Em The Nutritionist has written the best cook book we’ve read this year. Here are here tips for healthy lunches - plus her delicious 'glow bowl' recipe
I’ve been mesmerized by Em The Nutritionist’s Instagram recipes since watching her do a live cooking demo at the M&S Food X Zoe Gut Shot launch earlier this year. Along with her other 1.5 million followers, I can’t get enough of the Gen Z Londoner’s mouth-watering dishes – how can her food be so healthy, so straightforward and so delectable?
Now there’s a book too. I get sent a lot of new cookery books to review and this is hands-down my favourite of the year. So Good: Food You Want to Eat Designed by a Nutritionist, £17.26, by Emily English, is crammed with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and sweet options, space to create your own meal plans and tonnes of useful nutritional information.
She is big on joyful flavours (not always a given with healthy recipes), eating enough protein to properly satisfy and filling your plate with different coloured fruit and veg for maximum nutrient density and variety. I especially love how her ingredients are easily sourced and affordable – for example, there’s no buying weird spices that you’ll only use once.
And then there are all the clever tips – I’m a decent cook but had never thought to give cubes of butternut squash a quick blast in the microwave before roasting them, to cut down on cooking time. And blending a jar of jalepenos, brine and all, to make a fiery drizzling sauce is pretty damn clever too.
And, rest assured, you are in safe, well-qualified, experienced hands here. The 28-year-old has a degree in nutrition from Kings College London, and comes from a family of cooks and chefs. After suffering from an eating disorder while working as a model in her teens, she discovered the world of nutrition, committed to her studies, overhauled her health and hasn’t looked back.
A legend in her own lunchtime
I was especially keen to hit up Em for some lunch inspiration. It can be the trickiest meal of the day for healthy intentions – we tend to be time-pressed and it can be hard to resist the siren call of a Pret baguette and brownie. Em's book has these three tips for a healthy lunch:
- Prep is everything – seek out healthy convenience foods
“Utilise convenient healthy options like pre-cooked grains, canned legumes and pre-cooked proteins," she advises. I don’t know about you but I haven’t got time to cook wholegrain rice from scratch for 30 minutes. But I can chuck a microwave pack on for two minutes.
- Swerve the 4pm slump
Falling asleep in meetings? “To combat the sleepy afternoon dip, choose a lunch that balances complex carbs, proteins and healthy fats,” she says. Try the nutrient-packed Glow Bowl recipe below or her chopped quinoa salad which she calls her Nature's Multivitamin recipe.
- Make it a variety show
“Avoid the monotony of having the same lunch every day by mixing up ingredients and flavours.” That means thinking about how to “level up your standard sandwich”. After all, we all know that the more boring your lunch, the more likely you are to hunt down chocolate a couple of hours later. A fine example of a good sandwich game is her healthier-than-you’d-think tuna melt, which oozes deliciously with mature Cheddar, with the toast brushed wih garlic olive oil.
Can you cook it? Yes, you can!
Inspired? Try our top three Em The Nutritionist lunch recipes:
- Tuna melt with Cheddar and garlic olive oil
- Nature's Multivitamin chopped quinoa salad
- Glow Bowl – the recipe is just below. Enjoy!
Em The Nutritionist's Glow Bowl recipe
"Back in lockdown, I used to have a Deliveroo kitchen and my Glow Bowl was one of my best sellers. A heavenly mix of grains, feta, jalapeno hummus, roasted squash and pickled red onions. This stores really well and makes great meal prep."
Ingredients
Serves 4, takes 35 minutes. Under 400kcal per serving, protein depends on what you use
- 500g (1lb 2oz) peeled, deseeded butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon za’atar spice mix
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jar of jalapenos
- 250g cooked grain of choice
- 60g rocket leaves
- 200g feta cheese, crumbled
- 200g hummus
- Protein of choice (cooked chicken, tofu, prawns, etc)
- 80g pomegranate seeds
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
For the pickle:
- 150ml white wine vinegar
- 100ml water
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 2 red onions, sliced into rounds
For the dressing:
- 150g (2/3 cup) natural yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey
Method:
1. For the pickle, pour the vinegar and water into a pan, add the sugar and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and immerse the red onion slices in the liquid. Let them pickle as you continue with the prep.
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan (450°F) Gas Mark 8 or set an air fryer to 200°C (400°F).
3. Cut the squash into 2cm (¾ inch) cubes and add to a heatproof bowl. Season with the za’atar spice mix and some salt and coat in the olive oil. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, then spread out on a baking tray and either roast in the oven, or in the air fryer, for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix the dressing ingredients (yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and honey) together with a pinch each of salt and pepper, and set aside.
5. Make a jalapeño sauce by tipping the entire jar of jalapeños, including the brine, into a blender or food processor. Blend to achieve a chunky consistency. Store any leftovers in the original jar in the refrigerator, where it will last for a month.
6. Microwave your chosen grains to heat through.
7. Divide the rocket between 4 bowls, to create the base. Divide the grains, feta, roasted squash and hummus between the bowls. Create a well in the hummus using the back of a spoon and add 1 teaspoon of jalapeño sauce to each. Add any extra protein of choice.
8. Finish with the drained pickled red onions and the pomegranate seeds and serve with the dressing and lemon wedges.
So Good (Seven Dials, £17.26) by Emily English is out now