This recipe is a super versatile option - it can be a lunch or dinner on its own (combined with a meat/fish/tofu/other protein source if you like!) or a side dish salad. I hope you enjoy it! Recipe (Serves 4-5) Ingredients 3 tbsp green pesto 1 handful of walnuts 1 pack or jar of pitted … Continue reading Walnut & Olive Pesto Pasta Salad
Most of you will by now have heard the phrase ‘Prevention is better than cure.’ It’s a saying I have adopted as something of a mantra as a doctor. We’ve seen a huge rise in interest in lifestyle behaviours that affect our health – diet and nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, social connection, to name … Continue reading Screening – Prevention That Saves Lives
These cookies are a super quick and super tasty snack to make on a weekday or weekend - I am somewhat obsessed with tahini in case you haven't guessed, and these cookies feature tahini as a key ingredient! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did - let's bake! Recipe (Makes 10 Cookies) … Continue reading Hazelnut Tahini Cookies
This falafel and farro combination is a great summer salad to whip up during a meal preparation power hour! I LOVE falafel, and think they are fantastic to have in the fridge (or freezer!) to pop into salads, or snack on! I've revamped my Chickpea Burger recipe (see link attached below) into falafels and they have turned … Continue reading Falafel, Farro & Feta Salad
This is a super simple stir fry recipe that packs in 3 servings of veggies, a plant protein punch from tofu, and a tasty kick from a mixture of honey, tahini and soy sauce (or tamari!). I loved creating this recipe, and I hope you enjoy making it too! Recipe (Serves 2) Ingredients 1 tbsp … Continue reading Tahini Tofu & Sweetcorn Stir Fry
Copenhagen is a city I had placed at the top of my destination list for quite some time before my trip there last month. Although many had told me that it was a very expensive city, I had sourced reasonably priced flights and accommodation earlier this year and so, with a good friend of mine, … Continue reading The Irish Balance Guide To…Copenhagen
As I write this, I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my flight home from Cascais, Portugal. I've just spent an absolutely incredible week with my family here, and I could easily have stayed longer! In total I had a full week in Cascais with one day trip to Lisbon, and a day trip to a … Continue reading The Irish Balance Guide To…Cascais (with a note on Lisbon!)
In the past, I've made schwarma recipes from websites like BBC Good Food, which were generally meat-based, usually using chicken. I recently moved out of my childhood home, and have been eating less meat overall as a result - although I don't place labels on my diet, meat is something (except for fish, which I … Continue reading Chickpea & Tofu Schwarma
One of the loveliest things I have discovered in the past 18 months is yoga. Now, if you're not a 'yoga person', don't roll your eyes - hear me out. I spent a large portion of my life thinking I wasn't either. As a kid and teenager, I played a LOT of team sports, and … Continue reading A Year of Yoga -A Practice that Brings Balance to Life
There are many 'taboo' health topics out there, and I think menstruation is right up at the top of that list. Although a very natural part of being a woman, it’s a stage in our development as females that many feel embarrassed to talk about, both in Ireland and abroad. Why is that? Several reasons … Continue reading Monitoring Menstruation – A Vital Sign of Women’s Health
A very simple chickpea smash, ideal for popping onto toast or adding to salads for extra plant protein goodness! Recipe (Serves 3) Ingredients 1 tsp paprika 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp natural or greek yoghurt 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed Method This a VERY simple recipe. Pop the chickpeas into a … Continue reading Sweet Chickpea Paprika Smash
Summer is definitely here, and with it, a need for fresh and tasty recipes! So this latest creation is a recent favourite of mine - full of colourful vegetables, tasty quinoa and one of my favourite ingredients, feta! Recipe (Serves 4 as a lunch dish or 5-6 as a side salad to dinner) Ingredients 1 … Continue reading Mediterranean Veg, Quinoa and Feta Salad
An epic vegetarian twist on my recent tagine recipe (find the beef version here) is this week's creation for you guys - I can't wait to see what you think of it! Recipe (Serves 3-4) Ingredients 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 1 tsp of ground cumin 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1 tsp of sumac … Continue reading Ciara’s Kidney Bean Tagine
Every week, I chat to the lovely gang at iRadio about a different health topic, and recently we discussed the importance of hydration. I thought it was great idea to discuss this given that we're peak summer right now, with (hopefully!) warmer weather and many people head abroad on holidays during this time too. The iRadio gang … Continue reading Hydration – How Much Is Enough?
Another taste-tastic recipe for you guys in this week's creation - based on a great soup recipe I created recently. I hope you love it as much as I do! Recipe (Serves 3) Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or your preferred cooking oil!) 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced 1/2 tsp mild chili … Continue reading Peanut Butter Bean & Broccoli Curry
Tagine, whether based on meat or vegetables, is one of my favourite dishes. This recipe packs a protein punch with lean beef mince as the base, and gives you three servings of your five portions of fruit/vegetables per day too! Plus, it's VERY tasty - it was a big hit in my house! Let's get … Continue reading Moroccan Style Beef Tagine
Recently, I received a message on Instagram about ideas for healthy snacks while travelling. The person who got in touch was heading away on a Europe-wide trip, and was feeling a bit nervous about the upcoming lack of normal routine they would face in terms of food choices and opportunities to exercise, particularly given the … Continue reading Embracing Balance on Your Summer Holidays
Recently, I had a wisdom tooth out, so for the first couple of days after the surgery, I had to stick to liquid and soft foods. So I decided to treat this as an opportunity to try my hand at a new recipe for a tasty butter bean soup that would give me some of … Continue reading Curried Broccoli and Butter Bean Soup
This week's recipe is a 'soup'-er one - see what I did there! I've used chickpeas, one of my favourite recipes, to bring you a plant protein and fibre packed dish that is a great to make ahead. This recipe gives you 3 of your 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day too! Recipe … Continue reading Cumin Spiced Chickpea, Carrot and Red Pepper Soup
Well, it’s been SOME week. This blog post is the second of a new style of ‘Friday Focus’ articles I’m sharing on my blog. If you haven’t read last week’s first, you can find it here, but in short, I decided based on the feedback I had gotten from you guys to change up how … Continue reading The Friday Focus: Public Health, Shift Work, Physical Activity and Podcasts
Okay guys. It's time to try something new on my blog. Here's the thing - I think, a LOT. About a LOT of stuff. I read a lot of articles and books, I listen to a lot of Podcasts, and as both a doctor and a human being, I'm totally fascinated by how we think, … Continue reading Friday Focus – Conversation and Connection for Mental Health, the Spectrum of Normal, and Book Review
This latest creation went down a treat among my family - a comforting, creamy pasta bake! I love using broccoli in recipes, and its the key vegetable in this dish. You could make this dish vegetarian by subbing two 400g tins of chickpeas for the chicken also - I'll definitely be trying it out myself … Continue reading Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
I am absolutely delighted to bring you guys an article today in honour of World Microbiome Day (June 27th!), written by Irish registered dietitian Sarah Killeen, who is currently immersed in gut health research. Here is a little foreword from Sarah and about her research before you read into the article. From Sarah: I am … Continue reading The Good, The Bad and The Microbiome
To mark International Yoga Day (Friday 21st June), my good friend Anne Sheeran (@sheerana_yoga on Instagram), who is also a yoga teacher (and works in Marketing at KIND Snacks, who I am a proud ambassador for!) having recently completing her 200 hour teacher training last year in Goa, India, wrote this beautiful article and I'm so … Continue reading Guest Post: 21 Lessons Learnt from Yoga for International Yoga Day
This recipe is already one of my favourites for a snack solution, and it actually came from my needing to bake to distract myself from discomfort after having one of my wisdom teeth out last week. Inspired by my previous recipes using bananas in baking (plus they're amazing on their own of course!) I decided … Continue reading Strawberry Banana Bites
In this week's article...
Last week, I was delighted to attend the 2019 Summer Public Health Conference in Ireland. It was a particularly special one for me as previously, I've attended as a doctor yes, but not as a public health doctor. I presented research I had done through oral and poster presentations at the last two conferences, but … Continue reading How Can We Put Prevention Into Practice?
