#MondayMotivation with Derval O'Rourke: Getting out of the dinner rut

Don’t be afraid to try new things, keep your body guessing, keep your family guessing and make sure you have fun with it. This Prawn and Chickpea Curry is a great start

"People tell me all the time that they simply cannot cook: they explain about a recipe or meal they tried that was a disaster"

When I decided to write my first cookbook, it was for two reasons. The first was to put my passion for food into a book and share it. The second was to show that food can be good for the body and also be a wonderful experience for the soul.

People tell me all the time that they simply cannot cook: they explain about a recipe or meal they tried that was a disaster. There can be an apprehension about trying new recipes or meal ideas if you feel your cooking skills are basic. Why bother putting the effort into something that might not work out? Maybe you’ll waste a little time or on the other hand, you could end up having a tonne of new dishes to add to your rotation!

There’s no doubt that food fuels our body, gives us energy and helps us to perform better when we eat the right foods. However, I don’t believe this means the food should be bland and tasteless.

The evening meal in particular is often the heart of family life. It’s often the one meal a day that we can take our time to enjoy preparing and eating. But as time goes by, we tend to get stuck in the same routine of cooking the tried and tested dishes, afraid to waste time trying something new in case it doesn’t work. One of the best ways to choose healthy food options is to introduce new ideas, boredom is often the reason that people will stop choosing healthy ingredients. Let's be honest there is only so much chicken, broccoli and rice any of us want to eat!

So don’t be afraid to try new things, keep your body guessing, keep your family guessing and make sure you have fun with it. Your meal preparation should be an opportunity for you to relax, clear your mind and focus only on the present.

We can draw a parallel between our food habits and life in general. If we don’t push ourselves out of our comfort zones, we end up stuck. In order to get results in any area of our lives, we have to push the boundaries, try new things and give them a chance. So why not start with your food! Try some new dishes, it may just give you the impetus to try new things in other areas of your life!

Food is, of course, a way to nourish myself but, for me, it is also one of the greatest ways to spend time with people.

Exercise: Seat Squats — Place a chair behind you for support. Legs shoulder length apart, bend your knees and keep going until you just about feel the chair underneath you. And back up to standing. Do 10 at a time x 3 reps. Between each rep, walk on the spot for 30 seconds.

Wellness Tip: When you prepare your evening meal, try to be present in the moment. Focus on the aromas, the bubbling sauce. Play some relaxing music. Make the daily process of cooking a really enjoyable experience!

Prawn and chickpea curry

Super quick, easy and healthy - the perfect midweek meal.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large diced onion

• 3 cloves of garlic (grated)

• ½ tsp salt flakes

• ½ thumb fresh ginger (grated)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 tbsp mild curry powder (1 tbsp if you don’t like it spicy)

• 1x 400g can crushed tomatoes

• 1x 400g can drained chickpeas

• 1x 400g can coconut milk

• Juice of half lime

• 1 kg raw tiger prawns (peeled and deveined)

Method

1. Add olive oil to a pan and bring to heat, add your onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute until golden.

2. Add your dry spices, turmeric, cumin and curry powder and stir to blend, cook gently so all the spices have time to cook through.

3. Next, add your chopped tomatoes and stir, followed by your coconut milk and finally your drained chickpeas.

4. Squeeze the juice of half a lime and stir.

5. Tip in your uncooked prawns and cook for a further 3-4minutes on medium heat until the prawns have slightly curled into a soft 'C' and turned pink in colour.

6. Turn off the heat and let rest for a minute or two

7. Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, couscous or stir through pasta and your choice of steamed vegetables.