Chances are, most of us are still trying to be healthy and save money by cutting the Pret habit and making lunches to take into work. But when it’s bleak and miserable and you want an extra five minutes in bed at your boyfriend’s, preparing meals to take to work is the last thing you want to do. Plus by the time it gets to Wednesday the thought of having the same roast veg and bulgur you made on Sunday night fills you with dread.
The solution: Buy ingredients on a Monday, keep them in your work fridge and use this meal planner to make four different, super cheap and healthy meals. They can all be made with the menial equipment in a standard work kitchen, no home prep required. Because no one wants to be the person who leaves the pub early because they need to prepare tomorrow’s lunch.
**WARNING : **You may look like a dick for the first few days but once people get used to the sight of you microwaving eggs, they will leave you alone. Trust me. There are also a few basic bits of work-microwaving etiquette you should adhere to which are all explained here.
Monday Shopping List
Basic list under £6
1 avocado
1 box of eggs
Pack of wholemeal pitta bread
1 pack of feta
2 sweet potatoes
1 bag of spinach
1 pack of coriander
For meat eaters
1 pack of sliced chorizo
To bring from home and keep in your desk draw
Salt and pepper
Small bottle of oil and vinegar
Chilli flakes
Toppings to add depending on your budget that week
Spring onions snipped into rounds using your work scissors
Mixed seeds kept in a jar in your desk
Plum tomatoes
Monday - Sweet Potato Jacket with a Feta Mix
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Wash then microwave a sweet potato on a high heat for seven minutes or until soft.
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Crumble a large chunk of feta into a bowl and mix with a small pinch of chilli flakes, pepper and some picked coriander leaves.
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Cut the sweet potato down the middle and top with the feta mix. Serve with a handful of spinach.
Tuesday - Lazy Guac
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Cut an avocado in half. Set aside the half with the stone inside to use tomorrow, covering tightly to help stop it going brown.
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Cut the flesh of the other half into bite size chunks and scoop into a bowl using a spoon.
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Mush the avocado using the back of a fork then add salt, chilli flakes and a small handful of picked coriander leaves.
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Toast the pita or rye bread and cut up into strips using (washed!) work scissors. Serve alongside the lazy guac topped with some torn up slices of chorizo if using.
Wednesday - Egg and Avo Scramble
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Take the leftover avocado half from yesterday and cut up into bite size chunks scooped out with a spoon.
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To make microwaved scrambled egg that doesn’t taste like rubber, break two eggs into a mug. Add a knob of butter, salt and a dash of milk stolen from the work fridge then beat lightly with a fork.
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Microwave on a medium heat for 1 minute then take out and stir. Continue cooking on a medium heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in-between each. Cook for about 3 minutes or until it looks slightly runnier than you like as it will carry on cooking a bit.
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While the egg is cooking, toast your rye or pita bread and arrange two big handfuls of spinach on a plate.
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Top the spinach with the egg then the avocado and serve with bread on the side.
Thursday - Sweet Potato and Feta Frittata
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Wash then microwave a sweet potato for seven minutes or until soft. Wait for it to cool slightly before peeling off the skin. Cut the flesh into small bite size chunks.
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Lay a handful of spinach leaves in a shallow bowl and pat down until they are laying flat. Crumble a large chunk of feta on top, followed by the sweet potato chunks.
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Beat three eggs in a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg over the spinach, feta and sweet potato. Add some torn up chorizo slices at this point if using.
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Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave on a medium heat for 3 minutes or until the egg is set.
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Loosen the edges of the frittata with a spoon. Place a plate on top of the bowl, flip onto a fresh plate and serve alongside a handful of spinach leaves.
Friday
Buy a burrito cos you deserve it for being so fucking wholesome the past four days.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
How To Make A Chicken & Asparagus Risotto In 10 Minutes Flat
How To Make A Healthy Weeknight Microwave Jambalaya In 3 Minutes Flat
Follow Izzy on Twitter @IsabelCollinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.