Not-So-Naughty Treats

This week, in fact in a mere few hours, I am leaving the tempestuous and erratic English weather behind and flying away for 7 days of sunnier, and much more reliable weather. Excited as I am to give my under-used summer wardrobe an outing in the Spanish sunshine, like most of us, the thought of bikini season does install a slight niggle in my mind.

Not one to crash diet, I prefer a healthier approach of tasty, filling, but low-calorie meals in the run up to the summer months. So here are a couple of my most recent recipes that have been keeping me happy.

Carrot, Red Lentil and Tomato Soup

So easy to make, filling and you can make enough for a few lunches! All you need is a pan and either a blender or a hand-held pulser. This does around 4-5 reasonably sized bowls of soup.

Ingredients

1 cup of dried red lentils

4 carrots (grated)

1 onion (finely chopped)

1 Tin of Chopped Tomato

Cumin

Chilli flakes

1 pint vegetable stock

Method

Fry the onion in a frying pan on a medium heat until they being to soften. Add the grated carrots and leave to soften for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock (make sure it's hot so the temperature of the pan doesn't lower) and the lentils. Add a tsp of cumin and 1 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, and some salt and pepper to season.

Leave to simmer on a low heat for around 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and take off the heat. Blend until smooth and voila.. a tasty, filling and delicious soup!

Warm Greek Salad

This little beauty is a perfect alternative to your classic salad. And warm salads are always a great transitional dish for those days when the weather isn't quite sure what it's doing! This is a perfect side dish for 4, or if you're having a full meal then split between 2 of you.

Ingredients

3 courgettes

6 medium-large tomatoes

200g feta cheese or a low fat greek salad cheese alternative

Basil or parsley pesto

Fresh basil

Method

Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Chop the tomatoes roughly, not too small, and put into a large oven proof dish. Take 2 tbsp of your pesto and stir it into the tomatoes. Tear up a handful of basil leaves and scatter them over the top.

Slice the courgettes into roughly 0.5cm slices and heat up a griddle pan (you can use a very lightly oiled frying pan if you're without a griddle). Griddle (or dry fry) the sliced courgettes until they are slightly browned on each side. They don't need to be completely cooked through.

Once all your courgettes are browned, layer them on top of the basil and tomatoes and drizzle a bit more pesto over the top.

Crumble the feta cheese through your fingers so that it's scattered over the courgettes. (This recipe is great because you can literally throw everything in!)

Pop the dish in the oven for 10 minutes, lightly warming it. After 10 minutes, switch the grill onto a medium heat and brown the edges of the feta.

Serve up with some crusty bread or antipasti. Positively angelic!

And here are some snaps of my other favourite healthy treats...

[1. Roast parsnip courgette and red onion salad with walnuts and goats cheese 2. Chicken parmesan salad 3. Parma ham and mozzarella salad 4. Green bean and mozzarella salad 5. Fruit salad 6. Melon and Parma ham 7. Roast parsnip and feta salad 8. Berries with 0% fat yogurt 9. Roast butternut squash salad with goats cheese and pomegranate seeds 10. Sea food tostada with shredded salad]

Sunday Lazy Sunday

Breakfast is my ultimate wake up remedy. I have to admit that, despite my best attempts, I am not a morning person. I'd love to be someone who springs out of bed at 6am, however I admit to being the type that sneaks a few extra winks in wherever feasibly possible. So breakfast has to be something worth getting out of bed for. I try to make it tasty and nutritionally healthy to start the day with a boost, and it's a good opportunity to sneak a few portions of your 5-a-day in; juice, a handful of berries, a bit of greenery. I recommend scouting out the fruit and veg stall at your local market - Leeds City Markets has some great ones, and they often have 2 for £1 deals on melon and packs of berries, as well as selling other cheap seasonal fruit and veg.

Clearly Sunday morning breakfasts are the best, because there's that extra bit of time to make something delicious before wiling away the day drinking copious amounts of tea whilst reading The Sunday Times' Style magazine (although I feel a bit guilty about this as I currently have about a forest's worth stashed under my bed).

Here are some breakfasts that I deemed picture-worthy, I hope it gives you the motivation to get up and go, or happily snuggle down on a rainy Sunday like this!

[Scrambled egg and smoked salmon bagel, poached eggs with spinach and avocado, melon and raspberries with fresh mint and strawberry pancakes make a tasty Sunday morning treat]

[I'm starting to think I should reassess my relationship with berries]

[Of course no breakfast in England is complete without a hearty cup of tea. Apart from the milk no sugar hero, my own breakfast favourites are apple and pear green tea and peppermint]

What are your wake-up remedies? A citrusy shower? 
Strong cup of coffee? Fresh air?

P.s. Happy Father's Day!