All the yummy food: 5 brilliant new cookbooks to inspire your healthy lockdown cooking

How is your quarantine life going, mums?

If your house is anything like my house, there is an awful lot of baking going on right now. Confession: I am eating a lopsided oatmeal chocolate chip cookie covered with burned sprinkles as we speak. However, I have made a decision that as of next week, I am going to try to balance all the home baking with some very healthy home-cooked meals in between. And to inspire myself in that regard, I have recently clicked home the following new cookbooks – all dedicated to super-healthy eating – which, to tell you the truth, I could seriously do with right now. (*brushes cookie crumbs off pyjama pants...) 1. Eat Green by Melissa Hemsley From the author of best-selling cookbook, Eat Happy, and one half of the Hemsley and Hemsley sister duo, Eat Green is a delicious manifesto for planet- and health-friendly cooking. And if you have been toying with the idea of eating more plant-based, this book, chock-a-block with colourful, bold, feel-good recipes, championing seasonal vegetables and less but better quality meat, fish and dairy, is a must-buy. I love all the brilliant tips on food-saving and batch booking too, on how to buy in season and really just try to eat in a more sustainable way. 2. The Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen Food waste is a major problem for our planet – and our wallets, and what we buy, cook and eat has a much bigger impact than the bag we carry it in. I love all the brilliant and practical tips in this book, designed in such a way that you can dip in and out for simple changes – that won't require too much of a lifestyle change. I also love how this book will help me make the most of my pantry, batch-cook and store freezer-meals, all designed for an easier life – even for when life returns to more normal levels of busy. 3. Love Is Served Obsessed with this book and all the delicious plant-based recipes in it. Inspired by the dished served at celebrity hotspot Café Gratitude in California, the Love is Served cookbook features recipes named with the cafe’s signature positive self-affirmations, such as “I Am Passionate” (Black Lava Cake) and “I Am Gracious” (Radicchio, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Sundried Tomato Pesto Grain Salad). Seriously delicious, Seriously healthy. 4. New Feast Modern Middle Eastern Vegetarian Middle Eastern food is really having a moment right now, and for good reason. The Middle East – from North Africa and Moorish Spain, through Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to Iran and the Arabian Peninsula – has long had a vibrant tradition of home-style vegetarian cuisine, from their abundant salads, dips and breads, to delicious and hearty main meals. Based on the freshest ingredients and cooked from the heart, Greg and Lucy Malouf’s recipes are designed to be mixed and matched for sharing. This beautiful book is perfect if you are looking to explore plant-based cooking, and with the gorgeous photography throughout, this would even work as a beautiful and inspiring coffee table book. 5. Superfood In Minutes by Donal Skehan We have heard exciting rumours that Donal Skehan is returning to live in Ireland with his little family soon – and in more good news, I am obsessed with his new book, dedicated to quick and healthful recipes.  “Super Food in Minutes” features more than 90 recipes, all with fewer than 10 ingredients, to create nutritious weeknight dinners in just 30 minutes. Sounds good? I also love how the recipes are clearly labeled for vegetarian, vegan, and paleo cuisine, and are easy to follow for concise and quick cooking