Roasted Carrot and Kale Salad with Grilled Chicken and Lemon Dressing

Looking to mix up your chicken options? This recipe is a great mix of different textures, flavours and colours - and perfect for a summer BBQ or light lunch. Yes, it’s kale, but you could just as easily use a fresh spinach or lettuce base (skip the roasting!).

Use this recipe as a base and adapt to your own tastes - I adapted it myself from one featured in The Women’s Weekly’s ‘Almost Vegetarian’ book. Speaking of vegetarian, instead of chicken, you could easily substitute in some grilled tofu or haloumi, or roasted chickpeas for a meat-free meal.

You could also substitute some feta for the dressing if preferred.

It’s low-carb meal, but you could add in some cooked quinoa, brown rice or roast sweet potato to boost the carbohydrate content.

Serves 3-4

Preparation time – 5-10 minutes

Cooking time – 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bunch green curly kale

3tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g Dutch baby carrots, trimmed and peeled

500g chicken breast fillets

½ small red onion, quartered

2tbsp sunflower seeds

Parsley to garnish

Lemon dressing:

4tbsp mayonnaise

2tbsp lemon juice

2tsp dijon mustard

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line 3 baking trays with paper.

Cut kale leaves from stems, discarding stems.  Spread kale over 2 trays and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, and make space to place sunflower seeds at one end to roast with the kale.

Place carrots on the other baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Place carrots in the oven to roast for 30 minutes or until tender. 

Add kale to the oven for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time for the carrots, taking care to avoid leaves and sunflower seeds from burning. 

In the meantime, cut chicken fillets in half horizontally and cook the four thin fillets on a pre-heated and lightly oiled grill plate or fry-pan until browned and cooked through.  Slice thickly.

Make the lemon dressing while the roast vegetables and chicken are cooking by combining the mayonnaise, lemon juice and Dijon mustard.

To serve, place roasted kale and carrot on plates with quartered onion broken into pieces (you can roast the onion with the carrots, or include raw depending on preference).  Top with sliced chicken, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and parsley, and drizzle over dressing (or serve dressing in a small pot).

Almond Butter Balls

I tried a few different combinations of these balls but this mix seemed to work well for taste and texture, without needing to add extra sugar (the dates provide plenty of sweetness!).

The recipe combines ingredients in a food processor, however you can also grate ingredients finely then combine if you want a bit more texture and crunch. Totally up to you.

This makes a good base recipe that you could then adapt and adjust with different nuts/seeds/nut butters to suit your tastes.

With all of the nuts, seeds and nut butter, these treats contain healthy fats, as well as fibre, vitamins and minerals from the raw ingredients. They are lower in sugar than some other ‘bliss ball’ recipes, however any snacks that are packed with nuts/seeds/dried fruit will be nutrient-dense, but also energy-dense. Great as a small snack at the end of a meal, or something to go with a cup of tea (as an alternative to a sweet biscuit perhaps), but not necessarily suggested as a handful as a snack on their own. If you are an athlete with high energy needs however, enjoy liberally.

Another thing to note - don’t be fooled by similar recipes out there for ‘protein balls’ - the shear size of these snacks means that even though the ingredients contain protein, consuming 1 or 2 serves is unlikely to provide significant protein and the quality of protein is likely to be low (you would have to add a lot of protein powder otherwise, and this is usually not possible). Check ingredients and portion sizes carefully. There will usually be more efficient ways to get your high quality protein in. So although this recipe contains plenty of nuts and seeds, there is no way they could be referred to as protein balls! But nutritious and tasty all the same, and nice for something different!

If you are looking for some pre-workout snack ideas, you will find some in my blog article Best Snacks for Before Exercise to Perform at Your Best.

Almond Butter Balls

Makes ~20

Ingredients:

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

½ cup dates

¼ cup coconut

½ cup oats

½ cup almond butter

Method:

Combine sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, dates, coconut and oats in a food processer until well combined.  Mix through nut butter.  Using a teaspoon, roll into small balls and place on a lined tray.  Allow to firm up in the fridge, then store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Quick and easy recipes - soup, salad and snacks

Image by Rosanna Faraci

No doubt about it, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our lives and livelihoods. All of us have different experiences and have been effected in different ways. For many, it has provided an opportunity to consider our own health and well-being and take a closer look at our nutrition choices and habits. This has resulted in a significant increase in home-cooking (including a contagious interest in sourdough baking!) as well as cooking on a budget.

You may have already been searching your favourite recipe sites, or flicking through old recipe books for meal inspiration. If you are looking for more ideas, I have linked in below a few winter-friendly options that are quick and easy to make, and will help to keep your body and brain nourished and content.

These, along with other recipes, are here on my website, or if you are looking for more ideas you will find over 140 meal and snack ideas in Super Food for Performance - currently discounted.

