MAKE THIS THE WEEK YOU...

SPEND LESS TIME IN THE KITCHEN

FILE YOUR FRIDGE

YOU’VE probably heard that planning your meals a week at a time is the key to a healthy, balanced diet — but you can make it even easier by arranging the food in your fridge by meal, rather than in a higgledypiggledy manner.

Label Tupperware and, for example, put the mince, carrots and tomatoes for Monday’s cottage pie in one, and the chicken, cream and mushrooms for Tuesday’s chicken stroganoff in another.

TOP OF THE CHOPS

UNLESS you’re a whizz with a knife, preparing veg can be time-consuming. But some clever gadgets and tricks can help. Use scissors instead of a knife to cut peppers, spring onions and broccoli. A mini food processor (from around £10.99, amazon. co.uk) makes short work of cubing cheese, dicing tomatoes and blending everything from pesto to soup.

QUICK BATCH COOKING

WHETHER you want to eat one and refrigerate a couple of other portions, or you’re cooking to freeze, you can make two or three meals at once.

Line a large baking tray with foil, then roll two more pieces of foil into dividers.

Put an equal amount of diced chicken into each third, then to each add different seasonings — mustard and honey in one, tomatoes and paprika in another, lime and coconut milk in the third. Bake at 200c (400f) for around 20 minutes.

EASY PEASY PEELING

INSTEAD of peeling potatoes before you cook them, boil with the skins on and, when cooked, pop them into a bowl of iced water for five to ten seconds, pick them up and the skin will come off in your hands.