Janelawsonnutrition

Almond & coconut energy balls
Here’s a recipe that might be helpful if you’re surrounded by mountains chocolate and want a healthier sweet option to eat!

Really easy to make and super nutritious. I’ve added some nutrition facts to the recipe on my website if you want to know more 🤓 🔗 in bio

• Ingredients •
Makes around 20 depending on size

100g almonds

100g desiccated coconut, plus 10g reserved to coat the balls

400g dates

2 1/2 tbsp almond butter

4 tbsp cacao

• Method •
Put the almonds in the mixer and whizz into a fine crumb.

Next add 90g coconut and blitz.

Add the nut butter, cacao and then the dates one at a time to prevent them clogging the blades.

Roll into whatever size balls you fancy.

Coat the balls in coconut but putting some in a shallow bowl or tub and shake them around 2-3 at a time.

Why I eat a savoury breakfast…

Bit of a different one today - the first in a new series of blog posts on things I’ve learnt during my course. I’m studying on a Personalised Nutrition Masters and I want my account to reflect what I’m doing right now as well as being a resource for healthy recipes.

I’ve learnt so much about diet and lifestyle so I want to be able to share some of that knowledge in longer form pieces on my website - but the main headlines below!

I’m all about making small changes that deliver big results and eating a savoury breakfast was just that for me. But of course, we’re all different and what works for one person might not work as well for another - it’s about finding what works for you!

The longer blog piece is on my website (link in bio), with more info and breakfast ideas, but here are the main takeaways:

🍳 Eating sweet or starchy food for breakfast can affect your appetite and energy through the whole day.
🥣 Cereal, toast, sweet spreads, fruit juices, or pastries can cause a sharp rise in blood sugar levels (a glucose spike), followed by a rapid dip. This dip can leave you tired and hungry, reaching for more carbs (starch and sugar) for energy - a blood sugar rollercoaster.
🌅 We may be more sensitive to glucose after fasting overnight, so starches and sugars can cause a more significant spike.
🥚 If I eat any carbs, I make sure they are high-fibre from veggies, whole grains, and accompanied by protein and ‘healthy’ fats (Greek yogurt, nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil) to slow their digestion and reduce the blood sugar spike.

Savoury breakfast ideas:
• Eggs + lots of veggies + optional sourdough and/or smoked salmon
• Avocado, tomatoes or any veg + sourdough + tahini + toasted nuts/seeds
• Chia pudding + toasted nuts, seeds, Greek yoghurt, nut butter, berries, chopped apple, desiccated coconut, sunflower/pumpkin seeds (any combo)
• Smoothies: 1 tbsp protein powder + nuts, seeds, berries, avo, banana, Greek yoghurt, nut milk

Deserving of its own post:
🍑 fresh peach granita 🍑

A Sicilian invention - semi frozen icy sorbet made with fresh fruit and sold everywhere. Perfect in the ☀️

Pasta alla ‘norma’ and a trip around beautiful on the south east coast.

Fresh tuna lunch at a lovely little outdoor restaurant by the track to the nature reserve beach 🫶💙☀️
A small menu of simple pastas and fresh fish, delizioso 😎

The quickest breakfast compote:
🫐🥥
Gently heat a bag (or half) of frozen blueberries in a saucepan with 2-3 tbsp desiccated coconut.
Stir regularly, putting the lid back on in between.
Take off the heat when the blueberries have just warmed through.
Crush with a potato masher or blitz with a hand blender for a smoother texture, like mine.

I haven’t added any honey or maple, just coconut as it is better to limit your sugar intake at breakfast to keep your glucose levels steadier. This will help you avoid eating more sugar / simple carbs (white basically) through the day. A morning glucose spike (think Crunchy Nut Cornflakes or any sugary cereal ☠️) can set you on a glucose rollercoaster, increasing cravings, fatigue and irritability. I try to stay as ‘savoury’ as possible with breakfast as I find it really helps me concentrate so much better as well as regulating my diet.

I have a spoon of compote with Greek yoghurt or chia / flax pudding, along with nut butter, toasted seeds and nuts for breakfast. (Adding fibre, fat and protein slows the rate that glucose enters your bloodstream and reduces the spike too).

Let me know if you have any questions about glucose / savoury breakfast ideas!

