This week I have been mostly eating…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s SO much easier to eat healthily in the summer isn’t it? We’re such lazy eaters and it really suits us - I’ll bake a load of chicken breasts and we’ll have them hot with the yummy easy rice dish above (you might have seen it if you follow me on Instagram), and when the boys come in they just slice them and stuff them into baguettes with a load of salad. Easy peasy. Here, then, for your viewing pleasure is the latest instalment of ‘this week, I have been mostly eating…’

First up, then, herby pistachio rice: not even really a recipe, just cook your rice in the normal way (I do 250g rice, 500ml water, a teaspoon of salt and a chopped red onion, bring it to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer, bung a lid on and it’s ready in 10 minutes), then stir through a big handful of chopped herbs - whatever you have in the garden - and a couple of handfuls of chopped pistachios. Add a dribble of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and it’s delicious!

I know it’s hot, but I’ve been cooking a lot of lentil curries (a curry should be eaten in the sunshine, surely?). I mix up my staple veg curry recipe with all sorts of different veggies. This one was runner beans from my Mum’s garden and fresh corn cut straight from the cob, and topped with some baked chicken, just drizzled with oil and sprinkled with jerk seasoning (I’ll be needing to go back to Jamaica and replenish stocks soon). Really yummy:

Another current obsession is hot smoked salmon. It’s already cooked, so you just flake it through the rice before serving. So easy and SO LAZY! The limited edition mustard hot smoked salmon is our fave, closely followed by the sweet chilli one. I’ve been getting fish from Delish Fish for years - you just go online and order a box, then they deliver it chilled and already portioned up. You just pop it in the fridge (or freezer) until you need it.

One day this week, I just stir fried peppers and onions, flaked in the salmon and we had it with green salad and a chunk of bread:

Another lazy fave this week is Pizza Express’ new pastas - have you seen them? They’ve got the same names as some of the pizzas like American Hot (the best one as far as we’re concerned - spicy pepperoni ravioli!) and they literally cook in one minute in boiling water. They’ve got a pretty long shelf life so they’re EPIC if you’ve got teenagers that come home late and starving. They can be stuffing their faces with something delicious so quickly, they can barely even moan. The boys eat them on their own, but they’re nice with a simple tomato sauce too. Find them in Waitrose.

I’m also massively into big breakfasts at the moment. I never really feel hungry first thing in the morning so I’ve decided to stop fighting it and have been having a big, healthy brunch: something like avocado or egg (or both!) on wholemeal toast then a big bowl of my Dad’s raspberries, some Yeo Valley Greek style yogurt with vanilla (my favourite) or - has anyone tried those new Arla Skyr Icelandic yogurts? Very thick and creamy - not so good for mixing, but delicious - and a sprinkle of another of my obsessions at the moment: Nature’s Path coconut and chia seed granola.

Ooh and check out my new plates and bowls - so pretty aren’t they? Love the powdery blue colour with the pale interior, plus they’re pretty much indestructible which suits us as we’re a family of clumsy buggers (they’re called Elements by Denby). I really, really want this halo plate too - how gorgeous?

Last but not least - has anyone tried the Divine chocolate bars with the gooey centre? OH MY WORD! I can’t remember what they’re called - it might just be milk chocolate caramel bars (yep, just checked) but they’re amazeballs (plus they’re completely guilt free because they’re fair trade, obvs).

What about you? Have you been cooking anything nice? Any new discoveries you’d like to share?