A good-quality breakfast, plenty of exercise, a homemade lunch and stress-free freshly cooked dinner are keys to a healthy life. No time? No problem. Empty wallet? We're on it.
Make quick homemade breakfasts
We spend, on average, just under 11 minutes eating breakfast every day. A bowl of cereal or slice of toast is super-speedy to prep, but you can rustle up and eat most of these breakfasts in a similar amount of time. Alternatively, make breakfast the night before so it's ready to eat before the kettle has boiled.
Adding fruit and veg is one way to make breakfast taste great without extra sugar – and it helps you get your five-a-day. You could save a pretty penny, decrease your sugar intake and up your fibre, protein and vitamins, keeping you fuller for longer.
Savoury sensations
- Dippy egg with soldiers
- Creamy mushrooms on toast
- Cheese and ham omelette
- Smashed avo on toast
- Eggy bread
Sweeten up your morning
- Berrylicious porridge
- Banana cocoa crunch overnight oats
- Cinnamon and pear porridge
- Berry and nut yoghurt
- Blackberry crumble smoothie
Pack favourite meals with extra veg
One thing that's sure to improve your life is getting your five-a-day, every day. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey only 31% of adults and 8% of teenagers meet the five-a-day recommendation. Start by simply adding more veggies to your usual meals (you can even hide them), then add a couple of new dishes to your repertoire.
Serves 2
- Roasted stuffed peppers
- Quick bean enchiladas
- Fajitas with guacamole
- One pan saltimbocca with veg
- Quick broccoli pasta
Serves 4–6
- Baked meatballs with veg sauce
- Spag Bol with hidden veg
- Squash curry
- Vegetable lasagne
- Vegetable soup
Fill up on gut-friendly fibre
Complex carbs are your friends and many everyday foods are packed with this vital nutrient: brown rice, wholemeal pasta, peas, beans, grains and pulses are loaded with it. If you don’t like wholemeal pasta and brown rice, just add lots of fibrous vegetables to the sauce. There are plenty of other high-fibre meals and snacks.
Vegetarian
- Italian veggie balls - 16.5g fibre
- Tomato and fennel stew - 16g fibre
- Greens with giant couscous - 12.5g fibre
- Shakshuka traybake - 8.5g fibre
- Versatile vegetable stew - 8g fibre
Meaty options
- Wholemeal spag Bol - 12g fibre
- Chorizo and butterbean stew - 12g fibre
- Easy cottage pie - 12g fibre
- Chicken and leek bake - 11.5g fibre
- Roast chicken traybake - 11g fibre
Make your own lunch
Spend more time on your lunch break enjoying yourself rather than stood in a supermarket queue, make your meal the way you like it and save cash! Sandwiches, wraps and salads are easy to make and simple to transport in a lunch box.
Wraps and sandwiches
- Cheesy chicken quesadillas
- Tuna Niçoise wrap
- Ras-el-hanout chicken wraps
- Smoked salmon open sandwich
- Chicken pesto and rocket sandwich
Salads
- Tuna rice salad
- Tofu sushi bowl
- Ploughman's salad
- Vegetable couscous with tahini dressing
- Greek pasta salad
Try takeaway swaps
It's time to quit fast-food habits and make your own dinner. Whether you're partial to a Chinese or Indian takeaway, fish and chips or a kebab, we've got plenty of easy recipes.
Curry
- Chicken and vegetable balti
- Easy chicken korma
- Chickpea and egg curry
East Asian dishes
- Chinese plum chicken
- Chicken egg-fried rice
- Salt and pepper chicken
- Sweet and sticky pork
Takeaway faves
- Pepperoni pizza
- Fish and chips
- Doner kebab
Batch-cook favourites
There's no better feeling than a homemade meal you've stashed away in the freezer for after a long and tiring day. Live your best smug life by using your spare time to batch-cook meals for days when you need them most. Baking and slow-cooking make an easy job of prepping large meals.
Bake in the oven
- Cottage pie
- Macaroni cauliflower cheese
- Vegan shepherd's pie
- Chicken pasta bake
- Veggie lasagne
Slow cook
- Vegan chilli
- Somerset chicken with dumplings
- Five-spice beef
- Sausage stew
- Lamb and lentil curry
Eat more oily fish
Oily fish is a great source of protein. It is low in saturated fat and high in the essential fatty acid Omega 3, which is good for memory and brain function. Salmon is the most popular, but mackerel, trout and sardines are great sources too. Few of us eat the recommended one portion a week, so here are some easy recipes to help change that.
Salmon
- Microwave soy salmon noodles
- Salmon and pea risotto
- Thai steamed salmon
- Pesto salmon parcels
Sardines, mackerel and trout
- Grilled mackerel salad
- Indian-spiced smoked mackerel
- Smoked mackerel pilau rice
- Sardine and kale pasta
- Rick Stein's sardine tortillas
- The Hairy Bikers' trout almondine
Be ready for last-minute dinners
Dinner doesn't have to involve loads of planning. These meals need a handful of ingredients and take almost no time to prep. Keep a small stack of shop-bought pasta, gnocchi, wraps, rice and noodles in your cupboard. You might have to pop to the shops for one or two fresh items, but a well-stocked cupboard should keep stress levels down.
Serves 1–2
- Mushroom tagliatelle
- Sausage and gnocchi bake
- Chicken kebab wrap
- Speedy fish gratin
- Cheesy quesadillas
- Quick chicken noodle soup
Serves 4
- Pork tacos
- Jollof rice
- Chorizo pasta
- Hoisin salmon noodles
Eat well when you’re skint
Perhaps you’re waiting for your pay packet or saving up for the trip of a lifetime, but eating cheaply doesn't have to come at the cost of boring food. Tins, packets, cheaper cuts of meat and local produce bring the cost of your weekly shop down, without having to compromise on taste or size. Fill up on these wallet-concious meals.
Serves 1–2
- Tuna fishcakes
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Easy sausage jambalaya
- Sausage meatball noodles
- Butterbeans in tomato sauce
Serves 4
- Penne arrabiata
- Mediterranean bean stew
- Chorizo frittata
- Sausage and mash
- Macaroni cheese
Fuelling exercise
Exercise may make you feel tired in the short term, but getting fitter is likely to improve your energy and concentration.
Fuelling your body before a major workout will give you the energy to perform at your best. Many professionals advise you eat 45–60 minutes before the workout and within 45 minutes of finishing. Make sure you eat plenty of slow-release carbs such as oats, fruits and wholegrains.
After a tiring workout, your body rebuilds its glycogen stores to repair and grow your muscles. Eating a combination of carbs, fats and proteins helps with this and to avoid sore muscles.
Before: slow-release carbs
- Crunchy banana yoghurt
- Wholemeal banana muffins
- Oat and pecan granola
- Bacon eggy bread
- Blueberry ricotta pots
After: protein, carb and fat combo
- Chicken tikka salad
- Firecracker prawns
- Chicken omelette
- Shakshouka
- Chilli con carne with cauliflower 'rice'
