Now that I’m a bit older – I’ve turned the dreaded 30 mark – I’ve found that I’m really focused on eating a consistently varied diet with lots of different colours on my plate and even more plants, so that I can get the fibre and protein that I need into my diet. Combining the two is a powerful technique to help with good gut health, feeling fuller for longer and maintaining healthy joints, bones and muscles.
No matter where you are on your fitness journey – whether you’re just starting out, you’d like to lose a bit of weight or you’re looking for new ideas for delicious recipes to switch up your weekly routine – it’s so important for us all to be eating high-fibre, high-protein meals.
This is why I’ve written my most accessible cookbook yet, The Good Bite Easy, for anyone who wants to keep enjoying truly delicious, flavourful meals with the added benefit of those recipes being easy to cook and focused on fibre and protein.
I’m Niall Kirkland and I’m the founder of The Good Bite, which is dedicated to helping people discover healthy food that tastes amazing. This way, anyone can maintain a healthy lifestyle because my food isn’t diet food, it’s food you’ll look forward to eating every single day and that the whole family will enjoy.
I’ve learnt that eating meals that are good for you doesn’t mean they need to be restrictive. Simply adding more of the right foods to your diet is the best approach for your body and your taste buds.
“How do I strike a good balance of fibre, protein and plants?” is a question I’m often asked. There’s lots of varying advice out there for how much protein, fibre and plants are the right amount to be consuming and, really, it’s down to you and what you feel comfortable with. Generally, adding more plants to your plate, including nuts and seeds, will mean you’re getting more fibre and more protein, so that’s a great place to start.
From there, you’ll be able to gauge how you feel and if you want to add a bit more protein and/or fibre. I like to set myself the goal of 20-30 grams of protein per meal and 30 grams of fibre per day (which is the daily recommended amount), aiming for 30 different types of plants a week – which includes vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and herbs and spices, too. I don’t hit the goals every day without fail but that’s fine, I don’t give myself a hard time about it, I just try to be as consistent as possible throughout the week.
The more varied the plant types, the more varied your nutrients, the more diverse your gut microbiome, which has been linked to better digestion and a stronger immune system.
Getting 30 grams of fibre per day supports your gut health, regulates your energy and blood sugar and maintains lower cholesterol. And getting 30 grams of protein per meal satisfies your appetite effectively, supports your metabolism and aids healthy, lean muscle mass.
For me, setting these bite-sized goals makes getting the right amount of fibre, protein and plant variety achievable, and also fun. It gamifies it and makes it a challenge I want to continue to fulfil every day.
Guidelines state that most adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Which is around 45g for women and 55g for men.
If you’re looking to build muscle and you are weight training alongside, aim for as much as 1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
In my book, you’ll find recipes that champion super-simple cooking techniques and loads of flavour. They’re also high in protein and fibre, so that you can get the nutrition you need in a tasty, easy way.
Firecracker beef loaded sweet potatoes
Firecracker beef is a classic at The Good Bite and I know you guys love it. Here I’ve packed that delicious, fragrant, sweet-and-spicy beef mince into a roasted sweet jacket potato, with cheddar, sour cream and a drizzle of honey.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
½ tbsp groundnut oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, finely chopped
250g lean beef mince (5% fat)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
½ tbsp runny honey
Toppings:
50g reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Grated sesame seeds
2 tbsp sour cream
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp runny honey, for drizzling
Sriracha, for drizzling (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6).
2. Wash the sweet potatoes, transfer to a microwaveable ovenproof dish or baking tray, pierce all over with a knife and microwave for 8 minutes on HIGH.
3. Remove the sweet potatoes from the microwave, add a generous pinch of salt and bake for 30 minutes. This is the quickest way to bake a sweet potato, but if you’d prefer not to use a microwave, then bake for 45 minutes-1 hour.
4. Whilst the potatoes are baking, heat the oil in a non-stick pan and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add the beef mince, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until brown all over. Add the soy sauce, ketjap manis, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha, rice wine vinegar and honey. Stir to combine and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the beef is a dark colour and beginning to caramelize.
