Julie Montagu - Superfoods Superfast: 100 energizing recipes to make in 20 minutes or less

Contents So, why this book? Why super and why fast?! If you have my first cookbook Superfoods, youll know that I introduced you to the superhero foods in each recipe. But some of those recipes take a bit of time to make and have quite a few ingredients perfect for those days when you have a little breathing space and can slow down. Slowing down now thats a good thing! But if youre anything like me and you have a hectic lifestyle (four kids and working full-time I think qualify as hectic!) but you still want to nourish your body and energize your mind so that you can keep going and going, then this book is for you busy people. Ask yourself this: do you ever feel hectic, crazy, overwhelmed, exhausted, overworked and well, just plain old busy? then I mean you! Being busy is many peoples excuse for not eating healthily and not taking care of themselves. That used to be me, too. This book is here to help YOU.

So, in order to get the best out of it, here is my advice. Most of the recipes in this book take well under 20 minutes to make, therefore theyre super easy and the best bit is that they will make you feel great and energized. I like to think of these recipes and in particular the nutrients in the recipes as working hard to supply you with a surge of goodness and energy. I made sure of that! For this reason alone, its worth giving yourself 20 minutes in the kitchen every day for the positive effect it will have on your wellbeing. There are just a couple of recipes that require you to soak something (e.g. nuts) the night before but once thats done, the recipes take no time at all.

There are several recipes that will take exactly 20 minutes on the dot (Ive timed them all!). In order to do this, please make sure that you have collected all the ingredients beforehand and that they are collected in front of you along with any utensils and measuring devices needed. As long as you are prepared and you dont have to go searching for anything while cooking, these recipes are 20 minutes from start to finish. You will be multi-tasking in a number of recipes, of course, and I always try to make this clear. For example, while brown rice is cooking, you might need to be chopping veggies, sauting onions and/or whisking a dressing. Speaking of which, brown rice can be cooked in under 20 minutes the trick is to keep the water boiling at all times (something I learned from a dear friend).

Oh, and when youre chopping veggies or any ingredient, roughly chopped is just fine. Thats it! Thats all you busy people need to know in order to use this book effectively so that your body gets nourished and energized in 20 minutes or less.

Are you a commuter, an athlete, a working parent, a world traveller, a single guy or girl, a working couple, an exhausted parent, a student or an astronaut? Well, if you are one of these, then congratulations! Not only is this book for you, but Ive laid out some meal plans, too, just to help you with your busy lives. Trust me, if youre anything like me, youll need all the nutritional help you can get! So here are my top tips and meal plans for your busy lives. When it comes to health, many busy people often wait until a problem arises before addressing it. However, through various lifestyle and dietary choices, we have the ability to work to prevent these issues in the first place.

Adopting a lifestyle even when we are super busy that is effectively a preventative measure against disease gives us much more control over our health and our longevity. Instead of relying on modern medicines to intervene when we become ill, why shouldnt we take full responsibility for our body and mind through the actions, decisions and food we make every day? By altering our diet, exercise regime, sleeping habits and stress levels for the better, we can encourage our body to bypass ill health. These are my simple guidelines that everyone can easily adopt in order to live a life that promotes optimum health, both physical and mental, even when you are SUPER busy! Embrace cooking as a necessary activity that enables your body to get all the nutrients that it needs. Choose real foods, and by that I mean fresh, organic when possible, wholesome foods that are not pumped full of chemicals and toxins. Find time every day to prepare your own meals even if theyre quick, and be sure to get creative in order to keep yourself inspired. Food is one of the best preventative medicines we can administer ourselves and a healthy diet will aid a healthy body and mind.

Be sure to move each and every day. This doesnt mean you have to spend hours in the gym. You can choose to go for a walk in the morning, afternoon or evening even just for 10 minutes or cycle to work, to the store or to another mode of transport. Just make sure you are moving and stretching throughout your day. Not only will moving keep you physically healthy but it will also assist in combatting stress, reducing anxiety and improving your sleep. Try to ensure that all your interactions with others are meaningful, respectful and positive.

Work to strengthen your existing relationships and to form new connections with like-minded people who will bring happiness into your life. If you are aware that you have toxic relationships with certain people (I call them energy vampires), then either talk it out and remedy the situation, or distance yourself from these people entirely. It is natural to seek the validation of others, however, it is not something that we really need in order to be happy. You will find that those who truly love you will bring you joy and not negativity. Evaluate your relationships and make it a priority to deepen your positive connections while eradicating the negative. Be consciously grateful for the amazing aspects of your life and be sure to show it! Tell the people you care about that you care about them, have respect for your career, your home and your family, and affirm these facts in your mind.

I find it helpful to list five things that I am grateful for each day as I wake and right before I fall asleep. These can be huge things, such as being alive, or relatively small things, such as being grateful for a delicious meal during the day. Showing thanks for the things you appreciate helps to reiterate how your life is on track, even when it doesnt feel like it. Ive picked my favourite fastest recipes for those weeks that you are insanely busy. Because at these times we often choose foods carelessly; theyre last on the list of priorities and we tend to grab & go foods that our body is not happy about. So use these meal plans for the weeks when you have a lot on your plate but you know you just want and most certainly need to feel great.

Week ONE Meal Plan MONDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: TUESDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: WEDNESDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: THURSDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: FRIDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: Week TWO Meal Plan MONDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: TUESDAY Sunrise:Snack:Square Meal:Supper: WEDNESDAY