Bulk up and build muscle in the best way this summer with these flavoursome protein and carb-rich lunches  

Pork meatball mini subs  

SERVES 4 // TOTAL TIME 25 MINS 

Ingredients 

1 pack pork bangers
Canola oil, for frying
1 large baguette, cut into 4 (quarters)
½ punnet fresh coriander or parsley
½ cup mayonnaise
Salt and black pepper
Handful lettuce, torn or shredded
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin sticks 1⁄2 cucumber, shaved into strips (use
a vegetable peeler)
½ pineapple, peeled and cut into cubes (or use tinned pineapple)
Sprouts or micro greens (optional)   

Method 

1. Remove pork meat from the sausage casing and roll into golf-sized balls.
2. Heat a glug of oil in a large pan and fry the meatballs in batches for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
3. Slice each portion of the baguette horizontally to resemble a sub.
4. Blitz the coriander or parsley and mayonnaise until smooth. Season well. 
5. Spread half the coriander mayo inside each mini sub.
6. Layer the lettuce, carrots, cucumber and pineapple in each sub.
7. Top each sub with 3-4 meatballs and drizzle over the remaining coriander mayo. Serve immediately. 

The dagwood stack  

SERVES 1 // TOTAL TIME 10 MINS 

Ingredients 

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 egg
3 slices seeded rye bread, toasted
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Handful butter lettuce
2-3 slices smoked chicken, ham or salami 
1⁄4 cucumber, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
2-3 slices Emmenthal cheese 
1 teaspoon chopped chives  

Method 

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the egg for 3-4 minutes, until crispy round the edges. 
2. Spread pesto on each slice of rye toast. 
3. Layer lettuce, meat, cucumber, tomato and egg on the bottom slice of toast.
4. Top with the second slice of toast and repeat the layering process, this time using lettuce, meat, cucumber and cheese. 
5. Sprinkle with chives and add the final slice of rye toast. 

Honey & paprika steak wraps 

SERVES 2 // TOTAL TIME 25 MINS 

Ingredients 

1 sirloin or porterhouse steak
Salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika (smoked or regular) 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1–2 tablespoons honey (or syrup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 lemon  

For serving 

2 beetroot wraps (or regular wheat wraps) 2 tablespoons hummus, mayonnaise
or pesto
1⁄2 red, yellow or green pepper, sliced and fried
Small handful lettuce, shredded 1⁄4 red or green cabbage, shredded   

Method 

1. In a bowl, season the steak and add the paprika, garlic and honey. Toss to
   coat evenly.
2. Heat oil in a large pan. Fry steak for 3-4 minutes on each side (for medium-rare).
3. Add the butter to the pan a minute before the end of cooking. Allow it to melt and add the lemon juice.
4. Use a spoon to baste the steak with the melted lemon butter. 
5. Allow the steak to cool before slicing. 
6. To assemble wraps, spread hummus, mayo or pesto on the wraps and layer the sliced pepper, lettuce and red cabbage.
7. Top with steak slices and fold the wraps to enclose the filling.  

Spicy & zesty chicken taco bowl  

SERVES 1 // TOTAL TIME 25  MINS 

Ingredients 

1 chicken breast fillet, scored
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
Handful lettuce leaves, chopped 
¼ cup tinned corn kernels, rinsed 
1 tomato, chopped 
1 avocado, sliced
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander Nacho chips, for serving  

Method 

1. Drizzle 1 spoon of oil over chicken and season with salt, pepper and spices. 
2. Fry chicken in a pan for 6-8 minutes per side, until cooked through.
3. Remove, cool and slice into strips. 
4. In a bowl, arrange the lettuce, corn, tomato, avocado and chicken strips.
5. Whisk 2 spoons of oil with lime or lemon juice and coriander. Season well. 
6. Drizzle dressing over the taco bowl and serve with nachos. 

Recipes & styling: Chad January
Photography: Zhann Solomons

The post Tasty protein and carb-rich lunches appeared first on MyKitchen.

Get your daily dose of complex carbs and healthy fats all at once with these nutritious sweet potato and sardine-stuffed avocados. For a more budget-friendly option, swap the sardines with tinned pilchards.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
4 tsp lime juice
3 avocados, halved and pitted
1 tin sardines, deboned and flaked
12 baby tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
½ wheel feta, crumbled
⅓  cup coriander

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Spread the sweet potato out on a roasting tray and toss with the olive oil, cumin, garlic powder and half of the lime juice.
3. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until soft.
4. Brush the avos with some of the lime juice and fill with sweet potato, flaked sardines and baby tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle with the seeds, feta, leftover lime juice and coriander.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Jotham van Tonder // HMimages.co.za

Sweet potato rösti with yoghurt and creamy tuna is another great healthy combo if you’re looking for a snack that will keep you going throughout the day.

