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5 healthy recipes to build muscle tone

Building muscle tone isn’t just about exercising - it’s equally important to ensure you are giving your body the correct foods. This means eating protein-rich meals that provide you with enough energy for the next workout. We’ve put together five recipes that are fantastic quick fixes but can also make delicious meals at any point in the day. These can be easily tailored for vegetarians or altered to your own tastes.

Mexican-style stuffed peppers

This dish is perfect for a midday boost at lunch time. A mere 30-minutes out of your day will give you this appetising, healthy high-protein dish with the refined taste of Mexican cuisine.

 Ingredients:

4 medium bell peppers, sliced in half
1 cup brown rice, already cooked
1 lb chicken breast, diced
8-10 oz thick and chunky salsa
½ cup drained black beans, frozen corn and shredded Mexican cheese

Cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. Cook peppers in boiling water for at least 5 minutes
  3. Lay dry peppers in a line on the baking pan
  4. Cook chicken to medium heat for at least 3 minutes
  5. Add all remaining ingredients to the chicken, except for the cheese. Simmer everything for 5 minutes
  6. Fill chicken in the peppers and top it with shredded cheese
  7. Cook it in the oven for 30 minutes

Tuna niçoise salad

Showcasing an array of colour, this salad is as stunning as it is healthy. Even the most unskilled culinarians will have no difficulty preparing this simple scrumptious dish.

Ingredients:
4 tuna fillets
4 cooked new potatoes
1 large, trimmed lettuce
4 oz cooked green beans
1 large minced shallot
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup sliced red onion
2 tbsp white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
12 caper berries
28 niçoise olives

Cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat the grill to medium heat
  2. Whip together the vinegar, oil, shallot and the mustard
  3. Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Grill the tuna until it’s golden brown and ensure it has been cooked through for at least 8 minutes
  4. Arrange the romaine, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, berries, olives and tuna on your plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Spinach-tomato-feta cheese stuffed chicken with brown rice

 Quick, convenient and delicious, this is the perfect dish for those of us with hectic schedules as preparation takes a mere 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
½ cup raw spinach
½ cup brown rice
6 oz chicken breast
1 tomato
2 tbsp feta cheese

Cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. Slice the chicken breast down the middle but be careful not to slice all the way through
  3. Season the chicken with your choice of seasoning
  4. Open the chicken and layer spinach, tomato slices and feta cheese onto one side
  5. Cook brown rice and add garlic and onions for extra flavour
  6. Close the chicken with toothpicks and bake it for 20 minutes in the oven until the chicken is completely cooked

Lean beef spinach meatball pasta

You can easily add veggies and carbs to this pasta dish and still have a great muscle building meal.  It’s just as delicious without a sauce!

Ingredients (for pasta):
2 oz wheat spinach pasta
1/8 cup marinara
1 ½ cup raw spinach
5 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Ingredients (for meatballs):
6 oz lean ground beef
½ cup shredded raw spinach
¼ cup diced red onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp cumin
Salt, pepper

Cooking instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 405 degrees
  2. Mix together ground beef, raw spinach, onion, garlic and spices until the spinach is completely mixed into the meat
  3. Form two or three meatballs of the same size
  4. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for at least 10 minutes
  5. Cook pasta and stir tomatoes, spinach and cheese and mix in cooked meatballs

Bacon and white bean soup

Creamy and hearty, this soup is the perfect dish for cold winter evenings. The vegetables and bacon combined made a healthy and high protein dish.  

Ingredients:
2 400g cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 lean smoked bacon rashers, chopped
850 ml pints vegetable stock
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
3 thyme sprigs
Black pepper

Cooking instructions:

  1. Heat the oil on a medium heat
  2. Add the bacon, garlic and onion and fry for at least 3 minutes until the bacon begins to brown and the onion softens
  3. Add the thyme, beans and stock, boil and simmer for 10 minutes
  4. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend with parsley and pepper until smooth
  5. Return the soup to the pan and heat through