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00:00Right kids, come on, dinner's ready!
00:02I'm Jo Swash, and as a busy parent of six kids,
00:05I know getting tasty, healthy food on the table can be tough.
00:09Cheers, big ears!
00:11Usually, this place looks like a bomb's gone off on it.
00:14No!
00:14That's not for you!
00:16So I've teamed up with The Batch Lady,
00:18best-selling author Suzanne Mulholland,
00:20where I show you how to make fast, simple,
00:23homemade meals you can put in the freezer.
00:25She's built up a huge online following
00:27with tricks to saving time in the kitchen.
00:29And there you have it, a meal for four, made in three minutes.
00:33We'll help struggling households...
00:35You only have two!
00:36Oh, God.
00:38...who find mealtimes a daily battle.
00:40In seven days, you would have eaten seven pizzas.
00:43Wow, that's awful.
00:45By analysing every meal they eat...
00:47Oh, no.
00:48...any cereal without sugar, every minute they waste,
00:52you'll be saving, every year, 20 days.
00:55That's insane.
00:56And every pound they overspend.
00:58When you do it like that, it does look awful.
01:01I'll show you my stress-busting recipes.
01:04Now, this is a proper macaroni cheese.
01:06Reveal some clever hacks...
01:08I still can't believe we made six meals.
01:10...and create monthly meal plans that'll change lives forever.
01:14Yeah, can we do this more, please?
01:17If you can't beat it, batch it.
01:20It's coming over to The Batch inside, Suzanne.
01:22Another one.
01:27Today, I'm meeting Suzanne in East Yorkshire
01:30to meet a family whose mealtime routine is at breaking point.
01:35Welcome to Hull.
01:36Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? Look at these boats.
01:38It's beautiful, the sun's out.
01:39Really, really nice.
01:41So, today, we're here to meet the Powell family.
01:43They're a family of five.
01:44Both parents work.
01:46They're struggling to find time to cook,
01:47but also struggling to spend time together around the meal table,
01:50so they're in desperate need of your help.
01:52OK, well, I'm going to start by saying
01:54we're in desperate need of your help.
01:56OK, we'll do some meal planning.
01:57We'll get them some structure.
01:58We'll do a bit of batch cooking.
01:59We can definitely help this family.
02:01Right, should we go and do it?
02:02Let's do it.
02:02Come on, then.
02:05Dad's home.
02:06Hello.
02:07Life in the Powell family household is always hectic.
02:11Dad, look, I've got Dad armpit.
02:13For telecoms manager Richard and teacher Claire,
02:16home and work life is a constant juggling act.
02:20Pretty much, I'm on the go from 5.30 in the morning
02:22when I leave the door and then sit down for an hour
02:25and around about 9 o'clock at night when everybody's gone to bed.
02:29Richard and Claire live together with their three children,
02:32Amaya, Eloisa, and their youngest, Indy.
02:36I love being a mum.
02:38Oh, Belle, don't hurt yourself.
02:41But being a working mum is really difficult.
02:45Monday to Friday, your kids sort of get lost in that mix of family craziness.
02:52No, you need to have two.
02:56Oh, God.
02:58Like many working families,
03:00finding time to all eat together at mealtimes is almost impossible.
03:05I can't imagine our life not being a million miles per hour.
03:10Taking kids to clubs, calendars that are full of events and parties.
03:17With little time to plan proper meals,
03:19dinnertime's often start with the same familiar question.
03:24What are we making, then?
03:26Soft-boiled eggs.
03:27We've got no chips.
03:29And they're often left making unhealthy choices
03:33that are seriously lacking in nutrition.
03:35So you're getting takeaway?
03:36I'll get takeaway for them and then I'll come back and take Amaya to dance.
03:41The times when we don't know what we're eating,
03:44that's when we will be a bit stressed.
03:47Well, we need to feed them because Amaya's at dance at six.
03:50I'm just ordering it now and then I'll go and get it.
03:54Life takes over, as with anything.
03:56And we're busy and we're doing things so you fit the food in when you can.
04:00I'll wolf this down and then we'll get off, right?
04:03To answer the problem, Claire favours a high-protein diet,
04:06so regularly cooks steak and eats it by herself.
