Okay, YUM alert. This Spicy Sweet Potato Chili Bake is one of my favourite recipes to date for sure. A lovely bake-ahead creation that you can serve up as it is or freeze portions of - it's definitely lunchbox friendly! Recipe (Serves 5) Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped … Continue reading Spicy Sweet Potato Chili Bake
This will possibly be the quickest Weekly Balance I have ever written gang - it has been one of those weeks! Let's get right into it - and as always, thank you so much for tuning in for another week of the happenings in my life. What went on in my doctor life... The past … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #14
I'm a bit obsessed with 'bake' style recipes these days guys. They're just very handy to make with a bit of time off, and I'm trying to get a bit more creative with my cooking so hopefully you all enjoy the bakes as much as I do! This recipe has some of my favourite ingredients … Continue reading Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Chickpea Bake
In this post, I am so excited to be bringing you guys my very own YOGA flow - created by me and designed/beautifully brought to life by my good friend Ruth Delahunty. Ruth is a very experienced yoga teacher and a graphic designer - she is the woman behind Yogaru. Yogaru 108 Asana cards are … Continue reading The Irish Balance Yoga Flow
Hello and welcome back to week THIRTEEN of The Weekly Balance! As we enter into the fourth month of my writing these posts, it strikes me just how much life has changed us for all around the world in such a short space of time. I don't any of us envisioned life changing as much … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #13
This is a VERY tasty and very comforting pasta bake using one of my favourite ingredients - lentils! Plus some delicious melted cheddar cheese on top - please note you can substitute the cheese for feta or an alternative if you prefer. Let's cook! Recipe (Serves 5-6) Ingredients - for the Lentil Ragu (pre-bake) 1 … Continue reading Lentil Pasta Bake
These peanut butter cookies are VERY more-ish - don't say I didn't warn you when you go back for seconds! Recipe (Makes 8 Cookies) Ingredients 2 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy or smooth!) 3 tbsp of boiled hot water (take care with the heat!) 100g of quick cook oats 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 big handful … Continue reading Peanut Butter Cookies
In my family, we love a good korma. This recipe is a vegetarian twist on our classic recipe, using red kidney beans for some plant protetin and there's 3 servings of your 5 a day in there too! Recipe (Serves 4-5): Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 1 white onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp … Continue reading Aubergine & Kidney Bean Korma
As an kid growing up in America, I LOVED peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I'm pretty sure I called them 'sammiches' but whatever! These breakfast bars are a throwback to my childhood favourite combo - PB&J! Recipe (Makes 16 Bars) Ingredients 200g of oats 3 tbsp of milk 2 bananas 2 tbsp honey 200g blueberries … Continue reading PB & J Breakfast Bars
Here we go with week 12 of The Weekly Balance! For those of you who follow this series, I really do hope you're enjoying the posts. I definitely find it therapeutic to sit down each week and reflect by writing to you guys here, that's for sure! What went on in my doctor life... Well, … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #12
This is a lovely recipe you can make ahead of a new week and save a few portions of. Chili is one of my favourite recipes and this creation is a bit of a twist on it with pasta added and some feta crumbled on top - yum! Recipe (Serves 5) Ingredients 1 tbsp extra … Continue reading Mixed Bean Chili Pasta Bake
Well, we are BACK with a brand new weekly balance post. As I had to work at the weekend just gone, I didn't get a chance to write this article for you guys. Today is St. Patrick's Day, so for those of you recognising this holiday, my very best wishes to you! Let's take a … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #11
Another one pot wonder for you guys - this time a stroganaoff recipe! I've used a soy yoghurt to give this dish a creamy texture and it worked a treat. Let's cook! Recipe (Serves 3-4) Ingredients 1 tbsp rapeseed oil or olive oil 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried parsley 1 garlic clove, peeled and … Continue reading Creamy Aubergine & Butter Bean Stew
Welcome back to week 10 of The Weekly Balance! I'm delighted to be keeping this series going and I hope you guys are enjoying these post too! What went on in my doctor life... As I'm sure many of you will have seen on the news, Ireland has in the past week seen its first … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #10
It has been some week gang - I wasn't sure if I would get to write this week's article! But I've managed to grab a half hour in my weekend to do it, and I'm loving sharing these posts. So here's a quick recap on my past week! What went on in my doctor life... … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #9
This week, I decided to try a Thai Green Curry! I love one-pot curry dishes - they always feel like a bit of a hug for my tummy on those cold and windy early spring evenings - or maybe that's just how the weather is in Galway!!! Anyway, here's the recipe I came up with, … Continue reading Tofu & Three Veg Thai Green Curry
When deciding what to make for lunches this week, I thought, what sort of salad recipes do I always drool over when I'm out for lunch? And what came to mind was this recipe, Aubergines, chickpeas, sweet sumac, greens, and a creamy tahini dressing. YES PLEASE. Let's get cooking! Recipe (Serves 4) Ingredients 1/2 tsp … Continue reading Roasted Aubergine & Chickpea Salad
