Derval O'Rourke: 'I love my food way too much to sacrifice taste'

Healthy eating can be colourful and fun

Lamb shanks cooked in the slow cooker are easy and delicious

I think the biggest myth about healthy eating is that the choices need to be boring.

If this was the case, I can assure you, I would not be healthy, I love my food way too much to sacrifice taste! Let's talk this week about bringing some colour back onto your plate and I have a delicious Easter recipe for you that is anything but bland.

On Derval.ie, I get feedback all the time from our amazing members. They let me know what training sessions they love the most, their favourite recipe or just how much they enjoy that we encompass all aspects of healthy living such as meditation, pilates, and yoga. My favourite feedback is when they tell me how shocked they are that the recipes are delicious! Our food does not have to be tasteless, boring or have the portion size of a thimble for us to be healthy. There is one main reason that conventional diets don’t work……they cannot be sustained forever. Sure, you can drop some weight quickly, but the moment you start eating regularly again, the weight comes back — and more.

Depriving ourselves of the foods we love often ends in disaster. Some people will take the approach of 'I’ll just have a treat at the weekend'. But this shouldn’t mean that your meals throughout the week need to be 'rabbit food'. A healthy lifestyle plan should have five key elements:

1. Delicious food that nourishes and gives our body fuel to get through the day.

2. Regular exercise throughout the week.

3. Good sleep routine.

4. Manage stress with meditation and mindfulness.

5. A bit of what we love every now and then.

I bet you thought it was all about weighing carbs? The truth is, we need a balance of all of the above to live a long and healthy life. Every plate of food for me, has to make me want to eat it. Even if it’s just some eggs in the morning, I need some colour. When you make a plate of food, think of it like a rainbow, the more colour the better. Throw those peppers on there, add some spring onion, sprinkle some shredded carrot. Your food prep should be fun and exciting, trying new things, and getting creative. A great way to start opening up your food palette is to do the old favourites but with a twist. If you take even one ingredient and try making it in different ways, such as eggs, it would be a great starting point. You could add some spinach, spring onion or rocket to your scrambled eggs. Poach them, fry them, boil them, but always adding something new to the plate that you haven’t tried before, particularly extra vegetables. You can do the same with plain chicken, add some new accompaniments to your plate to try.

The takeaway here is the more variety the better. Don’t be afraid to make your food a feast for the eyes. And as for the treats, don’t deprive yourself completely, it just makes you want it more. A little square of dark chocolate for that sugar craving.

PS: I have a great chocolate cake recipe, I’ll share it next week.

Wellness Tip: This week, plan out a meal you have never tried before. Add as much colour to the plate as you can with vegetables and present it nicely. While preparing it, taste your food, have fun with it and take note of the new ingredients you really liked.

Exercise Tip: Get 2kg weight or a 2-litre bottle of water. With your knees shoulder-width apart and the bottle between your hands, bend at the waist. Keep your back straight and bend as if your hips were a hinge. Come back up slowly and repeat for a count of 10. Repeat three times. This is a great one for the glutes and thighs.

Easy slow cooker lamb shanks

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This is a really easy way to cook lamb that is tender and delicious every time

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 6 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 6 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks —you can get these from your butcher

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 onion, roughly chopped

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 500ml passata

• Handful rosemary, fresh is ideal but dried works well too

• Handful thyme, fresh is ideal but dried works well too

• 250ml water

• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Place the lamb shanks, garlic and vegetables in the slow cooker or alternatively, a large casserole dish.

2. Mix the tomato paste, passata, herbs and water in a jug and pour over the shanks.

3. Ensure the lamb shanks are fully covered by the mixture, if not add more water.

4. If using a slow cooker set it to a high setting and cook for six hours.

5. If using a casserole dish then preheat the oven to 140°C and cook for six hours.

6. Place the cooked shanks onto warmed serving plates and enjoy with sides of your choice.