Monday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 150 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
• 100 g frozen pineapple chunks
• 30 g porridge oats

Method

1. Take the pineapple out of the freezer and put it in a bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds, or leave it for 10 minutes, until it is soft enough to cut but still cold. Chop it into smaller pieces.
2. Spoon the yoghurt into a bowl and stir in the oats.
3. Top with the pineapple and the juice from the bowl. Eat straight away, or stir it all together the night before for softer oats.

Why it is a healthy start

Pineapple gives sweetness and vitamin C with no added sugar, and the Greek yoghurt gives protein. The oats add fibre, so it keeps you full until lunch.

Swaps

Frozen mango or mixed berries in place of the pineapple. A spoonful of desiccated coconut or a few peanuts on top. A squeeze of lime if the pineapple is not sweet.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 nest dried egg noodles (about 60 g)
• 1 carrot
• 50 g cucumber (about 5 cm)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (about 15 g)
• 1 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ lime, juiced (the other half is for dinner)
• 1 tbsp warm water

Method

1. Cook the noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes, or following the packet. Drain, run cold water over them for 30 seconds to cool them, and shake off the water.
2. While they cook, make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and warm water with a fork until smooth. Add a little more water if it is too thick to pour.
3. Peel the carrot and grate it on the coarse side of a grater. Cut the cucumber into thin sticks.
4. Toss the noodles with the dressing, carrot and cucumber until everything is coated, and eat at once or pack it into a container to take with you.

Why it is a healthy lunch

Peanut butter gives protein and unsaturated fat, and the raw carrot and cucumber add crunch and vitamins. The dressing uses soy sauce, honey and lime instead of a sugary bottled sauce.

Swaps

A pinch of chilli flakes for heat. A boiled egg, a handful of edamame beans or some leftover chicken for extra protein. Thin slices of red pepper or spring onion in place of the cucumber.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 150 g lean beef steak (sirloin or rump)
• 100 g green beans
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste (about 15 g)
• 200 ml reduced-fat coconut milk (a small carton)
• 100 ml water
• ½ lime, juiced (the other half from lunch)
• 60 g long-grain white rice (basmati cooks fastest)
• 1 tsp olive oil

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. Put it in a bowl, stir in half the curry paste, cover the bowl and put it on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
2. Peel the onion and slice it thinly. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Trim the tops off the green beans and cut them in half. Put the onion, garlic and beans in a covered container in the fridge. Wash your hands, the board and the knife.
3. Stand a wide saucepan with a lid on the hob, ready, with the rest of the curry paste and the coconut milk next to it.

At dinner time (about 5 minutes of work)

1. Put the rice in a pan of boiling water and cook it for 10 to 11 minutes, or following the packet. Drain it.
2. Heat the oil in the wide pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the curry paste and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add the beef with its paste and stir for 2 minutes, until it is brown all over. Pour in the coconut milk and water, add the green beans, and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Put the lid on and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring once, until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. Check that the beef is cooked through, with no pink left.
5. Stir in the lime juice, taste, and add a little more if you like it sharper.
6. Spoon the rice into a bowl and pour the curry over the top.

Why it is a healthy dinner

Reduced-fat coconut milk gives the creamy sauce with much less saturated fat than the full-fat kind, and thin strips of lean beef go a long way. The curry is more than half vegetables, with just 1 tsp of oil.

Swaps

Red peppers, mushrooms or baby corn in place of some of the beans. Chicken strips in place of the beef (cook them for 10 minutes and check they are white all the way through). Curry pastes vary in heat, so start with 1 tbsp and add more next time if you want it hotter.