The post Sweet potato and sardine-stuffed avocados appeared first on MyKitchen.

We’re all for some good carbs, especially when it’s the healthy kind! This bulgar wheat salad is a filling lunch option that you can make in bulk at home.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 25 min

INGREDIENTS
5 tbsp olive oil
1½ cups uncooked bulgar wheat
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ cup chopped spring onions
1 tbsp lemon zest
Rubies of 1 pomegranate
100 g goat’s cheese, crumbled
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
2 avocados, peeled and sliced

METHOD
1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the bulgar wheat and toast for 2 minutes.
2. Add 2 cups water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the water has evaporated
3. Mix bulgar wheat, vinegar, 3 tbsp oil and salt.
4. Add the spring onions, zest and pomegranate. Top with the cheese, kiwis and avocados.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Juliette Bisset

The post Bulgar wheat salad appeared first on MyKitchen.

Looking for healthy meal options that make the most of wholesome carbs? Try these open sandwiches on for size! They’re also perfect for outdoor picnics and to meal prep and assemble at work.

Red pepper pesto sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
3 red peppers
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup almonds, toasted
50 g Parmesan, grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
Seed bread, toasted
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Pinch chilli flakes

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Place the whole peppers on a baking tray. Roast until the skins start to blacken, 10–15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, place in a ziplock bag and seal tightly. Set aside for 30 minutes. Then remove the peppers from the bag, submerge in cool water and peel off the skins.
4. In a blender, blitz together pepper flesh (seeds removed), oil, almonds, Parmesan, garlic and paprika until a paste forms.
5. Spread the pesto on toast. Top with avo and chilli flakes.

Almond butter, strawberry & basil sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
12 strawberries, sliced
1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
¼ cup almond butter
Basil leaves
Seed bread, toasted

METHOD
1. Mix the strawberries with the honey or syrup to coat.
2. Spread almond butter on the toast. Top with berries and basil.

Curried potato sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
4–6 baby potatoes
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp curry powder
Seed bread, toasted
Bean sprouts

METHOD
1. Place onion, 2 tbsp boiling water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a jar. Seal and set aside for 30 minutes to pickle.
2. Boil the potatoes until soft, then dice and leave to cool.
3. Mix potatoes, mayonnaise and curry powder.
4. Serve potatoes on toast. Top with pickled onions and sprouts.

The post 3 spring-ready open sandwiches appeared first on MyKitchen.

Yes, we like to indulge, but here at MyKitchen, we are a happily healthy team of fitness enthusiasts. During the week, when we know we are heading to the gym after work, our meals are, more often than not, aimed at optimising our exercise time, and I thought I’d share some of our top tips to make the most of your workout.

By Roxy Greeff

DO NOT TRAIN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

We are sure you all know how this works. You eat food, and the energy you gain from it is used for mental and physical activity. With vigorous exercise, if you don’t eat before a workout you are basically running on empty, not a good thing. At the same time, you don’t want to be weighed down a heavy meal. Grab a quick snack like some nuts, a smoothie or a slice of peanut butter toast an hour before your session.
TRY IT: Heather’s oat energy balls

DRINK UP

Water is key, you know this. Exercising without it will lead to dehydration as well as decreased performance and muscle cramping. Fresh water is ideal for any workout, but sports drinks are fine for any high-endurance activities or sessions lasting more than 90 minutes.

PROTEIN POWER

Protein is essential for restoring nutrients responsible for building and repairing your muscles after you have worked them. Some of our favourites are lean protein, such as chicken breasts or fish fillets, avocados, seeds and nuts.
TRY IT: Hawaiian-spiced chicken and mango on low-GI bread

CARBO LOADING

So you’ve got your muscles taken care of, but you also need plenty of carbs to fuel your body and keep you going. But they need to be high-quality options such as fruits, veggies and wholegrains. Here at MyKitchen, we are never far away from a bowl of oats.
TRY IT: Multigrain apple porridge

So there you have it. If you eat in order to support your workout efforts, you will begin to see results in no time, and these are the things that have helped us. And remember, if you are in doubt, always consult a registered dietitian.

The post How to make the most of your workout – with food appeared first on MyKitchen.