Monday

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 40 g porridge oats
• 200 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 ripe pear
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp honey (optional)

Method

1. Wash the pear, cut out the core and chop it into small cubes, skin on.
2. Put the oats, milk and ginger in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until thick and creamy. (Or put them in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring halfway.)
3. Stir in most of the pear for the last minute so it softens a little. Spoon into a bowl, top with the rest of the pear and drizzle with the honey if you like.

Why it is a healthy start

Oats give slow-release energy and fibre that keeps you full, and the pear adds natural sweetness and more fibre, so you need little or no added sugar. Ginger is a warming spice for a cold morning.

Swaps

An apple in place of the pear. Cinnamon in place of the ginger. A spoonful of Greek yoghurt on top for protein.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ small onion (the other half goes into tonight's hotpot)
• 2 carrots (about 200 g)
• 1 tsp grated fresh root ginger, or ½ tsp ground ginger
• 40 g dried red lentils
• ½ cube reduced-salt vegetable stock cube
• 350 ml hot water for the stock
• 1 slice wholemeal bread, to serve
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method

1. Peel the carrots and slice them thinly. Peel and chop the onion.
2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, until soft. Stir in the ginger for 30 seconds.
3. Add the carrots, rinsed lentils and the hot stock. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, put the lid on and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, until the carrots and lentils are very soft.
4. Blend with a stick blender until smooth, or mash roughly with a potato masher for a chunkier soup. Add a splash of hot water if it is too thick. Season with the pepper.
5. Toast the bread and serve it alongside.

Why it is a healthy lunch

Red lentils give protein and fibre, and the carrots give vitamin A. It is a thick, filling soup with only 1 tsp of oil, and the stock is the only salty ingredient.

Swaps

Half a teaspoon of ground cumin in place of the ginger. A swede or a parsnip in place of one carrot. A spoonful of yoghurt swirled in at the end.

Ingredients (1 portion)

• 125 g lean beef mince (5% fat)
• ½ small onion (the other half from lunch)
• 1 carrot
• 75 g swede (about a slice 2 cm thick)
• 200 g potato (1 medium), unpeeled is fine
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ cube reduced-salt beef stock cube
• 150 ml hot water for the stock
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper

Prep (about 10 minutes, any time that day)

1. Peel the carrot and swede and cut them into 1 cm cubes. Chop the onion. Scrub the potato and slice it as thinly as you can, about 3 mm thick. Keep the potato slices in a bowl of cold water so they do not go brown, or cover the vegetables and chill them. Wash your hands and the board.
2. If you are going out first, you can stop here. Keep the raw mince on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

At dinner time (about 15 minutes of work, then the oven does the rest)

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a small frying pan or saucepan over a medium-high heat.
2. Add the mince and cook for 4 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is brown all over.
3. Add the onion, carrot and swede and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and thyme for 30 seconds, then pour in the hot stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce is thicker. Season.
4. Spoon the mixture into a small ovenproof dish (about 18 cm wide and 6 cm deep). Drain and pat dry the potato slices and lay them in overlapping rows over the top. Brush or drizzle with the remaining 1 tsp of oil and add a little pepper.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 15 to 18 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and golden at the edges.
6. Rest for 2 minutes, then eat from the dish.

Why it is a healthy dinner

Lean mince with plenty of root vegetables gives protein, fibre and vitamins with little fat. The potato slices replace a pastry lid and keep it light and hearty.

Swaps

A parsnip in place of the swede. A handful of frozen peas stirred in with the stock. Lean lamb mince for a traditional hotpot.