Gluten-free, vegan, paleo, healthy and delicious: yes it IS possible!
Hello lovely readers and apologies for the small gap in posts lately! It has so far been a beautiful and brilliant summer, with personal training and boot camp both being very busy! We are also well underway with designing the new personal training studio, so all very exciting ☺️ It’s such a blessing to be able to work with so many fabulous individuals, all looking to change and improve their lifestyle for the better!
Many of my personal trainer clients have just returned from their holidays and have reported back to me the incredible differences in how they behaved and felt this year, compared to on their previous holidays.
This was not just in terms of feeling confident enough to wear a swimsuit in public (great as this is!) but also the noticeably different food choices they made, and how their increased energy levels meant were so much more active than they had been on previous holidays. Not because they felt they had to, but because they ENJOYED the way it makes them feel!
Returning from holiday to regular life can, for many people feel a tad stressful, and for some maybe even quite depressing! That’s why I believe it’s so important to have a few simple, easy and fast recipes to hand, that mean you can continue your healthy and nourishing way of eating when you return home but without the stress!
Back in the days of being a student, I would always keep a pack of spaghetti and a jar of pesto handy for a quick dinner. As I loved the taste so much, I learned to ignore the bloating, gas, brain fog and stomach discomfort that followed, having got so used to experiencing them with so many things I was eating and of course being far from aware of my gluten intolerance!
So this amazing pasta salad not only reminds me of my student days, but makes me so happy to now have a healthy version I can eat that doesn’t cause any digestive mischief! It’s one of my favourite emergency post-boot camp dinners for the occasions when I haven’t managed to prep before the class, as well as a fantastic travel food and BBQ side dish (for everyone who has tried it!)
Being 100% gluten-free, vegan, paleo friendly and low carb means it will also be suitable for even the fussiest of eaters 😉 I certainly couldn’t live without my life-saving Spiriliser, which means shop-bought Gluten-free pastas are now a thing of the past. Many of my PT clients have also reported back to me that Spirilising courgettes is now their fail-safe means of getting their kids to un-knowingly eat vegetables ☺️
We like to make sure we always have a jar of the vegan pesto in the fridge at all times, as it stays good for a couple of weeks and is there for emergencies. If you need do need to make it from scratch though, it is only a five minute job! The pan-roasted tomatoes were a recent addition that can also be substituted for raw cherry tomatoes, if you feel you haven’t time to roast them.
So let’s get to it and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as me, my husband and anyone we’ve ever made it for does!
Wishing you a happy, healthy and fabulous summer! 😎
- 2 organic courgettes (zucchini)
- Handful Pitted kalmata olives
- 2 handfuls organic vine cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Drizzle organic extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1 bunch of basil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (you can always add more for a cheesier flavour)
- pinch of Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
- Spirlise the courgettes into spaghetti (I like them quite thick but use any setting you prefer)
- Add the tomatoes to a griddle pan over a medium heat.
- Blend the pine nuts in a food processor until almost smooth.
- Add the basil, lemon juice, yeast and garlic and pulse until well mixed
- Slowly add the olive oil until smooth and creamy, then add the salt
- When the tomatoes become soft, add the crushed garlic clove and Italian seasoning. Drizzle over the olive oil.
- Mix the pesto into the courgette pasta, then add the olives. Top with the tomatoes and sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast if desired.
- Enjoy!