04:10I'm conscious as I get older, I want to be a bit more healthier.
04:14So I tend to manage my calories for a bit of weight loss.
04:19Rarely together on a weeknight.
04:21There is a lot at stake because if we continue the way we are,
04:25one of us will probably end up...
04:28I'll move into the shed early.
04:29Yeah, you... yeah.
04:35Hoping to save Richard from a life living in a garden shed...
04:39This is us.
04:40...with the whole family out of the house,
04:42we want to get a better understanding of where the mealtime chaos is coming from.
04:47Oh, it's stunning.
04:48All the lovely features.
04:51Ah, kids.
04:53Isn't it amazing how kids can turn the house upside down?
04:57Too right.
04:58Right, shall we have a look in the kitchen?
04:59Yeah.
05:00Let's have a look.
05:02OK.
05:06Gosh, it's quite busy on the counters.
05:09An organised kitchen makes cooking easier, quicker and less stressful.
05:13Not much chance of that in here.
05:15Wow, they have a lot of knives.
05:17That is a lot of knives, isn't it?
05:19What I would do if I was cooking, I'd just move all that and then make yourself a space.
05:24It's a good area to have.
05:25What I've just done there is what I used to do before I met Stacey.
05:29And since Stacey's kicked me into line,
05:31that'll have all gone back in there and I've wiped it all down.
05:33Perfect.
05:34Yeah.
05:34That's what we want.
05:35I've been whipped into shape nicely.
05:37A cluttered kitchen is often a telltale sign of a poor mealtime routine.
05:42There's lots of cereal.
05:43Cereal up there, cereal in here.
05:45The kids love cereal, but they've been put in the most dangerous place.
05:49You might as well put them next to the knives, you know what I mean?
05:52First impressions are ringing alarm bells.
05:54A lot of butter beans.
05:55Butter beans everywhere.
05:58There's not a massive amount of food for a family of five,
06:00but maybe there's food other places.
06:03I'm not seeing evidence so far of any meal planning.
06:06What?
06:08I was too bad.
06:09I thought that was one pan.
06:11Once Joe's finished messing with their pans,
06:14I'm keen to take a look in their freezer.
06:16The key to any successful batch cooking regime.
06:22Now, this is my domain.
06:24What have we got here?
06:25Do you know what we call that, Joe?
06:27That is a UFO, an unidentified frozen object.
06:32The more we dig, the surprises just keep coming.
06:35Oh, look at this.
06:37That's breast milk.
06:39So there's so much breast milk in here, look.
06:42But she's got so much of it, look.
06:43You could have a bowl of cereal with the amount of milk she's got here.
06:46With no sign of any batch cooking in the freezer,
06:49it's clear the family have called us in the nick of time.
06:53Hello.
06:55How are you, pals?
06:57All right.
06:59What's the cooking routine?
07:00How does it work in the house?
07:01When it's like the work week,
07:03I will have probably rang Richard on the way home to be like,
07:07what are we eating for tea?
07:08We'll decide there's nothing in the fridge
07:11or if we've got chicken goujons or something like that,
07:13stick them on for them,
07:15and then you'll have had steak,
07:17you'll have had noodles,
07:18and I'll deal with it when everyone's gone to bed.
07:21To really understand how bad the pals' meal times have become,
07:24we've installed cameras to monitor the family's every move.
07:28To see what they buy,
07:31what they cook,
07:32and more importantly, what they eat.
07:36Right, guys, are you ready to see what we found?
07:39Oh, no.
07:39Big brother of us in the kitchen.
07:42There you go.
07:45Oh, crikey.
07:48Indy's just making her own way into the fridge.
07:51A whipped cream.
07:53Oh, brilliant.
07:54I wondered where all that had gone.
07:56I wondered where all that had gone.
07:58Given free reign in the kitchen,
07:59the kids are choosing snacky foods high in fat and sugar.
08:05Oh, our youngest two are feral.
08:08And it seems once the word is out,
08:10the treats in the fridge don't hang about.
08:13Oh, and...
08:19What do you make of that?
08:20The cheeky sort of fridge and cupboard raids.
08:23Squirt of the cream is ridiculous.
08:25If you think the kids are bad, the grown-ups ain't much better.
