finishing the meal plan this week with a vegetarian recipe that is also gluten free. The quinoa stuffed peppers are beautifully sweet and balanced out by the acidity of the feta cheese.
