Nutrition by Christianna
BSc DipCNM mBANT mCNHC

This has become an absolute favourite dinner in our home! And it’s so easy! 

Simple, easy, fast and delicious. The savouriness of the halloumi and the sweetness of the leeks & peas makes this combination so good! 

My family love pesto and I make it all the time. It’s easy to make and it freezes beautifully so I often double up and freeze it. This version is a simple pesto with a load of raw spinach added in for extra veggie goodness. It’s delicious and full of good stuff!

Probably one of the most comforting dishes ever! The perfect thing to make on a cold Sunday afternoon while enjoying a glass of wine, kids running around the house...

This was a recipe I saw in a recipe kit a few years ago. I remember reading it and not being sure about it. But, I made it, loved it and have made it time and time again since.

It doesn’t get much simpler than this pasta dish but that doesn’t make it any less delicious! It’s full of flavour and goodness and can be so easily adapted to suit what your family likes. 

One of the most common questions I get asked is how I get my children to eat veg. And this is definitely one of those ways; adding it to their favourite dishes. Here I‘ve used  half vegetables (lightly steamed cauliflower and broccoli) and half pasta as the base with a little cheese sauce on top. This way it’s not heavy, full of good stuff but still so tasty and satisfying. We like our veg chunky but if you’re worried your littles won’t eat it like this, chop up the veg into small pieces. Cauliflower is especially easy to hide in this dish because it’s the same colour and when cooked it’s a similar texture to pasta. I don’t know about your family but mine are always arguing over the crispy bits! 

I love making this stuff! My family love it too and it’s so versatile. Cook in a little coconut oil, add coconut milk & veg/ meat/ fish to make a curry; add coconut milk and veg stock to make a soup with whatever noodles you like, add oil to make it a salad dressing ... and for bonus points it freezes beautifully too.  This is the basic recipe but play around with it to suit your tastes. 

Peppers are a funny one with my children... they both love them raw (yay!) but only the red ones. They don’t like them cooked when the pieces are visible but they love them when blended into a sauce. Sooo ... red pepper pesto is a regular in our home. It’s also delicious as a dip, over grilled chicken or fish, potato salad.... and it freezes beautifully so I often double up and freeze a portion. 

This easy, one pot dish is a perfect weekday dinner. Hearty and full of flavour! 

This curry combines some of my favourite ingredients and flavours. You can use home made curry paste or a good quality store bought one... making it fast enough for a weekday meal.

Who doesn’t love meatballs and spaghetti?! My kids really enjoy this meal and when they ask for it I happily make it, but with a few tricks I’ve found a way to make it quick and even easier.

Risotto is one of those dishes that seems difficult but is actually so easy. The best tips I have for making risotto are:

• Prepare your ingredients before you start cooking. This makes it much easier rather than scrambling looking for things whilst you are cooking

• Stir continuously, this helps release the starch from the grains and gives the lovely creamy texture we want

• Make sure the stock is really tasty, as this is where a lot of the flavour comes from, and is kept hot during cooking

Something about making pie makes me feel like a really accomplished cook... even though it’s so easy! And everyone loves it so smiles all round. 

Growing up, Monday was legumes day and this dish was -and still is- an all round favourite. The rich tomato sauce is perfect for dipping crusty bread into and both my children save that bit for last because it’s their favourite. For me its all about the chickpeas; soft and delicious while my dad loves it with loads of black olives. It’s really easy to make, the recipe is adaptable so you can adjust to suit your tastes - you can add potatoes, spinach, peas... It also freezes really well. To reheat from frozen, leave it to defrost and then gently simmer to bring to temperature. 

There must be 1,000 chilli recipes out there and for good reason. Comforting, hearty and full of flavour! This is my version and my family love it. I usually serve it with sweetcorn rice but it’s delicious over a jacket potato or with a big spoonful of Greek yoghurt. Here I’ve used a mix of lean beef and beans to minimise the meat and get extra fibre in there, but I often make it just with beans for an equally delicious vegan version. It also freezes beautifully so I always make more and freeze for another day. 

This is quite a special dish in greek cooking.. rich and flavourful. Definitely worth the tears from all the onion chopping! 

I absolutely love mushrooms and linguini might be my favourite pasta so this dish is definitely my idea of eat happy! This amount of sauce is for 500g of dried pasta and serves 4 - 6. It’s a very flexible recipe, if you really like garlic add more, if you don’t like thyme you can replace with parsley or leave it out. The only important thing is to use mushrooms with some flavour

These are so easy to make, taste great and freeze beautifully.