Anti-Inflammatory FOODS
9 Healthy Recipes for a Busy Lifestyle
Health and wellness is a very broad topic, and one which I have only become familiar with in recent years. I am in the process of learning to prioritise things that I know are good for me. For example, food can be a source of real anxiety. I tend to overthink meals and to dissect everything that is in them. So ensuring I have safeguards in place for if I’ve had a stressful day, or am feeling empty and run down is very important. As that is not a good space from which to make healthy food choices. For it can lead to a binge and restriction cycle very quickly if I’m not mindful.
As a result what I’ve started doing over the last while is meal preparation. Is taking a chunk of time during the week to plan, buy, and prepare meals for the following week. To then refrigerate or freeze them accordingly so they’re still fresh and delicious when the time comes to eat. This safeguards the anxious part of my brain from making unhelpful impulse decisions. As well as ensuring that I have healthy, tasty food on stand by for when I need it.
The ricochet effect is that I have more time in the evenings to socialise with my housemates. I have time in the mornings to pray. I have time to go for walks and not be obsessing about my next meal. I’m safeguarding my mental wellbeing, ensuring time for exercise, prayer and fun, all by ensuring this one area is well taken care of.
By planning and preparing my meals in advance I can ensure I’m eating the kinds of foods that don’t cause inflammation that can exacerbate pain and discomfort. I have noticed over the years which foods help nourish my body and better cope with pain, and which foods cause more inflammation and increase it. Some decisions were common sense, and others came from listening to my body.
It’s crazy the effect the food we eat has on our bodies capacity to heal and bare chronic pain. These recipes are nutrient dense and don’t contain additives or chemicals, just gut friendly food.
So I’ve gathered a list of my favourite recipes for you to try out! Some are newly discovered, whereas others are long time favourites. However, all are equally delicious!
Recipes Include
- Mediterranean Vegetable and Chicken Couscous
- Yogurt Bark
- Chili Lime Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables
- Oat and Yogurt Bread
- Salmon Bowl
- Apple and peanut butter snack
- Homemade Tomato and Basil Soup
- Caesar Salad
- Eggs, Avocado, and Toasted Wheaten Bread
Mediterranean Vegetable and Chicken Couscous
Here’s a simple and tasty recipe for Chicken and Couscous with Vegetables. It has a Mediterranean touch and is quick to prepare.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- Handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth or chicken stock cube
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Lemon wedges (optional, for serving)
Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken cubes and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
2. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the bell pepper and cherry tomatoes to the skillet, and cook until they start to soften, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper to the skillet, and stir to combine.
5. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and bring it to a simmer. Once it’s simmering, add the couscous, stirring to mix well. Remove the skillet from heat and cover it. Let it sit for 5 minutes, allowing the couscous to absorb the broth.
6. After 5 minutes, fluff the couscous with a fork and add the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Stir to combine and reheat the chicken.
7. Stir in the fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges on the side, if desired.
Enjoy your chicken and couscous dish! This recipe is versatile, so you can add other vegetables or adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Yogurt Bark
Ingredients:
- 450grams of yogurt of your choosing (I use Greek yogurt)
- Half a cup of chopped strawberries
- Half a cup of chopped banana
- A sprinkle of dark chocolate chips
1. Get a tray and line it with baking paper
2. Empty the yogurt onto the baking paper and spread evenly, but not too thin
3. Chop your berries and fruit. Sprinkle on top of the yogurt. Add your chocolate chips
4. Place in freezer.
5. Chop into slices and store in freezer bags.
Enjoy this quick, easy, and healthy snack!
(I mix this up by adding a scoop of chocolate protein powder and mixing it with the yogurt. As well as adding the fruit and chocolate chips into a bowl and then spreading onto the baking powder to set and let freeze. It ensures the fruit is throughout the bark and not just on top of it. A personal preference.)
Chili Lime Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 300-400g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
- 11⁄2 tsp cumin
- 11⁄2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Juice of 1 lime + zest
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk to get her all ingredients except the chicken.
2. Place chicken in a large sandwich bag and pour marinade overtop. Let chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour or overnight.
3. Preheat grill to medium heat
4. Grill chicken 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
5.Remove chicken and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy
6. (Serves 2 with the veg and potatoes of your choice)
Oat and Yogurt Bread
Here is the link for the bread that has changed my life it’s that good!
Salmon with Avocado Salsa
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 2 Salmon fillets (120g+/- each)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced or crushed
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (can be excluded)
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- For the avocado salsa:
- 1 ripe avocado pitted and diced
- 100g tomato diced
- 60g onion diced
- 2 tablespoons coriander (chopped finely)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Stir the olive oil, garlic, and spices in a small bowl. Brush or rub salmon with the spice mixture.
2. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat.
3. Add salmon to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side.
4. Remove from pan, top with avocado salsa and serve immediately.
5. Serve with 30g (dry weight) couscous or 4-5 baby potatoes.
To make the avocado salsa:
1. Add the avocado, tomato, onion, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently mix with a spoon until fully combined. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
*This recipe makes two servings. To make more, double or triple as needed. To bake salmon: pre-heat oven to 180/170 fan. Place salmon on a sheet pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Tomato and Basil Soup
Apple and Peanut Butter Snack
Ingredients
- Apple
- Meridian Peanut Butter
1. Slice 1 apple
2. 1 1/2 tsp of peanut butter
3. If you want something a little sweet as well, can add a few chocolate chips on top for fun!
Caesar Salad
- 1 cup of chopped lettuce
- 1 cup of rocket
- 1 cup of spinach
- 1 slice of bacon (or two)
- Half a chicken breast (1 cup of chicken)
- Croutons (optional)
- Caesar dressing (recipe in link)
- 1 Tsp of Parmesan cheese
Serves 1 person
Eggs, Avocado, and Toasted Wheaten Bread
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- Half an avocado
- Oat wheaten bread from above^ recipe
- 1 tsp of olive oil
1. Heat pan on hob. Add 1 tsp of olive oil and crack the two eggs in the pan. Leave until cooked.
2. Cut the avocado in half, store the other half in fridge. Dice and spread onto the toasted wheaten.
3. Add the fried eggs and you’re done! Serve and enjoy.
I hope that you enjoy these recipes as much as I do! I chose them for their quick preparation time, their unreal flavours, and how well they keep (freeze) for meal preparation purposes. Making healthy choices isn’t always easy, but learning to celebrate the small wins is important. Whether that’s meal prepping for a week, eating full meals everyday, or simply getting outside more. Choosing to focus on the good and celebrate the wins as they come, is so essential to continuing to strive for wellness. Something I have not mastered by any means, sometimes it feels like an uphill battle, but it is something I’m choosing for more often.
I hope these recipes can help you guys out with some quick and easy meals, that don’t make you compromise on flavour!