Cook once, meals for a week

Set aside three hours on a Sunday and do some pre-cooking for a week of easy dinners.

All it takes is one Sunday afternoon cooking session to have dinner sorted for the week ahead! With our three-part process, simply prepare the base mix recipes, store them in the fridge/freezer, then just assemble and/or finish off cooking on the day for fast weeknight dinners.

Part 1: What to do on Sunday

Before you start, make sure you have…

For cooking

• All ingredients from shopping list (see below)
• Large roasting pan for lamb
• Ovenproof dish for chicken
• Large pans for boiling vegetables x 2
• Cutting knife for meat
• Large casserole dish for bean mix
• Blender or food processor
• Pastry cutters for pizza dough

For storage and labelling

• Containers/freezer bags
• Labels and marker pen

Step 1

• Preheat oven to 190°C. Prepare marinade for Roasted lamb (see Part 2: Base mix recipes below) then spread over lamb and cook for 2 hours, turning halfway through.
• Prepare marinade for Basic spiced chicken mix (see Part 2: Base mix recipes below) and leave to marinate for 1/2 hour.
• Chop vegetables for Basic mixed root vege mash (see Part 2: Base mix recipes below) and place on stove top to cook.
• Check on lamb and turn after 1 hour.
• Place chicken in oven to cook for 30 minutes.
• Prepare Basic bean mix (see Part 2: Base mix recipes below).
• Drain vegetables for mash then make up mash.
• Remove chicken from oven after 25-30 minutes.
• Prepare Basic dough mix (see Part 2: Base mix recipes below) and leave to prove for 30 minutes.
• Remove lamb from oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes in a cool place.
• Knead dough and divide in half. Wrap half and place in fridge overnight (for Monday/Pizza), roll out other half and cut 16 x 7cm circles, label ‘Wednesday/Cobbler’ and store in freezer.
• Cut lamb off bone (removing any fat) and dice.

Step 2: Dividing base mixes

Store prepared base mixes in correct portion sizes (in fridge or freezer as indicated). Label sealed containers or bags accordingly.

Top tips for successful freezing

• Foods to be frozen should be as fresh as possible.
• Cool foods completely before freezing. Freezing food when hot will increase the temperature of the freezer and could cause other foods to start defrosting.
• Never refreeze anything that has already been frozen.
• Make sure you wrap foods properly and put them in a sealed container or bag.
• Freeze items in the quantities suggested so you have no wastage.
• Label foods clearly with a marker pen. Date items if you are not going to eat during the planned week.
• Defrost food thoroughly before cooking. Remove from the freezer the night before cooking the following day and store in the fridge.
• Remove as much air as possible from items being packed in freezer bags.

Shopping list

Fresh fruit and vegetables

• 11 cloves garlic
• 1 small piece fresh ginger
• 8 sprigs rosemary
• 2 lemons
• 3 orange kumara
• 3 medium-sized potatoes
• 4 parsnips
• 1 swede
• 3 onions
• 4 cups mushrooms
• 1 green capsicum
• 4 cups spinach
• 4 cups kale
• 3 stalks celery
• 5 spring onions
• 2 1/2 heads broccoli
• 4 carrots
• 3/4 head cauliflower
• 120g bag baby spinach
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/ cup parsley plus
• 6 tablespoons
• 1 small cucumber
• 250g bag pak choy

Frozen vegetables

• 1/2 cup corn kernels

Chilled items

• 100g reduced-fat spread
• 1 1/2 cups trim milk
• 1/2 cup grated reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• parmesan cheese shavings (4 tablespoons)

Meat and poultry

• 1.8 kg/2kg leg of lamb
• 900g boneless chicken thighs

Seasoning and pantry staples

• 4 anchovy fillets (optional)
• oil
• oil spray
• 5 tablespoons no-added-salt tomato paste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• fennel seeds (1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 cups liquid reduced-salt stock
• 400g can lite baked beans
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 2 x 400g cans no-added-salt chickpeas
• 400g can no-added-salt kidney beans
• 400g butter beans
• 670g passata
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
• 275g penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 x 185g cans tuna in spring water
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup wholemeal breadcrumbs
• balsamic vinegar (2 tablespoons)
• 6 tablespoons balsamic dressing
• 4 cups plain flour
• flaked almonds (2 tablespoons)

Part 2: Base mix recipes

Here are the base mix recipes (see Part 3: Your week of dinners below for the daily recipes).

