On your fourth and final week, tuck into a plate of crispy pork and smoky chimichurri. Fibre, vitamins and all the protein you need to cross that finish line. Let’s cook.

Smoky chimichurri & black beans with sweet potato

Sweet, creamy, smoky – this simple dish is loaded with flavour. Roasted sweet potatoes, brimming with vitamin A, are topped with fibre-packed spiced black beans, smoky chimichurri and a decadent coconut yoghurt.

Ingredients

• 240g black beans (drained)
• 120g coconut yoghurt (use half)
• 2 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp Mindful Chef Mexican spice mix
• 1 brown onion
• 2 spring onion
• 1 red pepper
• 40g rocket
• 2 tbsp Belazu smoky chimichurri
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 300g sweet potato
• 120g baby plum tomatoes

Macros

71.99g carbs • 31.78g fat • 16.51g protein

Method (30 minutes)

1. Preheat the oven to 220C / fan 200C / gas mark 7 and boil a kettle.

2. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthways and put in a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and simmer for 10 mins, then carefully remove from the water and place on a baking tray. Rub each half with 1/2 tbsp oil, sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven for 15-20 mins, until softened.

3. Dice the brown onion and finely chop or crush the garlic. Roughly dice the red pepper and halve the cherry tomatoes. Drain the black beans. Dissolve the vegetable stock cube in a jug with 150ml boiling water.

4. Heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on a medium heat and cook the onion for 3 mins, then add the garlic and Mexican spice mix and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the red pepper, cherry tomatoes, black beans, half of the smoky chimichurri and the vegetable stock to the pan and mix well. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 mins, until thickened, adding more water if needed.

5. Thinly slice the spring onions. In a bowl mix the remaining chimichurri with 1/2 tbsp oil.

6. Place the sweet potato halves on two warm plates and top with the spiced black beans and a spoonful of coconut yoghurt. Serve alongside the rocket, sprinkled with the spring onions. Drizzle over the remaining smoky chimichurri sauce.

Vietnamese crispy pork & carrot noodles

Hello, umami! This light, healthy dish goes big on flavour, featuring a salty-sweet marinade for our heritage pork mince, and crisp sesame-fried courgette and carrot noodles, packed with vitamins. Fresh-cut mint adds herby lift.

Ingredients

• 200g carrots
• 300g courgettes
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 4cm fresh Brazilian blue Hawaiian ginger
• 2 tbsp honey (use half)
• 2 x lime
• 1 handful of fresh mint
• 20g peanuts
• 1 red pepper
• 300g pork mince
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp tamari

Macros

34.61g carbs • 19.56g fat • 41.73g protein

Method (30 minutes)

1. Make the sauce; mix the tamari, fish sauce, honey and the juice from 1 lime in a bowl.

2. Peel and finely chop or grate the ginger. Heat half the sesame oil in a wok (or frying pan) on a medium-high heat. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute then add the pork mince, breaking it up with a spoon. Cook for 10 mins. Add half the sauce, reduce the heat and cook for a further 5-10 mins, until the pork begins to turn crispy.

3. While the pork is cooking, make the carrot and courgette noodles. Peel the carrots. Prepare the carrot noodles using a peeler – slice the carrots into long, thin strips (or use a julienne peeler or spiralizer if you have one). Repeat with the courgettes but leave the skin on and remove the ends.

4. Thinly slice the red pepper. Finely slice the mint leaves. Roughly chop or crush the peanuts.

5. Heat a medium-sized pan with the remaining sesame oil on a low-medium heat. Add the carrot and courgette noodles, the red pepper and the remaining sauce, then cook for 3-5 mins until the vegetables have slightly softened. Stir through half the mint.

6. Spoon the vegetable noodles and red pepper onto two warm plates and spoon over the pork mince. Sprinkle over the peanuts and the remaining mint. Drizzle over the juice from the remaining lime.

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