5. Once baked, allow the potatoes to cool for a few minutes, then cut a cross into the top of each one to open them up. Add the cheese, firecracker beef, sesame seeds, soured cream and spring onions and drizzle with runny honey and sriracha.
Calories: 526 | Carbs: 58.3g | Protein: 36.5g | Fibre: 5g | Fat: 17.8g
Crispy garlic salmon bites with bang bang sauce
These are super tasty mouthfuls of light and crispy salmon coated in shells of garlic, smoked paprika and panko, covered in a creamy, punchy bang bang sauce. This makes a perfect fresh but filling dinner. You can add pickled veg and top with spring onions for even more crunch!
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
220g salmon fillets, cut into 3-4cm chunks
½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp smoked paprika sea salt
30g panko breadcrumbs, mixed with a pinch of sea salt and 1 tsp garlic granules
Low-calorie cooking spray
For the bang bang sauce:
4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (can easily swap for the reduced-sugar version)
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp fat-free Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp sriracha (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
Juice of ½ lime
25-50ml water, to loosen
To serve:
250g cooked basmati rice
Pickled sesame cucumbers (see below)
1-2 spring onions, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas 6). Line a baking tray.
2. In a large bowl, coat the salmon in the olive oil, garlic granules, smoked paprika and salt. In another large bowl, mix a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of garlic granules in with the panko breadcrumbs and coat each piece of salmon in the breadcrumbs. Transfer to the lined baking tray, spray all over with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together all the bang bang sauce ingredients until combined.
4. Serve the crispy salmon bites on the basmati rice with the pickled cucumbers on the side and chopped spring onion over the top. Pour over the bang bang sauce and enjoy!
Calories: 602 | Carbs: 62.2g | Protein: 32.4g | Fibre: 2g | Fat: 25.4g
Pickled sesame cucumbers
Ingredients:
1 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp sea salt
Roughly 10 whole peppercorns
250ml boiling water
250ml distilled malt vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 cucumber
Method:
1. To a large mason jar, add the sugar, salt, peppercorns and boiling water. Stir to make sure the sugar and salt are dissolved, then add the vinegar and sesame oil and stir once more.
2. Using a mandolin slicer, carefully slice the cucumber thinly, then add to the mason jar. Leave to pickle for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Creamy butter beans and lentils
Honestly, this is one of the tastiest recipes in the whole book, and it goes to show that plant-based cooking is just as delicious as any other type of cooking. I thought I must have missed out some ingredients when typing this recipe up because the list is so small, but though the actual recipe is simple and concise, the dish comes out tasting so damned good! Packed with plant-based protein, full of fibre and a dish that boasts comforting umami flavours.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp white miso
400g jarred queen butter beans
290g jarred lentils
300g silken tofu
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 vegetable stock cube, mixed with
300ml boiling water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, left on the stalks, to garnish
Optional toppings:
Crispy chilli oil (not included in the nutritional breakdown)
Plant-based cream cheese or garlic and herb cream cheese (not included in the nutritional breakdown)
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan, add the onion and sauté for 4 minutes over a medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the miso paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the beans and lentils, with all the water from the jars.
2. Add the silken tofu to a blender and blend until smooth. Once blended, set a few tablespoons of the silken tofu aside in a bowl (this will be used to garnish later when serving).
3. Stir the rest of the blended tofu into the beans and lentils with the nutritional yeast. Add the stock, salt, black pepper and parsley, bring the pan to a low simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, until thick and creamy.
4. Serve immediately, with the reserved silken tofu drizzled over the beans and garnished with the fresh parsley. If you’d like to add more toppings, you can spoon over crispy chilli oil and/or plant-based cream cheese.
Calories: 334 | Carbs: 35.4g | Protein: 20.8g | Fibre: 14.5g | Fat: 10g
‘The Good Bite Easy’ by Niall Kirkland (Penguin Michael Joseph).