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food envy
'My slow cooker was one of my best investments': 5 vibrant dishes from a healthy home cook in Wicklow
Michelle Hunt is an expert at making healthy swaps.
EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late – from simple suppers to lavish lunches.
This week, weight training fan and food photographer Michelle Hunt (@peachypalate) shared with us five typically indulgent dishes that she’s adapted to suit her healthy lifestyle.
After years spent fighting with food and disordered eating, the Bray native says she has found the perfect balance. “Food is now my passion, my source of health and my means of expressing my creativity,” she says.
I’m usually up and out of the house, in the gym for 8am five days a week. Aside from bodybuilding-style training, I’ve been doing lots of indoor climbing lately. In general I’m always up for anything new.
So how does she fuel her active lifestyle without turning to the same plate of chicken, leaves and sweet potato every day? Michelle shared five dishes that she turns to time and time again…
1. Buckwheat pancakes: Breakfast and brunch are my favourite meals to create and consume. I do refer to myself as the pancake princess (occasionally!) and these basic buckwheat pancakes are my weekly go-to. They’re wholesome, delicious and can be made in advance, reheated – or even eaten cold, which I do at least twice a week when I have breakfast on the go post-training.
2. My homemade waffles: When I’m not indulging in pancakes, waffles fill the void. I love the hassle free option of putting your batter in the waffle iron and getting a few other bits done while they cook. As a food photographer I spend a lot of time at food shoots, and the one thing I have learned is never to go in hungry! It’s even more ill advised than going grocery shopping on an empty stomach…
3. Vegan cocoa brownies: My favourite sweet treat hands down is chocolate. I have played around with making my own raw chocolate creations, but my go-to chocolate-baked good always has been and always will be the brownie. By using cocoa powder and good quality 60/70% dark chocolate, these are vegan too.
4. Slow-cooked lamb tagine: I do occasionally eat savoury food. My slow cooker is one of the best small investments I’ve made in kitchen appliances over the past few years. I love nothing more than slow cooked lamb or pork shoulder every now and then. This lamb tagine is one of my current favourites and it’s truly one of the most effortless meals ever.
5. Savoury oats: The perfect alternative when you can’t decide if you want breakfast, brunch or dinner is savoury oats. Thick creamy oats with crispy bacon, soft boiled egg and avocado – all of the good things in life. This is in my mind is the perfect ‘brinner’ and it’s such a simple way to switch up your morning meal.
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