08:29You live in a busy house and there's not very many moments
08:32where you get to spend a bit of time together.
08:34So have a little look and tell me what you think.
08:38Oh, yeah.
08:41We've got some time together there,
08:42but you're sat there, I'm on my phone.
08:46One of the biggest issues is Claire eats separately
08:49from the rest of the family.
08:52Who's the mean fiend?
08:54Yeah, steak and butter beans.
08:58Looking at overall, you're probably eating four times
09:02the amount of meat that you should be eating.
09:06Based on the NHS's daily recommended amounts of nutrition,
09:10it's not just Claire who needs to make changes to their diet.
09:14For you, Richard, you didn't actually once achieve your five a day.
09:19Yeah, they're not good stats.
09:24This family is at crisis point,
09:26and it's not just affecting the quality of nutrition,
09:29but also their pocket.
09:30Let's get down to the nitty gritty.
09:33For the past month, we've also been analysing every receipt,
09:37every shopping trip and every penny spent on feeding the family.
09:43You spend £256.60p a week.
09:48Oh, God.
09:50That is double the national average.
09:54The amount of money we're spending, I mean, add that up,
09:57it's over £1,000 a month.
09:59Quite why we're wasting that much money.
10:00It's nuts.
10:04On average, the Powells go food shopping twice a day,
10:08not only denting their wallet,
10:10but also their time together as a family.
10:13You're spending 22 hours and 42 minutes a week
10:19doing shopping, cooking, preparing,
10:21anything to do with food and dinners.
10:23That's a day a week.
10:24That's a day, a day a week.
10:26And we don't even know what we're eating half the time.
10:31That was really shocking.
10:33Where does that time go?
10:35There was some hard truths.
10:38When you don't have a great deal of time,
10:40you just feel like you can't be organised in advance,
10:43but actually it's the polar opposite.
10:45All it really takes is an hour, an hour on the weekend,
10:48and they could have between five and seven meals
10:50ready for the week ahead.
10:52Despite shelling out over a grand on food
10:55and visiting the shops over 50 times a month,
10:58nutrition is severely lacking.
11:01So it's very important that you eat
11:03a nutritionally balanced diet.
11:06And at the minute, you're only achieving that 37% of the time.
11:09Oh, God.
11:10Which means you have a big room for improvement.
11:13Yeah.
11:15This low level of nutrition is largely down
11:18to a lack of fruit and vegetables in their diet.
11:22Oh, dear. That is bad.
11:23It's crazy.
11:24We need to change.
11:25Yeah, it is.
11:26It needs to change.
11:27Yeah.
11:28I think a lot of people are going to relate to the Powell family.
11:32They were so surprised to see how much money they were wasting,
11:35how much time they were wasting.
11:37Seeing that on paper might have opened their eyes slightly.
11:41It's a bit shameful, a bit shocking.
11:44I mean, I knew we weren't that healthy,
11:45but that was quite dramatic.
11:48We just need to do better for the kids, I think.
11:52Yeah.
12:01We're in Hull, helping the Powell family.
12:04Mom, what's for dinner?
12:07I don't know.
12:09The hectic week of work, school, and evening clubs
12:12means there's no proper mealtime routine.
12:15So feeding the family has become a total shambles.
12:18It's not because we can't cook.
12:20It's just like we just don't know what to cook.
12:23They're spending double the national average on their food bill.
12:27There's either leftover bolognese that your dad made two days ago.
12:30And almost a day a week food shopping and preparing meals.
12:34So we'll have to go to the shop and get something.
12:38But first...
12:39Right, Richard.
12:41Step one is sorting the disorganised and cluttered kitchen.
12:45The more simple your kitchen is, the easier it is.
12:49Anybody doing any cooking has got this nice, clear space.
12:52Good idea. Let's do it.
12:54While Suzanne and Richard give the kitchen a proper tidy...
12:58This pan lid, rather embarrassingly,
13:00has come from a pan that broke about two years ago.
13:02So I don't think we need that one anymore.
13:03That's going for me. Thank you very much.
13:06I'm taking Claire to the supermarket,
13:08armed with a shopping list from Suzanne.
13:11Here we are.
13:12I want to show her how completing one organised shop a week
13:16could reduce the family's time and money spent on food.
