September naturally brings a sense of fresh beginnings. Summer footwear is shoved to the back of the wardrobe, our diaries quickly fill up again, and the temptation of ice cream for lunch gives way to meals that offer genuine, lasting energy throughout the day.
Helping us rethink what healthy really looks like is Emily English, known as Em the Nutritionist to her 1.9 million Instagram followers. She has established her career around demonstrating that eating healthily does not require sacrificing real pleasure.
Released in May last year, her debut cookbook Live to Eat is filled with recipes combining everyday convenience with wholesome ingredients—providing the kind of straightforward, satisfying cooking you actually want to make when life gets busy.
Among the standouts are her apple crumble oat pots, a breakfast that tastes like pudding but is loaded with protein and fibre; a salmon and spinach quiche that swaps heavy pastry for light filo and a clever cottage cheese base; or savoury granola bars spiked with Parmesan, rosemary and olives that make supermarket cereal bars look sad by comparison.
All three are designed for the season we’re in: make-ahead, packable, satisfying and just indulgent enough to feel like a treat. If September is about getting back into a routine, these recipes prove it doesn’t have to be a joyless one.
Apple crumble oat pots
“This recipe combines the flavours of apple crumble but incorporates lots of healthy protein- and fibre-rich ingredients to keep things balanced. Topped with an almond and oat crumble, this is perfect for a make-ahead breakfast that can be batch-cooked.”
Sevres: 2
Nutrition: under 461kcal, 16g protein per serving
Ingredients:
80g (⅔ cup) jumbo oats
200g (scant 1 cup) thick strained-style yoghurt (Greek or Skyr)
1 large apple, grated (with skin)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, or to taste
For the crumble top:
1 heaped tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp jumbo oats, roughly blitzed
2 tsp butter, cold
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Method:
- In a bowl, combine the oats, yoghurt, grated apple, chia seeds, cinnamon and honey or maple syrup. Mix well until all the ingredients are fully combined. Divide evenly between 2 jars or bowls.
- For the crumble top, in a separate bowl, rub the ground almonds, oats, butter, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla extract and salt with your fingers until the mixture forms a crumbly texture.
- Sprinkle 1 heaped teaspoon of the crumble top mixture evenly over each oat pot. You can store the oat pots in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Salmon and spinach filo cottage cheese quiche
“Quiche is a classic lunchtime staple, and I wanted to give it my signature twist and transform your standard recipe into one full of protein, healthy fats and balanced nutrition. Blending the cottage cheese to form a creamy custard base is the secret here, as well as using light filo layered with olive oil. I like to bake this in a deep cake tin, but you can bake it into individual muffin cases; adjust the cooking time accordingly.”
Serves: 6
Nutrition: under 255kcal, 20g protein per serving
Ingredients:
Spray oil, for greasing
300g (1¼ cups) cottage cheese
100ml (scant ½ cup) milk
5 medium free-range eggs
100g (3½ oz) baby spinach leaves, wilted and chopped
10g (¼oz) chopped chives
100g (3½oz) smoked salmon, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
4 sheets of filo (phyllo) pastry, each cut in half
50g (1¾oz) feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan (350F)/gas mark 4. Lightly spray a 20cm (8-inch) deep springform cake tin (pan) with oil.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the cottage cheese with the milk until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs to the bowl and whisk until well combined. Stir in the wilted spinach, chives, smoked salmon, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Layer the halved filo sheets into the oiled cake tin, spraying each sheet lightly with oil as you go. Ensure the sheets are layered evenly to form a sturdy crust, overlapping to cover any gaps.
- Pour the cottage cheese and egg mixture into the prepared filo crust. Tuck the edges of the filo back in on themselves to create a neat edge – you can be rough with this; dont worry about it being perfect. Sprinkle the crumbled feta evenly over the top of the filling.
- Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or until the filling is just set. It will continue to set as it cools, so allow the quiche to cool slightly before serving. This also makes it easier to slice.
Savoury granola bars with parmesan, rosemary and green olives
“These savoury granola bars are a brilliant twist on the traditional sweet version, packing in lots of plant protein, healthy fats and fibre. Full of the umami flavours of Parmesan, rosemary and green olives, they make for a perfect snack, and you can also adapt and swap around any of the flavours to suit you. To boost the protein content I have added some quinoa and chickpea flour.”
Makes: 12 bars
Nutrition: under 210kcal, 8g protein per serving
Ingredients:
200g (1½ cups) rolled oats
100g (3½oz) cooked quinoa
50g (1¾oz) chickpea (gram) flour
100g (3½oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
50g (1¾oz) green olives, pitted and finely chopped
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
50g (scant ½ cup) sunflower seeds
50g (scant ½ cup) pumpkin seeds
2 large free-range eggs
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
½ tsp each of salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan (400F)/gas mark 6. Line a 23x33cm (9×13 inch) baking tin (pan) with nonstick baking paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, quinoa, chickpea flour, Parmesan, olives, rosemary, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Mix well to ensure even distribution.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, olive oil and honey until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and press down firmly to ensure it is compact and evenly spread. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the centre is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cut into 12 bars and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Recipes from ‘Live to Eat’ by Emily English (Seven Dials, £25)
This article was originally published in September 2025 and has been updated.
