Saturday

Meal Plan 7: Quick, from the Freezer

Day 6 · Saturday · Batch day 1

Today at a glance. This is the first of two batch-cooking days. Today you cook three pots of four portions each: a minestrone, a chicken casserole and a beef keema. You eat one portion of the minestrone for lunch and one portion of the casserole for dinner, and the rest goes into the freezer for next week's busy days. The keema is frozen entirely. Plan on about 2 hours 30 minutes in the kitchen, but most of it is simmering time. Every quantity in the three batch recipes is for four portions, in metric with UK names.
Before you start
You need about 10 freezer bags or shallow containers today (and 6 more tomorrow), a permanent marker for labels, and room in the freezer. Freezer bags laid flat take up the least room and defrost fastest. Read the "Freezing guide" at the end of this chapter before you cook.

Breakfast

Breakfast

Tomato, Spinach and Cheese Omelette

10 minutes1 frying panVegetarian

Ingredients (1 portion)

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small tomato
  • 20 g baby spinach
  • 20 g mature Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Grate the cheese, chop the tomato, and roughly chop the spinach. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and some pepper.
  2. 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.
  3. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, drawing the set edges to the middle with a spatula and letting the runny egg flow underneath.
  4. When the top is nearly set but still a little creamy, scatter the tomato, spinach and cheese over one half.
  5. Fold the empty half over the filling, cook for 30 more seconds, and slide the omelette onto a plate.

Why it is a healthy start

Eggs give protein, the tomato and spinach add vitamins and iron, and a little strong cheese adds a lot of flavour. It is a quick, light start before a long cooking day.

Swaps

A few sliced mushrooms in place of the tomato. A slice of wholemeal toast on the side. Leave out the cheese for a lighter breakfast.

Shopping list for this recipe

Lunch: batch 1

Lunch · Vegetarian · Batch of 4

Vegetable and Butter Bean Minestrone

15 minutes prep35 minutes cookingMakes 4 portions1 large pan

Ingredients (makes 4 portions, about 350 g each)

  • 2 onions
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 courgettes
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g)
  • 1 tin butter beans (400 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
  • 600 ml boiling water
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Black pepper
  • 30 g small dried pasta, for today's bowl only

Method

  1. Peel the onions and carrots and cut them into small cubes, about 1 cm. Trim the courgettes and cut them into similar cubes. Peel and chop the garlic.
  2. Heat the oil in a very large pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions and carrots for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft.
  3. Add the garlic and oregano and stir for 30 seconds. Add the courgettes, tomatoes, beans, the crumbled stock cube and the boiling water. Add plenty of black pepper.
  4. Bring to a simmer, partly cover, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the carrots are very tender. Crush a few of the beans against the side of the pan to thicken the soup.
  5. Taste, and add a little salt if you need it. This is the soup without pasta, so you can freeze it.
  6. For today's lunch, ladle one portion (about 350 g) into a small pan, add 100 ml of water and the 30 g of pasta, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the pasta is tender. Eat it with a slice of wholemeal toast if you like.
  7. Let the rest of the pot cool, then divide it into 3 portions and freeze it, following the freezing guide at the end of this chapter. Label them "Minestrone, no pasta" with the date.

Why it is a healthy lunch

It is mostly vegetables and beans, so it is high in fibre and protein and very low in fat. The soup freezes well, and adding the pasta on the day means it tastes freshly made.

Swaps

A handful of green beans, some cabbage or a stick of celery with the carrots. Cannellini beans in place of the butter beans. A spoonful of pesto or a little grated cheese on top when serving.

Shopping list for this recipe (batch of 4)

Dinner: batch 2

Dinner · Chicken · Batch of 4

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole with Couscous

20 minutes prep45 minutes cookingMakes 4 portions1 large pan

Ingredients (makes 4 portions, about 350 g each)

  • 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 onions
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g)
  • 1 tin butter beans (400 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
  • 400 ml boiling water
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 60 g couscous, for today's bowl only
  • 80 ml boiling water, for today's couscous

