Monday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 40 g porridge oats
• 120 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 50 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (about 7 g)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tsp honey

Method

1. The evening before, put the oats, milk, yoghurt, cocoa and honey in a jar or lidded container and stir well until there are no dry lumps of cocoa.
2. Peel the banana, mash half of it with a fork and stir it in. Slice the other half and keep it in the fridge in a small covered container, or put it on top. Cover the jar and put it in the fridge overnight.
3. In the morning, stir, add a splash of milk if it is too thick, and top with the sliced banana. Eat it cold from the jar.

Why it is a healthy start

It tastes like a chocolate pudding, but the sweetness comes from the banana and only 1 tsp of honey. The oats give fibre that keeps you full, and the yoghurt adds protein. It needs no cooking and only one jar.

Swaps

Frozen raspberries or a few chopped nuts on top. Peanut butter stirred in. Skip the honey if the banana is very ripe.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 nest dried egg noodles (about 60 g)
• 1 carrot
• 80 g frozen peas
• 1 egg
• ½ cube reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
• 350 ml hot water for the stock
• 1 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce

Method

1. Peel the carrot and cut it into thin matchsticks, or grate it.
2. Put the stock cube and 350 ml of water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the noodles, carrot and peas and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Crack the egg into the pan, next to the noodles, and cook for 3 minutes without stirring, until the white is set and the yolk is still soft. (Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes for a firm yolk.)
4. Stir the soy sauce into the broth. Tip everything into a bowl, or eat it straight from the pan if you are in a hurry.

Why it is a healthy lunch

It is a warm broth with noodles, an egg for protein and two vegetables, ready in 10 minutes in one pan. The stock cube and soy sauce provide the salt, so you need no more.

Swaps

A handful of spinach stirred in at the end. Frozen sweetcorn in place of the peas. A pinch of chilli flakes.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 125 g lean beef mince (5% fat)
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml water
• 75 g dried wholewheat penne or fusilli
• 40 g baby spinach
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 20 g strong Cheddar, finely grated
• 1 pinch black pepper

Prep ahead (about 5 minutes, any time that day)

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Keep them in a covered container. Keep the raw mince on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

At dinner time (about 25 minutes, 10 of them hands-on)

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or a wide saucepan with a lid over a medium-high heat. Add the mince and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it up, until brown all over and no pink is left.
2. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and oregano for 30 seconds.
3. Pour in the tomatoes and the water and bring to the boil. Stir in the pasta and push it under the liquid.
4. Turn the heat down to a steady simmer, put the lid on and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the pasta does not stick, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thick. If it gets too dry, add a splash of water.
5. Stir in the spinach for 1 minute until it wilts. Season with pepper, spoon into a bowl and scatter the cheese over the top.

Why it is a healthy dinner

The pasta cooks in the sauce, so it soaks up all the flavour and there is no separate pan or colander to wash. Wholewheat pasta adds fibre, lean mince adds protein, and the whole tin of tomatoes and the spinach give plenty of vegetables.

Swaps

Chicken mince in place of the beef. A courgette, diced, cooked with the onion. Frozen peas in place of the spinach.