Many people may find that for about 70% of the time their diet is healthily plant based, while they opt to eat whatever they want at other times. It’s a very easy way to incorporate health and wellbeing into everyday life. Everything I do is based on eating alkaline foods as that is what naturally happens to food when it’s digested in your stomach. It’s common sense. We all know what isn’t good for us: alcohol, red meat, sugar, lots of processed foods and so on. Alkaline foods include fresh veg, grains and fruit. It’s pretty straightforward.

ADVICE FOR CHEFS

It’s about shopping and cooking smart. I can cook dinner for 16 people on £20 with veggies from the market.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give people is to batch cook and freeze. On a Sunday night, I make a stew or curry and freeze it so when I’m really low on time, I can just defrost it and have an easy, nutritious, delicious meal. My Asian noodle salad is really quick and easy to make – and so delicious.

Another time-saving tip is to freeze pesto in ice cube trays. That way, if exhausted, you can just pop it into a pan for pasta.

ASIAN NOODLE SALAD

Serves 2

* 100g soba (buckwheat) noodles
* 80g edamame beans
* 125g Tenderstem broccoli
* 1tbsp sunflower oil
* A pinch of Himalayan pink salt
* ¼tsp brown rice vinegar
* 10g arame seaweed
* 5g mint leaves
* 4g coriander leaves
* 1tbsp sesame seeds
* 2–3cm red chilli, finely chopped
* 1 spring onion, finely chopped

For the ginger and lime dressing:

* 1cm piece of root ginger, grated
* 1tbsp olive oil
* 1tbsp sesame oil
* 1tbsp brown rice vinegar
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1tsp mirin
* A pinch of Himalayan pink salt
Preheat the oven to 180°C
(160°C fan-assisted)/Gas 4.

Cook the soba noodles according to the packet instructions.
One minute before they are ready, add the edamame beans.
Bring to the boil again, then drain and pour some fresh boiling water over them to get rid of the starch. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Put the broccoli onto a baking tray, sprinkle with the sunflower oil, salt and rice vinegar and put into the oven for 10 minutes until just soft.
Soak the seaweed in cold water for about 5 minutes. Drain and add to the soba noodles along
with the herbs.
Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a glass or jug and mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour three-quarters of the dressing over the noodles mixture and stir through.
Transfer to a serving plate or bowl and top with the broccoli, sesame seeds, chopped chilli and spring onion. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

SHIITAKE STIR-FRY

Serves 1-2

* 1tbsp coconut oil
* 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
* 2–3cm piece of root ginger,
finely chopped
* 2–3cm piece of chilli, finely diced
* 2 spring onions, sliced at an angle
* 120g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
* 1tbsp tamari
* 150g pak choi
* 120g Savoy cabbage
* 100g radishes, cut in quarters
* 15g coriander, chopped

For the coconut dressing:

* 1tbsp desiccated coconut
* Zest and juice of ½ lime
* 1tbsp walnut or sesame oil

Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan and add the garlic, ginger, chilli and spring onions. Cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add the shiitake mushrooms with the tamari and sauté for another minute.
Next, add 125ml water, the pak choi and cabbage and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the radishes, chopped coriander and take off the heat.
Mix the dressing ingredients, pour over the stir-fry and enjoy.

AVOCADO POPS

Makes 4 pops

* 2 ripe avocados,
peeled and stones removed
* Juice of ½ lemon
* 60ml agave syrup
* 60g coconut oil, melted
* ¼tsp vanilla extract
* 1tbsp cashew butter or other nut butter
* 125ml almond milk
* Chopped pistachios, for dipping

For the white chocolate topping (optional):

* 60g raw cacao butter
* 90g coconut cream (or the creamy top
of a tin of coconut milk)
* 30g agave syrup

Put all of the ingredients (apart from the nuts) for the avocado pops into a high-speed blender and blitz until velvety smooth. Transfer to ice-lolly moulds and freeze for 2–3 hours until set.
If you want to add the white chocolate topping to the ice pops, blitz all the ingredients for it in your blender. Spoon over the lollies and dip them into the chopped nuts. Eat right away, or return to the freezer to eat later.

Recipes taken from Honestly Healthy in a hurry by Natasha Corrett, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £25.

Read more: 3 Deliciously Ella recipes that will avoid those 3pm binges