Method

  1. Trim any hard fat from the chicken and cut each thigh into 4 or 5 pieces, about 3 cm. Peel and chop the onions and garlic. Peel the carrots and cut them into chunks about 1.5 cm thick.
  2. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole or pan over a medium-high heat. Brown half the chicken for 4 minutes, turning, and move it to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the oil and chicken. Wash your hands, the board and the knife.
  3. Add the onions to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the carrots and cook for 3 more minutes, then stir in the garlic, paprika and thyme for 30 seconds.
  4. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Add the tomatoes, beans, the crumbled stock cube, the boiling water and some pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer.
  5. Partly cover and cook gently for 35 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thick. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.
  6. Cut into the largest piece of chicken to check that it is white all the way through with no pink, and that the juices run clear. Taste, and add a little salt if you need it.
  7. For today's dinner, put the couscous in a heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt, pour over the 80 ml of boiling water, cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork. Serve one portion (about 350 g) of casserole over the couscous.
  8. Let the rest of the pot cool, then divide it into 3 portions and freeze it, following the freezing guide at the end of this chapter. Label them "Chicken casserole" with the date.
Chicken safety
Cook the chicken through before you cool it, and get the rest into the fridge within an hour of the end of cooking. Wash your hands, the board and the knife after handling raw chicken, and do not rinse the raw chicken in the sink. Never leave the pot on the worktop to cool for hours.

Why it is a healthy dinner

Chicken thighs stay juicy when reheated, and the beans and vegetables mean each portion is half vegetables and beans. There is no flour or cream, and only 2 tsp of oil between four portions.

Swaps

A red pepper or some mushrooms in place of one carrot. A bay leaf in the pot. Use drained chickpeas in place of the butter beans.

Shopping list for this recipe (batch of 4)

Freezer only: batch 3

Freezer batch · Beef · Batch of 4

Beef Keema with Peas

15 minutes prep35 minutes cookingMakes 4 portionsAll frozen

Ingredients (makes 4 portions, about 250 g each; the peas are added when you reheat it)

  • 500 g lean beef mince (5% fat)
  • 2 onions
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
  • 200 ml boiling water
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Peel the carrots and grate them on the coarse side of a grater.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince and cook for 6 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is brown all over with no pink left. Tip off any extra fat.
  3. Add the onions and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric and paprika for 1 minute.
  4. Add the tomatoes, the crumbled stock cube, the boiling water, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Bring to a simmer, partly cover, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and the mince is tender.
  5. Taste, and add a little more salt if you need it. Let it cool, then divide it into 4 portions and freeze it, following the freezing guide below. Label them "Keema (add peas)" with the date.

Why it is healthy

Lean mince with plenty of onion and carrot and a blend of warm spices gives a lot of flavour without cream or much oil. The peas added when you reheat it give fibre and protein.

Swaps

Turkey mince for a lighter keema. A teaspoon of grated ginger with the garlic. A pinch of chilli flakes for heat.

Shopping list for this recipe (batch of 4)

Plan of attack

Three pots at once sounds like a lot, but the work is mostly chopping and then waiting. A sensible order is:

  1. Start with the casserole (it takes the longest): chop, brown the chicken and get it simmering. About 30 minutes of work.
  2. While it simmers, chop for the minestrone and start it in a second pan. About 20 minutes of work.
  3. Brown the mince for the keema in the first free pan, and get it simmering. About 15 minutes of work.
  4. Eat lunch (a bowl of minestrone) and then dinner (a bowl of casserole). Cool and freeze the rest as each pot finishes.

Freezing guide

  1. Cool quickly. Hot food must cool to room temperature within about an hour. Divide it into freezer bags or shallow containers, or stand the pot in a sink of cold water and stir it now and then. Never put a hot pot straight into the freezer, because it warms the other food.
  2. Portion. Fill each bag with one portion (about 350 g of minestrone or casserole, about 250 g of keema). Press the air out, seal it, and lay it flat.
  3. Label. Write the dish, the date and "reheat once" on each bag with a permanent marker.
  4. Chill, then freeze. Put the cooled portions in the fridge for up to an hour, then in the freezer, laid flat on a tray until solid, and stack them afterwards. Aim to freeze everything within 2 hours of cooking.
  5. Use within 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, reheat until steaming hot all the way through, reheat only once, and never refreeze a defrosted portion.
Coming up tomorrow
Sunday is batch day 2: a berry yoghurt pot for breakfast, a fish and sweetcorn chowder for lunch, and a beef and mushroom ragu with pasta for dinner. Each makes four portions, with one eaten fresh and three frozen. If you bought frozen fish, take it out of the freezer tonight to defrost in the fridge.