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Seven day sample menu



Please note. The plan is nutritionally complete apart from Calcium. It is really hard to get enough calcium in without dairy unless having fish with edible bones every day or fortified milk replacement products. See link for advice on improving your Calcium intake at the end of this article.

Back up information, recipes and links.

Toast and oatcake toppings

Choose from

Banana and cinnamon

Banana and avocado

Nut butter and banana

Nut butter and raspberries

Stewed apple

Eggs and spinach

Eggs and avocado

Grilled tomatoes

Mushrooms

Porridge made on water or dairy free milk substitute

Toppings choose from

Grated or stewed apples and cinnamon

Banana and blueberries

Frozen tropical fruit mix and a little coconut oil

Seeds – whole or ground

Almonds – flaked or ground

Smoothie

1 banana

2 tablespoons of fresh or frozen berries

2 handfuls of spinach

2 tsp ground linseed

A little water or coconut water

Blend

Or try

3 handfuls of spinach

1 large or 2 small oranges

1 cm fresh ginger

Blend

Lunches

Baked potato, baked beans and side salad

Bake an extra potato with dinner on Sunday evening, then just warm and serve with reduce salt and sugar baked beans and side salad for lunch

Quinoa salad with chickpeas

Mix a tin of chickpeas or beans with quinoa salad left over from Monday evening’s dinner

Roasted vegetable and hummus wrap

Add vegetables left over from Tuesday evening’s dinner to a wholemeal wrap, add a handful of green leaves e.g. rocket and hummus

Baked sweet potato and apple coleslaw

Wash then prick the skin of a sweet potato. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or microwave for 8 minutes (or until cooked).

For the Apple Coleslaw

Serves 4

½ red cabbage, very thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled, julienned or grated

2 apples, cored, julienned or grated

1 red onion (optional)

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp mixed seeds (optional)

Mix vegetables with mayonnaise. Sprinkle over seeds if using. Pile on top of baked sweet potato

Vegetables can be shredded using a food processor

Pesto pasta with roasted vegetables

Mix leftover pasta from Thursday evening’s dinner with ‘Free From’ pesto sauce and roasted vegetables left over from Tuesday evening’s dinner. Eat cold or warm through.

Mixing the pesto with the pasta when cooked the previous evening will prevent it from sticking.

Butternut squash, sweet potato and carrot soup

Serves 4

2 medium onions

3 garlic cloves, chopped

500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

500g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

500g carrots, peeled and sliced

I litre of low salt vegetable stock

1 tsp dried herbs

400g cannellini beans, drained

Ground pepper

Sauté the onions in a little olive oil. Add the squash, sweet potato and carrots and continue to sauté for a few minutes. Pour in the stock to cover the vegetables, add the beans and herbs. Cook on a gentle heat for 20 minutes and then add the beans. Season with pepper. Liquidise in a liquidiser or with a hand blender. Serve.

Freezes well.

This soup is delicious but does involve a lot of chopping. Ready chopped soup and casserole vegetables are available from most supermarkets and can be used in place of the butternut squash, sweet potato and carrot

Beetroot salad and hummus wrap

Add Beetroot salad to a wholemeal wrap and top with hummus

For the Beetroot salad

Serves 4

3 beetroots

2 carrots

juice of 1 lemon

heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard

a drizzle of honey

a little olive or rapeseed oil

small pinch of salt

(a sprinkle of seeds for the top)

Peel and grate the carrots and beetroot (ideally in a food processor!).

Heat a little oil in a pan. Add all the ingredients and stir fry for 1 – 2 minutes.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Dinners

Chicken with quinoa salad

Serves 4

(this includes ingredients for tomorrow’s lunch)

300g quinoa

2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 garlic clove, crushed

400g chicken mini fillets

600g vine tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ cucumber

1 red onion, finely sliced

bunch mint leaves, chopped

juice and zest 2 lemons

olive oil

Cook the quinoa following the pack instructions, then rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, mix olive oil, chilli and garlic into a paste.

Toss the chicken fillets in a little olive oil. Lay in a hot griddle pan and cook for 4-5 mins each side or until cooked through (or grill).

Transfer to a plate, drizzle with the spicy oil mixture and set aside to melt.

Next, tip the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and mint into a bowl. Toss in the cooked quinoa. Stir through the lemon juice and zest, and season.

Serve half the quinoa salad with the chicken fillets on top.

Mix remaining quinoa salad with 2 tins of chickpeas (or beans). Put in an airtight container and refrigerate for lunch tomorrow. (lunch for 4)

To reduce cooking required quinoa can be bought ready cooked

Salmon and roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

Serves 4

(this recipe includes in ingredients for lunches later in the week)

A mixture of vegetables chopped into large chunks e.g.

