NUTRITION

When you're juggling training, work, and family, the last thing you need is to be spending hours in the kitchen. Here are four recipes that are big on nutrition but short on prep...

- Kate Percy

Lockdown enabled us to reconnect with our kitchens, preparing elaborate dishes and (re) discovering the joy of cooking. But as life returns to normal, time is suddenly precious again. That doesn't mean you have to reach for your favorite home delivery app, though...

I challenge you to cook up one of this month's meals faster than your average meal delivery service! You'll save money, too. But before you do, here are a couple of tips to guarantee there's always a nourishing meal to be made, quickly.

Firstly, keep a stash of interesting and useful ingredients in your store cupboard, fridge, and freezer. E.g. different types of pasta, noodles, and rice, tins of butter, kidney and black beans, chickpeas, tuna and sardines, coconut milk and curry pastes, jars of antipasti. In your freezer, add frozen gnocchi, prawns and salmon, pitta bread, spinach, and fruit. And buy longer-lasting, nutritious vegetables, such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, red cabbage, and beetroot.

Secondly, plan ahead. If you can, devote a couple of hours to batch cooking for the week ahead after you get home from your Sunday long ride or run. Soups, curries, casseroles, and even some salads will keep in the fridge for a few days and often become even more flavorsome. Enjoy this month's recipes!

This South Indian coconut and prawn curry are one of the quickest curries ever. It's a great storecupboard supper using frozen prawns, a few spices, and a can of coconut milk. Simple, warming, and a great way to reboot tired muscles.

Next is a Chickpea, sweet potato, and spinach soup, which makes an ideal low-fat, low-GI training supper. A great source of vitamins and minerals, this fantastic veggie mix is brimming with goodness, including plenty of nutrient-rich carbs, protein, and fibre. Fresh ginger also works as an anti-inflammatory.