Is it cheating if I give you recipes that are based on a deli item, but you just jazz them up? I don’t want to short-change you, but this approach has been life-saving for me lately as it helps me pull healthy meals together fast. And fast is so important!

Little Attix is being the sweetest boy, but oh my gosh, he is the wiggliest thing ever. I should have known this would happen as he felt like he was an octopus in the womb.

Since discovering his hands and feet, there’s no more nuzzling quietly into my neck.

Instead, he has been performing jumping jacks in my arms. He also likes to fling himself forward to get on his belly and try and crawl, regardless of how far above the floor he is.

So, if I hold him while I cook, he is in danger of landing in the pan. I keep talking to him about survival of the fittest, but he has so far ignored me.

Anyway, as he also does not love to be put down — and to be fair, when I have missed him all day I don’t like to put him down, either — this means that meal-prep is best done fast.

Occasionally, he falls asleep in the carrier and those moments are golden, but most days I’m on a time clock.

So yesterday, I bought a big container of bolognese sauce from Miles deli to skip a few steps.

I could have just cooked pasta to go with it, but I decided to stretch the bolognese for two reasons: to help reduce the cost per serving, and to add some more fibre and plant-based protein.

Plant-based food isn’t just for vegans. Increasing your plant intake is so good for optimising your fibre and antioxidants and the biodiversity of your microbiome!

I popped the sauce in a big casserole dish and added tinned tomatoes and black beans (I used the Biona brand which is new at Miles and the tomatoes are so tasty.).

I left that all to bubble away, cooked a side of quinoa, blanched some broccolini and wilted some spinach in extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. It was five minutes of prep and about 15 mins of cooking time.

By the time I was done, we no longer had bolognese but a beef & black bean protein bowl.

I can sell anything to the teens as a protein bowl so it was a hit. They added cheese to theirs and we added guacamole to the top. So good.

This kind of recipe is also handy if you have your own leftover homemade bolognese — but not quite enough for everyone.

Stretching animal proteins with plant proteins is so handy! I’ll add some video and visuals on Instagram this morning (@naturalbda) but here’s how to do it:

Beef & Black Bean protein bowl (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 servings Miles bolognese or your own leftovers

1 tin chopped tomatoes (I used Biona)

1 tin black beans (I used Biona)

4 servings quinoa

1 beef or vegetable stock cube (I use Kallo)

4 servings broccolini

1 box spinach

1 tsp olive oil

Salt

Optional: grated cheese or guacamole as a topper

Method:

1, Soak the quinoa in a large bowl of warm water for at least two hours if possible. This helps remove enzyme inhibitors and makes it more digestible. If you don’t have time, don’t sweat it, but as it cooks, skim the bubbles off the top of the water and discard.

2, Drain, rinse and cook the quinoa, adding the stock cube to the water for flavour.

3, Drain the black beans and rinse them really well until the water runs clear.

4, Put the bolognese sauce into a large pan, adding the tomatoes and black beans. Bring to a boil briefly and then simmer until piping hot all the way through the beef. Stir occasionally.

5, Chop the broccolini into bite-sized florets and place in a large metal bowl or saucepan. Boil a kettle full of water and pour on top of the broccolini, adding a little salt. Put a lid or large plate over the top to trap the steam. Let the veggies sit in the hot water to soften a little (no need to put over the heat).

6, Add a little water and one teaspoon of olive oil to the bottom of a saucepan and grind in some salt. Add the spinach and wilt it over a medium heat, tossing it in the water. I let it wilt lightly and then set it to one side.

7, Once the quinoa is cooked, drain well. Drain the broccolini well too.

8, Layer bowls with quinoa, sauce and the green veggies. Top with a little cheese or guacamole. Enjoy!

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Somorjay Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda