Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup INGREDIENTS 600g carrots washed and chopped into small pieces 140g split lentils 1 litre of warm vegetable stock 2 tsp cumin seeds Pinch of chilli flakes 2 tbsp olive oil 125 mls milk   METHOD Dry-fry 2 tsp cumin seeds in a large hot pan and add a pinch of chilli flakes for about a minute or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Scoop out about half with a spoon and set aside. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, carrots, split red lentils, hot vegetable stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have s ..read more

Super Easy Nut Butter Balls  INGREDIENTS 150g porridge oats 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds or ground almonds 1-2 handfuls of crushed hazelnut or walnuts 2 scoops of unflavoured protein powder Pinch of cinnamon (optional) 150g peanut butter (or almond butter great too) 4-6 tablespoons of milk (or milk alternative) - enough to bring it to a wet dough that you can roll into balls 1-2 tablespoon of maple syrup  METHOD Combine the oats, protein powder, flaxseed and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the maple syrup, nut butter and milk Stir well to combine the mixture, then, using damp h ..read more

NUT LOAF Ingredients 15g butter 1tbsp olive oil 1 large onion finely chopped 2 sticks of celery finely chopped 2 garlic cloves crushed 200g chestnut mushrooms finely chopped 1 red pepper finely diced 1 large carrots grated 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp smoked paprika 100g red lentils 2 tbsp tomato purée 100g fresh breadcrumbs 300mls vegetable stock 150g mixed nuts (brazil, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds) 100g cheddar cheese grated 3 eggs Handful of parsley finely chopped Method   Preheat oven to 180 (160 for fan oven) degrees Celsius. Line a 1.5 litre loaf tin with baking paper. Heat but ..read more

Sizzling Chicken with grilled peppers, salsa, rice and beans This recipe came from Jamie Oliver’s 15 minute meals .. one of my favourite cookbook. Fabulous healthy and super tasty meals that take a little longer than 15 minutes to prepare but well worth it! My husband made this on Saturday night and we throughly enjoyed every forkful and leftovers the next day! Best part is possibly the green salsa … to die for!! Here’s a link to the recipe. https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/sizzling-chicken-fajitas-grilled-peppers-salsa-rice-beans ..read more

10 push ups 30 squats 40 second plank Repeat these three exercises for 10 minutes for a great full body strength home workout Lots of levels - check out the video for beginners to advanced ..read more

Mexican Black Bean Chilli Here’s a great vegetarian meal for the family. Super tasty and makes a great stew on a cold winter evening. If you have big meat eaters in the house you an always add some diced Angus beef to this pot for a heavily plant based meal with a touch of meat! Ingredients 2 tablespoons of oil 1 large onion chopped finely 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed 2 bell peppers deseeded and chopped into slices 1 whole fresh chilli (or 1/2 teaspoon of ground chilli) 2 leeks washed and chopped 70g tomato puree 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon groun ..read more

I really enjoy cooking (and eating) the kind of soup that is "meal in itself", one you can enjoy on its own without lots of bread or a sandwich to accompany it... and this soup is just that - perfect to eat all on its own. It's bursting with nutrition and keep you going for hours.   Ingredients 2 Tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, diced 8 medium carrots, diced 800 mls vegetable broth 1 can of coconut milk 1 Tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon ginger powder/fresh ginger Salt / Pepper, to taste Feta, optional 1 ½ tins of chickpeas 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin ..read more

Apple Cheddar and Thyme Scones These are a great savoury scone to add to lunchboxes or as a side to a bowl of warm soup Ingredients 235g self raising flour 1tsp baking powder 25g butter cubed 150g mature cheddar cheese 1 tsp chopped thyme 1 large eating apple chopped and grated 2 eggs 115 mls milk Makes approx 8 scones Method Preheat oven to 200 degrees or 180 degrees if using a fan oven. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a large bowl sieve the flour and baking powder. Add the butter and rub with fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add grated cheese, chopped apple and thyme. Mix wel ..read more

Sitting at the desk for a couple of hours? how about 3 minutes to stretch out the body and reset and re-energise? Two great stretches to activate the posterior chain and release tension from the neck, back and shoulders W Stretch Cat Cow Stretch ..read more

Five reasons you should be adding Push Ups to your daily routine   The Push Up is a great exercise to strengthen and tone the full body in one movement. The modifications and variations to the push up mean it can be done by everyone no matter what your fitness level is.  Here are five powerful reasons for adding the Push up to your weekly/daily routine: 1.    Strengthens and tones the whole body with one exercise Push ups strengthen both upper and lower body in one movement with no equipment needed and are an excellent full body exercise to add to your weekly work ..read more