Now that you’ve read my recipes, I hope that you’ll give them a go in your own kitchen! You might have noticed that there are certain ingredients that show up several times in my recipes. Below is some extra information on these Fit Foodie ingredients so that you’ll know what to put in your shopping trolley.
I think of beans as superhero ingredients: they are nutrient-dense, rich in protein and endlessly adaptable. I have made beans from scratch – soaking and rinsing and all of that – but there’s a lot to be said for cutting out all of that work. So canned beans are a must-have in the Fit Foodie larder. While it’s true that canned beans are more expensive than dried, the time and effort you save yourself will make the investment worthwhile. These are the beans and pulses that I am never without: chickpeas, kidney beans, mixed beans, green lentils and red lentils. Look for cans without added salt.
Cheese is one of those ingredients that can bring a recipe to life. It really tots up extra points on the taste-scale. Like everything, it should be eaten in moderation. I don’t believe in adding lots of cheese to one recipe and then banning it from several menus afterwards. Instead, I add small amounts of cheese to quite a few of my recipes. It’s worth buying good-quality cheese: it might seem expensive at first, but a little goes a long way. Most of the time,
I’ll have each of the following in my fridge: strong Cheddar, feta, blue cheese and Parmesan.
Good-quality dark chocolate is another larder essential. I like 70% cocoa. Again, a little goes a long way: go for quality over quantity. As well as tasting great, good-quality dark chocolate is full of antioxidants.
Eggs are the ultimate healthy fast-food option. I really love them – they are incredibly versatile and are such a valuable addition to meals. I’m lucky that my mother-in-law keeps chickens that live a great life and supply me with fresh eggs. Buy the best eggs that you can afford – free-range and organic, if you can. And remember to bring eggs to room temperature before you cook with them.
I keep a readymade fajita spice mix in my larder. You can find good-quality brands in your local health food shop or deli. If you want to make your own fajita spice mix, play around with different combinations of ground spices such as cumin, coriander, chilli powder, paprika and oregano. Find the mix that’s right for you, and keep a good stash in your larder.
I’m really fortunate to live in Cork where some of the most beautiful fish in the world is readily available. My husband, Peter, and his brother, Nicholas, bought a battered old fishing boat and spent months repairing and restoring it to get it back out onto the water. They named the boat Pelican and my favourite fish is the fresh fish (usually mackerel) that’s caught on that boat.
We can’t always expect to have freshly caught fish readily available, so it makes sense to find a good fishmonger. I’m lucky to have a fantastic fish shop a few minutes’ drive from my house. If you can regularly visit a good fish shop, it will do wonders for your cooking. Get to know the staff and ask them lots of questions about how to cook fish.
And don’t underestimate the value of canned fish! It’s an essential ingredient in my larder. I look for brands that use olive oil (rather than brine) on the fish, as it tends to have more health benefits and omega-3 goodness. I keep a good stash of canned tuna, sardines and salmon.
Grains are the bedrock of so many breakfasts, lunches and dinners and they have a long shelf-life. I am never without quinoa, brown and basmati rice. If you’re cooking quinoa or rice in advance to be used in a cold salad, remember to cool the grains as quickly as possible and store them in the fridge in an airtight container until you need them. Oats are another staple in my larder. It’s worth paying money for good-quality oats: the taste and texture is so much better than cheaper oats.
Get to know your local butcher! I have a great butcher who tells me the best way to cook the various cuts I buy and I know that he sources the meat to the highest possible standards.
As an elite athlete, dairy products were always a part of my diet – and they still are to this day. I always drink full-fat milk because I prefer the taste and I do not believe in completely cutting fat out of my diet. A certain amount of fat is beneficial to our bodies.
Nut butters will bring life to your larder. A jar of nut butter can seem expensive but it’s a wise investment: using just a little nut butter will give a lot of flavour. Read the labels of nut butters before you buy them and aim for as few ingredients as possible. Wyldsson is an online Irish company that makes great products: so many professional rugby players and golfers I know are big fans of Wyldsson and the company makes lovely nut butters (www.wyldsson.com). Meridian is another great producer of nut butters. Meridian products are widely available. I always have almond, cashew and peanut in my larder.
I use different oils/fats for different purposes in cooking. I invest in three different kinds: olive oil, coconut oil and butter. For olive oil, I buy the best-quality extra virgin olive oil that I can afford. I also love raw coconut oil – and I choose a refined oil with a high smoking-point and no coconut taste (so that it’s more versatile for cooking). And when it comes to butter, buy good-quality real butter and use a little at a time.
Pestos are easy to make. This is what I do: grab a bunch of basil leaves and blitz it with a handful of shelled pistachios or pine nuts, a little olive oil and some freshly grated Parmesan. That’s all there is to it! (You can, of course, make it by hand with a mortar and pestle, but it’s a lot slower.) It’s also a smart move to keep some good-quality readymade pesto in your fridge. When buying readymade pesto, read the label and ensure that the ingredients list is a short one!
Ideally, if your workout is a strenuous one, you should eat protein within 30-40 minutes of finishing. Of course, it’s not always possible to get home and cook fresh food within this time. That’s why I use protein powder to make healthy bars and treats that I can throw into my gym bag and enjoy as a post-training recovery snack. I use good-quality whey protein, since it’s absorbed quickly and helps my body to recover.
Homemade tomato salsa is ready in minutes and it can really perk up a meal. I use chopped fresh tomatoes as a base (but a can of chopped tomatoes works well too). Then I stir in some finely chopped onion, garlic, chilli and coriander leaves.
I keep Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder in my cupboard and use it all the time in my cooking. Homemade stock really adds to the flavour of recipes too. If you have time, making your own vegetable stock is really very simple and it’s a useful base for all kinds of things. Roughly chop two onions, two celery sticks and two carrots and place them in a big pot. Add some herbs such as thyme, parsley or bay leaves. Cover the vegetables with enough water so that you can easily stir them in the pot. Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour. That’s all there is to it!
I use these three sugar alternatives to sweeten my recipes. Agave syrup is sweeter than maple syrup or honey. It’s good to remember this when you cook with agave syrup: you need only a small amount.
Tomatoes are a key ingredient in so many of my recipes. When it comes to growing tomatoes, I’ve had a mixed experience: I’ve had beautiful crops and miserable ones! For this reason, I take a fairly relaxed approach to tomatoes. In an ideal world, we would all cook with fresh organic tomatoes. But since this isn’t always a possibility, canned tomatoes come to the rescue. Make sure that canned tomatoes come in their own juice, as there can be a lot of hidden sugar otherwise. Passata is another must-have larder item. It’s an uncooked tomato purée that has been strained of the seeds and skins, and it adds delicious texture and flavour to so many dishes.