Saturday
Meal Plan 6: Quick and Cheap
Day 6 · Saturday · A slower weekend day
Today at a glance. The weekend does not have to be quick, and batch cooking is the cheapest way to eat. Lunch makes two portions of soup (one for tomorrow's lunch), and uses the other half of Wednesday's cauliflower. Dinner is a beef and barley stew that cooks mostly by itself for 2 hours and also makes two portions: one to eat tonight and one for the freezer, ready for your next busy week. Every quantity below is for one portion unless the recipe says otherwise, in metric with UK names.
Breakfast
Breakfast
Spinach and Cheese Omelette
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 2 eggs
- 30 g baby spinach
- 20 g mature Cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Grate the cheese and roughly chop the spinach. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and some pepper.
- Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan, about 20 cm across, over a medium heat. Pour in the eggs and tilt the pan so that they cover the base.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, drawing the set edges to the middle with a spatula and letting the runny egg flow underneath.
- When the top is nearly set but still a little creamy, scatter the spinach and cheese over one half.
- Fold the empty half over the filling, cook for 30 more seconds so that the spinach wilts and the cheese melts, and slide the omelette onto a plate.
Why it is a healthy start
Eggs give protein, spinach adds iron and folate, and a little strong cheese gives a lot of flavour. The omelette cooks in only a teaspoon of oil.
Swaps
A chopped tomato or a few mushrooms in the filling. A slice of wholemeal toast on the side. Leave out the cheese for a lighter breakfast.
Save money
An omelette is a good way to use up the last of the spinach, a corner of cheese and a couple of eggs. Whatever is left in the fridge on Saturday morning can go in.
Lunch
Lunch · Vegetarian
Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients (makes 2 large bowls)
- 2 medium leeks (about 300 g once trimmed)
- 300 g potatoes
- 250 g cauliflower florets (the other half of Wednesday's cauliflower)
- 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 700 ml boiling water
- Black pepper
Method
- Cut the root and the tough dark green top off each leek. Slice them in half lengthways and rinse them well under cold running water, because soil hides between the layers. Slice them thinly.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 cm cubes. Cut the cauliflower into small florets.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat. Add the leeks and a splash of water, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft but not brown.
- Add the potatoes and cauliflower, crumble in the stock cube, and pour in the boiling water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until a knife slips easily into the potato.
- Blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth, or mash it well and leave it chunky. Season with plenty of black pepper and taste before adding any salt.
- Eat one bowl now. Let the rest cool for up to an hour, then cover it and put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch.
Saving tomorrow's soup safely
Cool the second portion quickly (it should be in the fridge within an hour or two of cooking) and keep it covered. Tomorrow, heat it until it is steaming hot all the way through, and do not reheat it more than once. Throw it away if it has been in the fridge for more than 2 days.
Why it is a healthy lunch
The potato and cauliflower make the soup creamy without any cream, and leeks add fibre and folate. It has very little fat, and the cauliflower adds a vegetable portion without an added cost.
Swaps
A handful of baby spinach or frozen peas stirred in at the end. A spoonful of plain yoghurt on top. A slice of wholemeal toast on the side for a bigger meal.
Save money
This soup uses the second half of Wednesday's cauliflower and a few potatoes, so it costs very little, and one pan gives two lunches. Soup freezes well too, so you can freeze the second portion if you will not eat it tomorrow.
Dinner
Dinner · Beef · Slow-cooked
Slow-Cooked Beef and Barley Stew
Ingredients (makes 2 portions)
- 300 g braising or stewing beef (such as shin or chuck), trimmed and cut into 3 cm cubes
- 60 g pearl barley
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
- 600 ml boiling water
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 slices wholemeal bread, to serve (tonight's portion only)
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, gas mark 3). Trim any hard fat from the beef and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Peel the carrots and cut them into chunks about 2 cm thick. Rinse the barley in a sieve.
- Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish with a lid, over a medium-high heat. Brown half the beef for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, and move it to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the oil and beef. Do not crowd the pan, or the beef steams rather than browns.
- Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and carrots to the same dish and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds.
- Return the beef to the dish and add the barley. Crumble in the stock cube, pour over the boiling water, add some pepper, and stir. Bring to the boil.
- Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 2 hours, stirring once halfway, until the beef is very tender and the barley is soft and has thickened the stew. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
- Taste, and add a little salt if you need it. Serve half of the stew with the bread.
- Spoon the other half into a freezer-safe container. Let it cool for up to an hour, put on the lid, label it with the date and freeze it within a few hours.
Freezing and reheating the second portion
Use it within 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the fridge, then reheat it in a pan or in the microwave until it is steaming hot all the way through, adding a good splash of water because the barley soaks up liquid. Do not freeze it a second time once it has defrosted.
No oven or want to leave it all day?
Brown the beef and vegetables in a frying pan, then put everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. On the hob, simmer it gently with the lid on for 2 hours, stirring now and then and adding water if it gets dry.
Why it is a healthy dinner
Barley is a whole grain with plenty of fibre, and it thickens the stew so that no flour or cream is needed. The cheap cut of beef becomes very tender, and half of each portion is vegetables and barley.
Swaps
A parsnip or swede with the carrots. A bay leaf in the pot. A handful of frozen peas stirred in at the end. Serve it over boiled potatoes in place of the bread.
Save money
Braising beef and pearl barley are among the cheapest ingredients in the shop, and slow cooking does the work that expensive cuts do. Making two portions gives you a ready meal for a busy night for the cost of a few extra pence.
Coming up tomorrow
Sunday has banana pancakes, tonight's second portion of soup for lunch, and a roast whole chicken with potatoes and carrots. A whole chicken gives four portions, and cold chicken for next week. If your chicken is frozen, take it out tonight and defrost it in the fridge. A whole chicken can take 24 hours or more to defrost, so check the pack.