The superstar Instagram healthy eating pro is back with an excellent new cookery book. Working from home? Whip up Em The Nutritionist’s super-easy shakshuka recipe for lunch today (we’ll be round at 1!)
Any products in this article have been selected editorially however if you buy something we mention, we may earn commission. Images: Clare Winfield
Working from home, stuck at your desk and need a quick lunch? You’re in the right place – so step away from that box of stale Pop Tarts you just found in the back of the cupboard and read this.
Our favourite Instagram foodie Em The Nutritionist is back with a new cookery book that ticks all our boxes: her recipes are healthy, simple and insanely delicious. Live to Eat: The Food You Crave, The Nutrition You Need (£25, Seven Dials) by Emily English (The Nutritionist isn’t her actual surname, fyi) features 80 new breakfast, lunch, dinner and sweet treat recipes.
We’ve got one of them – Super Greens Shakshuka – below for you to try at home. It’s actually in the breakfast section of the book but we think it’d make a nourishing, speedy lunch too. We like the fact that it involves ingredients you’re likely to have lurking: eggs and green veg that need using up.
Before you fire up the frying pan, here are three tips from English on how to eat healthily at weekday lunches, when you’re pressed for time. She knows of what she speaks, by the way: the 29-year-old from Bedford honed her culinary skills early, working in her granny’s restaurant as a teen before studying for a nutrition degree at Kings College London.
Em The Nutritionist’s 3 golden rules for healthy weekday lunch habits
“Staying consistent with healthy eating during the busy workday can be challenging, but it’s all about building small, sustainable habits into your lunchtime routine,” says English.
1. Prep lunch at the start of the week or the night before
“This doesn’t mean you need a full meal plan – just prepping some key ingredients like grains, proteins and roasted vegetables,” she says. You could spend an hour on Sunday afternoon hard-boiling eggs, cooking up a batch of quinoa and roasting a load of peppers, so you have some healthy eating shortcuts come Monday lunchtime.
2. Go for a walk after lunch
English recommends a 10-15 minute walk after lunch. “Movement after eating has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels, reducing the likelihood of feeling tired or craving those sugary snacks later in the day,” she says. “And if you’re stuck at your desk, set an alarm to remind yourself to get up and stretch regularly.
3. Create a lunchtime routine
“Set a dedicated time for lunch, step away from work, and use this time to focus on refuelling both your body and your mind,” she says. “Taking 30 minutes for a proper, balanced meal – without being distracted by laptops or phones – will make your afternoon more productive and help you avoid relying on quick, unhealthy options.” And you will obviously enjoy and appreciate your lunch more if you eat it mindfully, rather than scarfing it down while clearing your inbox.
You can check out English’s GTG back catalogue for more winning lunches: on the menu, we have her healthy take on a tuna melt, her Glow Bowl of goodness and a nifty quinoa salad.
But first up, let’s make Super Greens Shakshuka for lunch.
Em The Nutritionist’s Super Greens Shakshuka recipe
“Absolutely jam-packed with green goodness and ready in under 15 minutes, this shakshuka is an amazing way to get in all of your gut-supporting greens without compromising on flavour,” says English. “It’s very versatile, you can use whatever greens you have in your refrigerator. Serve with toasted bread to dive into the oozing yolks.”
Image: Clare Winfield
Serves 2, time 15 mins, 16g protein and 257 calories per portion
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon za’atar, plus extra to finish
- 2 handfuls of shredded kale or cavolo nero
- 8 pitted green olives, diced
- 150g frozen chopped spinach
- 150ml chicken stock
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 4 medium free-range eggs
- Salt and pepper
To serve:
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Chopped parsley
- Dried chilli flakes (optional)
- Toasted bread (I like pitta)
Preheat the grill to medium.
Heat a little olive oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onions and garlic and sweat for 3 minutes until softened. Add the za’atar, kale or cavolo nero, olives and spinach. Sauté for 5 minutes, then tip in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and allow half of the stock to evaporate. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Using the back of a spoon, make 4 little wells in the mixture for the eggs. Carefully crack an egg into each and cook for 2 minutes to set the bottom, then put under the grill until the egg whites are just set. The eggs will continue cooking in the residual heat, so remove them when still slightly wobbly to avoid overcooking the yolk.
Season the yolks with salt, pepper and a pinch of za’atar. Sprinkle over some feta and chopped parsley, with some chilli flakes if you like, and serve immediately with toasted bread.