Spicy Mexican soup
Winter-warming soup that is so good topped with grated cheddar. Add extra harissa or dried chill for more 🔥 and eat with homemade tortilla chips (recipe on my website - link in bio), or cheese on toast (but hold the grated!).
🌶️ingredients🌶️
Serves 6

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 red peppers, quartered and sliced 

3 small cloves garlic, chopped finely 

3 carrots, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin  

½ tsp ground coriander

1 tsp harissa, ground blend or paste

250g red lentils, rinsed really well  

2 x 400g tinned tomatoes

400ml coconut milk 

1 x 400g tin black beans

1 tsp sea salt 

Juice of ½ lemon

Handful chopped fresh coriander, optional

Handful of grated cheddar or any other cheese

Blob of Greek yoghurt

🌶️method🌶️

Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions, peppers and carrots gently for 10 minutes.

Next add the garlic, stirring well. Cook for about a minute.

Now add the harissa and ground spices, stir well to warm through and release flavours.

Next add the rinsed lentils, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk.

Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the black beans, plus water. Cook for another 15 minutes, but add a little extra water if needed.

Next stir in the salt, lemon juice and coriander if using

Serve with a blob of Greek yoghurt - coconut for vegan option 🌱

Super tasty lunch:
Mushroom & cashew cream on toast
The only thing you need to prep is the cashew cream and it doesn’t take long I promise. This recipe will make more than you need, but it keeps in the fridge for about a week and is lovely on casseroles, tagines, salads, roasted veggies or even baked potatoes. Think if it like a cross between a vegan creme fraiche and hummus.
Cashew cream
Ingredients 100g cashews 100ml cashew or oat milk ½ small garlic clove Juice of ¼ lemon Good pinch of salt & pepper

Method
1. Soak the cashews in boiling water for 8-10 mins then drain.
2. Use a small blender to blitz all the ingredients together. Takes approx 5 minutes to go creamy and smooth, but it will depend on your blender.
3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container.

For lunch:
Fry a handful of sliced mushrooms in ex virgin olive oil and finish with chopped parsley / seasoning. Toast your bread (GF recipe 2 posts ago and on my website, or sourdough would be great), then top with a thick spread of cashew cream and the mushrooms. So good!🍴

Quinoa & red pepper nut roast
New recipe for Xmas 2022! Hit save if you’re cooking for vegetarians this year 🌱 I also have a couple of lovely vegan gravy recipes on my website too - link in bio.
*This recipe can be made with gluten free flour (I like ) or ordinary plain.

Ingredients
Serves 8-10 150g mixed nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, toasted 150g quinoa 1 red onion, chopped finely 1 red pepper, small dice 1 clove garlic, chopped finely 150g mushrooms, chopped roughly, but fairly small 180g cooked chestnuts, chopped finely or blitzed in a food processor
1 tsp dried oregano 5 tbsp plain or GF flour 2 heaped tbsp tomato purée 2 heaped tsp Dijon mustard 150g cheddar cheese, grated 2 tsp sea salt 3 large eggs, beaten Black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºc. Line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment, or I like to use a liner as they just slot in.

2. Put the sunflower and pumpkin seeds on a tray and roast for 7-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the onions, pepper and garlic, frying gently for 10-12 minutes until soft.

4. Next add the mushrooms and cook for a further 8-10 minutes, letting any excess liquid evaporate.

5. While the veg is cooking, blitz the chestnuts in a food processor to a bread crumb texture and then put in a bowl. If you don’t have a processor, just chop finely.

6. Add the chestnuts, oregano and flour, mixing well and then the tomato purée, mustard, cheddar, nuts, seeds, salt and finally the beaten eggs. Combine well.

7. Spoon the mix into the tin, press it down lightly, so it sticks together and cover with a piece of tin foil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes then remove the tin foil and put back in for another 15 minutes.

8. Serve with my red onion gravy (website link in bio) roasties and lots of greens.

Protein & fibre smoothie mix
🌱
Smoothies need to be quick and easy, so here’s a way to cut the daily prep time and add a sh*t-ton of nutrients 👊 Mix together:
𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚊 : 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚡 : 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚎𝚛
ratio 𝟸 : 𝟷 : 𝟷

• Chia seeds = fibre, protein, nutrient rich (antioxidants, ALA-omega 3, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, B1, B3) also thickens the smoothie too giving a nice texture.
• Flaxseed = amino acids, ALA-omega 3, omega 6, fibre, B1, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, ligand-rich - phytoestrogens - good for peri-meno and antioxidants
• Pea protein powder = protein/amino acids 💪 ()
🌱
I use different combos of nut milk (love as they don’t add any oil or emulsifiers etc), berries, banana, spinach, nut butters and then add 1 heaped tbsp of the protein mix per serving. Saves faffing with different packets and jars every morning! You can obviously adapt with your own ingredients too.
I’ll write up and share my new fave green smoothie tomorrow 🌱 in the meantime, there are lots of recipes on my website that you can adapt too - just replace the chia seeds with this mix instead.

Don’t throw your pumpkin away!
Make this lovely soup with chilli & ginger 🎃
Link in bio
Recipe also shared on the stories 🎃

Nourishing white bean and lentil soup
First soup of the season… Might have gone a tiny bit early, but I’m ready for it today. This one is full of nutrients to ward those start of term colds away! It’s dead easy and makes a big tub you can keep in the fridge for a few days, or freeze for later.
Ingredients

2 onions, chopped finely
2 sticks celery, chopped finely
3 carrots, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
2 garlic cloves, grated or chopped finely
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp ground harissa (or paste)
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans
1 x 400g tin green lentils (drained)
1 tsp sea salt

Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large deep pan and fry the onions, celery and carrots for 5 minutes and then add the pepper for a further 10 minutes.
2. Next add the garlic for 30 seconds, then all the spices stirring for another 30 seconds.
3. Then pour in the stock, beans (including water) and lentils.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes and then finish by seasoning.
5. Serve with chopped parsley, sourdough or even cheese on toast

Roast cauliflower, tomato & spelt salad
I bought a packet of spelt the other day with a vague idea of making a salad as I really enjoyed the last one I made with butternut squash and rose harissa. This time I roasted some cauliflower, tomatoes and red onions and then tossed in the cooked spelt whilst warm with a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon - super quick and easy. I hadn’t intended on eating this salad straight from the oven, but did so by accident as I was really hungry! I’d definitely recommend doing the same as it was lovely; perfect if you’re eating outside with family or friends over the next few weeks while it’s a bit chilly.
*The salad is vegan if you use a plant based yoghurt. would would be lovely.
Recipe link in bio - I’ve included tips on how to adjust the ingredients to your taste, or what you have in the cupboard too!

Aubergine parmigiana
Inspired by my friend .lees_ , who makes an amazing aubergine parm, I thought I’d have a go at making my own version.
I’ve stayed traditional in that I haven’t messed about with a classic here (if it ain’t broke...?!): there are layers of creamy aubergine, my go-to tomato sauce and LOTS of cheese!
This would be another great dish to make if you’re eating outside with friends over the weekend. Aubergine parmigiana makes a lovely side for a BBQ (chicken or white fish would work really well) or you could go veggie with baked rice (I shared a recipe 2 days ago) and a green salad.
Let me if you try it out!
Link in bio 🍅🍆

Easter breakfast idea!
Chocolate strawberry & raspberry coconut cream on toast
AD/ Looking for something a little bit special to have on your toast this Easter weekend? Well I’ve got a couple of ideas that you might want to try. asked me to create a family friendly recipe for you to enjoy over the holidays, so I’ve used their tasty sliced brown and seeded topped with a classic combo: chocolate & strawberry, and one you might not have tried before: coconut cream & raspberry coulis!
Baker Street has a great range of baked products and their bread is specially wrapped to keep it fresher for longer which means less waste. Hop over to their page to take a look!
If you fancy giving these Easter toast toppers a go then click the link in my bio! 🍓🍫🥥

Chocolate hazelnut spread
Look away now if you don’t like sugar on the breakfast table! Even the most puritan of us might just allow a little chocolate first thing in the morning at Easter though and if so, read on…
This is an easy recipe for homemade Nutella, which is lovely on toast, pancakes or just spooned straight out of the jar! 🥄
Unlike the commercial variety, you can choose the texture that you prefer, if you want crunch, just don’t blitz the nuts for as long, or set a handful aside and bash in a bag with a rolling pin to add later. Once it’s set in the fridge, keep it in the cupboard, so it spreads easily and enjoy a thick layer on toast 🍞
Tomorrow morning I’ll share an Easter breakfast idea that I came up with using some tasty bread by I’ll give you a clue - it includes chocolate spread , but also a combination you might not have thought of before! /AD

Red pepper & tomato baked rice with lemon feta.......................................
I’m sharing this recipe as it’s a great one to make for friends now that we can finally socialise in our gardens. All the prep work is done beforehand, so it only needs a quick reheat in the oven before serving. Baked rice would be a lovely addition to a spring BBQ; I think at this time of year, while it’s still a bit chilly for eating alfresco, it would be nice to serve a warm dish instead of a salad with whatever you have on the grill.
I love baked rice as you can add so many different vegetables, spices and herb combinations to make it really interesting without too much work. It can be a delicious side, or I had it as a main with a green salad the other night. If you want to go vegan, then just stir through a tin of chickpeas (or any beans) and top with roasted pumpkin seeds.
Let me know if you make it for 5 friends in your garden!
☀️Recipe link in bio☀️

Broccoli, sweet potato & tahini salad
Salad season is back! I feel ready to say goodbye to soups now, or may be I’m getting over excited as it’s sunny AND warm today. Feels really good after a long lockdown winter and now we can have friends in our gardens, life just feels that bit better. I’ve missed seeing my family and friends so much!
This was a hastily put together salad based on what I fancied last night. It was a rare evening when everyone else had either leftovers or a packet pie (yes, they’re my lifeline some days) to eat and I was left to my own devices. So I made a salad with roasted vegetables, harissa spices, quinoa and tahini dressing, which I enjoyed so much. I took the rest to eat for lunch with in the park and added some falafels and pitta, which felt like a real treat!
* If you want to make the salad vegan, just leave out the feta and top with a few toasted seeds.

Banana & sunflower muffins
I baked these yesterday as I’m trying to make my daughter’s lunchbox a bit more interesting, but to be honest I’ve eaten more of them than her so far!! They’re basically banana bread in bun form and this is something I struggle to resist! But although they’re a ‘treat’, the sunflower seeds, oats and obviously banana mean they have a decent nutritional content, making them a healthier snack for you or your kids to eat. Always a bonus in my book!
Anyway, if you decide to make them then it’s a good idea to freeze a few before they get scoffed, so you have some in stock for lunchboxes. Thank you for that idea! Pop a frozen muffin in their pack up and it’ll be defrosted by the lunchtime, so they’re great for those days when your cupboard is empty.
But if you fancy some yourself, then they’re really good for breakfast as they’re sweet, but not too sweet or you might save one as a treat with a cuppa in the afternoon. I had one for elevenses and a big wedge of banana bread this afternoon!! 🐽
🍌 Recipe link in bio if you want to give them a go. It’s a really easy one as you just combine all the wet with the dry ingredients. Barely any stirring and no special equipment needed. Just a couple of bowls, a fork and a big spoon. I think 10s and over could make them without much adult help at all. Let me know what you think!

Packed lunch ideas:
Falafel & red pepper wrap 🌯
One small goal of mine for the return to school was to make my daughter’s packed lunches a bit more interesting. Last term we’d got in a rut of throwing a cream cheese sandwich, a pack of crisps, an apple and a chocolate bar in her bag everyday and although there’s nothing wrong with that, as she’s vegetarian I felt like I needed to be a bit more creative and give her a wider range of options.
I’ll share my ideas over the next few days and then compile them in a blog post that you can refer back to - all are fairly quick to prepare, nutritious and contain ingredients that most kids will eat. Obviously in the summer all these recipes can be made for picnics or even your own lunch. In fact I made a falafel wrap for myself today as well - scroll through to see what went in. Was one of the best I’ve had in a while! The first few pictures show my daughter’s wrap in progress and then the rest are my additions (listed below).
One thing I’d say is to grate a carrot and chop a few cucumber sticks the night before and keep them in an airtight tub in the fridge. I made extra to last for a few days, so I could use up the falafels, make different sandwiches or like today, eat them in my own wrap!
Ingredients
Makes 1
3 falafels
2 tsp red pepper hummus
½ small carrot, peeled & grated
4 thin cucumber sticks
1-2 tsp plain yoghurt
1 wrap 50:50 wheat/white)
Method
- Heat a small frying pan and spray lightly with oil. Add the falafels to the pan and put a lid on so they warm up quickly.
- Once they have softened and have started to brown, flatten them with a spatula and let them colour a bit on both sides.
- Briefly warm the wrap in a clean frying pan and then assemble by spreading the hummus down the centre, cut the falafels in half and line up on top. Then put the veg along side the falafels and spread a little yoghurt on the other side of the wrap. Roll from the veg side and the yoghurt will stick the wrap together & keep it from drying out. Cut in half.
My additions:
- Cherry tomato, thin slices
- Gem lettuce, leaves halved
- Coriander
- Fried Halloumi cubes
- hot sauce 🌶

