Friday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 200 g reduced-sugar and reduced-salt baked beans (1 small tin)
• 2 slices wholemeal bread
• 20 g strong Cheddar, grated
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method

1. Tip the beans into a small saucepan and warm them over a medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring, until hot all the way through. (Or microwave them in a bowl for 2 minutes.)
2. Put the bread in the toaster.
3. Put the toast on a plate, pour the beans over it and scatter the cheese on top so it melts. Finish with pepper.

Why it is a healthy start

Baked beans count towards your five a day and give protein and fibre. The reduced-sugar and reduced-salt kind is much better than the standard one, and a little strong cheese gives more flavour than a lot of mild.

Swaps

A poached or fried egg on top. A handful of spinach stirred into the beans. A pinch of paprika.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 wholemeal tortilla wrap
• 60 g frozen sweetcorn
• 30 g strong Cheddar, grated
• 20 g baby spinach
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method

1. Put the sweetcorn in a small bowl and microwave it for 1 minute, or pour boiling water over it and drain it, to defrost it.
2. Lay the wrap in a dry non-stick frying pan. Scatter the cheese over one half, then the sweetcorn, spinach and pepper, and fold the other half over.
3. Put the pan on a medium heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing down with a spatula, until golden underneath. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more, until the cheese has melted.
4. Slide onto a board, cut into 3 wedges and eat it hot.

Why it is a healthy lunch

It is cooked in a dry pan with no oil or butter, and the sweetcorn and spinach make it more vegetables than cheese. A little strong cheese goes a long way.

Swaps

A spoonful of baked beans or drained tinned black beans inside. Sliced tomato or red pepper in place of the spinach. A spoonful of yoghurt to dip.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 150 g undyed smoked haddock fillet
• 60 g basmati rice
• 1 small onion
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• 80 g frozen peas
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 180 ml hot water
• 1 tsp lemon juice (from a fresh lemon)
• 1 pinch black pepper

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

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Keep it in a covered container. Keep the smoked haddock in its pack on the bottom shelf of the fridge, away from other food.

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

1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wide saucepan with a lid over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 4 minutes, until soft. Stir in the curry powder for 30 seconds.
2. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute so every grain is coated. Pour in the hot water, stir once and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Lay the haddock on top of the rice, skin side down, and scatter the peas around it. Put the lid back on and cook for 6 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the rice is tender.
4. Make a small hollow in the rice, crack the egg into it, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is still soft.
5. Lift the skin off the haddock, discard it and flake the fish over the rice. Add the lemon juice and pepper and fold it through gently. Eat from the pan or spoon onto a plate.

Why it is a healthy dinner

Kedgeree is a classic one-pan dish. The haddock gives lean protein, and it is already salty, so there is no need to add any. The egg adds protein and the peas add fibre, with only 1 tsp of oil.

Swaps

Undyed smoked haddock is best, but any smoked white fish works. Frozen spinach or sweetcorn in place of the peas. A pinch of chilli flakes.