Summer is a time when we all like to look our best. With long days and better weather, there is no excuse for not getting out and about. Combined with a good, healthy diet it is perhaps the easiest time of the year to shed some unwanted pounds.

If winter is the time our bodies crave carbohydrates, in summer it is important we get all our necessary fruit and vegetables.

Luckily, its also the time of year when the great Scottish larder it at its best. Fresh local produce always looks more appetising than food that has been flown from the other side of the world.

It also tastes better, too, so I've based my seven-day menu planner on good seasonal produce that is available to everyone.

Getting fit is about more than losing weight. It's about feeling healthier, mentally and physically, and that is what my eating plan is all about.

Fitness tips from cyclist and trainer Charline Joiner

Olympian Brian Whittle on how to get into shape for summer

Fruits like strawberries come with a natural sweetness that makes it easier to cut down on added sugar so let the summer season be your guide when it comes to eating well and losing weight.

I like to make sure the whole family are filling up on healthy foods that keep them going. When we are all out and about and busy in the summer it can be tempting to avoid those afternoon slumps by turning to a sugary snack, which doesn't help anyone. The short lived reward, a very short lived reward, often leads to us making the wrong choices again and again.

Think about oats or eggs in the morning or a nice protein lunch and something light in the evening for dinner. For snacks, you can add fruit, maybe bananas and berries, as a wee pick me up after the gym or a mountain bike ride or a summer walk.

I always have either homemade, sugar-free flapjacks on hand for a mid-afternoon snack or before a fitness class as a great energy booster.

It's also amazing how chopped up dates, dried coconut and a sprinkling of cocoa powder bound with tahini paste can make a tasty afternoon treat and stop the urge for sugary snacks. They are great to make in advance and keep in the fridge. If you don't like dates then dried apricots or prunes are a fine alternative.

So give our seven-day planner a go and get out and about and enjoy the great Scottish summer. What you lose in pounds, you'll gain in taste.

Monday

Breakfast

Oats and berries with yoghurt

Prepare the night before by layering oats, berries and yoghurt and refrigerating overnight so you have a healthy Scottish breakfast you can enjoy on the go.

Lunch

Scottish carrot burger.

Delicious and healthy.

Dinner

Wholemeal pasta with bacon and cherry tomatoes - a great quick meal to keep you going with a zest and lemon and herb to finish (pop some chilli in there if you wish).

Tuesday

Breakfast

Two-egg mushroom omelette.

Lunch

Wholemeal pasta with salmon, pea and mint pesto. For the pesto, take 2 cups of frozen peas, 1 bunch of mint, 1 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil and whizz until smooth.

Dinner

Ayrshire new potatoes with roast salmon steamed greens. If you've no steamer chop all your greens, sweetheart cabbage, small florets broccoli, courgettes and kale, heat a pot to a high temperature then add half a cup of boiling water and ¼ tsp of Scottish rapeseed oil or butter if you wish. Toss in all the greens and cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. The steam will cook and the oil/butter will glaze. To finish use zest of lemon and cracked pepper. Delicious.

Wednesday

Breakfast

Traditional porridge

It's never that warm not to have a hot bowl of porridge. Add berries unless you are a salt porridge lover like me.

Lunch

Kedgeree with smoked salmon and a poached egg.

Bound to keep you going all afternoon.

Dinner

Baked Scotty brand potatoes with grated Scottish cheddar and a large salad; lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber, beetroot and so on. Chomping away on this big bowl will help to keep you fuller for longer.

Always bake extra potatoes to use up the oven time and then have as a great lunch later in the week.

Thursday

Breakfast

Homemade granola bar with a punnet of berries.

At this time of year I'm guaranteed to go through many punnets of berries. They are at their absolute best so eat as many as you can as it's a long winter without them.

Lunch

Tasty creamy potato salad with crispy bacon and chives and wholegrain mustard. Cook bacon and chop into pieces, finely chop chives, stir fat free fromage frais or greek yoghurt and mix mustard, chives, and bacon together. Then add chopped baked potato. Serve again with a large salad.

Dinner

Wholemeal pasta with as many chopped vegetables as you wish cooked in a homemade tomato sauce with a sprinkling of Scottish cheddar on top and popped under the grill. For the tomato sauce, you'll need 1 punnet tomatoes, 3 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar,1 tsp brown sugar then roast in the oven until skins just burst then blend everything. You can add garlic or herbs if you wish.

Friday

Breakfast

Toasted wholemeal bread with grilled bacon sliced tomato & lettuce, if you have any of the greek yoghurt mix with mustard & herb left spread the toast with this, (or make it again)

Lunch

Spiced chicken & apricot cous cous( use a tbsp of tikka paste as your spice, add chopped chicken & apricots and coriander to the cous cous, make a fat free tzatiki if you wish.

Dinner

Scotch beef steak of your choice cut off any visible fat. Once cooked allow to rest add sliced onions & mushrooms to the pan and soften in the juices season heavily with cracked black pepper, make a gravy and thicken then take off the heat add a dollop of fat free fromage frais. Roast sweet potato chips in the oven toss in Scottish rapeseed oil and bake at 200c/Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes. Serve with a large salad with the healthy pepper sauce spooned over the top of the meat.