6 peppers – mixed colours

4 courgettes

2 aubergine

24 cherry tomatoes (or 6 large tomatoes cut into quarters)

4 tablespoons olives

handful of Basil leaves (torn)

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 Salmon fillets

Chilli flakes (optional)

1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180℃/350F/Gas mark 4

Wash and chop the vegetables into chunks

Place the vegetables in a large baking tray

Sprinkle the vegetables with the crushed garlic and then drizzle with the olive oil

Throw in the Basil leaves.

Give the vegetables a mix.

Place salmon fillets on top, sprinkle with chilli flakes and a squeeze of lemon

Place in the oven for 30 minutes

When cooked mix in the olives.

Serve salmon with roasted vegetables and new potatoes

Place remaining roasted vegetable in an airtight container and refrigerate for use in lunches later in the week.

Ready chopped Mediterranean vegetables are available from most supermarkets

Chilli con Carne

Serves 4

500g lean minced beef

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 heaped tsp chilli powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 beef stock cube, mixed with 300ml hot water

400g can chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

410g can red kidney beans

Add the oil to a large pan for 1-2 minutes until hot . Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, red pepper, chilli powder, paprika and ground cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave to cook for another minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the minced beef and fry until browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato puree and marjoram.

Bring to the boil, then turn down heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the beans, bring to the boil again, and simmer without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.

Serve with wholegrain rice or quinoa

Freezes well.

Ready cooked chilli con carne with ready cooked microwave whole grain rice makes a super quick and easy meal.

Also good with a baked potato.

Chicken Stir fry

Serves 4

4 chicken fillets, diced

2 packs of stir fry vegetables

(or your own mixture e.g. sliced pepper, broccoli, courgette, baby corn, mangetout, bean shoots, soya beans, onion)

Low salt soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cm ginger, finely chopped

2 chilli, chopped (optional)

Oil (sesame oil adds extra flavour)

Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add chicken and fry on a medium meat for 5 minutes, stir regularly. Add vegetables, garlic, ginger, chilli and soy sauced. Fry for a further 5 minutes or until cooked.

Serve with whole grain rice or quinoa.

Microwavable whole grain rice can be bought ready cooked to reduce cooking time.

Mediterranean Sardine Spaghetti

Serves 4

200g whole wheat spaghetti or pasta shapes (plus extra for lunch tomorrow)

4 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

2 red onion, finely chopped

30g pitted black Kalamata olives, quartered

2 red chilli, finely chopped

Zest and juice of 2 lemon

Large handful basil, shredded

4x120g cans sardines in olive oil

Boil the spaghetti following pack instructions.

Mix the tomatoes with the onion, olives, chilli, lemon zest and basil.

Heat the sardines in a pan.

Drain the pasta, keep some aside for lunch tomorrow, then return to the pan and toss well with the tomato mixture. Add the sardines in chunky pieces. Season with lemon juice and pepper.

Mix reserved pasta with ‘Free From’ pesto, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for lunch tomorrow.

Sicilian Cod

Serves 4

4 cod fillets (~ 180g each)

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 x 200g cans of chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp black olives

sprig of oregano

1 lemon

400g baby spinach

seasoning

olive oil

Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until soft. Add tomatoes, olives, oregano and seasoning. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat to low and simmer until time to serve.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with foil. Place the cod on the tray, squeeze over the juice from the lemons. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.

Steam the spinach with a little water until wilted. (this will not take long)

Place the wilted spinach in the centre of a plate, place the cod on top and pour over the tomato sauce.

Serve with new potatoes. Venison casserole

Serves 4

2 carrot, roughly chopped

140g turnip or swede, roughly chopped

2 onions, roughly chopped

3 celery sticks, roughly chopped

olive oil for frying

1 garlic clove, crushed

1kg boned leg or shoulder of venison, cut into large chunks (or buy ready-cubed venison for stewing)

5 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

450ml dry red wine

450ml beef stock

2 thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Fry the vegetables in a little oil in a heavy-based casserole for 4-5 mins until golden. Tip in the garlic and fry for a further minute, then set aside.

Put the venison into a plastic bag with seasoned flour and shake to coat. Add a little more oil to the pan, then fry the venison over a high heat until well browned. Set aside with the vegetables.

Add the redcurrant jelly and wine to the pan, and bring to the boil, scraping up all the bits that have stuck to the bottom. Pour in the stock, add the thyme, bay leaf, meat and vegetables. Season and bring to the boil. Cover and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hrs or until tender.

Freezes well

Serve with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Consider cooking an extra baked potato for lunch on Monday

Additional calcium advice


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