Thursday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (about 15 g)
• 30 g porridge oats
• 250 ml semi-skimmed milk

Method

1. Peel the banana and break it into pieces.
2. Put the banana, peanut butter, oats and milk in a blender or a tall jug.
3. Blend for 30 to 45 seconds with a blender or a stick blender, until smooth and thick.
4. Pour it into a glass or a travel cup. Without a blender, mash the banana and peanut butter well in a bowl, whisk in the milk, and stir in the oats. Leave it for 5 minutes so the oats soften.

Why it is a healthy start

The oats give slow-release fibre and the peanut butter gives protein and unsaturated fat, so this drinkable breakfast keeps you going until lunch. The banana sweetens it, so there is no need for sugar.

Swaps

A pinch of cinnamon. A frozen banana makes it thick and cold like a milkshake. A handful of spinach disappears into the flavour and turns it green. A spoonful of plain yoghurt for more protein.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 250 g ready-cooked microwave rice pouch (one pouch)
• 2 eggs
• 80 g frozen sweetcorn
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat the rice in its pouch in the microwave, following the packet (usually 2 minutes). Beat the eggs. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
2. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs and stir for 30 to 60 seconds until just set. Tip them onto a plate.
3. Add the remaining oil, the garlic and the sweetcorn to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
4. Add the hot rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes until it is steaming hot all the way through.
5. Return the egg to the pan, breaking it into pieces, add the soy sauce and some pepper, and toss for 30 seconds. Serve at once.

Why it is a healthy lunch

It is a full meal of grain, protein and vegetable in one pan. Ready-cooked rice is good for fried rice because the grains stay separate, and a single pouch is a generous portion for one hungry person.

Swaps

A handful of frozen peas or spinach with the sweetcorn. A chopped spring onion or some grated carrot. A pinch of chilli flakes. Use leftover cooked rice from the night before in place of the pouch, if it was chilled quickly.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 150 g lean beef steak (sirloin or rump)
• 1 nest dried egg noodles (about 60 g)
• ½ red pepper (the other half from Wednesday)
• 1 carrot
• 50 g baby spinach
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 350 ml boiling water
• Black pepper

Prep ahead (about 10 minutes, any time that day)

1. Trim any hard fat from the steak and slice it across the grain into thin strips, about 3 mm thick. Peel and grate the garlic into a bowl, stir in 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, the honey and some pepper, add the beef and turn it to coat. Cover and put it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Wash your hands, the board and the knife.
2. Slice the red pepper into thin strips. Peel the carrot and cut it into thin matchsticks, or grate it coarsely. Put the pepper and carrot in a covered container in the fridge.
3. Stand the pan you will use (a wide saucepan or deep frying pan with a lid) on the hob, ready. Put the nest of noodles, the spinach and the other tablespoon of soy sauce next to it.

At dinner time (about 5 minutes of work)

1. Heat the oil in the pan over a high heat. Add the beef with its marinade and stir for 2 minutes, until it is brown all over.
2. Add the pepper and carrot and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the boiling water and the other tablespoon of soy sauce, and add the noodles, pushing them down so they are covered.
3. Turn the heat down to a steady simmer, put the lid on and leave it for 4 to 5 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Stir once, halfway through, to separate them.
4. Add the spinach, stir it in for 1 minute until it wilts, and check that the beef is cooked through with no pink left.
5. Spoon it into a deep bowl with all of the broth.

Why it is a healthy dinner

A modest portion of lean beef sliced thin goes a long way, and the dish is built around vegetables and a light broth instead of a heavy sauce. Because the soy sauce is reduced-salt and there is no stock cube, the salt stays low.

Swaps

Sliced mushrooms, pak choi or sugar snap peas in place of the pepper. A pinch of chilli flakes or a squeeze of lime at the end. Rice noodles in place of egg noodles (they need soaking instead). A teaspoon of grated ginger in the marinade.