How to stop fussy kids from eating the same meals, day in day out, is the bane of every parent’s life. But the nation’s PE teacher, Joe Wicks, is here to rescue us from dull meals.
He has just released Feel Good Food – a book packed full of healthy family recipes. Why not try one tonight?
Wholegrain crepes with strawberry chia jam
Pancakes or crepes? I couldn’t choose a favourite if I tried, as I love them both. This recipe is a total winner because of the delicious home-made chia jam it comes with. It has such a lovely, sweet flavour and any leftovers can be used on toast, waffles, crumpets or scones. Win!
MAKES 12 CREPES
For the batter:
- 60g plain wholemeal flour
- 90g porridge oats
- 4 eggs
- 320ml semi-skimmed or
- non-dairy milk
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil, plus a little extra for frying
For the chia jam:
- 200g frozen
- strawberries
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
To serve:
A big dollop of low-fat natural yoghurt
1 Use a free-standing blender or electric hand blender to blend together all the crepe batter ingredients until smooth. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, make the jam. Place the frozen strawberries, honey and water into a small saucepan and cover with a lid. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the strawberries have released some juice and softened, then remove the lid and simmer for another 5 minutes to reduce slightly.
3 Use a potato masher or fork to mash the strawberries into a chunky paste (or blitz with a hand blender, if you prefer a smooth texture). Remove from the heat and stir in the chia seeds. Set aside to thicken and cool.
4 When ready to cook the crepes, lightly grease a medium, non-stick frying pan with a thin layer of coconut oil and set over a medium heat. Pour in a few tablespoons of batter while tilting and swirling the pan to make a thin, even disc of batter. Cook until the underside is golden, then flip the crepe over and cook on the other side. Remove the crepe to a plate and set aside.
5 Repeat until you’ve cooked all of the crepes.
6 Serve with the jam and yoghurt on the side.
Joe’s tip: You can store any leftover jam in a clean jar in the fridge for up to one week.
Tray-baked pork fajitas
Fajitas are such a fun and messy way of eating together with family or friends. You get all the tasty ingredients together on the table and can have fun building your own perfect fajita. This recipe also works well with chicken or quick-cook beef strips.
SERVES 4
For the filling:
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 bell peppers, seeds removed, thinly sliced
- 3 red onions, quartered
- 1 tbsp light olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 400g pork tenderloin, cut into short 1cm strips
- 4 tsp fajita spice mix (see below)
- 40g tomato puree concentrate
For the fajita spice mix:
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1⁄2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1⁄2tsp salt
To serve:
- 8 wholemeal tortillas
- 1⁄2 head of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
- natural yoghurt
- hot sauce
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
2 Mix together the fajita spice mix ingredients and set aside. This makes more than you need – the extra can be stored in an airtight jar for next time!
3 Toss the tomatoes, peppers and onions with the oil and a pinch of salt on a large baking tray. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables have started to caramelise.
4 Remove the tray from the oven. Mix the pork strips with the fajita spice mix and tomato puree, then scatter over the veg on the tray. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes until the pork is cooked through.
5 Warm the tortillas according to the packet instructions.
6 Serve the pork and vegetables with the warm tortillas and have the lettuce, yoghurt and hot sauce in bowls on the table for everyone to help themselves.
Joe’s tip: Making your own spice mix is not only cheaper but also means you can control the amount of salt and sugar going into it. If you make a big batch and keep it in an airtight jar, it’ll cut down your prep time whenever you make fajitas.
Beef and black bean burger with sweet potato slaw
When it comes to food, nothing makes me happier than a juicy burger. There’s nothing more satisfying than a good patty in a bun, is there? This combines beef with black beans so it’s high in fibre and protein and tastes bangin’. It goes great with this crunchy Greek yoghurt.
SERVES 4-8, DEPENDING ON HUNGER
For the burgers:
- 400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 300g minced beef (12% fat)
- 1 large egg
- 30g panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
- 4-8 wholemeal English muffins, halved, to serve
For the sweet potato slaw:
- 75g 0%-fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1⁄4 head of red cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 Tip the black beans into a large bowl and crush with a potato masher into a chunky paste. Add the onion, smoked paprika and cumin and stir together, then add the beef mince, egg and breadcrumbs and gently incorporate into the mixture until just combined.
2 Divide the mixture into 8 equal-sized balls, then flatten them into patties.
3 Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Cook the patties for 3-5 minutes until browned underneath, then flip and cook on the other side until browned.
4 For the slaw, combine the yoghurt, garlic and vinegar in a medium bowl, then fold in the grated sweet potato, cabbage, onion and coriander.
5 Toast the muffins in a dry pan or on a griddle.
6 Serve the burgers in the toasted muffins, topped with the slaw. Beef and black bean burger with sweet potato slaw
Chicken Caesar salad with crispy chickpea croutons
This is a proper Wicksy special – a healthy spin on an old favourite. I use roasted chickpeas, the high-protein heroes, instead of fried bread croutons and yoghurt instead of mayo in the dressing. It’s a really nice swap and tastes wonderful.
SERVES 4
For the salad:
- 400g tin of chickpeas, drained but not rinsed
- 1 tbsp light olive oil
- 1⁄2 tsp garlic granules
- pinch of salt
- 2 heads of Romaine lettuce
- 2 cooked skinless
- chicken breasts, shredded
For the dressing:
- 75g 0%-fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1⁄2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (see tip)
- 1⁄2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 10g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
2 Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3 Tip the chickpeas onto a rimmed baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the garlic granules and salt, then shake the tray to coat the chickpeas. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crisp.
4 Wash and dry the Romaine lettuce, chop it into 3cm chunks and place in a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken and the dressing and toss together to coat. Top with the crunchy chickpeas and serve.
Joe's tip: You can use three anchovy fillets, mashed with the back of a fork into a paste, instead of the Worcestershire sauce, if you like.
Strawberry smoothie surprise
The surprise in this smoothie is actually ... cauliflower! But don’t freak out and turn the page yet – trust me, you can’t taste it. The cauliflower just adds more fibre and gives this smoothie a really nice creamy texture. The banana and strawberry is what you’ll really be tasting. It might sound strange, but give it a go. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
SERVES 2
- 200g frozen strawberries
- 2 ripe bananas, peeled
- 100g frozen cauliflower
- 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter or nut butter of your choice
- 200ml milk or non-dairy milk
1 Blitz everything together in a blender until smooth.
2 Divide between 2 glasses and serve.
Joe’s tip: Try using frozen blueberries instead of strawberries. You could also use coconut water as your liquid and frozen mango instead of the strawberries. Add a few tablespoons of oats or a scoop of unflavoured protein powder to make it more filling.
Feel Good Fact: Strawberries are a good source of fibre, which aids your digestive health, gut health and controls blood sugar levels. They are also an excellent source of skin-boosting vitamin C.
Feel Good Food by Joe Wicks (HQ, HarperCollins) is out now in hardback and eBook, priced at £20.
