Personally I am not gluten intolerant, but I’m always looking for ways to bring different foods into my diet to make it as varied as possible as this is so good for our gut flora. That means not just using wheat flour in everything and perhaps something a little different from time to time. Like these Sunflower and Pine Nut Cookies which are made with a flour created with the seeds.

These protein packed biscuits are so tasty and sweet despite having no refined sugar in them. They have a little bit of sweetness from the agave nectar / rice malt syrup / honey – you decide – but much of the sweetness and flavour comes from the delicious pine nuts which are so naturally sweet. All the seeds also means these cookies are high in omega oils. They contain no nuts, so can be put in a kids lunchboxes and are good for anyone who has a nut allergy and is looking to include more plant protein in their life.

You can top them with nothing at all, some traditional jam (I’ve used some home-made blackberry and apple because we still have lots of jars left) or you can use my 5 minute chia jam instead. If you don’t want the extra crunch of the seeds which you put to one side when making flour, then just make a flour from the whole lot and have a smoother texture.

These Sunflower and Pine Nut Cookies can be frozen, so I like to make as a double batch, wrap and just pop straight into a lunchbox box from the freezer. There are also a brilliant breakfast on the go or a post gym snack.

Ok I know a crumble is usually sweet – but it doesn’t have to be that way! This Herby Bean Crumble is a great way of making beans less of a side and more of a main meal. It’s easy to throw together and freeze in advance so you can serve it with a dinner or just enjoy on its own with a salad or vegetables. I also love this as an alternative baked potato topping.

You can use four different tins of beans or ready mixed ones. I also use beans I have boiled up from dried in a big batch, just use the final cooked weight to measure. When it comes to cheese I think a nice strong Cheddar works well, but adjust to suit your palette.

Curries are my go-to when I have random veggies to use up, lots of friends to visit or need to meal-prep some lunches in the freezer. I know a lot of people are scared of making their own curies from scratch and the list of ingredients can look daunting, but once you have bought a few basic spices you are good to go. It’s such a cheap and easy way of making flavourful food and best of all it tastes better the next day!

I’m not the world’s biggest cauliflower fan so this is a great way of making it tasty. The lentils add some oomph and also protein to keep you feeling fuller for longer and the spinach ups the iron content too. By making the spices and onions into a sauce the flavour is really concentrated into the veggies and it makes it more palatable for kids too.

Whether you serve it with rice or an Indian style bread, in a wrap or even on a baked sweet potato, it’s a fab way to get more veggies on your plate.