Sunday
Meal Plan 4: Quick Weeknights
Day 7 · Sunday · A slower weekend day
Today at a glance. Another unhurried day to end the week. Breakfast is a stack of pancakes, lunch is a jacket potato, and dinner is a roast that cooks two portions of chicken: one to eat tonight and one to keep cold for a wrap or salad next week. Every quantity below is for one portion unless the recipe says otherwise, in metric with UK names.
Breakfast
Breakfast
Cinnamon and Apple Pancakes
Ingredients (1 portion, 3 pancakes)
- 50 g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 1 egg
- 80 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 eating apple
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 30 g plain Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
Method
- Wash the apple. Coarsely grate half of it, skin and all, avoiding the core. Slice the other half into thin wedges.
- Put the flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Make a well in the middle, crack in the egg and pour in the milk. Whisk, gradually drawing in the flour, until you have a thick, smooth batter with no lumps. Stir in the grated apple.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brush it very lightly with some of the oil.
- Drop in a tablespoon or two of batter per pancake, to make three pancakes. Cook for 2 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface and the underneath is golden, then flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Re-oil the pan lightly between batches.
- Stack the pancakes, top with the apple wedges and the yoghurt, and serve.
Why it is a healthy start
Wholemeal flour and grated apple add fibre, and the egg and yoghurt add protein. The apple sweetens the batter, so there is no need for sugar or syrup.
Swaps
A mashed ripe banana in place of the apple. A handful of frozen berries heated in the microwave as a topping. A spoonful of peanut butter on top.
Shopping list for this recipeLunch
Lunch · Vegetarian
Jacket Potato with Cheese and Carrot Salad
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 1 large baking potato (about 250 g)
- 30 g mature Cheddar cheese
- 1 carrot
- 20 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
- Black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6). Scrub the potato, dry it and prick it all over with a fork.
- Microwave it for 6 to 8 minutes, turning it halfway, until it is soft when you squeeze it (use a tea towel, it is hot). Without a microwave, bake it for 1 hour 15 minutes instead and skip step 3.
- Put it straight onto the oven shelf for 15 minutes, until the skin is crisp.
- While it crisps, grate the cheese, then peel and coarsely grate the carrot. Stir the carrot with the yoghurt and a good pinch of black pepper to make the salad.
- Cut a deep cross in the top of the potato and squeeze the ends to open it. Pile in the cheese, which will melt in the heat, and serve with the carrot salad on the side.
Why it is a healthy lunch
A jacket potato eaten with its skin is a good source of fibre and potassium. The raw carrot adds crunch and vitamin A, and strong cheese gives lots of flavour from a small amount.
Swaps
Cottage cheese or tinned tuna in place of the cheese. A spoonful of baked beans. A sweet potato works the same way. Add a handful of spinach or a few sliced cherry tomatoes to the salad.
Shopping list for this recipeDinner
Dinner · Chicken
Honey and Mustard Roast Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Green Beans
Ingredients (4 thighs for 2 portions; potatoes and beans for tonight only)
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 600 g in total)
- 250 g potatoes (tonight's portion only)
- 100 g green beans (tonight's portion only)
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6). Scrub the potatoes (peel them if you prefer) and cut them into chunks about 3 cm across. Peel and crush the garlic.
- Pull the skin off the chicken thighs with a piece of kitchen paper, which gives a better grip. Throw the skin away. This cuts the fat a lot.
- In a large bowl, mix the mustard, honey, garlic, 1 tsp of the oil and some pepper. Add the chicken and turn it until it is coated. Wash your hands, the board and the knife.
- Toss the potatoes on a large baking tray with the remaining oil and a pinch of salt. Roast them for 10 minutes on the top shelf.
- Take the tray out, push the potatoes to one side, and add the chicken. Roast for a further 35 minutes, turning the potatoes once, until the potatoes are golden and the chicken is cooked.
- Cut into the thickest thigh, down to the bone. The meat must be white with no pink, and the juices must run clear. If not, give it 5 more minutes.
- While the chicken roasts, trim the beans and cook them in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes until just tender. Drain.
- Rest the chicken for 3 minutes. Serve two thighs with the potatoes and the beans.
Saving the second portion
Put the other two thighs on a clean plate to cool, then cover them and put them in the fridge within an hour or two. Eat them cold within 2 days, for example pulled off the bone into a wrap like Tuesday's, or in a salad. If you reheat them, make sure they are steaming hot all the way through, and only do it once.
Why it is a healthy dinner
With the skin taken off, chicken thighs are a lean source of protein and a good source of iron. The glaze is just mustard and a little honey, so you get flavour without a sugary sauce, and half the tray is potatoes and beans.
Swaps
Drumsticks in place of the thighs. Carrots, parsnips or onion wedges on the tray in place of some of the potatoes. A handful of frozen peas on the plate instead of the green beans.
Shopping list for this recipeThat is the week
You have cooked a week of quick meals: five weekday dinners that you prepare ahead and then leave to cook, and a slower weekend with a stew in the freezer ready for your next busy week. Chapter 8 is the combined shopping list for the whole week, with the prep-ahead and freezing schedule and a plan for leftovers.