The Batch Lady: Healthy Family Favourites Suzanne Mulholland HEALTHY EATING WITHOUT ANY OF THE HASSLE. The Batch Lady’s simple, freezable, portion-controlled recipes will save you time and money. By following the revolutionary guidance of Sunday Times best-selling author The Batch Lady, you too can take control of your diet and create fresh and satisfying meals without spending hours in the kitchen.With over 80 amazingly simple, healthy, home-cooked recipes that can easily be stored in the freezer, The Batch Lady Healthy Family Favourites will ensure that you are sticking to your goals and not reaching for a takeaway or ready meal when you’re short on time. And with Suzanne’s signature easy-to-follow recipe combinations enabling you to create two or more delicious breakfasts, quick lunches, and weeknight meals simultaneously that the whole family are guaranteed to enjoy, this book will help transform your kitchen and ensure that you live a healthier, happier life, without any of the stress. TO EVERYONE WHO STRUGGLES DAILY WITH HAVING TO GET A MEAL ON THE TABLE, AND IS FOREVER ANSWERING THE QUESTION, ‘WHAT’S FOR DINNER?’. THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU, MAY IT GIVE YOU SOME WELL-DESERVED RELIEF. Copyright (#ulink_07479acd-37cf-5469-b7b4-74bc80a705d4) HQ An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk) HarperCollinsPublishers 1st Floor, Watermarque Building, Ringsend Road Dublin 4, Ireland First published in Great Britain by HQ An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2021 Text Copyright © Suzanne Mulholland 2021 Suzanne Mulholland asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Hardback ISBN: 9780008373245 eBook ISBN: 9780008373269 Photography: Haraala Hamilton Food styling: Sam Dixon, Rosie French & Rosie Ramsden Prop styling: Sarah Birks Design & Art Direction: Georgina Hewitt Editor: Nira Begum Editorial Director: Kate Fox Project Editor: Daniel Hurst All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Note to Readers (#ulink_54d3683a-8b4e-5672-83f4-c21c49cd8342) This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings: Change of font size and line height Change of background and font colours Change of font Change justification Text to speech Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008373245 Contents Cover (#u466a6c56-b865-5c65-b047-60ede89f9eef) Dedication (#ud3d9a2cd-217f-5a12-bd11-84788467c579) Copyright (#ulink_0465901a-24b2-5771-a14a-e456b7de8149) Note to Readers (#ulink_7952e20f-a057-5efe-9f9b-d0f32beaf955) Title Page (#ued302650-c24e-58b7-9139-bef37e32d5d2) Welcome (#ulink_33b23274-17a7-5ce3-923f-f3ab93c02ed2) Batch Yourself Healthy (#ulink_07dcb12a-92cf-52b5-9e4c-eb0e06053cd6) My Batch Commandments (#ulink_6032eab9-f9f8-5708-9039-a9151bb6b7af) Three for the Fridge, Three for the Freezer (#ulink_d8ca24b4-f5d2-581b-9a10-db3beb17115e) Making Ahead, Freezing & Defrosting (#ulink_dcc1687d-1695-514d-851e-ecb4d22c677c) Batching Equipment (#ulink_6010f835-23b1-5b17-9840-a5635a87eac9) The Healthy Larder (#ulink_ce490811-a89d-50f1-932b-5706f6f22ef3) Breakfasts Banana Pancakes (#ulink_c999763e-dc59-5db1-9d25-1fdc12aca1c8) Blueberry French Toast Bake (#ulink_1fbf847b-a482-5b94-a7b8-b4f5e3f8d4fd) Banana & Strawberry Smoothies (#ulink_a870bdaf-9482-5c91-a5a9-705ee3a052ee) Superfood Smoothies (#ulink_a7b25e65-87c3-5e22-b4d2-239cb5a12fbf) Berry Blast Smoothies (#ulink_6bc3cc41-297e-5167-87b9-234c4cf0b2b7) Super Greens Smoothies (#ulink_37845d79-70cc-5526-b38b-0d2e45ea9f2c) Healthy Flapjack (#ulink_e692bb7f-ed39-5420-a7d0-e547068fba4b) Apple & Plum Cornflake Bake (#ulink_bba39e81-83bf-5c19-a23d-01a698f8be71) Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote (#ulink_c6970b3c-de85-59b6-87a4-854bedbf4879) Stewed Apple & Blackberry Compote (#ulink_bb17d5e9-f316-599d-bfe3-62ad8868a8d5) Light Meals Creamy Tomato & Red Pepper Soup (#ulink_ff281365-15c9-58b1-b280-b8ebdaa47dc3) Shakshuka (#ulink_ea6f33f7-ab3e-579c-a42a-756e710f09b7) Turkey & Orzo Soup (#ulink_d8562e95-d356-5cda-982d-843239f5afb3) Turkey Taco Boats (#ulink_f65bab7b-43e3-52a5-8c8a-57a471dfe8d4) Courgette Fritters (#ulink_7b01054f-6ab5-539c-8062-c2bef175992f) Sweetcorn Fritters (#ulink_43355617-d439-584d-ad31-d06ed181e7f1) Sweetcorn Fritters With Crispy Bacon & Fried Eggs (#ulink_8a89b914-3622-5df7-8cb0-5d4bd66bc56c) Sweetcorn Fritters With Avocado, Crème Fraîche, Sriracha & Coriander (#ulink_a132d279-bab5-5017-85d9-5686c91ffc5c) Sweetcorn Fritters With Poached Eggs & Tomato Relish (#ulink_775498ff-1d44-5f6e-a955-243d52296cec) Moreish Minestrone (#ulink_78410e7d-ee66-5b85-9878-c17f66b005c1) Moroccan Vegetable & Chorizo Soup (#ulink_66556469-f577-5f58-bd75-e57c97026a6c) Kedgeree (#ulink_7b7d504f-4a50-582a-8c84-e06b74bc5bd8) Salmon, Pea & Leek Frittata (#ulink_3252a468-3195-51b1-9bf1-ee672a063af7) 3 for the fridge, 3 for the freezer (#ulink_c1c8bf06-683c-5297-a561-113e323867fe) Vegetable & Veggie Sausage One-Pan Bake (#ulink_a0c31385-bcf4-5159-bc8c-f1bd72ef19cf) Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup Summery Couscous Salad Fakeaways Sticky Asian Beef (#ulink_d185c7f5-a867-5aac-8d10-30fd6ce3294e) Soy Beef & Broccoli (#ulink_90519a12-3c14-5e86-a404-4c8d8c234451) Lamb Koftas (#ulink_c484eade-308c-5f8b-be3e-9beb722aa9c4) Greek Lemon & Herb Chicken (#ulink_f26c3ded-14aa-5636-b143-d56b202df18f) Lamb Koftas With Paprika Flatbreads & Harissa Dressing (#ulink_fcd53f05-bb0a-5581-b3a0-de37b181bb59) Lamb Koftas With Skin-On Chips & Salad (#ulink_bd664c5c-3cdf-503a-a035-1958fbb58a54) Lamb Koftas With Couscous, Hummus & Salad (#ulink_1bb7a6fa-d989-5beb-9d55-d695981fa5ba) Prawn Curry (#ulink_a25b4621-0535-58ba-9e6e-789857fd63ed) Prawn Stir-Fry (#ulink_8028ec97-d2c7-5353-8284-83a71858be85) Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry (#ulink_b7810dd2-9662-5c32-a0ac-21fdeeeaa739) Turkey Keema Matar (#ulink_8a216913-94c8-520a-b199-46ee4ec802a2) Chinese 5-Spice Pork Loin (#ulink_15e01989-1aa8-51da-a56f-18c604c77ef4) Chinese 5-Spice Chicken (#ulink_ad81837d-b3ea-5167-9ccf-fffc9919e3f9) 3 for the fridge, 3 for the freezer (#ulink_a67b455e-8ea8-5999-bf30-1bd80906ec82) Sweet & Sour Chicken (#ulink_a31be015-570c-586a-a2c0-29f4b70ab9d4) Kung Pao Pork Thai Sea Bass Parcels Weeknights Chicken & Chorizo Filo Pie (#ulink_b6c218d2-4e25-5425-b5fc-224a13e4a005) Cheesy Cajun-Pepper-Stuffed Chicken (#ulink_67b2d4ac-8031-5e25-a773-776004b1deb2) Chicken, Butter Bean & Leek Bake (#ulink_8fb3f26e-f7d6-530b-bd3c-30cd696e0333) Pork Schnitzel (#ulink_6b6a8ee5-0850-52af-8e2c-8ee26a53ab8d) Low-Fat Chicken Goujons (#ulink_953ed13c-7b48-5eb2-b812-37a465af1eda) Fajita-Spiced Chicken Schnitzel (#ulink_7f65c9b5-791a-59cb-a114-c0f79d48e220) Chicken Goujon Paninis With Salad & Coleslaw (#ulink_80004e97-e201-57af-bfbc-6f2ad69a67dc) Chicken Goujons With Piri-Piri Sweet Potato Chips & Corn on the Cob (#ulink_eccdcf78-480e-5673-ba2e-cd06094fb683) Chicken Goujons Caesar Salad (#ulink_266e81c7-6b12-528d-8396-ae9a4e9d5861) Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken With Prosciutto (#ulink_09011819-ff0f-55f8-a541-23b10a483505) Turkey-Wrapped Leek-And-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken (#ulink_5c38842b-92cb-5d33-b9a5-e2c5ffa0e72a) Spiced Cauliflower Steaks (#ulink_71c674dd-9b09-5cd0-85da-97c4b70e8b31) Harissa Cauliflower Traybake (#ulink_3fd34efc-ad63-5cbf-9dfd-8df58b7f92d2) Turkey ‘Shepherd’s’ Pie (#ulink_99d459dc-8f04-5a7d-967a-0623f93ef6f8) Spicy Turkey Burgers (#ulink_609698c1-414e-58ba-b7f6-942287bb03a2) Turkey Burgers With Baked Potatoes & Veggies (#ulink_4898bcec-635f-51b0-9b84-4b8879d45fc8) Spicy Turkey Burger Salad With Mozzarella (#ulink_6139baf0-a068-5c42-96e0-daa35f5743a6) Turkey Burgers, Pitta Bread & Hummus (#ulink_a79d4673-e702-5a70-b614-5dbc18e25b64) White Turkey Chilli (#ulink_647900c4-0132-5471-abcd-da2c51a65684) Chipotle Turkey Meatballs (#ulink_4ac9eb95-5bdd-516b-be81-05530f4ba654) 3 for the fridge, 3 for the freezer (#ulink_53fe1160-0443-5200-b91a-0c483a67c6e9) Turkey Bolognese (#ulink_d726e052-bf98-5f84-bc97-a41482f4f2f0) Thai Chicken Noodle Soup Lamb Meatloaf Weekend Feasts Moroccan-Style Lamb Chops (#ulink_5abe0a64-8ba2-5258-9036-26f9e9b062f4) Herb-Crusted Lamb Rumps (#ulink_60451ec8-09a8-5e3f-bd68-d8da392ea168) Mushroom Stroganoff (#ulink_619f8e84-72b9-57a2-ad60-48450871a742) Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (#ulink_7a4c6016-957f-5023-a5ea-18ca1860cdb2) Creamy Salmon & Pea Parcels (#ulink_7dbae23c-b81b-5f5f-a9c2-97f128e11100) Cajun Salmon Fillets (#ulink_8aec491e-b3b3-5203-8fb0-5c2b1c2c11bf) Cajun Salmon Tacos (#ulink_2b6f2ebd-bb48-5686-922e-63339e0e471e) Cajun Salmon Salad (#ulink_c611d90a-03b7-500c-a8e2-7e6c18a7bcc1) Cajun Salmon With Mange Tout & Noodles (#ulink_ed78aa2e-eb0a-5352-9daf-1e706c3c2c9d) Creamy Turkey & Mushroom Carbonara (#ulink_46ea5c89-3fd0-5b3a-bfcf-4cca1e5edf41) Cajun Turkey-And-Pepper Meatloaf (#ulink_06faf306-df4e-5a9f-b038-ef55427c5668) Turkey Tagine (#ulink_6917bea3-b783-5bc6-b829-0a9eda8a9e15) Lamb Chops With Salsa Verde (#ulink_8ead595d-b7fd-5535-94fc-524996977c72) Beetroot & Feta Orzotto (#ulink_073c3c88-9bd1-50a0-8667-02c34ade76f2) Oven-Baked Sundried Tomato Risotto (#ulink_07e307e0-145f-5138-8b50-b7762b605908) 3 for the fridge, 3 for the freezer (#ulink_39a41d07-3742-5c08-ade2-2257b9178a06) Rosemary & Garlic Roast Potatoes (#ulink_b5b8de7f-676e-51fe-95da-6bec8735ef15) Honey & Mustard Sausage Traybake Harissa Marinated Chicken Sides & Sauces Bombay Potatoes (#ulink_cac71713-6eaf-5f24-a5f0-ef49f63b807e) Paprika Hasselback Potatoes (#ulink_36925290-8eee-5435-b132-e0b3cb029627) Lighter Dauphinoise Potatoes (#ulink_dc4671f6-096c-546c-b26f-73c1585e239d) Boulangère Potatoes (#ulink_322de7f9-2c6a-5bac-844c-ea7df0679ffa) Low-Cal Cheesy Mash (#ulink_9764c348-855d-522f-abfe-eb3872fcf358) Cauliflower Rice (#ulink_c8c1c04c-df92-5cae-a65b-d8836ce0a693) Skin-On Chips (#ulink_633a5438-eaaf-5c70-87e8-0842a0dbb2c5) Piri-Piri Sweet Potato Chips (#ulink_19cf99a1-31af-5dd7-873e-7af142ed659c) Lighter Creamed Spinach (#ulink_dfe168b4-7f71-59cf-8269-54a8ce2dd9ef) Sliced Carrots With Garlic & Tarragon (#ulink_496b7b23-2226-57ca-a009-41db49a641b1) Light-And-Easy Naan Breads (#ulink_56552c8b-9b72-50f5-b1a5-31f5854cf030) Light-And-Easy Paprika Flatbreads (#ulink_e3c89911-1755-58f1-986e-c3c208fb2793) Harissa Dressing (Or Dip) (#ulink_e50a5bdd-fb20-5979-b707-938a46eaf488) Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing (Or Dip) (#ulink_4f65d0d2-1b31-5528-8350-ede4dce5e701) Low-Fat Caesar Dressing (#ulink_ddf0ba13-7d7c-5e9b-bc2a-465fc3a2da02) Low-Fat Ranch Salad Dressing (#ulink_e960c936-8717-5fc6-92cb-1c5a4072d0f1) Easy Stir-Fry Sauce (#ulink_974a8414-e55f-500e-a2c4-dfbdb0d6fdd0) Sweet Chilli Sauce (#ulink_5ca30dc8-1e5c-57f2-a78a-2bd89309b7e0) Lighter Cheese Sauce (#ulink_9e27f5f9-3012-5367-bd19-da2fd9b2ea98) Lighter Parsley Sauce (#ulink_d105a4ed-5b9f-51fc-b6fa-f63adc1ec0da) Tomato & Chilli Sauce (#ulink_4d63e37f-ed42-5837-88ae-6176627f520d) Homemade Pizza Sauce (#ulink_e9d08179-7421-5306-8a65-5f0e9e4c91f0) Smoky Sauce (#ulink_72fbcbf7-8ce4-5199-9eec-adedbaac3efe) Desserts Gin & Tonic Ice Lollies (#ulink_8fd0e7e8-e4f5-5583-b7d9-2bb38e847c5d) Raspberry Lemonade Ice Lollies (#ulink_bf1ceac4-9bcf-5b48-b824-4b372c91e831) Pina Colada Ice Lollies (#ulink_ebdea8c9-f5bc-5936-aca4-27a25d3aef72) Raspberry Daiquiri Ice Lollies (#ulink_11e8a5b8-59d5-5e91-aa16-bd47bebd8e2f) Lighter Chocolate & Raspberry Pots (#ulink_6c904fe7-b4f0-5a59-a404-bca60a64525e) Chocolate Mini Milks (#ulink_1bcfa8d1-9da2-5b5d-98ce-ac8c4aece803) Frozen Yoghurt & Berry Cupcake Bites (#ulink_a1774e45-0cfb-53f1-89a1-6caf331ac073) Strawberry & Peach Frozen Yoghurt (#ulink_2bac1f95-372c-522d-8f60-3ac9fc92dd8a) Mango & Lime Sorbet (#ulink_7a54c921-ebb0-5513-8c97-5105b8ee4996) Raspberry & Strawberry Sorbet (#ulink_3a86da78-5c6f-5617-bf0a-a4870b7caf99) Lighter Banana Bread (#ulink_9fab9c88-a175-55a8-b85c-184008c5046b) Banana & Honey Frozen Yoghurt (#ulink_338f4f07-2c37-551f-8e75-934aec252d24) Jam Jar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecakes (#ulink_19253386-33f3-5426-aa09-985bf1d4e2b1) Semifreddo Eton Mess (#ulink_652ea827-7b99-5453-9500-d9c968f666df) List of searchable terms (#ulink_eb13e39d-1a47-5a1a-8474-f212debc28b1) Acknowledgements (#ulink_82e10433-d956-5f15-aedd-6d68f0aefab3) About the Publisher (#ulink_b52c9120-cac4-5b89-aa7c-3059bdcee49d) Welcome (#ulink_d7e3448b-cf50-54a0-aa70-dc7e0cf82092) Or, for those who know me from my first cookbook, The Batch Lady, ‘Welcome Back!’. Either way, whether you’re a seasoned batcher who is familiar with my method or someone just dipping their toe into the world of batching for the first time, I’m thrilled to have you! And, for those new batchers, ‘Hello and welcome to the world of batching – I promise it’s going to revolutionise your time spent in the kitchen!’ So, a second cookbook! Who knew? I loved writing The Batch Lady, although as it was my first book, I was very nervous to see if people understood the concept and enjoyed the recipes. The good news is that I shouldn’t have been worried and it’s been amazing to see all the photos, messages and emails being sent in by everyone who has been ‘getting their batch on’ and telling me how much more time they have to do the things they love now that they’re not shackled to the kitchen night after night. My first book was packed full of hearty recipes that were sure to be hits with the whole family. The focus was on filling your freezer (and your belly!) with tasty food that could be on the table with as little fuss as possible. So, what’s different this time round? I’ve kept the focus on family cooking at the heart of this book and, as before, each meal serves 4–6 and can be scaled up or down to suit the size of your household. (Plus, if you do end up with extra, that’s just another meal that can be on standby in the freezer to save you cooking on another night!) The one key difference is that these recipes have more of a focus on health. When putting food on the table for my kids, making sure that I am providing a balanced plate of food is always at the front of my mind, but as a mother and wife who’s responsible for getting a family meal on the table, I am often pulled between trying to feed everyone in the house the same thing and trying