Green Butterfly Salad

Make a speedy pasta salad tossed with a healthy tomato and basil dressing for a low-calorie, vegetarian lunch that packs in three of your 5-a-day.

Serves 2
Takes 15 minutes

  • 100g farfalle
  • handful baby spinach
  • 1 tbsp fresh pesto
  • handful pine nuts
  • Parmesan for grating over
  1. Cook the farfalle following pack instructions. Meanwhile, finely shred the spinach. Herb scissors make quick work of this if you have some.
  2. Drain and stir through the pesto. Leave to cool then stir in the pine nuts and spinach and grate over a little Parmesan. Pack in a little pot with a lid.

Dried fruit pick & mix

Pack dried fruit in a little paper bag or, if you have time, you can make these easy pure fruit sweeties with dried apricots. You can also try them with dried figs or pineapple.

Makes 1 jar
Takes 15 minutes

  • greaseproof paper
  • cooking oil spray
  • 150g dried apricots
  1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 3.
  2. Cut two pieces of greaseproof paper to the size of a baking sheet and spray each with cooking oil spray. Place one oil side up on the sheet.
  3. Whizz the apricots in a food processor until they form a ball.
  4. Decant the blended apricot onto the lined sheet and place the second sheet, oil-side down on top. Use a rolling pin to flatten down the apricot to about the thickness of a pound coin and then peel off the top layer of paper and discard.
  5. Firm up in the oven for 10 minutes then remove and while still warm cut out either long strips to make roll-ups, or sweetie shapes with a little cutter. Cut little squares or strips from any offcuts. Leave to cool on the sheet then store in a screw-top jar or tin.

Chap Wrap (Chicken & Avocado Pesto)

Makes 2
Takes 5 minutes 

  • 1 avocado
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 25g Parmesan, plus extra for grating
  • 2 tortilla wraps
  • handful pine nuts
  • handful shredded cooked chicken (shop-bought or leftover from a roast)
  1. Whizz the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and Parmesan together in a blender.
  2. Spread each wrap with the pesto, sprinkle with pine nuts and chicken and grate over a little extra Parmesan.
  3. Roll up, cut in half and wrap in paper.