Thursday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 40 g porridge oats
• 200 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 eating apple
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Wash the apple. Grate half of it, skin and all, avoiding the core, and cut the other half into small cubes.
2. Put the oats, milk, grated apple, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a large microwave-safe bowl and stir. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, then microwave for another 1 minute, until thick and creamy. On the hob, cook it in a pan over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring.
3. Spoon it into a bowl and top with the apple cubes.

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 or banana in place of the apple. A few raisins or walnuts. A spoonful of plain yoghurt on top.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 wholemeal pitta bread
• 1 small tin tuna in spring water (about 145 g)
• 60 g frozen sweetcorn
• 30 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
• 20 g baby spinach
• Black pepper

Method

1. Put the sweetcorn in a bowl, cover it with boiling water from the kettle and leave it for 2 minutes, then drain.
2. Drain the tuna and flake it with a fork in a bowl. Stir in the sweetcorn, the yoghurt and plenty of black pepper.
3. Warm the pitta in the toaster for 30 to 60 seconds until it puffs, then cut along one long edge to open a pocket.
4. Tuck the spinach into the pitta, then spoon in the tuna mixture. To take it with you, pack the filling separately and fill the pitta just before eating.

Why it is a healthy lunch

Tuna in spring water is almost pure protein with no added oil, and yoghurt keeps the dressing light. The wholemeal pitta and sweetcorn add fibre.

Swaps

A chopped tomato or some cucumber in the pitta. Tinned mackerel or a boiled egg in place of the tuna. Use two slices of wholemeal bread if you have no pitta.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 portion beef keema from the freezer (one quarter of Saturday's batch, about 250 g)
• 60 g frozen peas
• 60 g long-grain white rice (basmati cooks fastest)
• Splash of water, black pepper

The night before, or in the morning (1 minute)

1. Take one portion of keema out of the freezer and put it in a covered container on the bottom shelf of the fridge, to defrost slowly. This takes about 8 hours, so overnight or from the morning is about right. Never defrost it on the worktop.

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. Tip the keema into a saucepan with 2 tbsp of water. Heat it over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 6 to 8 minutes, until it is bubbling and steaming hot all the way through.
3. Stir in the frozen peas and cook for 3 more minutes, until the peas are hot. Check that the keema is piping hot all the way through, with no cold spots. In the microwave, heat the keema in a covered bowl for 3 minutes, stir in the peas, and heat for a further 2 minutes.
4. Spoon the rice into a bowl, pour the keema over the top, and add some black pepper.

Why it is a healthy dinner

The keema is made with lean mince and plenty of onion, carrot and spices, and the peas add fibre and protein. The warm spices give big flavour without cream or much oil.

Swaps

Serve it in a wholemeal wrap or over a jacket potato in place of rice. A spoonful of plain yoghurt on top. A handful of baby spinach stirred in with the peas. A pinch of chilli flakes if you like it hotter.