Pumpkin and Pinenut Spinach Salad
Yes, a salad for winter - you can serve it while the sweet potato is still warm. Great with lamb or chicken, or roast some chickpeas with the sweet potato for a vegetarian option.

Dahl

Perfect for a warming lunch or savoury snack. High in fibre and a tasty way to eat lentils!

Image by Bec Doyle Photography

Salmon and Ricotta Frittata

Works well for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack - high in protein and a terrific source of calcium.

Image by Bec Doyle Photography

Mexican-Style Beef with Sweet Corn Salad

More salad! But you can serve it while the corn is still warm. Mix in some black beans for a plant-based lunch bowl on it’s own.

Banana Bread

One of the most searched recipes right now - a great way to use up extra bananas, and lower in sugar and additives than the standard store-bought varieties.

Image by Bec Doyle Photography

Recovery Smoothie

A great recovery option post-training, especially with more of us training from home right now. Mix it up with your favourite fresh or frozen fruits.

Happy cooking and stay safe. I would love to see your creations, so if you post any of your cooking on your social media please tag me in - (these recipes or your own healthy favourites!). You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Banana, strawberry and yoghurt muffins

Image above is ‘Banana Muffins’ - the recipe below but minus the strawberries!

Recipe makes ~18 medium size muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup wholemeal SR flour

1 cup SR flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinammon

¾ cup natural yoghurt

½ cup milk

1 egg

1/3 cup olive oil

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup chopped strawberries 

 Method:       

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.  Line muffin pans with patty cases or grease with some oil or butter.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, flours, sugar and cinammon and whisk to remove any lumps.  Combine yoghurt, milk, egg, olive oil and bananas in a separate bowl then add to the dry ingredients. Combine gently until just mixed through, then fold through the strawberries.  Spoon mixture into muffin pans to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees C. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before cooling on a wire rack

Watermelon, feta and mint salad

Recipe from Super Food for Performance in Work Sport and Life .

Sounds like a strange combination, but these three ingredients combine beautifully together, either with a BBQ or as a refreshing salad on it’s own on a hot summer’s day. 

Watermelon is quite low in sugar, and adding the mint provides the additional nutrient benefits of fresh herbs.  A great way to jazz up your summer watermelon.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

600g seedless watermelon, chopped coarsely

100g feta cheese, roughly crumbled

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

Combine all ingredients, serve!

 Vegetarian, Gluten-free

Banana bread

This recipe is not really my own, it’s kind of a mix of a few different ones I have used over time – the great thing is that it seems to work out ok every time – no need to weigh your flour for this one, get it about right and it should be fine! 

Quick and easy to make, with staple ingredients from the fridge and cupboard, so as soon as you have a couple of brown looking bananas you can whip one up.

Yes, it has a bit of sugar, but still on the low side.  I make it often for my active kids and they love it as a snack.  At least it’s home-made, which means none of the additives that many of the store-bought varieties contain. 

Nice on it’s own, fresh from the oven, and also lasts a couple of days in an airtight container.  It might last longer but we never have any left to know!

Feel free to adjust recipe to suit tastes – you could add sultanas or change the topping to any sort of nuts or seeds.

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup wholemeal plain flour

¾ cup white plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.  Line a loaf tin with baking paper. 

In a large bowl, combine mashed banana, eggs, brown sugar and olive oil.  In another bowl, sift flours (if you have time, mostly I don’t bother!) and mix well with bicarb of soda and cinnamon.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well.  Pour into prepared loaf tin. Top with chopped walnuts if desired.  Bake for ~45 minutes until golden brown and a cake skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean

Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm or cold.

Pumpkin and Pinenut Spinach Salad

Roasted pumpkin is a delicious base for a salad (and lower in carbohydrate than most people think!). If you need a higher carbohydrate option, you could use sweet potato instead of the pumpkin. Combined with feta and crunchy pinenuts, you can have a gourmet vegetarian dinner any night of the week, or a great salad addition to a summer BBQ.

Recipe from Super Food for Performance in Work, Sport and Life.

Serves 4-8

Ingredients:
750g butternut pumpkin, peeled
2tbsp olive oil
40g pine nuts
150g baby spinach leaves
80g feta cheese
Additional 2tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.  Chop pumpkin into small cubes and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.  Drizzle with the olive oil and turn to coat.  Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and leave to cool.
Towards the end of cooking, place the pine nuts on a baking tray in the over for a couple of minutes to lightly toast, or this could alternatively be done in a small non-stick frying pan on the stove.  Allow to cool also.
Place spinach in a serving bowl, top with pumpkin, pinenuts and crumbled feta.  Whisk additional 2tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and Dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper.  Serve salad with dressing.

