Good + Simple

The Sunday Cook-Off is your chance to plan and prepare key ingredients and make snacks and meals to set you up for the week. While you’re preparing your Sunday lunch or supper, make full use of the hot oven and any spare shelf space to cook up vegetables for future meals, being more time- and energy-efficient. If you’re having a roast on Sunday, use the bones to make broth and turn any leftover meat and veg into a packed lunch or weeknight supper. You’ll feel better prepared and ready to face Monday morning mayhem.

The most useful things to do ahead of time are soaking and/or cooking quinoa, making broth, soup or a stew, and blending dressings. Of course, the Cook-Off doesn’t have to be restricted to Sundays – we all have different schedules so find the time for a Cook-Off that suits you and your family best.

As you get into the swing of things you can gear your weekly shop or weekend farmers market visit towards your Sunday Cook-Off – and even start activating ingredients the day before. In the menu plans on the following pages we give suggested Sunday Cook-Offs to help make things more manageable but these are just suggestions – do what’s best for you.

Use the following weekly menus on rotation, if you like, so that planning, shopping and cooking meals for you (and your family) is as fuss-free as possible.

We’ve chosen some of the easiest recipes in the book, most can be made ahead and many will provide leftovers to either use up later in the week or freeze for a future date. Both plans work for two hungry adults. If you are cooking for one, either halve the quantities in the shopping list and recipes or follow the plans and freeze the extra food for another week.

Don’t forget that it’s not just soups and stews that make a great hot lunch. Use your thermos to pack other leftover suppers, such as Chinese-style Beef and Broccoli (see here) or Chicken Comfort Pie (see here), too. Just don’t forget to reheat them first! And if you end up going out for dinner, turn the meal you’ve made into tomorrow’s lunch or freeze it ready for another day.

Make sure your shopping is in by Saturday evening then use the Sunday Cook-Offs to help you get ahead for the week. Note: the following shopping lists are designed for those starting from scratch – use up what you have in your cupboards first if you already have some of these ingredients.

1 jar each of ground cinnamon; ground turmeric; chilli powder; dried thyme; dried oregano; dried basil; cayenne pepper; sweet smoked paprika; Chinese five-spice powder; caraway /fennel seeds; garlic powder

WEEK 2

Fresh fruit/veg

small bag green salad leaves

5 lemons

3 limes

2 large bananas

2 apples

kale (about 50g)

4 spring onions

14 onions

1 red onion

6 bulbs garlic

3 red peppers

2 romano peppers

1 bunch celery

1 celeriac (600g)

1 leek

7 large carrots

5 medium courgettes

3 heads cauliflower

1 head broccoli

1 red chilli

1 bulb fennel

200g green beans

250g mushrooms

mixed root veg (beetroot/swede/celeriac/squash, about 600g)

1 large butternut squash

spinach (about 300g) and spinach/chard (about 200g)

3 avocados

watercress (50g)

Frozen veg

frozen peas (100g)

Fresh herbs/spices

1 large piece ginger

1 small bunch mint

1 very large bunch parsley

1 very large bunch coriander

1 small handful thyme

1 small handful oregano

4 lemongrass stalks

2 kaffir lime leaves

Dairy/meat

1 small pot coconut yoghurt or full-fat probiotic yoghurt

1 small block Cheddar

1 block feta

1 block Parmesan

250g ricotta

20 medium eggs

1.7kg chicken thighs

3kg beef/lamb bones/chicken carcass

350g white fish fillets

6 rashers unsmoked bacon

1 handful chicken livers (optional)

8 medium sausages (at least 97% meat content)

Dried herbs/spices

1 jar each of ground turmeric; ground cinnamon; oregano; ground cumin; ground coriander; sweet smoked paprika; chilli flakes

garam masala or medium curry powder (2 tsps)

1 pack bay leaves

sea salt

black pepper/peppercorns

1 small bottle vanilla extract

Nuts/seeds/dried fruit

chia/flaxseeds (1 tbsp)

ground flaxseeds (250g)

white sesame seeds (1 tbsp)

raisins (160g)

4 dried pitted dates

Bottles/jars/tins

300g coconut oil/butter/ghee

hazelnut butter (100g)

coconut flour (4 tbsp)

quinoa (700g)

bicarbonate of soda

make sure you have plenty of: maple syrup; ACV; tamari; fish sauce; EVOO; flaxseed oil and raw honey

cocoa powder (40g)

English mustard/powder (2 tsps)

1 tube of tomato puree

8 pitted olives in oil

sundried tomatoes in oil (120g)

6 × 400g tins tomatoes

3 × 400g tins cannellini beans

3 × 400ml tins coconut milk

1 × 400g tin black beans

Note: shopping lists do not include snacks so pick what you fancy from the menu plans (overleaf) and add the ingredients you need to your shopping basket in addition to what is listed here.

