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