Fibre-rich, Low-Fructose, Vegetarian, Gluten-free

Chicken and Avocado Salad

Image by Bec Doyle Photography

An easy salad rich in protein, healthy fats, probiotics and green goodness. This recipe is low in carbohydrate, but could be adapted for training needs by adding some cooked quinoa or brown rice. Leftover salad also makes a tasty lunch option or sandwich/wrap filling.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 continental cucumber, thinly sliced

2 stick of celery, finely chopped

200g mixed lettuce leaves

1 roast chicken, skin removed OR 800g lean chicken breast,grilled/BBQ’ed

3 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

2 spring onions, finely sliced

Pepper

Method

Combine cucumber, celery, 1 of the spring onions and lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Remove chicken from the bones and chop roughly, or slice pre-cooked chicken breast.  Mix through salad.  Combine mayonnaise and yoghurt, mix well and dollop on top of salad.  Sprinkle with remaining chopped spring onion.

Fresh Tip

For a portable lunch on the go, use leftover salad as a delicious filling for a wholegrain sandwich, roll or wrap. Line the bread with lettuce leaves that have been washed and dried to create a barrier between the filling and bread to avoid a soggy lunch.

Recipe from Super Food for Performance in Work, Sport and Life

Dahl

Dahl     

Serves 6

A popular vegetarian soup option, dahl is also one of the easiest and quickest soups to prepare. Red lentils don’t require soaking so you just rinse them and add to your soup. This meal freezes beautifully too, so feel free to make double and keep individual serves in the freezer for easy winter lunches.       

*Recipe from Super Food for Performance in Work, Sport and Life                                              

Ingredients:                                  

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tsp cumin, ground

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

½ cup red lentils, rinsed

400g tinned diced tomato

1½ cups vegetable stock

2 tsp lemon juice

Chopped coriander and Greek yoghurt to serve (optional)

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or non-stick pan. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes until soft, add the cumin, garlic, ginger and lentils and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes until soft (you may need to add more water/stock, especially if you like a thinner-style soup).

Add the lemon juice and process in a food processor if desired. Serve with finely chopped fresh coriander and natural Greek yoghurt.

Fibre-rich, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free (if gluten-free stock is used)

Recovery smoothie

Image courtesy of Bec Doyle Photography

This smoothie is the perfect option post-exercise, containing carbohydrate, protein, antioxidants, electrolytes and fluid for recovery.  Rice milk is great to include in smoothies after training for fast recovery, due to its high glycemic index, but dairy milk could also be used.  Rice milk doesn’t contain any protein, so we have added protein from yoghurt, almond meal and skim milk powder.  You can use a whey protein powder if you like, but you can get enough high quality protein for recovery using real food.  This smoothie contains banana and berries, but you can vary the fruit you use to suit your individual tastes.

Serves 1

 1 cup/250ml rice milk (calcium fortified)

100g/3.5 oz protein-rich Greek yoghurt

1 medium ripe banana, chopped

¼ cup/40g frozen berries

1 tbsp ground almonds

1 tbsp skim milk powder

Combine all ingredients and blend, pour into a tall glass to serve.

Salmon and Ricotta Frittata

Image by Bec Doyle Photography, from the book Eat Right For Your Life, Wilkinson Publishing

Looking for a protein-packed lunch or easy dinner?  Eggs can be prepared in so many ways and this delicious frittata combines the protein from eggs, salmon, cheese and milk to make a filling dish.   The salmon adds healthy omega-3 fats plus calcium, so along with the cheese and milk, this dish will help you to meet your calcium requirements.  If you don't tolerate lactose well, use a lactose-free milk and mix in some tasty cheese instead of the ricotta.  You could also add some leftover roast vegetables, or serve with a delicious big green salad.  Leftover frittata is great for breakfast or snacks the next day too!

Salmon and Ricotta Frittata

Serves 4

 Ingredients:

2 tsp oil

2 spring onions (scallions), sliced

100g/3.5 oz baby spinach leaves

400g/14 oz tin of salmon, drained and flaked

100g/3.5 oz low-fat ricotta cheese, crumbled

6 eggs, whisked

1/3 cup (80ml) low-fat milk

1 tbsp chopped dill

½ cup/50g low-fat cheese, grated

 Method:

1. Heat the oil over a low heat in a non-stick fry pan with a heatproof handle, add the spring onions and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the drained salmon and crumbled ricotta, stir gently so it is evenly spread over the bottom of the pan. 

2. Whisk the eggs lightly, combine with the low-fat milk pour into the pan and continue to heat on low until the eggs are almost cooked, being careful not to burn the base of the frittata.

3. Sprinkle with chopped dill, grated low-fat cheese and salt/pepper to taste then place under a pre-heated grill until the cheese is melted and the frittata is cooked through. Serve with a green salad.