Roasted lamb

Makes 2 portions
Time to make 2 hrs 20 mins (including making marinade)

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 rosemary sprigs, half finely chopped, other half broken in pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 4 anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 teaspoons oil
• 1.8-2kg leg of lamb (900g lean lamb)

Step 1 Preheat oven to 190°C. Place garlic, chopped rosemary, chilli flakes, anchovies (if using), lemon zest and juice, fennel seeds and oil in a blender and pulse to a paste. Season if you prefer.

Step 2 Use a sharp knife to make incisions all over lamb. Rub paste evenly all over meat.

Step 3 Place remaining (broken) rosemary in base of roasting tray and top with lamb. Cook for 2 hours, turning halfway through. Remove from oven. Rest for 30 minutes.

Step 4 Once cool enough to handle cut in chunks, discarding any fat. Divide in 2 portions and place in separate storage containers. Label half ‘Monday/Pizza’, the other half ‘Wednesday/Cobbler’ and store in fridge.

Basic dough mix

Makes 2 portions
Time to make 1 hr (including 1/2 hr resting)

• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 100g reduced-fat spread
• 1 1/2 cups trim milk

Step 1 Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Heat spread and milk together until just melted. Make a well in flour and add liquid, gradually mixing in flour from the sides. Mix to a soft dough.

Step 2 Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and stretchy. If dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Step 3 Wrap dough in a plastic bag and rest for 1/2 hour. Divide dough in half.

Step 4 Cover half with tinfoil and place in fridge. From the remaining dough, cut out 16 x 7cm circles and store in freezer, separated with plastic wrap, labelled ‘Wednesday/Cobbler’.

Basic spiced chicken mix

Makes 2 portions
Time to make 1 hr 10 mins (including 1 hr marinating)

• 900g boneless chicken thighs
• 1 lemon, juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• pinch dried chilli flakes

Step 1 Cut chicken in chunks and place in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and leave to marinate for 1/2 hour.

Step 2 Once marinated, cook chicken in oven at 190°C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Cool and halve portions, labelling half ‘Tuesday/Pie’ and storing in fridge, label the other ‘Thursday/Pasta’ and store in freezer.

Basic bean mix

Makes 3 portions
Time to make 30 mins

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons reduced-salt tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 2 x 400g can no-added-salt chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 400g can no-added-salt kidney beans, drained, rinsed
• 400g can butter beans
• 670 g passata
• 3/4 cup red wine

Step 1 Heat oil in a pan. Cook onions and garlic for 5-6 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.

Step 2 Add paste and lentils. Cook for a few more minutes. Add remaining ingredients.

Step 3 Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with pepper. Divide in 3 portions and store ‘Tuesday/Pie’ and ‘Wednesday/Cobbler’ in fridge, and store ‘Thursday/Pasta’ in freezer.

Basic mixed root vege mash

Makes 2 portions
Time to make 45 mins

• 3 orange kumara, peeled, chopped in chunks
• 3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled, chopped in chunks
• 4 parsnips, peeled, chopped in chunks
• 1 swede, peeled, chopped in chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Step 1 Place vegetable chunks in a large saucepan or 2 pans of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain well.

Step 2 Mash vegetables well with oil. Add Tuscan seasoning, garlic and parsley. Divide in half and store ‘Tuesday/Pie’ in fridge, and the other, ‘Friday/Fishcakes’ in freezer.

Part 3: Your week of dinners

Using the Base mixes (see Part 2 above), here are your dinner recipes for the week.

Monday: Lamb pizza

Tuesday: Chicken pie with root vege mash

Wednesday: Winter lamb cobbler

Thursday: Chicken pasta

Friday: Tuna fishcakes