to eat healthily. My children, who seem to grow taller by the day, need a nutritionally dense diet containing a good range of healthy fats. My husband and I, both in our mid 40s, can’t match their metabolisms, so need to keep more of an eye on what we eat. With that in mind, the recipes in this book offer the same comforting family favourites, but with twists and tricks to make them just that little bit healthier. Each recipe contains both ‘family’ and ‘lighter’ serving suggestions, so you can easily cater for everyone sitting around the table. While the kids might opt for rice and naan bread with their curry, the adults might prefer cauliflower rice and a dollop of yoghurt instead. Elsewhere, I’ve made simple substitutions to ingredients and methods of cooking that won’t impact on taste or nutritional value, but are kinder on calories; for example, baking instead of frying or using turkey mince instead of beef. If you are watching your calories, I have included a breakdown of the calorie and carbohydrate content of each meal at the top of page, so that you can easily factor those in when planning your meals. In this way, I hope that you can cater for your entire family and rest assured that, as well as being tasty, everyone is getting a well-balanced plate of food that ticks all the boxes for their individual nutritional needs. Over the last year, I have tested these recipes night after night and have truly loved the headspace and freedom of knowing that I can eat a healthy, calorie-controlled diet, while also feeding the whole family a meal that gives them everything they want and need. I no longer have to worry about cooking two separate meals, and with the power of batching, I can have it all ready-made in advance of the week ahead to free-up my precious evenings to do the stuff I really enjoy. As life gets ever busier, it can be hard to find time for the things that really count. As many of us deal with busy schedules, mounting work stress or feel the pull of the purse strings, planning our weekly meals can feel like an impossible task. My hope is that this book will take all that stress away with meals that are economical, waste-free, healthy, can be made ahead and, most importantly, taste great. Believe in the batch! Batch Yourself Healthy (#ulink_db367a5d-7ad4-595b-ae79-700f18750284) To people who have never batch-cooked before, planning your meals ahead and cooking in large quantities can seem like a lot of work, but the truth is that cooking in this way is a massive time-saver. With this book, you have the added benefit of knowing that the food you are preparing is also healthy, balanced and ticking all of the nutritional boxes for you and your family, which will give you back both time and headspace to spend on the things you love. THE BENEFITS OF BATCHING Batching is, quite simply, the act of making more than one meal at a time. It’s a great way of saving time and money and you don’t need to have any specialist equipment, or even a large freezer. My first book, The Batch Lady, focussed on batch cooking family favourites, and this book follows many of the same principles, however, this time I have kept health at the front of my mind when planning the recipes. For many of us, life is a juggling act, and planning what we are going to cook in the evening is just one of many balls that we are trying to keep in the air at any one time. As a parent, with multiple diaries to keep track of, just knowing who is going to be sat around the dinner table from day to day can seem an impossible task. And catering for different appetites and dietary requirements on top of that can quickly push you to overload. The good news is that following my method and batch cooking your meals will free up your mental load and mean that you always have a freezer full of delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals ready to access whenever you need them. I like to sit down at the beginning of the week and plan my meals, regardless of whether they’re being made from fresh, using up what I already have ready to go in the freezer or even when I’m giving myself a night off and ordering a pizza or a curry. Once I have my plan, I can do all my shopping and spend an hour or two doing the bulk of my prep and cooking for the week. Once that’s done, mealtimes are a doddle and I don’t have to spend any more of my precious time worrying about what I am going to cook when. Sounds good? Let’s get started. THE RECIPES As with all my recipes, those in this book are simple and easy to follow. They are split into chapters on Breakfasts, Light Meals, Fakeaways, Weeknights, Weekend Feasts, Sides & Sauces, and Desserts. Where my recipes differ slightly to those in a ‘traditional’ recipe book is that each recipe contains different instructions depending on if you want to cook the recipe to serve now, prepare it for the freezer to eat on another day or are reheating it from frozen. This might sound complicated, but it couldn’t be simpler. Simply follow the numbered method as far as you can and then jump to whichever of the three columns at the bottom of the page matches what you want to do. If you are cooking it to serve, just follow the ‘To Cook’ instructions, if freezing, jump to ‘To Freeze’, and so on. These are designed to be family meals serving 4–6 people, and I have always kept the whole family in mind when writing the recipes. Where dishes contain spice, I have always kept it on the milder end of the spectrum, so as not to blow any tiny tastebuds! If you’re a family of spice lovers, simply adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes. Because this a book of family cooking, another factor that I always have tried to consider is cost. You’ll notice, for example, that I use a lot of turkey mince in these recipes, as opposed to beef or lamb. Turkey is a brilliant sub to make because it is both cheaper, leaner and lower in fat than other types of mince. Plus, once it’s cooked into a tasty chilli or Bolognese, no one will notice the difference. VEGETARIAN RECIPES One of the things I get asked for a lot by followers on my social media channels is more vegetarian recipes. Many people have also said that they struggle with feeding the vegetarians in their house because their family is made up of a mix of vegetarians and omnivores. Making two meals to cater for different diets is a huge amount of extra work, so I have tried to include veggie meals that even the most determined carnivores would be happy to eat. All of the vegetarian recipes in this book are marked with a green ‘V’ symbol in the top corner, so are easy to identify. The other thing to note is that many of these recipes can easily be adapted to suit a vegetarian diet by subbing in, for example, a plant-based mince instead of meat or using veggie stock instead of chicken. Even if you and your family aren’t vegetarian, do give some of the veggie recipes a try as they are some of my favourite in the book. WORKING IN PAIRS Just like my first book, all of the recipes in this book have been put into pairs. These are dishes that lend themselves to being cooked at the same time, as they have similar ingredients or methods. In many of the recipes you will see a coloured bar running through the method. These bars give instructions on how to jump between the two recipes if you are making them both together. If, for example, a sauce on one recipe needs to bubble away for 10 minutes, that might be the perfect time to hop over to the second recipe and get it started. This is a great time-saving way of making two meals at once, and often means that you can make two meals in the time it would otherwise take you to make just one. If you want to make the meals in isolation, then that’s totally fine, too – just skip past the instructions in the coloured bars when working through the recipe. NO-COOK MEALS Do you ever rush into the supermarket looking for a fast-fix dinner and pick up one of those little foil trays with, say, two stuffed raw chicken breasts wrapped in bacon? While these can be a tasty and quick solution to an empty fridge, they are often expensive, especially if you are feeding more than two people. The ‘no-cook’ recipes in this book are my version of these, but they are far cheaper to make than to buy! The benefit of these recipes, especially if making them to store in the freezer, is that all you need to do is put all of the uncooked ingredients together in a freezer bag, then freeze and you have a ready-assembled meal prepared for another day. These recipes are easy to spot as there is often no numbered method in the recipe itself, just the ‘To Cook, To Freeze, To Cook from Frozen’ instructions at the bottom of the page. This isn’t a mistake – it’s just because the dish is so simple to prepare that you don’t need to do any actual cooking before it goes in the freezer! I often pair a ‘no-cook’ meal with a more complicated recipe, so you can quickly assemble one while the other is bubbling away. These are also the perfect place to start for anyone with mobility issues or who is heavily pregnant, as they can be made sitting at the kitchen table. DOUBLE BUBBLE! If you are going to make one, then you may as well make two! Once you’ve got the hang of using my method to make two meals at one time, the next step is to double the volume of the recipes you are making, so that at the end of your cooking time you will have four family meals ready for the fridge or freezer. Doing this generally only adds 5 minutes extra time to your cook, so is a great way of maximising your time and filling your freezer in the process! Equally, if you’re not cooking for a family, you can easily halve the recipes in the book and put one portion in the freezer for another day. LIGHTER SERVE VS FAMILY SERVE In order to make it as simple as possible to feed the whole family the same meal, I have kept each main recipe relatively light and given two options for sides. This means that if you’re trying to count the calories but want to give the kids something more substantial, you can easily make one main meal and switch up the side dishes so that your plate of food is just a little bit lighter. As an example, the Low-Fat Chicken Goujons (#ulink_953ed13c-7b48-5eb2-b812-37a465af1eda) gives the following options: Lighter Serve: Green leafy salad and Low-Fat Caesar Dressing (#ulink_ddf0ba13-7d7c-5e9b-bc2a-465fc3a2da02) Family Serve:Piri-Piri Sweet Potato Chips (#ulink_19cf99a1-31af-5dd7-873e-7af142ed659c) and peas HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? When deciding on the definition of ‘healthy’ for this book, I had to weigh up who was going to be sat around the dinner table eating these meals. This is family cooking, so it was important to me that it didn’t read like a diet book. Rather than focussing on just calories or fat content, I have tried to design the meals so that they are nutritionally balanced and provide everything a growing child needs and satisfies their appetite. That said, I was also aware that some people cooking from this book will be watching their weight, which is why I made the decision to include the amount of calories and sugar at the top of each recipe. These figures are per portion and include the main meal, but not any side dishes. I have also made some changes to the types of ingredients used in the recipes. These are small changes that will never be noticed in the final dish, but that make a big difference in terms of lightening the nutritional load for each recipe. For example, swapping out oil for low-calorie cooking spray or low-fat margarine for butter, and using low-fat cheese and yoghurt, and low-sodium stock throughout. These are easy changes to swap back, so just do what feels right for you and your family. Your meal, your choice. THREE WAYS WITH… Just like my last book, within the chapters you will find features titled ‘Three Ways With…’ This is where I show you how to take one basic recipe and serve it three different ways. There are some recipes that lend themselves really well to being adapted in this way, for example the Sweetcorn Fritters (#ulink_43355617-d439-584d-ad31-d06ed181e7f1). These can be enjoyed with eggs and bacon for breakfast or dressed up with avocado, crème fraîche and sriracha sauce and served for lunch. In this way, one basic recipe becomes three different meals, all of which feel fresh and different. This is a great way of making a big batch of one type of food and keeping the whole family interested every time you serve it! My Batch Commandments (#ulink_6c118967-4ad9-57b7-9ce8-3923a2b482a7) When planning your food for the week, follow these rules and you can’t go wrong! LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS GO TO PLAN Make a firm meal plan for 3–4 days of the week, then pencil in a rough outline for others. It’s a good idea to leave a few nights blank for when plans change, to use up leftovers or just for those days when you fancy getting a takeaway! THINK ABOUT MEALS IN TERMS OF TIME And pair them up with your life plan accordingly. Busy night? Pull a fast, pre-made meal from the freezer. Lazy Sunday? Why not cook a roast? EAT MEALS FROM YOUR FREEZER A few nights per week so you are not always cooking from scratch. DOUBLE UP! Cooking double quantities often takes no extra time and gives you two full meals in the time it would take to make just one. Simply eat one on the day and store the other in the freezer. ALLOCATE A ‘FILL-YOUR-FREEZER’ HOUR Once a month when you focus on cooking meals to freeze for later. To save time, make meals that use similar ingredients. (The three for the fridge, three for the freezer sections in this book are great for this.) GET THE FAMILY INVOLVED Asking your family what they’d like to eat in the week ahead takes the pressure off you to come up with ideas and helps keep everyone happy! STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW It’s fun to try something new, but don’t take on too much all at once. Add one new recipe to your repetoire each week to start branching out. BE HONEST! Only plan meals that you know you will make. The more ‘real’ you are, the better the process will work. 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