🌱 Pea & kale risotto 🌱
Reasons to be cheerful: spring is in the air, I’m wearing my new green hoodie, the kids have gone back to school after the longest Christmas holiday in history and it’s International Women’s Day!
Sending love and a fresh green risotto recipe to all the amazing women in my life!
🌿Recipe link in bio🌿

5 ingredient tomato & mascarpone sauce
Here’s a quick mid-week recipe that always goes down well in our house! It’s made from 5 ingredients (excluding the salt and pasta!) and is a lovely creamy tomato sauce that works with any pasta. You can also easily adapt the recipe for meat-eaters by changing the sausage or switching for crispy bacon pieces.
Personally I think the sauce is really nice used on it’s own with just a little parmesan, if you want to leave out the sausages completely, or stir in a couple of handfuls of spinach to change things up.
🍅 Recipe link in bio 🍅

Roasted red pepper pesto
I’ve been experimenting with different pesto combinations recently as there are so many variations you can make and I love how it works with so many things: pasta, gnocchi, roasted veggies, sandwiches and fish or meat too.
This time I decided to use roasted red peppers with cashews, but you could swap for hazelnut or pine nuts if you prefer. You can also add a tablespoon or two of crème fraîche to make it creamy, which is especially good with gnocchi, as I always find it needs a bit more sauce than pasta.
The other great thing about pesto is that it freezes really well; I usually divide some into small portions that defrost quickly to make a tasty pasta when the fridge is empty!
❤️ Recipe link in bio ❤️

   

  .eats
 
   
   
   
 

Our favourite veggie lasagne
I’ve been working on this veggie lasagne on and off for a while now as I wanted to get exactly the right balance of tomato and cheese sauce to pasta. I think I went through five different versions, each with slight tweaks to the sauce and a streamlining of the ingredients without compromising on taste obviously! Finally, I think I’ve cracked it, so here’s the recipe for you guys to try, let me know what you think.
As there are two main elements to making a lasagne, the way I do it is to cook the tomato sauce the day before (or even two), so all I need to make is the cheesy béchamel and then assemble. This cuts the work time to about 30 minutes on the day as lasagne can sometimes seem too time-consuming. (The tomato sauce takes approx 25 mins to make btw.)
A bonus is that this recipe serves 6-8, so you should have dinner sorted for a couple of days too.
When we’re finally allowed to socialise, lasagne is a great dish to cook for friends (roll on June!!) as you can do all the prep ahead, pop it in the oven when your guests arrive and serve with a big green salad. I’d be pretty surprised if you got any complaints from meat-eaters as this lasagne is full of flavour, from the umami of the tomato sauce to the lovely rich cheesy béchamel. It’s certainly a favourite in our multi-diet house!
If you fancy giving it a try, click the link in my bio🍴

Sweet potato, lentil & chickpea curry with raita
Here’s my take on a traditional Indian dish called chana masala. I realise I’m being totally inauthentic adding sweet potato and lentils, as this should be made only with chickpeas, but I wanted a slightly different texture and taste this time. Thought it might be interesting to play around with a new idea!
The curry works really well with a side of raita as you have a nice fresh crunch from the cucumber and cooling creaminess from the yoghurt to counteract the spicy heat.
I served ours up with a combination of brown basmati, raita and chapatis - all the recipes are on my website if you want to give them a go. Makes enough for 6-8, so you should have some left over for lunches or the freezer - I’m off to have a bowl now!
🌶recipe link in bio🌶
*** can easily be made vegan by using yoghurt - my favourite for savoury dishes by far.