My easiest high-protein lunch for busy days (ready in 5 minutes) — Transcript

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1. 0:00A lunch that's high in protein and fiber
2. 0:02can transform your afternoon. More
3. 0:05energy, better focus, and a healthier
4. 0:07gut. But, this is the meal most people
5. 0:10struggle with. So, I'm going to show you
6. 0:11my ultimate work lunch, high protein
7. 0:14noodle jars. Prep them the night before
8. 0:17and simply add hot water for a
9. 0:18delicious, protein-rich lunch that will
10. 0:21get your work colleagues looking over
11. 0:22your shoulder asking for the recipe.
12. 0:25When I'm making a noodle jar, I'm
13. 0:26thinking of five key elements that will
14. 0:29bring it all together. This way, you can
15. 0:31make so many variations depending on
16. 0:34what you've got in your own kitchen.
17. 0:36Just like my spicy chicken noodle jar
18. 0:38with broccoli and pak choi. I'm making
19. 0:40three jars. This way, my lunch is sorted
20. 0:43for the next few days. Every good noodle
21. 0:46jar needs a really punchy flavor base.
22. 0:49And the way you get that is a balance
23. 0:51between saltiness, sharpness, and spice.
24. 0:55For salty, I'm going with soy sauce and
25. 0:58veg stock cubes. Now, you can use
26. 0:59whatever stock cube you like. Veg stock
27. 1:02is my go-to. You can get low salt
28. 1:03varieties as well if you're trying to
29. 1:05watch your added salt. And if you're
30. 1:07gluten-free, go for tamari. It will
31. 1:09still have that same umami. This is
32. 1:11really what's going to cut through that
33. 1:13hot water that we're going to pour on
34. 1:14top of it. Sharpness, we've got loads of
35. 1:16different options, but rice wine vinegar
36. 1:18will suit the flavor profile of this
37. 1:21dish. And spiciness doesn't necessarily
38. 1:23need to be chili heat. I am using chili
39. 1:26oil and chili crisp, but you've got
40. 1:28loads of different options. Ginger,
41. 1:30curry powder, and even things like
42. 1:32garlic as well. I'm just going to
43. 1:33macerate this before you put it in. If
44. 1:35you're thinking to yourself, "Gosh, he's
45. 1:37about to put raw garlic in the flavor
46. 1:39base here." When you macerate garlic and
47. 1:41allow it to stand for a few minutes, it
48. 1:43increases the conversion to allicin,
49. 1:45which is a lot less harsher tasting.
50. 1:47Plus, you're getting those extra
51. 1:48benefits. Just with the back of a fork,
52. 1:50I'm going to crush those stock cubes. In
53. 1:54goes the macerated garlic. Really do not
54. 1:56want to be shy with flavor at this stage
55. 1:58because it is going to be flavoring the
56. 2:00entire noodle jar. Flavor base is done,
57. 2:03let's put this to one side. The next
58. 2:05ingredient for our noodle jars are
59. 2:06obviously noodles. You've got loads of
60. 2:09different options here. I tend to go for
61. 2:10these brown rice vermicelli noodles
62. 2:12because they're still quick cooking and
63. 2:14they have slightly extra fiber.
64. 2:16Ultimately, these are both quick
65. 2:18releasing sources of carbohydrates, but
66. 2:20it's about how much we're using and what
67. 2:23we are pairing it with. about the
68. 2:25entirety of the meal that we're creating
69. 2:27rather than just the ingredient alone.
70. 2:30And my go-to source of fiber are
71. 2:32legumes. For most noodle jars with Asian
72. 2:35style ingredients, I tend to reach for
73. 2:37edamame. They're high in fiber and
74. 2:39protein and they're also a source of soy
75. 2:42isoflavones that we know are potentially
76. 2:44beneficial for women's health. And
77. 2:46they're super easy to come by as well.
78. 2:48You find them in freezer packs. You
79. 2:49simply defrost them by adding a little
80. 2:51bit of boiling water. Legumes are one of
81. 2:53the easiest ways to add years to your
82. 2:56life. They're one of my ultimate
83. 2:57[snorts] longevity ingredients. They
84. 2:59support your microbes by feeding them
85. 3:02the substrate that they require to have
86. 3:03the anti-inflammatory effect and they
87. 3:05pair beautifully with greens. At every
88. 3:08opportunity, I'm trying to get at least
89. 3:10three portions of vegetables at every
90. 3:13single meal time and these noodle jars
91. 3:15hit over three so easily and I'm always
92. 3:18trying to choose cruciferous vegetables.
93. 3:20Things like broccoli, they're linked to
94. 3:21anti-cancer benefits. The key to using
95. 3:24broccoli in this noodle jar is making
96. 3:26sure that you chop them nice and fine.
97. 3:29This way it's going to cook gently in
98. 3:30the boiling water that we're going to
99. 3:31use at lunchtime and it's still going to
100. 3:33have a little bit of bite but not too
101. 3:34much. If you're using a regular broccoli
102. 3:36like this, you want to make sure that
103. 3:38you chop the stalks a lot thinner than
104. 3:41the florets. These are going to cook
105. 3:42super quick. These are going to take a
106. 3:44little bit more of that cooking energy.
107. 3:45But we don't stop at broccoli. Another
108. 3:47cruciferous vegetable that isn't getting
109. 3:48that much attention is pak choi. They're
110. 3:51becoming a lot more common in
111. 3:53supermarkets, also known as bok choy.
112. 3:55There are loads of different variations
113. 3:57actually that you find in Asian cooking.
114. 4:00We've got two lots of greens in this
115. 4:01noodle jar already. Let's go for
116. 4:02another. Spring onions, also known as
117. 4:05scallions for our American friends.
118. 4:08These also contain sulfur compounds that
119. 4:11we know are linked to reduce
120. 4:12inflammation. That may explain some of
121. 4:14their heart health and potential
122. 4:16anti-cancer benefits. We're going to
123. 4:17chop them nice and finely again so you
124. 4:19don't get that harshness just lightly
125. 4:21cooking them in boiling water. And I
126. 4:23know this might feel like a lot of
127. 4:24chopping, but my meal prep is done for
128. 4:27the next 3 days. But our noodle jar is
129. 4:29not over until we have a core protein.
130. 4:33Core proteins are so important to get in
131. 4:35every single meal. And lunches and
132. 4:38breakfast tend to lack this critical
133. 4:41element. It's what's going to keep you
134. 4:42satisfied and satiated and prevent
135. 4:45snacking mid-meals. Having enough
136. 4:47protein is not just about muscle health.
137. 4:49It's about bone health, heart health,
138. 4:51and ensuring that you're aging better.
139. 4:54For this recipe, I'm using cooked
140. 4:56chicken. You could use leftover
141. 4:58rotisserie chicken or something from
142. 5:00your Sunday roast. Poached or pan-fried
143. 5:03and allowed to cool is perfectly fine.
144. 5:05I'm going to shred this before I put it
145. 5:07into the noodle jar. And it's really
146. 5:08important to make sure that this is
147. 5:10fully cooked through because the boiling
148. 5:12water is just going to warm it through.
149. 5:15It's not going to properly cook it. I
150. 5:17find it's always better when I do it
151. 5:18with my hands to be honest. I'm going to
152. 5:20grab three noodle jars and this is the
153. 5:22fun assembly bit. Start off with that
154. 5:24beautiful flavor base. This is what's
155. 5:26going to bring [music] punch to the
156. 5:27entire meal. So don't be shy. Add your
157. 5:30vermicelli noodles. They're going to
158. 5:31[music] be giving that quick-releasing
159. 5:32carbohydrates. Always pair it with a
160. 5:34fiber booster. Edamame are going to make
161. 5:36sure that your blood sugar is nice and
162. 5:38steady. And then go for greens.
163. 5:40Broccoli, pak [music] choi, spring
164. 5:42onions. These are going to be the bulk
165. 5:44of what's making this satisfying and
166. 5:46anti-inflammatory. And of course, don't
167. 5:48forget your core protein. [music] And
168. 5:50I'm using 750 mil jars to ensure that I
169. 5:53get enough space for liquid. When I'm
170. 5:55ready for lunch, I'll take out my jar
171. 5:57and leave it to stand at room
172. 5:58temperature for 10 minutes. [music]
173. 6:00Pour in boiling hot water, let it sit
174. 6:02for 5 minutes, give it a stir, and tuck
175. 6:05in. A squeeze of lime brings it all to
176. 6:07life. But if I'm working from home, I'll
177. 6:09tip the ingredients into a big [music]
178. 6:10bowl and enjoy it with either hot water
179. 6:13or broth. That's lunch done in 5
180. 6:15minutes. My personal favorite right now
181. 6:17has got over 12 g of fiber from a
182. 6:19mixture of anti-inflammatory whole
183. 6:21[snorts] foods. We're starting with our
184. 6:23flavor base. The salty element is going
185. 6:25to be my soy sauce. We're adding a
186. 6:27sharpness in the way of sriracha that
187. 6:29also has the spice element, too. I'm
188. 6:32using fresh red chili, but you can also
189. 6:34use dried red chili as well. This is not
190. 6:36going to just add flavor, it's also
191. 6:38going to provide those all-important
192. 6:40polyphenols. And the more polyphenols we
193. 6:42get into our diet, the better. That's
194. 6:44our flavor base done. You need a
195. 6:46quick-releasing carbohydrate. We're also
196. 6:49not using that much as well, around 35
197. 6:51g. All right, you'll notice that my nest
198. 6:54noodles have gone everywhere, but you
199. 6:56can still use them. They're still good.
200. 6:57They're still good. And we're going to
201. 6:58pair it with a fiber booster. At every
202. 7:01opportunity, I'm looking for three
203. 7:04vegetables at every mealtime. You want
204. 7:06to space out your veggies throughout the
205. 7:07entire day, and we know that we need to
206. 7:09be aiming for at least 10 a day. It
207. 7:11sounds like a lot, but this noodle jar
208. 7:14alone has four portions. And talking of
209. 7:17carotenoids, which is the theme of this
210. 7:18noodle jar, I'm going to go in with just
211. 7:21a simple carrot, and I use a speedy
212. 7:23peeler or a speedy julienne just to make
213. 7:25this as simple as possible. You notice I
214. 7:28always use carrots with the skins on. I
215. 7:30never like peel the ends off because
216. 7:33this is where your phytochemicals, what
217. 7:35actually makes your veggies healthful,
218. 7:37are concentrated. Let's scratch these
219. 7:39up, pop these in.
220. 7:42I'll fry it in the carrots.
221. 7:45People are just going to watch me eat a
222. 7:46carrot until I'm ready to speak, yeah?
223. 7:49If your jar's looking a little bit full,
224. 7:51just get a handy wooden spoon and push
225. 7:53it down. Another thing that I'm a really
226. 7:55big fan of are sprouts, or sprouting in
227. 7:58general. In fact, I've even got my
228. 8:002-year-old making broccoli sprouts at
229. 8:02home. Say again, broccoli sprouts.
230. 8:05>> I cook
231. 8:06oats.
232. 8:07>> [laughter]
233. 8:07>> It's one way in which you can really
234. 8:09improve the bioavailability of some of
235. 8:11those plant chemicals that you find
236. 8:13stored in things like mung beans,
237. 8:15broccoli seeds, even lentils. What's
238. 8:18great about this recipe and every recipe
239. 8:20on The Doctor's Kitchen app is that you
240. 8:22can ask for swaps. If you don't have an
241. 8:24ingredient or you want to change
242. 8:25something for a dietary reason, go on
243. 8:27the app, type in what you need, and he
244. 8:30is there. This is actually a swap for
245. 8:31red cabbage cuz I didn't have any red
246. 8:32cabbage. Thanks, mate.
247. 8:34>> [laughter]
248. 8:35>> Flavor, noodles, veggies, fiber booster.
249. 8:38What are we missing?
250. 8:40>> More protein.
251. 8:41>> [laughter]
252. 8:41>> Thank you. The one person
253. 8:44got the memo. Smoked tofu, don't switch
254. 8:47off, is a really good alternative for
255. 8:49things like smoked chicken or just plain
256. 8:51chicken. Because not only does this have
257. 8:53a good amount of protein, it's also got
258. 8:55a whopping amount of fiber, plus
259. 8:57isoflavones that we know are linked to
260. 8:59anti-inflammatory health benefits. I
261. 9:01literally eat this straight out of the
262. 9:03packet. It's kind of like smoked turkey.
263. 9:05That's the kind of flavor that we're
264. 9:06going to get from this. I pop the lid on
265. 9:08and I usually make three at once. That
266. 9:10way my lunch is sorted for the next 3
267. 9:11days. It's a great work-from-home option
268. 9:14as well. Tip the ingredients into a bowl
269. 9:16and you can even use hot chicken broth.
270. 9:19I slice coriander on top, a squeeze of
271. 9:21lime, and some sesame seeds. Chili oil
272. 9:24is also a great option if you've got
273. 9:26that at home, too. And if you also
274. 9:28struggle with breakfast, I'll show you
275. 9:30how to make my high-protein chia
276. 9:32puddings in the next video. They'll keep
277. 9:34you energized and ready to tackle your
278. 9:36busy mornings.