Welcome back to week EIGHT of The Weekly Balance! I can't believe it's been nearly 2 months of this series - and that we're at the end of February next week! It's funny, I always feel like January is a long month, and then the year just starts to pick up speed. Whenever I remember … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #8
YUM - a super simple bake-ahead recipe for breakfast made using some of the best ingredients out there - peanut butter, oats, berries and bananas! Recipe (Makes 12 Cookies) Ingredients 200g of oats 3 tbsp of milk 2 bananas 1 tbsp honey 2 handfuls of blueberries 2 heaped tbsp of peanut butter 2 heaped tbsp … Continue reading Peanut Butter and Berry Breakfast Bakes
With all of the storms and cold wet weather in the last few weeks, I've wanted to work on a cosy comforting bake-style recipe for myself and you guys. This spiced chickpea and aubergine bake turned out really well, and its topped with one of my favourite cheeses - feta! I can't wait to see … Continue reading Spiced Chickpea, Aubergine & Feta Bake
Welcome back to week 7 of The Weekly Balance! I hope you've all had an awesome week. In this post, I'm gonna take a look back at the last 7 days in my doctor and non-doctor life. What went on in my doctor life... This week, I got a day off to go to a … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #7
I've got a special recipe for you guys today - oat cookies featuring two of my favourite foods - walnuts, and dark chocolate! These cookies are a chocolately twist on my classic Banana Berry Breakfast Cookies - they're a great snack option you can grab on the go, and also make a delicious dessert with a couple … Continue reading Walnut & Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies
A quick lunch or side salad combining some of my favourite ingredients - butter beans, feta and greens! Recipe (Serves 3-4) Ingredients 10 baby tomatoes, halved 1/2 a cucumber, diced into coins, then coins quartered 3 handfuls of washed spinach leaves 10-12 olives, halved (I used a Tesco pack - a jar would do either) … Continue reading Greek Style Butter Bean Salad
Welcome back to week SIX of The Weekly Balance! I don't know about you guys but I am really glad its February. January always seems like a very long month after the warmth of Christmas and New Year's, and embracing longer evenings and brighter mornings as spring arrives is something I am definitely here for! … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #6
Cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes are absolutely delicious - if you haven't tried cooking them this way, you're in luck! This simple salad is a quick make-ahead lunch idea that's very lunch box friendly. I hope you enjoy the recipe! I'm a big fan of the Aldi microwave lentil packs I recently found - there are other … Continue reading Cinnamon Sweet Potato & Lentil Salad
When I visited Budapest a few years ago, one of my favourite dishes we got to try was a traditional Hungarian goulash. I decided this week to change things up from my usual one-pot curry or chili that I cook - so a vegetarian version of a goulash was the result! This is a very … Continue reading Creamy Chickpea & Mushroom Goulash
Welcome back to the fifth installment of The Weekly Balance! We've made it through another week - and I hope enjoyed ourselves along the way. Here's how my week looked! What went on in my doctor life... As many of you will have seen on the news by now, there is currently a global outbreak … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #5
Week number FOUR of the Weekly Balance gang - sitting down to write this post has fast become one of my favourite parts of the week! Let's get into this week's recap. What went on in my doctor life... This week was a bit of a mish-mash work-wise. I spent the first half of my … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #4
A super handy make-ahead breakfast that gives you 4 servings in one go! I hope you love it as much as I did - a great alternative to Overnight Oats that uses very similar ingredients. Recipe (Serves 4) Ingredients 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp whole chia seeds 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (or just double … Continue reading Fruit and Nut Baked Oats
Welcome back to another Weekly Balance post from me to you guys! I've been so so delighted with how many of you have been reading these articles - I love writing them and I'm really glad you all seem to be enjoying checking them out each week. Let's have a look at how this week … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #3
This recipe is a lovely colourful creation, ideal to brighten up dark January days! I'm so excited to see you guys try it - one of my favourites on the blog to date! Recipe (Serves 4-5) Ingredients A few stalks of fresh coriander 10 cherry/baby tomatoes 1 400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed … Continue reading Mango, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad
A super simple recipe with lentils as the star ingredient - this is quite like a bolognaise in texture but with different flavours. I hope you enjoy it! Recipe (Serves 5) Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground ginger 1 … Continue reading Simple Lentil Ragu
Well hey there gang - welcome to week 2 of The Weekly Balance! I was delighted with the feedback I got from you guys after last week's first installment. If you haven't seen Week 1 or the Introduction to this series yet, you can check both out here. Basically, I wanted to write more regularly on my … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #2
This is a super simple recipe I love to keep in the back pocket for a quick weekend dinner you can save the other half of for the next day! Feel free to substitute the tempeh for tofu if you prefer it. Recipe (Serves 2) Ingredients 1 tbsp of olive or rapeseed oil 1 tsp … Continue reading Miso Tempeh Noodle Stir Fry
