I love to cook, and I love to eat. But I struggled with an eating disorder for nearly three decades. I could never eat delicious food without feeling guilty and, on the flip side, I felt starved or restricted whenever I didn’t eat well.

But as the years passed and I came into my own as a wellness expert, I began to discern the crucial connection between my body’s needs and my taste buds’ wishes. These days, I thoroughly enjoy eating and love sharing great recipes and tips for making good food a part of everyday life. After all, eating should be enjoyable, sensuous even—hitting all of our senses with complex flavors and texture. Yet it should also be nourishing and nurturing.

If it’s also easy to make, that’s the sweet spot. If you’re looking to spend hours cooking up a storm, have at it. But if you’d prefer to spend time relaxing with friends or swimming in the sea, I’ve found that all you need to make great food while also having enough time to embrace life is a bit of preparation and personal food knowledge.

Let’s start with shopping and food prep. Knowing what you need to have on-hand to be able to make quick, nutrient-dense and delicious meals is absolutely critical. For me that means five-minute salads, stir-fries, egg dishes, pastas, and Asian bowls.

I’d suggest maintaining a steady supply of fruits and vegetables you like; easy protein like eggs, chicken breast, tuna, shrimp and grass-fed steak; high-quality olive oil, natural vinegar and soy sauce; garlic, ginger, fresh and dried herbs; toasted seeds; and high-grade pastas, rice, polenta, potatoes and quinoa as complex starches. But you should do your shopping to suit your needs, whether you’re an omnivore, vegan, vegetarian, gluten or dairy-free.

Here’s my recipe for a delicious, energy-sustaining egg frittata. It should take you about 10-15 minutes, give or take. Once it’s done, it can be eaten warm straight out of the oven or kept in the fridge and sliced into salads and pasta dishes.

Feel free to tweak the ingredients and the amounts to suit your preference. I often make this dish to use up my leftovers, and almost always find myself wondering why I don’t make it more often. I love cooking with olive oil as it helps to reduce inflammation and support weight loss, and it makes eggs lighter and fluffier than with butter.

This power-house meal provides all nine essential amino acids required for building proteins and boosting hormones and neurotransmitters. It also helps build muscle tissue and regulate immune function. The herbs and vegetables you add provide fiber, which supports the digestion and reduces inflammation by managing your sugar load. My rule of thumb is, the more variety in your food, the happier your gut.

Enjoy your time making magic in the kitchen, and bon appetit! ■

Egg Frittata

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

• 6 organic eggs
• 1 whole zucchini grated
• 1 small onion or chives chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup of whole tomatoes chopped
• A handful of pitted olives chopped
• Fresh herbs such as parsley, basil or cilantro
• 1/2 cup of freshly chopped spinach or kale
• A sprinkle of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• A sprinkle of chia seeds
• Crumbles of feta cheese or crème fraiche if you can eat dairy
• Olive oil for cooking
• Salt and pepper to taste (local, natural, non-iodized salt is best)
• Feel free to add turmeric, chillies, cordyceps or other anti-inflammatory ingredients

Directions

• Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together, then put to the side.
• Heat a large frying pan with olive oil (make sure it has a lid for later use).
• Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and fry the garlic until it starts to brown
• Add the grated zucchini and cook until it starts to brown, and most of the moisture has evaporated.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients (except the dairy) and gently stir-fry for as long as needed, depending on whether you prefer a bit of crunch or a softer texture.
• Add more olive oil and gently pour the whisked eggs into the pan.
• As the eggs starts to harden, gently lift one side of the frittata with a spatula and tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg can run into contact with the bottom of the pan Repeat as needed to cook the raw egg.
• Add the feta or a few dollops of crème fraiche and put the lid on. You can either let it cook through in this way, pop it under the oven grill, or flip it if it’s small enough.
• Once the egg is cooked to your satisfaction, flip it out onto a large round plate and allow to cool.
• Finally, sprinkle with fresh herbs and a little olive oil and lemon juice and dig in!

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An expat of 16 years, South Africa-born Megan Ballantyne is trained in yoga, reiki, hypnotherapy and more, and the founder/owner of Rhodes Wellness, advising global clients how to get unstuck and change-up.

Megan Ballantyne