It's no secret that I'm definitely more of a cook than a baker, and although I do actually really enjoy baking, sometimes I don't feel like having the oven on, especially when it's warmer during these summer months! Recently, I was inspired by Performance Nutritionist Daniel Davy (he runs @foodflicker_official on Instagram) to try my hand at … Continue reading No Bake Chocolate Oat Protein Bars
Recently gang, I was delighted to speak on iRadio about the importance of protecting our skin as we move into the summer months and greater sun exposure day to day. For those of you reading who also live in Ireland, you'll know that that those days can be few and far between, even in the summer, … Continue reading Sunshine and Skin Protection
It may be summer, but curry never gets old for me! Neither do using chickpeas as the base ingredient in a recipe. As I'll be moving West to Galway in July, I wanted to create a little bank of 5 or 6 quick and easy vegetarian-friendly recipes that I can rely on for those busy … Continue reading Ginger and Greens Chickpea Curry
For this week's Friday Focus, I wanted to bring you guys a flavour of the topic of the panel I was part of at Wellfest two weeks ago as a proud Kindsnacks Ambassador. Myself and my fellow four other ambassadors spoke on the importance of community, (in-person) social interaction, and minding your mental health when … Continue reading Social Media – Positives, Productivity and Pressure
This week, I finished my final exam of my Masters. Over the past academic year, I've been a full-time student at University College Dublin, studying a Masters in Public Health and Nutrition, which has helped me to secure a position on the Public Health training scheme for doctors in Ireland. I'm moving to Galway to … Continue reading Semester 2 Reflections – My Masters in Public Health and Nutrition
Grab a cuppa lads, this one goes deep. Two things happened recently that made me want to write this post. First, I read an utterly incredible book by author and journalist Elizabeth Day called 'How To Fail'. Some of you may have read it (if so, let me know what you thought!), some of you … Continue reading Reflecting on Failure for a Focus on Mental Health Awareness
Is there any recipe we CAN'T make delicious with chickpeas?! Today's recipe proves that the answer to that question is NOPE - they are the ingredient that keeps on giving! I'm bringing you guys a creation I've wanted to try my hand at for a while - 'no bake' energy balls without dates. I do … Continue reading No Bake Chocolate Chickpea Energy Balls
This topic has been rolling around in my mind for a few weeks now, sparked by two books that I recently finished - Deep Work and Digital Minimalism, both by Cal Newport. Both focus on taking back your time from technology and the distractions using it brings, and both were absolutely brilliant reads. I preferred … Continue reading Ditch the Social Media Itch – Discussing Digital Minimalism and Prioritising Productivity
I ADORE beetroot. Recently, with summer around the corner, I decided I wanted to get a little PINK into my breakfast oats - and what better way to do that than with beetroot! Overnight Oats are my favourite weekday breakfast, and blitzing up the milk with cooked beetroot adds colour, sweetness and the micro-nutrient goodness … Continue reading Beetroot & Berry Overnight Oats
Well gang, I hope you all had an absolutely LOVELY Easter, and if you've got more chocolate leftover than you know what to do with, I've got you covered. Today's recipe, BROWNIES, is ideal for using up the leftover eggs and bars that you've got lying around the house! I use a creamy ripe avocado and … Continue reading Dark Chocolate Blueberry and Almond Brownies
This week, with my public health doctor hat firmly on my head, I'm placing my Friday Focus on immunisation, because it's a cornerstone of prevention as part of public health medicine, and also because this week happens to be European Immunisation Week. The goal of this initiative is 'to improve vaccination coverage by increasing awareness of the vital importance of … Continue reading Immunisation – Let’s Focus on the Facts
Happy EASTER gang! I'll keep this intro short and sweet - I've adapted my Coconutty Carrot Cake recipe for your Easter Sunday baking into a lovely Carrot Cake Squares recipe - I hope you enjoy it! Remember you can freeze a batch of these and save them for snacks for the week too! Recipe (Makes 12 Squares) … Continue reading Coconut Carrot Cake Squares
After the success of my Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies, I was on a butter bean vibe recently (yes, that's a thing!) and was feeling like brownies - so this was the happy result! I hope you guys find them as tasty and more-ish as I did! Recipe (Makes 12 Brownies) Ingredients 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp … Continue reading Peanut Butter Bean Brownies