This is my latest lunch creation for you guys - a simple lentil and feta salad which packs FIVE of your recommended 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day in it! Recipe (Serves 4) Ingredients 1/4 tsp sumac Juice of 1/2 lemon 8 cherry/baby tomatoes 1/2 cucumber 1 400g tin of pre-cooked lentils 1 … Continue reading 5 A Day Lentil & Feta Salad
Alright, here goes! The first of my 'Weekly Balance' posts. So this week for me has been a bit 'all over the place' as we say in Ireland. I'd like to wish you all HAPPY NEW YEAR and the very best wishes for 2020! I can't believe New Year's Eve and Day were just this … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – Week #1
Okay gang, here's the deal. I love to write. But finding TIME to write in and outside of my day job as a doctor is pretty tricky, especially since I started a new job as a public health specialist registrar (i.e. senior doctor trainee) in July 2019. There's 24 hours in the day, and quite … Continue reading The Weekly Balance – An Introduction
Well, Christmas is now behind us, and I hope you all had a very happy holidays! I received a Nespresso machine from Santa (he must know I adore coffee!) and also some lovely dark chocolate, and I decided to see if I could come up with a recipe that nicely combined both of those two … Continue reading Mocha Oat Squares
Tofu is a very handy source of protein if you're giving meat-free recipes a try these days. I usually pick up a block or two of 200g of tofu from Tesco in my weekly shop - smoked tofu is my favourite! This recipe uses some of my favourite spices - cinnamon, turmeric and ginger, plus … Continue reading Creamy Coconut Tofu Curry
In case you didn't know, I LOVE brussel sprouts. They are one of my favourite ingredients to cook with during the Christmas holidays, and so of course I had to bring you a new seasonal recipe to spread the sprout joy! This is a handy recipe to use for leftover sprouts and carrots from your … Continue reading Roasted Sprouts, Carrot & Chickpea Salad
A super simple stir fry recipe which uses one of my all-time favourite ingredients - chickpeas! This is a very handy go-to recipe on a busy weeknight - it packs 3 servings of your recommended 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day too! Recipe (Serves 3-4) Ingredients 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 1 … Continue reading Chunky Veg Chickpea Noodle Stir Fry
This is a super quick but super delicious homemade protein bar recipe which combines quinoa, oats, a nutty crunch and a little chocolate! Sounds good right? Let's get to it! Recipe (Makes 8-10 Bars) Ingredients 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 tbsp of honey 3 tbsp chocolate protein powder (I used chocolate pea protein but you can … Continue reading No Bake Nutty Quinoa Bars
Butternut squash is such a versatile ingredient and it's very seasonal for this time of the year too! This curry combines butternut squash with one of my favourite ingredients - chickpeas! Plus it packs 3 servings of your five a day into it too - talk about bang for your buck! Recipe (Serves 5) Ingredients … Continue reading Squash, Chickpea & Almond Curry
I have been meaning to try a frittata recipe on my blog for a VERY long time, and I'm delighted to say I've finally done it! This is a very simple recipe which makes a few portions and is great as a make-ahead breakfast or lunch option. Recipe (Serves 3-4) Ingredients 1 tbso of olive … Continue reading Spinach & Feta Frittata
This recipe is a little twist on one of my all-time favourite recipes on this blog - my Butter Bean Cashew Dahl. With colder weather, I definitely find myself keen for warm comforting bowls of food for dinner, and this delicious curry definitely ticks those boxes! Recipe (Serves 4) Ingredients 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil … Continue reading Butter Bean & Cashew Cream Curry
This salad is a super tasty seasonal delight - sweet potato is one of my favourite ingredients, and if you've got leftover pumpkin from Halloween, you could use that here too! I've added delicious dried figs and pumpkin seeds to the mix here, two things I love to combine as a snack. Time to get … Continue reading Sweet Potato, Fig & Pumpkin Seed Salad
What an incredibly beautiful city! View from Legion Bridge At the end of October, my sister and I went on a 3 day trip to see Prague. It was an absolutely wonderful mini-holiday, and I was utterly enchanted by Prague. It's become my custom to share my little food and travel guides for places … Continue reading The Irish Balance Guide to… Prague
I am delighted to now be a regular contributor to The Food Medic website of Dr. Hazel Wallace. Many of you I'm sure follow Hazel too, and I'm a big fan of her messages on social media as a fellow doctor. I recently wrote an article for Hazel's website all about influenza (i.e. the flu!), and I … Continue reading Influenza – Protect Yourself Against the Flu
This recipe is a vegetarian twist on my Chicken and Chickpea Tagine recipe, with a mixture of colourful vegetables and delicious almonds and apricots! Let's get cooking! Recipe (Serves 4) Ingredients 1 tbsp of olive or rapeseed oil 1 garlic clove ½ tsp of ground coriander 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp … Continue reading Chickpea & Aubergine Tagine
These are an absolute WINNER of a recipe - super handy for a make-ahead breakfast, and definitely a winter-warmer for those cold mornings when you're rushing out the door! I can't wait to see what you guys think of them! Recipe (Serves 4) Ingredients 3 tbsp of milk 200g of oats 3 ripe bananas 1.5 … Continue reading Banana Ginger & Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars
