Monday
Meal Plan 2: Around the World
Day 1 · Monday · Italy
Breakfast
Ricotta and Berry Toast
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 2 slices wholemeal bread
- 60 g ricotta (about 4 tbsp)
- 80 g mixed berries (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
Method
- If your berries are frozen, tip them into a bowl a few minutes ahead, or microwave them for 30 seconds, so they soften and release their juice.
- Toast the bread until golden.
- Spread the ricotta over the hot toast, going right to the edges.
- Spoon the berries and their juice over the top, pressing them in lightly. Drizzle with the honey if you want it sweeter.
Why it is a healthy start
Ricotta is a soft, mild cheese that is high in protein and lower in fat than many cheeses. Berries add fibre and sweetness without any sugar, and wholemeal toast keeps you full.
Swaps
Sliced banana or a chopped pear instead of the berries. A pinch of cinnamon on top. Cottage cheese or Greek yoghurt in place of the ricotta.
Shopping list for this recipeLunch
Tuscan White Bean and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients (1 large bowl)
- 1 tin cannellini beans (400 g), drained and rinsed
- 1 small onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 clove garlic
- 40 g baby spinach
- ½ reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 350 ml boiling water
- Black pepper
Method
- Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the carrot and cut it into small cubes, about 1 cm. Peel and chop the garlic.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion and carrot for 6 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
- Crumble in the stock cube, add the beans and pour in the boiling water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, partly covered.
- With a fork or potato masher, crush about a third of the beans against the side of the pan. This thickens the soup and makes it creamy.
- Stir in the spinach and cook for 1 minute until it wilts. Season with plenty of black pepper and taste before adding any salt, because the stock cube already contains some.
Why it is a healthy lunch
A full tin of beans gives a lot of protein and fibre, and the soup is mostly vegetables and pulses with very little fat. It is the kind of simple, filling soup an Italian farmhouse would make.
Swaps
A squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of olive oil at the end is traditional. Use kale or cavolo nero in place of the spinach (cook it for 5 minutes longer). Add a spoonful of tomato purée with the garlic for a deeper colour.
Shopping list for this recipeDinner
Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Wholewheat Spaghetti
Ingredients (makes 2 portions of meatballs and sauce; pasta for tonight only)
- 300 g lean beef mince (5% fat)
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp porridge oats
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g)
- 75 g wholewheat spaghetti (tonight's portion only)
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Peel the onion. Grate half of it on the coarse side of a grater into a large bowl, and finely chop the other half. Peel the garlic and chop it finely.
- Add the mince, oats, half the oregano, a good pinch of salt, some pepper and 2 tbsp of water to the grated onion. Mix with your hands until it just comes together, without squeezing it too much. Wash your hands well.
- Roll the mixture into about 12 small balls, each about the size of a walnut. Wet your hands to stop it sticking.
- Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Brown the meatballs for 6 to 8 minutes, turning them often, until golden on all sides. Move them to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil and the chopped onion to the same pan and cook for 4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the tomatoes, add the remaining oregano, a pinch of salt and 50 ml of water. Return the meatballs to the pan and turn them in the sauce.
- Simmer gently with the lid half on for 15 minutes, turning the meatballs once. Cut the largest one open to check: there should be no pink in the middle and the juices should run clear.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling water following the packet (wholewheat usually takes 10 to 12 minutes). Save a cupful of the cooking water, then drain.
- Toss the pasta with a few spoonfuls of the sauce, adding a splash of the cooking water if it looks dry. Serve half of the meatballs and sauce on top.
Why it is a healthy dinner
Lean mince keeps the saturated fat down, the oats stand in for breadcrumbs and add fibre, and the tomato sauce counts as a vegetable. Wholewheat spaghetti has more fibre than white and keeps you full for longer.
Swaps
White spaghetti if wholewheat is not to your taste. A pinch of chilli flakes in the sauce for heat. Chopped fresh basil on top if you have some. Turkey mince instead of beef makes a lighter version.
Shopping list for this recipe