Thursday
Meal Plan 3: Budget Week
Day 4 · Thursday · Cheap and filling
Today at a glance. Oats, chickpeas and potatoes again, with just 100 g of beef at dinner. Three recipes, about 55 minutes of cooking in total, and lunch needs no cooking at all. Lunch uses half a tin of chickpeas, and the other half goes into tomorrow's chowder, so keep it. Every quantity below is for one portion, in metric with UK names.
Breakfast
Breakfast
Apple and Cinnamon Porridge
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 40 g porridge oats
- 200 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 eating apple
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Wash the apple. Grate half of it on the coarse side of a grater, skin and all, avoiding the core. Cut the other half into thin slices or small cubes.
- Put the oats, milk, grated apple, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a pan over a medium heat and stir.
- Bring it to a gentle bubble and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until it is thick and creamy. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
- Spoon it into a bowl and top with the apple pieces. In a microwave, heat everything in a large bowl for 2 minutes, stir, and heat for 1 more minute.
Why it is a healthy start
Grated apple melts into the porridge and sweetens it, so there is no added sugar, and the skin adds fibre. The oats keep you full until lunch.
Swaps
A pear in place of the apple. A few raisins or sultanas, if you have them. A spoonful of plain yoghurt on top.
Save money
Buy apples loose, so you only take what you need, or pick the cheapest variety in the bag. A bruised or wrinkled apple is perfect for porridge, and some shops mark down fruit at the end of the day.
Lunch
Lunch · Vegetarian
Smashed Chickpea and Carrot Wrap
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 1 wholemeal tortilla wrap
- 120 g chickpeas from a tin, drained and rinsed (about half a 400 g tin)
- 1 carrot
- 40 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a bowl and crush about two thirds of them with a fork or the back of a spoon, leaving the rest whole.
- Peel the carrot and grate it on the coarse side of a grater.
- Stir the yoghurt, cumin, a pinch of salt and some pepper into the chickpeas, then mix in the carrot.
- Warm the wrap for 15 seconds in the microwave so it folds without cracking. Spoon the filling along the middle, fold in the two sides and roll it up tightly. Cut it in half.
The other half tin
Put the remaining chickpeas in a covered container in the fridge. Tomorrow's chowder uses them, so they will not go to waste.
Why it is a healthy lunch
Chickpeas provide protein and a lot of fibre, and the grated carrot adds sweetness and vitamin A. Yoghurt does the job of mayonnaise with far less fat.
Swaps
A handful of baby spinach or shredded lettuce in the wrap. A squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of chilli flakes in the mixture. Put it in a pitta or on toast, or eat it as a salad in a bowl.
Save money
Tinned chickpeas cost less than any ready-made sandwich filling, and the other half tin means tomorrow's lunch has extra protein at no extra cost. Check the cheapest own-brand tin, because they are all the same chickpeas.
Dinner
Dinner · Beef
Beef and Potato Hash with a Fried Egg
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 100 g lean beef mince (5% fat)
- 250 g potatoes
- 1 small onion
- 60 g frozen peas
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- If your mince was frozen, check that it has fully defrosted in the fridge. Scrub the potatoes (peel them if you prefer) and cut them into cubes of about 1.5 cm. Peel and chop the onion small.
- Put the potato cubes in a microwave-safe bowl with a splash of water, cover with a plate and microwave for 5 minutes, until almost tender. Drain well. (Without a microwave, simmer them for 6 minutes and drain.)
- Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince and onion and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the mince with a spoon, until it is brown all over with no pink left.
- Add the potatoes, paprika, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Press the mixture flat with the spoon and leave it for 3 to 4 minutes without stirring, so that the underside goes crisp. Turn it over in sections and repeat for another 3 minutes.
- Stir in the peas and cook for 2 minutes until they are hot. Push the hash to one side of the pan.
- Add the remaining oil to the empty half, crack in the egg and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the white is set. Cover the pan with a lid or plate for the last minute to cook the top of the egg.
- Serve the hash on a plate with the egg on top.
Cook mince through
Minced meat is ground up, so any germs on the outside get mixed inside. Cook it until there is no pink left. Wash your hands, and anything that touched the raw mince, before you crack the egg.
Why it is a healthy dinner
The 100 g of beef gives enough flavour and iron, and the potatoes and peas make up the bulk of the plate. The egg adds protein, and the hash needs only 2 tsp of oil.
Swaps
A grated carrot or a handful of spinach stirred in with the peas. A pinch of chilli flakes. Swap the egg for a spoonful of baked beans or a tomato, or skip it for a lighter meal.
Save money
A hash makes 100 g of mince feel like a proper meal because the potato does most of the filling. Potatoes cost less per portion than almost any other fresh food, and a hash is also a good way of using up cooked potatoes in future.
Coming up tomorrow
Friday has scrambled egg on toast with tomato, a sweetcorn and potato chowder (with tonight's other half tin of chickpeas), and the fish dinner: tinned mackerel and potato fishcakes with peas.