My fiance is training for a marathon, and has no facilities at work for heating up/assembling lunch: can you suggest anything healthy, filling and easy to eat at a desk (apart from pasta and sandwiches)? Isis Stafford, London

You need to get your nutrition right if you’re training for a marathon, and your fiance will need to up the carbs. I’d suggest getting into some of the lesser-used carbs such as buckwheat, spelt, lentils and quinoa. These are great vehicles for all the salad and vegetables you could wish for.

How about (gluten-free) buckwheat pancakes? These can be prepared in stacks, frozen and thawed each morning as required and they provide a good base for some interesting lunches. For four generous pancakes, you’ll need 115g buckwheat flour, 1 egg, 20g melted butter, a pinch of salt and 275ml milk. Beat the egg and the milk together, whisk in the flour and salt, then gently whisk in the butter.

Ladle the batter into a hot frying pan with a little butter and cook for 3 minutes on each size. Once chilled, freeze as required.

In the morning, fill them with pre-grilled slices of aubergine (or other pre-roasted veg), mozzarella and pesto. Roll them up and eat them after your run like a wrap. Cream cheese, chopped herbs and cooked flaked smoked haddock also work.

If eating cold grains such as quinoa and spelt, cook them with stock and stir through a tapenade before loading with veg and salad. This will keep your lunches lively. Likewise, try cooking your lentils with diced celery, carrot and shallots. When they’re done stir in some lightly sauteed eating apple then spike with some Dijon mustard and a little red wine vinegar. Delicious cold and topped with grilled chicken.

• Sonya Kidney is a chef and the owner of Soda delicatessen, Oxfordshire

Source: Read Full Article