Beef Steak with warm sweet potato salad

This takes about 30 mins to prepare, and has a lovely combination of flavours and textures. If you don't have a microwave, you can oven bake the sweet potato and baking potato, but it will take around an hour.

Recipe (serves 4)

1. Prepare 2 baking potatoes by scrubbing well. Prick with a fork then microwave on full power for 10 mins.
2. Prepare your vegetables: chop up 1 large or 2 small red onions, a handful of mushrooms, 3 green peppers, and 2 large or 3 small sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes should be scrubbed then cut into 3-4 big chunks. You don't need to peel them.
3. When your baking potatoes have finished cooking, wrap them in foil and set them aside. Put the sweet potato chunks in a microwave dish, add 2 tbsp water, a sprinkling of oregano, thyme and black pepper, then cover and microwave for 10 mins (you may need to stir half-way through).
4. Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan and a saucepan. Fry the red onions in the frying pan and put the mushrooms and peppers in the saucepan with the lid on, to cook slowly.
5. Once the onions have softened, add 4 steaks to the frying pan. You can add seasoning here- Cajun spice, chilli powder and black pepper. You could always marinade the night before if you're organised!
6. Prepare a lettuce by washing and cutting into thin strips, and halve 4 tomatoes. You can fry the tomatoes with the steaks or keep them raw for the salad.
7. Cook the steaks on both sides to your preference, and stir the vegetables so they are nice and tender.
8. Once the sweet potatoes are done, put them into a salad bowl with the lettuce (and tomatoes, if you aren't cooking them). Add a sprinkling of lemon juice. Add the mushrooms and peppers and mix well.
9. Serve up the steaks (with fried tomato if applicable) and halve the baking potatoes. People can help themselves to the sweet potato salad. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and mustard work well as condiments with this meal too.

Chicken pasta salad with pesto

A great way to use up leftover chicken from a roast; otherwise buy a pack of cooked strips of chicken.

Recipe
Cook 150-200g pasta according to packet instructions (I like using wholewheat fusilli).
Prepare salad by shredding some lettuce and quartering a handful of baby tomatoes.
Heat up the chicken by microwaving for a few minutes. Make sure it's piping hot.
Microwave a tin of runner beans for 2-3 minutes.
Once pasta is cooked, drain it and stir in 3-4 tsp green pesto. Add the runner beans and chicken and mix well.
Serve up the green salad with the pasta mix on top. You can also add black pepper for seasoning.

Chicken and leek stroganoff

Recipe (serves 2)
Fry 2 chicken breasts in a pan till golden. You could add some white wine- I tried white wine vinegar but the resulting flavour was a bit too tangy!
Prepare 1 leek by cutting into 3 lengthy chunks, then halving across the middle. Wash carefully, then add to the pan.
Put on 100g long grain rice to boil.
Prepare around 6 mushrooms, slicing them thinly. Add to the pan.
After another few minutes, add 2-3tbsp creme fraiche and stir in well. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Use some herbs to add extra flavour, such as thyme and oregano. 1 tsp is enough.
Serve up with the rice once the stroganoff is heated through.

Sausage and apple bake

Nice and easy, and great for autumn suppers.

Recipe (serves 2)
Place sausages in an oven-proof dish with 1 onion cut into large chunks, and 2 apples (peeled and sliced). Mix together 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp honey and pour over as a glaze. Put into the oven, heated to 180 degrees.
Prepare a sweet potato by cutting into wedges, then put into a bowl with 1 tbsp water and microwave for 4-6 mins. This cuts down cooking time in the oven. Once you've done that, add them to the dish with the sausages. Add some herbs like thyme to the dish.
Prepare a Savoy cabbage by cutting into thin strips, and put into a steamer. Don't start cooking it until the sausages have been in the oven for 25 mins.
Steam the cabbage and use leftover water to make up some gravy (good old Bisto).
Serve up once sausages are cooked through and turning brown, and the sweet potato is tender. Total cooking time for the sausages will probably be around 40 mins.

10 week meal planner- version 2

This is an updated version with new meals I've been cooking recently.

Week 1
Spaghetti bolognaise (double sauce)
Fajitas (using leftovers)
Lentil and bacon broth or Cajun red bean soup
Curried bean risotto
Goats cheese pizza with salad
Sticky pork steaks with sweet potato

Week 2
Griddled beef with sweet potato
Fish and lemon risotto
Chilli black bean stew
Beef adobo
Mushroom tagliatelle
Lentil & veg cottage pie
Warm green veg and farfalle salad

Week 3
Roast chicken with potatoes and veg
Tomato and chicken pilaf (using leftover chicken)
Poached chicken with pesto
Chickpea and spinach curry
Tomato and feta potato salad
Bacon and pea pasta
Veggie gratin

Week 4
Beef and courgette burgers
Peppers, pork and mash
Mexican bean melt
Bacon, peppers and pasta in tomato sauce
Chunky pistou
Sausages with aubergine and haloumi salad

Week 5
Hungarian goulash
Vegetarian lasagne
Sweet and sour turkey
Picadillo
5 spice veg stir fry
Bacon risotto
Sausages with cannelini bean salad

Week 6
Ginger chicken
Chicken risotto
Chilli con carne
Goats cheese and grilled veg and salad
Vegetable stir fry
Sausage, pea and feta salad
Penne and roast veg pasta bake

Week 7
Mediterranean chicken
Leek and broccoli bake
Chicken and veg hotpot
Lentil casserole
Veggie Pizza
Ratatouille with penne
Grilled chicken with pasta salad
Moroccan lamb with aubergine

Week 8
Pork steaks with redcurrant jelly sauce
Chicken casserole
Beef, mushroom and broccoli stir fry
Coronation chicken with jacket potatoes and salad
Moroccan spiced veg with halloumi
Tagliatelle
Chicken curry

Week 9
Beef stew
Apple and sausage roast with mash and greens
Chicken and leek stroganoff
Jambalaya
Mackerel with potatoes and salad
Moussaka stacks
Corned beef hash
Pork stir fry with black bean sauce
Tortellini with tomato sauce and salad

Week 10
Beef lasagne (spare half the sauce)
Beefy jacket potatoes
Pork chops with creamy apple sauce
Chicken casserole
Creamy poached chicken with bacon and greens
Fish and chips with peas
Mushrooms, haloumi, red pepper and rocket salad

Griddled beef with sweet potato and peppers

A light summer supper.
Serves 2

1. Peel a sweet potato and cut into chunks.
2. Cut a red pepper into strips.
3. Toss together in a bowl with 1 tsp paprika and 1 tbsp olive oil, then fry until lightly charred in a heavy, non-stick pan. You may need to add a few tbsp water to help soften the sweet potato.
4. Preheat a griddle pan and use to cook 2 beef escalope steaks to your preference (or use the frying pan).
5. Serve with crusty baguette and some salad.

Sticky pork steaks with sweet potato wedges

Marinate the pork the night before. Serves 4.

Marinade: 3 tbsp wine vinegar, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tbsp mustard.

1. Mix the marinade ingredients then pour into a food bag with 4 pork steaks inside. Put in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Cut 2 sweet potatoes into wedges (no need to peel), and put into an oven proof dish. Season with 1 tsp paprika and sprinkle with olive oil, then roast for 30 mins.
3. Cook the pork steaks by frying with all the marinade juice.
4. Serve with salad or peas and barbecue sauce.