SUNDAY

BREAKFAST

One Pan Full Monty Breakfast (see here)

LUNCH

Slow-cooked Chicken Pot Roast with Sweet Paprika and Cayenne (see here)

DINNER

Green Goddess Noodle Salad (see here) Soak 300g quinoa in the morning (see here). Make Chia pudding and Quinoa Courgette Toast in the evening (see here and here). Put Bone Broth on overnight (see here).

MONDAY

BREAKFAST

Berry and Coconut Chia Pudding

LUNCH

Leftover Green Goddess Noodle Salad

DINNER

Cream of Tomato Soup (see here)

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST

Leftover Berry and Coconut Chia Pudding

LUNCH

Chicken and Sesame Noodle Pot (see here) using leftover meat from Chicken Pot Roast

DINNER

Quick Coconut Dahl with Zingy Slaw (see here)

WEDNESDAY

BREAKFAST

Quinoa Courgette Toast (with your choice of topping)

LUNCH

Leftover Quick Coconut Dahl with Zingy Slaw

DINNER

Courgetti with Quick Chickpea Tomato Sauce (see here)

THURSDAY

BREAKFAST

Leftover Quinoa Courgette Toast

LUNCH

Leftover Cream of Tomato Soup

DINNER

Chinese-style Beef and Broccoli (see here)

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST

Ginger Zinger Smoothie (see here)

LUNCH

Leftover Chinese-style Beef and Broccoli

DINNER

Leftover Quick Coconut Dahl with Zingy Slaw

BREAKFAST

Chestnut Pancakes (with your choice of filling, here)

LUNCH

Powerhouse Steak and Kale Salad (see here)

DINNER

Spicy Miso Salmon with Broccoli Rice (see here)

SNACK IDEAS:

A slice of Quinoa Courgette Toast, Bone Broth with miso stirred in, a Ginger Zinger Smoothie, Nicky’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (see here), a boiled egg and some leftover Chickpea Tomato Sauce, Tummy Tonic Juice (see here), Sri Lankan Squash Croquettes (see here) or leftover Chestnut Pancakes with a sweet or savoury filling.

SUNDAY

BREAKFAST

Apple and Bacon Muffins (see here)

LUNCH

Chicken Comfort Pie with green salad (see here)

DINNER

Moroccan Meditation Stew (see here) Put Bone Broth on in the morning and soak 700g quinoa (see here and here). You could make a batch of Flaxseed Buns today too, if you have time (see here).

MONDAY

BREAKFAST

Hemsley Green Machine (see here)

LUNCH

Leftover Chicken Comfort Pie with green salad

DINNER

Squash and Ginger Soup with Lemony Coriander Oil (see here)

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST

Hemsley Green Machine

DINNER

Leftover Moroccan Meditation Stew

DINNER

Fish Amok Cambodian Curry (see here) with Broccoli Rice (see here)

WEDNESDAY

BREAKFAST

Cinnamon, Raisin and Quinoa Breakfast Muffins (see here, freeze any leftover muffins)

LUNCH

Flaxseed Bun Open Sandwich (Egg, Mayo and Watercress) here)

DINNER

Quinoa Biryani (see here)

THURSDAY

BREAKFAST

Leftover Flaxseed Buns (with avocado or BBtella, here)

LUNCH

Leftover Moroccan Meditation Stew

DINNER

Quick Sausage Ragu with Celeriac Spaghetti (see here, freeze the leftovers)

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST

Leftover Cinnamon, Raisin and Quinoa Breakfast Muffins

LUNCH

Leftover Flaxseed Bun (½ each) with leftover Squash and Ginger Soup

DINNER

Slow-cooked ‘No-fry’ Chicken Curry (see here) with Cauliflower Rice (see here)

SATURDAY

BREAKFAST

Huevos Rancheros with Guacamole (see here)

LUNCH

Quinoa-stuffed Romano Peppers (see here)

DINNER

Courgette and Cannellini Bean Lasagne (see here, freeze the leftovers)

SNACK IDEAS:

Tahini Date Fridge Fudge (see here), leftover Apple and Bacon Muffins, leftover Cinnamon, Raisin and Quinoa Breakfast Muffins, Caroby Fruit and Nut Balls (see here), Blueberry Muffins (see here), Multiseed Crackers spread with butter or coconut oil (see here), Drink Your Greens juice (see here) or crudités with Spicy Turmeric and Red Lentil Dip (see here).

PLANNING AHEAD