Three Joe Wicks recipes to help you get enough protein in 2026

Serves 4. Ingredients: 12 lamb chops, fat trimmed; 500g peeled and diced butternut squash, cut into 2cm pieces; 2tbsp olive oil; 2tsp ground cinnamon; 2tsp ground cumin; 2tsp ground coriander; 1tsp dried chilli flakes; Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the couscous: 2tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 250g couscous; 500ml boiling-hot chicken stock (made with 1 stock cube); Handful of mint leaves; Handful of coriander leaves

To finish: 30g feta cheese, crumbled; 15g flaked almonds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6) and line your largest baking tray with baking paper (or two smaller trays if your largest can’t fit everything in a single layer).

Put the lamb chops, squash, olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and chilli flakes into a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then massage the spices into the whole lot with clean hands.

Spread out the spiced lamb and squash evenly on the large tray and roast in the oven for 26 to 30 minutes until the lamb is cooked and the squash is tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the couscous base. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for four to five minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the onion deeply caramelises and turns golden. Keep an eye on it, stirring occasionally: you may need to reduce the heat to avoid the onion burning. Stir in the garlic in the last two to three minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

At the same time, make the couscous. Put the couscous in a large heatproof bowl and pour over the hot stock. Cover and leave for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Stir in the caramelised onion and garlic mix. Thinly slice most of the mint and coriander leaves and stir in (setting aside some whole leaves to garnish).

Spread the couscous out on a large, warm serving platter and place the lamb and squash on top of the couscous. Drizzle the delicious juices in the roasting tray over the whole lot.

Sprinkle with the crumbled feta, toasted almonds and the remaining herbs and serve.

Pulled pork with mustard yoghurt slaw

Serves 4. Ingredients. For the pulled pork: 600g thick pork shoulder steaks or pork loin steaks;

200g passata; 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1tsp smoked paprika; 1tsp garlic powder; ½tsp dried chilli flakes; 100g BBQ sauce; Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mustard slaw: 100g plain (natural) yoghurt, preferably Greek yoghurt; 2tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1tbsp wholegrain mustard; 1tsp honey; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 100g savoy cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced; 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated; ¼ red onion, very thinly sliced

To serve (optional): 4 seeded buns, buttered

Put the pork steaks in a large, deep saucepan and add the passata, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chilli flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, then cover with a well-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for two to three hours until the pork is tender and easy to shred. Use tongs to carefully transfer the pork into a large bowl. Cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes.

Cook the remaining sauce in the pan for three to six minutes over a high heat until reduced by half, adding the BBQ sauce in the last one to two minutes. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat.

Once the pork has rested, use two forks to shred the meat. Add the sauce and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the slaw. Mix the yoghurt, vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, carrot and onion and toss well to coat and combine.

Serve the pulled pork with the slaw, or make sandwiches using seeded buns, filling them with the pulled pork topped generously with the slaw.

FOR THE SLOW COOKER: Put the pork steaks in a slow cooker and add the passata, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chilli flakes. Cover with the lid and cook on low for six hours. Once done, use tongs to carefully transfer the pork into a large bowl. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Transfer all the juices from the slow cooker into a large saucepan and cook for three to six minutes over a high heat until reduced by half, adding the BBQ sauce in the last one to two minutes. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Shred the meat and add the sauce, as above, then make the slaw and serve.

TIP: Double up the pulled pork mix, portion it out and freeze for quick, tasty meals, for throwing into wraps, salads, grain bowls or stirring through pasta or rice when you’re short on time.

Thai Me Up, Baby

Serves 4. Ingredients: 100g creamed coconut block, roughly chopped; 10g desiccated coconut; 4 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, or 8 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 800g), roughly chopped; 1tsp ground ginger; 1tsp garlic powder; 2-3tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 1 aubergine, cut into 1-2cm dice; 170g green Thai curry paste; 1x400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 280g uncooked basmati rice; Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve: 1 red chilli, thinly sliced (deseeded if preferred); Handful of coriander leaves, chopped; 1 lime, cut into wedges or cheeks

Add 400 millilitres boiling-hot water to a heatproof jug and add the creamed coconut pieces. Leave to dissolve, whisking if necessary.

Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a medium high heat for three to four minutes until golden, stirring regularly (be careful: it can burn quickly). Set aside in a bowl.

Add the chopped chicken to a large bowl and sprinkle over the ginger and garlic. Toss well to evenly coat.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. Fry the chicken in batches for four to five minutes per batch until golden brown all over, adding another tablespoon of oil for each batch. Transfer to a bowl, season and set aside.

Add more oil to the same pan over a medium-high heat, add the aubergine and stir-fry for three to four minutes until softened and starting to caramelise. Reduce the heat to medium and add the curry paste and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and let it cook for several minutes until the coconut milk reduces by more than half.

Reduce the heat to low, add the rinsed chickpeas and return the chicken pieces to the pan (along with any juices from the bowl). Leave to warm through until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the packet instructions (usually in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes). Once cooked, drain the rice in a sieve and season with salt. Stir through half the toasted coconut.

Serve the chicken with the rice, scattering over the remaining coconut. Top the chicken with sliced chilli and coriander and serve with lime wedges or cheeks on the side to squeeze over.