7 days of GLBTK dinners...

I love the idea of sharing dinner ideas on GLBTK. I don't go to huge effort when it comes to dinner... I tend to reserve my patience for dessert recipes, BUT my last post showing what I ate for the previous 7 days received such a great response, I thought I'd make it a regular post...

Remember, it's not about creating gourmet masterpieces... GLBTK is all about sharing ideas and inspiration for simple to prepare, healthy meals that taste amazing... 

Day 1: Beef burgers, creamed spinach & sweet potato fries

For the burgers: simply mix 200g minced beef with tomato purée, paprika & sea salt. Form into patties and fry until cooked through. 

For the creamed spinach: Wilt 150g spinach in a clean wok for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp soft goats cheese (ricotta or any other soft cheese will work too), season well and stir until cheese has melted & coated the spinach. 

Serve with sweet potato fries. I'm forever getting asked what's the best way to cook sweet potato fries... Slice, microwave in 2 minute blasts with sea salt/paprika/cinnamon, toss in between each 2 minutes until cooked and crispy on the outside. Honestly... this works... it gives them a crispy coating while staying soft on the inside. DON'T add oil... Sweet potatoes already have a very high moisture content so don't add to it or you'll never get crispy fries. 

Day 2: Salmon Parcels with baked sweet potato

For the salmon: Season salmon darne well, top with 1 tbsp soft goats cheese. Place trimmed asparagus spears on top of the salmon & wrap in smoked bacon. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes at 160 degrees... brown under grill if desired. 

For the baked potato: Simply slice indentations 3/4 way into the sweet potato. Microwave on high for approx 6 minutes until cooked through with a crispy skin. Top with a little goats cheese & crispy bacon. 

Serve with fresh salad. 

Day 3: Burgers, onion rings & sweet potato fries

No words can describe how good this was!!

Make burgers as in Day 1. 

For the onion rings: Slice onion into rings. Toss slices in beaten egg. Toss in ground almonds seasoned with salt & pepper. Grill for 10-12 minutes until crispy. 

I served this with sweet potato fries & just cos I wanted a fried egg, there's a random fried egg on the plate! 

Day 4: Beef, sun-dried tomato & basil meatballs with onion rings, fries & goats cheese sauce. 

For the meatballs.. Mix minced beef with tomato purée, chopped sun-dried tomato & basil. Season with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper. Form into small meatballs (1 large tsp per meatball). Bake for 15 minutes. 

For the goats cheese & tomato sauce: Heat some soft goats cheese, chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic powder & black pepper together until well combined. Use as a dipping sauce for the meatballs. 

Served with sweet potato fries & onion rings. 

Day 5: Chilli & Lime Drumsticks

For the marinade, mix juice of 1 lime, 3 tbsp tomato purée, 1/2 tsp smoky paprika, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes and salt & pepper. Toss skinned drumsticks in the marinade & refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Grill drumsticks for 12-15 minutes until cooked & crispy. 

Serve with sweet potato fries. 

Day 6: Crispy baked salmon with asparagus & sweet potato fries

Boil 150g of spinach for 2 minutes until softened. Drain water, and remove excess water by squeezing spinach in kitchen paper. Dice finely & mix with 1 tbsp soft goats cheese. 

Season salmon darne well, top with goats cheese mixture. Sprinkle with seeds. Bake for 15 minutes until just cooked and the seeds are crispy. 

Day 7: Goats cheese & spinach stuffed burgers

Seems like I'm stuffing everything with spinach lately right?? Well it's a fantastic way to include more 

in your diet if you're not a huge fan of salads. Wilt 150g and stuff it into some meat... yum! 

For the burgers: Boil the spinach until just softened, mix with soft goats cheese & press into the centre of a burger (method described in Day 1 above). I oven bake these burgers at 170d so they cook slowly. This prevents the goats cheese just being absorbed into the meat. 

Serve with rocket leaves & sweet potato fries. 

So that's my week in dinners... What do you think? Eating clean is easier than you think right?! Thanks again to Sinead from Bumbles of Rice for the fantastic idea to share a week of food.... Hopefully it will inspire you to keep your meals varied. 

Buttermilk Chicken...

Buttermilk Chicken is an American classic... chicken marinated in buttermilk overnight, then dredged in flour & deep fried in corn oil to give that golden crispy coating that we'll recognise from southern fried chicken dishes... Oh and lets not forget all the artificial flavourings that get added to the commercially produced version. So yeah, let's make a healthier but equally tasty dish....

I love how marinating chicken completely changes the flavour and texture of the meat with minimal time and effort. My version of buttermilk chicken will melt in your mouth it's so tender, and with the addition of the Parmesan and seed coating, it's wonderfully crispy.

For the buttermilk marinade: 

• 1 chicken fillet
• buttermilk 
• 1 onion chopped in half
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• salt & pepper

Add all the above to a deep bowl (you just need enough buttermilk to ensure the chicken is fully immersed)..

Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours before cooking. 

For the coating: 

• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp finely grated parmesan 
• 2 tbsp mixed seeds 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 170d. 

Toss the ingredients for the coating together until combined and lay on a shallow plate. 

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk & roll in the seed mixture to coat well. 

Place in a heatproof dish, drizzle with a little melted coconut oil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with salad & sweet potato chips. 

For an awesome quick dip for your fries, mix equal parts Greek yoghurt with Frank's Hot Sauce. Yum!!!

My favourite part about a meal like this? It's really simple & quick to make, but still fits in with my nutrition plan whilst tasting absolutely awesome! Give it a go... and for those of you with children, they'll love this too!