Wednesday April 28th

Its good to start expanding the range of ingredients in your cupboards - it helps add variety to your diet. In terms of your healthy eating plan, having potatoes or pasta every day is just not varied enough, especially when you have so much choice now. Below is a recipe containing bulgur wheat, which is so so easy to cook its perfect for when you are in a hurry.

Bulgur wheat is a whole grain - which means its packed full of fibre and nutrients (especially magnesium which helps blood sugar regulation) and will keep the hunger at bay for quite a while.

If you want to turn this salad into a complete healthy eating meal, I'd suggest coating a chicken breast (multiply by the number of people) with some lemon and black pepper and placing under the grill for 10 minutes each side. Do check its cooked before you serve it, cut into the thickest part of the breast and see if still pink inside.

Healthy Eating with Tabouleh

2 bunches of flat-leaf parsley
1 small bunch of mint (about 50g)
1 cup (190 g) of fine burghul (bulgur) wheat
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
2 spring onions, chopped

Dressing

100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The juice of 1-2 lemons

Sort the parsley, discarding the larger tough stalks, and strip the mint leaves. Wash and then dry the leaves thoroughly. The bulgur can be used as it is, place in a bowl and cover with a boiling water, cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Put the bulgur (drained off any unabsorbed water) in a large bowl and add the tomato and spring onions. The next stage should be done as close as possible to the time you wish to serve.

Chop the parsley finely. The knife’s blade should slice the parsley once, never twice, otherwise it will lose its juice. A bright-green chopping board after you have finished is a sure sign that you have been over-zealous with the knife. Repeat the process with the mint leaves. Mix the parsley and mint with the bulgur mixture, then season and dress with the oil and lemon. Use the cabbage or lettuce leaves as a spoon/wrap for the salad.

Sugar free, dairy free

If you are interested in receiving a one on one nutritional consultation to help you address your health goals, please contact me on lucy@spogsracing.com