Saturday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 2 eggs
• 60 g mushrooms
• 20 g baby spinach
• 20 g strong Cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method

1. Wipe and slice the mushrooms. Beat the eggs with the pepper in a jug.
2. Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes, until golden. Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds, until it wilts. Tip them onto a plate.
3. Turn the heat down to medium. Pour in the eggs and let them set for 1 minute, then gently pull the edges into the middle, letting the runny egg flow to the edges. Cook for 2 minutes, until almost set.
4. Spoon the mushrooms and spinach over one half, add the cheese, and fold the other half over. Slide onto a plate.

Why it is a healthy start

Two eggs give protein, and the mushrooms and spinach make the omelette half vegetables. A little strong cheese gives plenty of flavour.

Swaps

Tomato or red pepper in place of the mushrooms. Feta in place of the Cheddar. A slice of wholemeal toast on the side.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 portion salmon fillet, roast sweet potato (about 200 g) and green beans (about 100 g), from Friday's dinner (kept in the fridge)
• 1 egg
• 20 g porridge oats
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 20 g baby spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1 tsp lemon juice (from a fresh lemon)
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method

1. Flake the salmon into a bowl, removing any skin and bones. Mash in the sweet potato with a fork, and add the green beans, chopped very small.
2. Add the egg, oats and pepper and mix well. Leave it for 5 minutes so the oats soak up the moisture, then shape the mixture into 3 round cakes about 2 cm thick.
3. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the fishcakes for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp and steaming hot all the way through. Turn them gently.
4. While they cook, slice the tomato and put it with the spinach on a plate, dressed with the lemon juice. Add the fishcakes to the plate.

Why it is a healthy lunch

The sweet potato and oats hold the fishcakes together without flour or breadcrumbs, and they are pan-fried in just 2 tsp of oil. They turn Friday's leftover tray into a completely new hot meal.

Swaps

A spoonful of Greek yoghurt with lemon as a dip. Frozen peas in place of the green beans. Baked in a 200°C oven for 15 minutes instead of frying.

Ingredients (2 portions)

• 300 g braising or stewing beef (such as chuck or shin), in 2 cm chunks
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cube reduced-salt beef stock cube
• 200 ml hot water for the stock
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 75 g dried wholewheat tagliatelle (for tonight only)
• 1 pinch black pepper

Prep (about 15 minutes)

1. Trim any big pieces of hard fat from the beef and cut it into 2 cm chunks. Peel and finely chop the onion, carrot and garlic.

Cooking (about 1 hour 45 minutes, mostly hands-off)

1. Dissolve the stock cube in 200 ml of boiling water. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot with a lid over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in two batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, and lift it out onto a plate.
2. Add the onion and carrot to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and tomato purée for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and the hot stock, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom, and return the beef and its juices.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beef is very tender. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.
4. Shred the beef into the sauce with two forks, season with pepper and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, to thicken.
5. Cook the tagliatelle in a pan of boiling water for 10 to 11 minutes, or following the packet. Drain it, toss it with half the ragu in a bowl, and eat it hot.
6. Spoon the other half of the ragu into a container and cool it, uncovered, for no more than 1 hour. Cover it and put it in the fridge. Tomorrow's lunch is made from it.

Why it is a healthy dinner

A slow-cooked ragu has a deep flavour from the beef, tomatoes and vegetables, with almost no added fat. Wholewheat pasta adds fibre, and the carrot sweetens the sauce, so no sugar is needed.

Swaps

A stick of celery or a handful of mushrooms with the onion. Wholewheat spaghetti in place of the tagliatelle. A spoonful of grated Cheddar on top.