This recipe is from my book Eat Right For Your Life.  If you love healthy recipes, I have a new book due for release later this year also, all about performance nutrition.  Plus don't forget to leave your details here on my blog page so I can send you more recipes and performance nutrition info in the meantime.  You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram, where I put lots of photos of dishes eaten at home and out and about.

Nicoise Salad

Image by Bec Doyle Photography from the book Eat Right For Your Life

Nicoise salad is one of my favourites, light but protein-rich and great for an easy dinner on a hot night or a portable and filling lunch.  The dressing works well for other salads too.  This recipe is from my book Eat Right For Your Life.

Nicoise Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g/1 lb baby new potatoes, quartered

200g/7 oz green beans, topped and tailed

1 medium red (Spanish) onion, sliced thinly

150g/5 oz mixed lettuce leaves

250g/9 oz cherry tomatoes

400g/14 oz canned tuna in oil, drained, flaked

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters

½ cup/90g seeded black olives

3 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and cut in half lengthways

 Dressing

Combine ¼ cup/60ml of lemon juice with one crushed clove of garlic and 2tsp of Dijon mustard (add 60ml olive oil also if desired).

Method

1. Steam potatoes and beans until just tender, drain and allow to cool.

2. Combine onion, lettuce leaves and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Top with potatoes, beans, flaked tuna, eggs, olives and anchovies. Serve with dressing on the side.

For more recipes like this, sign up to my free newsletter here. 

Lamb salad with chickpea, spinach and mint cous-cous

Image by Bec Doyle Photography from the book Eat Right for Your Life, Wilkinson Publishing.

Looking for a salad to serve on Christmas day?  For this recipe the salad is served with lamb, but it goes just as nicely with roast turkey or a BBQ!  It can be made ahead of time, but here is a quick tip - add the spinach and mint at the last minute!  Look closely at the picture above - your salad will look a lot greener than this as I tried to be clever and freeze the cous-cous mix for our photo shoot day and soon realized that spinach doesn't freeze so well and ends up a limp soggy mess.  So do a better job than me and you will have a fresh, vibrant and tasty salad! 

For more Christmas eating ideas, have a read of my blog post Christmas eating for athletes - tips to eat well through the festive season and leave your details on my Thoughts page for nutrition news and recipes sent directly to your email.

Or if you are looking for a last minute gift idea, I have copies of my book Eat Right for Your Life available at a special Christmas price of $10.  Contact me via the Get In Touch tab on my website to order copies. 

Lamb salad with chickpea, spinach and mint cous-cous

Serves 4 as a main

1 cup/185g dry couscous

300g/10.5 oz can of chickpeas, drained

100g/3.5 oz spinach leaves

2 tbsp chopped mint

¼ cup/42g dry roasted almonds, roughly chopped

¼ cup/30g cranberries

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

Extra oil for cooking

600g/1.3 lb lamb filet or lean lamb steaks

Salt and cracked pepper

Low-fat Greek yoghurt

1. Cook the couscous according to packet instructions and allow to cool.

2. Stir through the chickpeas, spinach leaves, mint, almonds and cranberries. 

3. Combine the lemon juice and oil, drizzle over the salad and stir to combine. 

4. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and cracked pepper. Heat oil in a pan and cook lamb for 3-4 minutes each side, or until cooked to your liking. Rest for 5 minutes.

5. While the lamb is resting, place the salad onto warmed serving plates then slice the lamb and serve with the couscous salad and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Mexican-style beef with sweet corn salad

Image by Bec Doyle Photography, recipe from Eat Right For Your Life

Having a BBQ this weekend?  Why not try this quick and easy Mexican beef, a great way to spice up your regular steak.  The salad is fresh and filling and also takes very little time to prepare.  Perfect for entertaining, or a quick weekday dinner. 

Mexican-style beef with sweet corn salad

Serves 4

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

600g/1.3 lb lean beef rump steak

2 corn cobs

1 red capsicum (pepper), chopped

½ red (Spanish) onion, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

¼ cup/10g fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

 1. Combine the cumin, paprika, chilli flakes and olive oil in a shallow dish.  Add the steaks, turning to cover in the spice mix. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. To make the salad, remove the outer green leaves from the corn cobs and BBQ, steam or microwave the corn for 4-5 minutes or until kernels are cooked through, allow to cool. Once cooled, carefully cut the corn from the cob and place in a bowl. Combine the corn, capsicum, red onion, avocado and coriander leaves. Stir through the lime juice and set aside.

3. Grill or BBQ the steak and serve with the sweet corn salad.

Note: For the marinade, you can substitute a 35g/1.2 oz packet of taco seasoning for the cumin, paprika and chilli flakes.

- This recipe, plus other BBQ friendly meals, is from my latest book Eat Right For Your Life, why not pick one up or order online as a Christmas gift for a food-loving friend!

- If you like this recipe, you can subscribe to my free newsletter at the bottom of this page for more nutrition updates and recipes, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.