This is going to be a Friday Focus with a difference - a little bit of a life update as opposed to a specific topic. That's a big reason I love my blog - it's a platform through which I share health promotion focused content with you guys, and that's my bread and butter of … Continue reading Embracing Change and a New Chapter
I absolutely LOVE oats. They're an essential cupboard ingredient for me - I love baking with them and of course, using them in my breakfasts, especially Overnight Oats! This week, I decided to get a little creative and come up with a new cookie recipe using oats as the key ingredient - I'm delighted to share … Continue reading Ciara’s Oaty Crunch Cookies
This week I am bringing you the beauty of Pearl Barley salads again! It is easily one of my favourite grains to create recipes with as it's just so versatile. Check out my recent Pearl Barley and Butter Bean Salad too if you want to give that a go. I was delighted to pair this salad recipe … Continue reading Barley, Bean & Broccoli Salad
I am very, VERY excited to be writing this post. If you follow me on Instagram (or Twitter) (I'm @theirishbalance) you'll have seen a post I shared at the start of this week with a BIG announcement about my next career direction as a medical doctor. As many of you know, I completed my undergraduate medical … Continue reading The Pillars of Public Health – Protection, Prevention and Promotion
If you've been following my blog for a while now, you'll know that I LOVE butter beans. Almost as much as I love chickpeas - not quite, but close! Recently, I wanted to whip up a super quick but tasty and nourishing spicy dish, and I had a handy tin of butter beans in my … Continue reading Spicy Butter Beans and Greens
Anyone who has been following my blog for a while now will know that when I have my mind on something, I usually need to chew on the thoughts for a little while before writing them down and plugging them into a coherent article. The topic of today's rant/ramble/post (hopefully an articulate one) is no … Continue reading Social Media is Not a Substitute for Clinical Contact
So recently, I found a KILOGRAM of peanut butter (Pip and Nut brand - I had a LOT of messages on Instagram asking where I found it!) for a very good price in my local supermarket (Dunnes Stores should have me on commission really), and of course couldn't leave it behind. I then of course … Continue reading Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry
A BIG 2019 goal of mine was to get my butt back into reading. I spent a lot of last year talking about it, but not so much doing it. I've always loved reading and writing - as I kid, I used to enter 'Read-a-thons' for charity, and I wrote more short stories than I … Continue reading You Can’t Beat A Good Book – 3 Reasons To Make Reading A Priority Right Now
Shepherd's Pie. What a comforting dish! It is definitely one of those classic, family-friendly dishes, and it's been a staple in our house for a long time. Recently, I wanted to create something a little bit more hands-on than my usual one-pot wonders for meal prep, and I also had the task this week of … Continue reading Sweet Shepherd’s Pie
Pesto. Yum. There are MANY different variations on the classic 'pine nuts and parmesan cheese' pesto recipe, but when given a jar of nutritional yeast flakes recently, I wanted to get creative with recipes using it! As you guys know, I consider myself 'plant-focused' in terms of how I eat, and I love trying vegetarian … Continue reading Vegan Green Basil Almond Pesto
Tins of tuna are definitely a regular feature in my weekly shop - as is tinned mackerel and salmon! I'm a big fish fan, and of course I much prefer fresh fish where possible. But having the tinned variety in the cupboard is so handy for a protein packed boost to any salad or sambo. … Continue reading Spicy Tuna Broccoli Burgers
Pate is something I can't say I eat a lot of - although I do feel that my hummus addiction is a substitute! I actually searched on a few food websites for a proper definition of pate - one I found most helpful was from a website called The Spruce Eats which said pate was a 'mixture of seasoned … Continue reading Herby Roast Mushroom & Walnut Pate
Summers in my house mean many things, but one food-related regular feature is a solid BBQ style dinner. Recently, I decided it was high time to try my hand at a homemade side dish I've been meaning to take on for ages - potato salad! Now, I'm not gonna slam store bough potato salads here, … Continue reading Pretty in Pink Potato Salad
