Because asparagus and chicken both have quite delicate flavours, neither crowds the other out in this light meal.

• A little sesame oil
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
• 2 large chicken breasts, skinned and sliced
• 12 thin asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

Heat a wok and add a little sesame oil, then add the shallots and garlic with the five spice powder and sauté until softened. Add the chicken slices and toss over the heat for a few minutes until the chicken is nearly cooked through.

Add the asparagus, water and tamari, toss well, then cover and cook for a couple of minutes until the asparagus and chicken are cooked.

Serve the stir-fry sprinkled with sesame seeds, on a bed of rice noodles.

Serves 4.

About Wonderfoods: The Best Nutrition and Recipes for Optimum Health

Good for you does not need to be boring. Natalie Savona’s Wonderfoods provides over 120 inspiring recipes which are simple, good for you and tasty.

Wonderfoods, as defined by Natalie, are healthy foods which are abundant, east to get hold of and delicious. Natalie, a nutritionist, offers wise advice that not all wonderfoods are necessarily good for all of us. For instance, “raw foods are always touted as wonderfully healthy and energising. Yet for a weak digestive system, raw food and whole grains are hard work.”

To accommodate, the reader’s needs, she has divided the book into nine chapters to help us find the best foods to suit us. The chapters are as follows:

• Energy
• Digest
• Detox
• Skin
• Sex
• Age
• Mind
• Immune
• Heart

Wonderfoods comprises foods you would expect such as apples, salmon and oats. But there are also a few surprises such as dandelion, seaweed and nettles.

Overall a great guide to help you eat healthy meals.

Want more recipes? Buy the book here.

This is one of my favourite quick lunches and it couldn’t be any simpler.

• 2 large handfuls of washed baby spinach
• A handful of shredded red cabbage
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 cold grilled or roasted chicken breasts

For the dressing:

• 2 dessertspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 basil leaves, torn or chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse-grain mustard
• 1 dessertspoon balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Arrange half of the salad ingredients – spinach, cabbage, spring onions and tomatoes – on each plate and place the chicken breasts on top. You can use ready-roasted chicken from the supermarket if you are in a hurry.

Put the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Pour the dressing over the chicken.

For an oriental spin, use the Oriental Bite Dressing or, for a delicious French twist, the Tangy Vinaigrette.

Serves 2.

About: The Kitchen Shrink Cookbook

If you have ever wondered how your diet can affect your mind and your mood, then Natalie Savona’s The Kitchen Shrink is a great place to start.

Her book is based on a simple concept: “what we eat can dramatically affect how we think and how we feel.”

Included in the book is plenty of advice on how to overcome common ailments by adjusting your diet. Each section has a symptom checklist along with information on what dietary changes can be made to improve your problem. Below is a brief overview of the topics discussed:

• 21-day Cleanse
• Stress Response
• Food Sensitivity
• Energy Deficit
• Premenstrual Problems
• Winter Woes: SAD
• Sleepless Nights
• Binge Eating
• Brain Slow-Down
• Depression
• Feel Good Diet – with plenty of recipes like the one here

With over 80 mood-enhancing recipes, nutritional advice and special features on “active ingredients” present in a variety of everyday foods, it is a good choice for helping you get the most out of your diet.

Want more recipes? Buy the book here.

Ingredients

1 tin chick peas, 1 courgette, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 6 tbsp porridge oats, 2 garlic cloves, thyme, salt and pepper, tomato puree, Vegemite, olive oil, wholemeal flour, 1 egg to bind (optional).

Method

Fry finely chopped onions and grated carrot and courgette in a little oil over a medium heat. Add crushed garlic and thyme.

Drain and mash chick peas in a large bowl. Add oats and when vegetables have softened, add them, too.

Add some squirts of tomato puree, Vegemite, salt and pepper and olive oil and mix together.

Shape the mixture into burgers using your hands and the flour and place on an oiled baking tray.

Brush the burgers liberally with oil and bake in the oven, gas mark 6 (200C) for 15 minutes.

Cost: £2.04
Makes: 6-8 burgers

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

1lb (450-500g) minced lamb, 1 onion, mushrooms, carrot, 2 handfuls of frozen sweetcorn, a stock cube, garlic clove, 1tbsp tomato puree, gravy granules, dried rosemary, potatoes, butter, milk, grated cheese

Method

Peel and quarter potatoes and boil in a saucepan of water.

Dry-fry the meat in a large pan on low heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add chopped onion and garlic, then mushrooms and grated carrot.

Drain off fat then crumble in stock cube. Add rosemary, sweetcorn, tomato puree and 1tbsp gravy granules to thicken. Transfer into large oven-proof dish.

Drain and mash potatoes with knob of butter and splash of milk. Add grated cheese then spread over meat.

Cook at gas mark 5 (190C) for 15-20 minutes.

Cost: £4.20
Serves: 4-6

Want more recipes? Buy the book here.