Kieran and I have stupidly signed up for a 10k run in the middle of May. Stupid, because I’ve never run half a kilometre in my life, let alone 10! Consequently we’ve been out most nights hitting the pavement trying desperately to get fit in time for the run, which is 10 short weeks away.

I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want after a run is something heavy, or loads of carbs. It makes me feel like I’m undoing all the good work from my run. Thai food is the answer. I actually made these dishes on two separate nights, but they’re in the same post as they are both light, healthy and full of flavour.

The recipe for these is from BBC Good Food. The fishcakes contain no potato, flour, egg – in fact, they only contain 4 ingredients, which means the flavour of the fish really comes through. They go perfectly with the fresh carrot salad. I doubled up the recipe below to turn this into a main course – the below recipe would serve two as a starter. This is a very quick and easy recipe, making it perfect for a midweek meal.

• 2 skinless salmon fillets , about 300g in total, cut into large chunks
• 2 tsp Thai red curry paste (get a good one from an oriental store – it makes all the difference!)
• ½ small bunch coriander
• groundnut oil

• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• small chunk ginger , finely grated
• 2 large carrots , shredded
• 3 spring onions , shredded lengthways
• handful coriander leaves

1. Put the salmon, curry paste and coriander in a food processor. Pulse to a roughly chopped texture. Form into 6 fishcakes and chill while you make the salad.
2. Mix the rice wine vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Mix in the ginger. Toss all the other ingredients together with the dressing.
3. Heat the groundnut oil in a non-stick frying pan. Cook the salmon cakes for 2-3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Serve with the salad.

The second is actually a recipe of my own making. I’ve always loved those noodle soup bowls you get at places like Wagamama’s – a delicious broth on top of noodles, topped with meat and veg.

• 1 chicken breast
• 6 king prawns (I used frozen)
• some shredded spring greens
• some carrots, cut julienne
• 1 crushed clove garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 can coconut milk
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp thai red curry paste
• 2 portions of dried noodles (I used egg noodles)
• juice of a lime
• 1 tsp fish sauce

1. Make the soup first. Fry the ginger and garlic in a pan with the curry paste for a minute or so in a tbsp oil. Add the chicken stock and the coconut milk and taste. Add fish sauce to taste and season with pepper.
2. Meanwhile, slice your chicken breast and fry for a few minutes until slightly browned. Add your veg/prawns and toss for another minute. Prepare your noodles according to the packet instructions.
3. Place your noodles in a bowl, pour the soup over and top with a pile of your chicken/prawn/veg mix. Squeeze half a lime over the top and scatter with some fresh coriander.

Lovely!