Saturday

Breakfast

I keep a selection of tubs in the freezer for chopped fruit just to chuck a quick smoothie together. You know the kind, that bashed banana or lonely apple or ripe pear that sits in the fruit bowl. Think Saturday morning rugby/ski/football run. You could add oats too, for extra carbohydrates. Use 1 litre of milk, 1 punnet berries, 2 frozen bananas, and 4 tbsp oats. Whizz until smooth then head out the door.

Lunch

Quick spiced lentil soup with a crusty wholemeal roll. You'll need 100g red lentils, 100g grated carrots, fresh ginger, garlic and chilli (1tsp each). Soften in a pot with a chopped onion and carrot. Add lentils then pour over 1.5 litre of hot vegetable stock. Simmer for 15 minutes, then blend if you like the soup smooth or leave a bit rustic.

Dinner

Wholemeal fettuccine with bacon, onion, garlic, mushroom, and hard cheese grated finely. I love a smoked Barwheys or Tobermory. Once bacon and vegetables are cooked tip hot pasta (reserve some cooking water) into the pan with 2 egg yolks and grated cheese, stir to combine and yolks will turn into a creamy sauce mix with the cheese. You can thin it down slightly by adding a tablespoon or two of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce finish with chopped basil or parsley.

Sunday

Breakfast

Smoked salmon scrambled egg.

Lunch

It has to be Sunday roast, chicken, Scotch beef pork or lamb with plenty of greens, then roast potatoes and carrots in with the roast to give a great extra flavour.

Dinner

It is just a light dinner to finish the week, mostly with what is left in the fridge. Make a stock if you have a roast chicken carcass from lunch. Make a chicken, mushroom and pea risotto using up the last of the pickings on the chicken. Just before you finish the risotto, add peas, chopped chives, parsley and spring onions.

Recipes

Strawberry Yoghurt Smoothie

Ingredients

Serves 4

450g Scotty Brand strawberries, hulled

Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange

225g plain low-fat yoghurt

1 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste (optional)

To garnish

4 small strawberries

Method

1 Put the strawberries in a food processor or blender and add the grated orange zest, orange juice and yoghurt. Blend to a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the container once or twice. Taste the mixture and sweeten with the sugar, if required.

2 For a really smooth consistency, press through a sieve to remove the strawberry seeds.

3 Pour into glasses. Garnish with small strawberries and slices of orange, both split so they sit on the rim of the glass

Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Egg

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 slice Scotty Brand smoked salmon

2 large eggs

6 tbsp milk

pinch of salt

2 slice toast or 1 small bagel

Method

1 Lightly whisk the eggs, milk and salt together until all the ingredients are just combined.

2 Heat a small non-stick frying pan, then add the butter and let it melt.

3 Pour in the egg mixture and let it sit for 2 minutes without stirring.

4 Stir the eggs for a couple of minutes until they start to set. Add the sliced smoked salmon and remove from the heat. (The eggs will continue to cook)

5 Prepare a slice or 2 of your favourite toast or bagel.

6 Stir the eggs one last time before placing on top of the toast.

7 Serve immediately.

Ayrshire tattie stack

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g Scotty Brand Ayrshire new potatoes

1 red onion thinly sliced

1tbsp baby capes or finely chopped cornichons

100g baby spinach or rocket

3 Scotty Brand tomatoes, sliced

50g goats cheese, crumbled

1tsp butter

Scottish rapeseed oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Boil the potatoes, skins on, until they are just tender (about ten minutes).

2 Slice the onions and put into a pan on a very low heat with the butter and a drop of the oil.

3 Let the onions cook down for about 10 minutes. During this time, drain the capers and marinate them in oil and a little seasoning.

4 Lightly smash the tatties with butter, salt, and pepper. Place into a moulding ring, with rocket or spinach (as you prefer) on top.

5 Add three to four slices of tomato on top, then the cooked down red onion on top of that, then the capers, then the goats' cheese.

6 Place under medium grill for 2-3 minutes.

7 Serve with retained greens and drizzle remaining oil over the top.

Scotty Brand Carrot Burger

Ingredients

750g Scotty Brand carrots (grated)

400g chickpeas

1 small onion chopped

2tbsp tahini paste

1tsp ground cumin

1 egg

3tbsp rapeseed oil

100g wholemeal breadcrumbs

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

150ml natural yoghurt

3tbsp sesame seeds

Method

1 Pop 1/3 of the carrot into a blender with the chick peas, onion, tahini, cumin, and a large tablespoon of the yoghurt. Whizz it all into a thick paste.

2 Heat the oil and fry the remaining carrot until it's soft and then add it to the paste with the egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sesame seeds. Season to taste.

3 Chill for 10 minutes if you have time (the mixture, not you!), then shape it into burgers.

4 Cook either on a barbecue or in a hot frying pan with a little oil. The burgers will need about two minutes on each side.

5 Serve with flatbreads, or with any type of burger bun. Use more of the natural yoghurt as a garnish.

Sesame Flat bread

Ingredients

200gr self raising flour

2tbsp sesame seeds

Pinch of salt and black pepper

150gr natural yoghurt

1tbsp milk

1tbsp rapeseed oil

Method

1 Warm a grill to a high heat.

2 Mix all ingredients together to form a soft dough divide into 4 pieces press into oval shapes about 5mm thick.

3 Place on a baking sheet brush one side with oil and grill on high until puffed and golden. Turn over, brush and repeat.

4 Fill flatbread or bun with carrot burger and salad and serve.

Recipes in conjunction with Scotty Brand, for more information on its produce and stockists go to www.scottybrand.com