How To Eat Yourself Happy With these 7 Yummy Recipes...

You ever heard of the saying "You are what you eat"? I'm sure you have coz I have and I never realised the power of this saying until now! Shocking coz I'm 38 years old!

What we choose to put into our bodies is extremely important for not only our physical health but our mental health too but if no one informs us of this information then how can we know? Why it is not taught in schools is mind boggling to me, surly learning about nutrition and whats good for us and whats not so good for us is right up their on our priority list.

I say this coz I'm a grown ass adult and I'm still learning all about good fats, bad fats, super foods, keto, BMI, the list is endless coz their is just so much to learn, so I ask you why is it not taught to our younger generation? Well I'm not sure about you but I think the government and the education system just don't give a flying fuck, but that's a whole new blog post so lets get back to the point at hand.....

I am an emotional eater! No it don't mean i eat my emotions, lol, it means when I'm happy i eat good foods, when I'm having a rainy day (crappy) I eat crap, when I'm upset or angry I don't eat and when I'm nervous or anxious I have nervous poos! Too much info, my bad I'm sorry! Do you eat like this? It drives me nuts so I'm trying to be more mindful of my emotions when I do eat.

Its January so I'm on a health kick like most of western society so I am watch what I eat anyway, I also suffer with IBS Irritable bowel syndrome so a healthy diet is well needed, but then I was like, well I also suffer with anxiety and depression so I wonder if their are any foods that help or make my mood worse so that is the reason for this post and I'm sure I'm not the only one so lets dive into some yummy, delicious, happy recipes....

1. Indian Sweet Potato & Dhal Pie

Lets kick it of with this yummy easy mood boosting Indian style pie that is a shepherds pie alternative, coz if your like me you need variety and Indian food is a fav of mine, so its a win win!

This pie is spiced red lentils topped with sweet potato mash, so its also great for all you veggie folk and even a great dish for families on a budget, plus it only takes 15 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook. You could even put it in ya slow cooker if you have one. Perfect.

This recipe is easy to make, so great for you ladies that are like me and can't cook, won't cook. It serves 2 so you could make a few of them if you have the right size dishes if not just double the ingredients for a bigger portion and to serve more bellies.

This dinner is full of juicy good for you veggies, Lentils that are packed with protein, iron & B vitamins which help to boost your mood and energy!

Nutrition per serving:

kcal Low in fat saturates carbs sugars fibre protein salt

565 4g 1g 104g 41g 20g 19g 2.1g

Ingredients you need:

• 650g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks

• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 2 carrots, scrubbed, halved and sliced lengthways

• 15g ginger, finely grated

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 2 tsp oil

• 1 tbsp curry powder

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 85g red lentils

• good handful coriander, chopped, plus sprigs to serve

• generous spoonful 0% fat Greek-style yogurt

• broccoli, to serve (optional)

Method:

STEP 1 - Place the sweet potato in a pan of boiling water and cook for 15 mins, or until tender.

STEP 2 - Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and carrot, for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring for 1 min more. Tip in the curry powder, stir round the pan then add 750ml of the boiling water with the stock cube, tomato purée and lentils. Cover the pan and boil for 20 mins until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the chopped coriander.

STEP 3 - When the sweet potatoes are cooked, drain and mash them with the yogurt and seasoning.

STEP 4 - Spoon the lentil mix into one big or two individual dishes then top with the sweet potato mixture, scatter with the coriander and serve with broccoli, if you like.

Tip:

Pop the dish under a hot grill for a few minutes right at the end to bronze the potatoes and add some heat... Then serve & enjoy!

2. Chilli tempeh stir-fry

This dish offers a source of vegan protein and gut-loving prebiotics which play an important role in supporting our mood. This dish is made from fermented soya beans so is big on supporting gut health, so for me this is a great dish as I know it won't hurt my gut and I can eat this meal without worrying if I'm gunna be feeling like I'm trying to digest a brick! As well

as being vegan, this stir-fry is a light, healthy and low in calories!

This is another easy and non time consuming dish so you can have it prepped in 10 minutes and cooked in just 15 minutes! Like this is music to my ears as a busy working mum I don't want to be prepping and cooking for hours on end so I love this!

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal fat saturates carbs sugars fibre protein salt

372 10g 1g 39g 4g 11g 25g 0.1g

Ingredients:

• 300g long-stem broccoli

• ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 150g tempeh , sliced and cut into 2cm cubes

• 2 garlic cloves , thinly sliced

• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger , peeled and finely grated

• ½ small red chilli , deseeded and finely chopped

• ½ tbsp gochujang paste

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• steamed brown rice , to serve (optional)

Method:

STEP 1 - Boil the broccoli for 1 min 30 secs. Drain.

STEP 2 - Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Stir-fry the tempeh for 2-3 mins, then put on a plate. Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli for 2 mins. Tip in the broccoli and toss.

STEP 3 - Mix the gochujang with 2 tbsp water and the tempeh. Add to the pan with the seeds. Cook for 2 mins. Serve with rice, if you like.

Tip:

For some extra flavour and texture add mushrooms they are yummy with this dish! Serve and enjoy.

3. Lean turkey burger with sweet potato wedges

If you burger lover, you need to try this lean turkey burger with sweet potato wedges as a way to support both your mental health and your waistline! Iv just learnt that turkey is rich in mood-supportive tryptophan, while sweet potato is a great source of fibre and B6, which also aid the functioning of your brain as well as your digestion. So this is another win win dish for me, I'm excited to try it!

This healthy yummy looking turkey burger recipe makes an easy meal for two. it only takes 15 minutes prep time and 25 minutes to cook so again great for all you busy mental mums! Try serving with glorious green veg and juicy sweet potato wedges for an extra filling dinner to avoid snaking after.

Nutrition: per serving

kcal fat saturates carbs sugars fibre protein salt

428 13g 8g 32g 20g 10g 40g 0.4g