13:20So at the moment, you're going shopping 17 times a week.
13:24Yeah.
13:24We've got to get that down to maximum once a week.
13:27Yeah.
13:27And the big tip for today is,
13:29whenever you go shopping, always take a shopping list.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Yeah. We're going to save ourselves time.
13:34We're going to save ourselves money.
13:35Ooh, exciting.
13:36And we'll have a fridge full of lovely food.
13:37Yay!
13:38Come on.
13:38Let's go.
13:39I'll get the trolley.
13:42Frozen vegetables are at the top of Suzanne's shopping list.
13:46They're often cheaper than fresh fridge.
13:49They last longer and are flash frozen straight from picking.
13:52So they contain just as many nutrients.
13:55Here we go.
13:56But if we're getting these,
13:58we need to make some space in Claire's freezer.
14:01Right, Claire, I think it's time we got rid of the breast milk.
14:05Yeah.
14:05And replace it with some frozen onions.
14:07And it's already cut.
14:08Who likes cutting an onion?
14:09No, no one.
14:10Get it in there.
14:11Get it in.
14:12Tell me about this breast milk situation.
14:14Well, I've breastfed my three children
14:17and there's just an emotional attachment.
14:19Like, I just can't throw it away.
14:21You can get, like, jewellery made from it.
14:23So I might do that.
14:24So, because I'm not going to use it anymore.
14:26It's time to let it go.
14:27It's done.
14:28Yeah.
14:28Unless you want any more kids.
14:30Oh, God, no.
14:32Claire spends a whopping £180 every month on steaks alone.
14:37Right, this is a bit of you.
14:38This is your domain.
14:41So if we stand any chance of reducing the family shopping bill,
14:44we need to get some variation in Claire's diet.
14:47Can you believe that you have this much meat
14:49go through your body in one month?
14:51Well, when you do it like that, it does look awful.
14:54Right, Claire, take one of these steaks off.
14:56Yep.
14:57That's your steak for the rest of the week.
14:59Let's pay for this and skedaddle.
15:03We've replaced the rest of our steak with beef mince
15:06that will feed the whole family.
15:09We've doubled down on the amount of fruit and veg.
15:11But most importantly, we've got all the ingredients we need
15:15to start some of Suzanne's time-saving batch cooks.
15:19Say goodbye to everyone because you won't see her for another week.
15:21Bye.
15:21See you later.
15:23We've done our bit.
15:24Let's see if Suzanne and Richard have also had a result in the kitchen.
15:28Hello, you lot.
15:29We're back.
15:29Hi.
15:30Dinner.
15:33When we left, the kitchen was chaotic and disorganised.
15:37The whole space needed rearranging
15:39to create an effective place to cook family meals.
15:45It looks amazing.
15:46It's clear.
15:47It's all organised.
15:49We've just streamlined everything off of the countertops.
15:52Oh, I love it.
15:54By clearing out the unused clutter,
15:56we've created an ordered space
15:58that will make cooking and meal planning so much easier.
16:02And then we've got all your cereals from up top.
16:05Global climbing on the slats.
16:07Look, it's clear.
16:08And of course, we had to give your freezer a good sort of...
16:13Look at that.
16:14Oh, look at that.
16:15Lots of room now.
16:16Nice and clean and tidy and ready to fill with some more meals for you.
16:19The question is, did we keep the breast milk in there?
16:21We've still kept it.
16:23It might be time to let it go.
16:25Organising our life, not just our food.
16:28Yay.
16:30With the kitchen organised, it's time to get batch cooking.
16:34We're going to create healthy, delicious family meals
16:37that can be prepared in advance
16:39and frozen for whenever you need them.
16:41We're going to start by making not one, but two meat dishes
16:44that I'm sure will help Claire move away
16:46from our daily indulgence and expensive steak.
16:50We are going to do lasagna,
16:52and at the same time, you're going to make a cottage pie.
16:55That sounds perfect.
16:57The key to this batch cook
16:58is making the lasagna and the cottage pie
17:01from the same base sauce.
17:03Here's my first top tip.
17:05Frozen chopped onions.
17:07There's no waste.
17:08You just scoop out what's in the bag.
17:10Just scoop out what you need.
17:12A cup of these chopped is the same as one whole onion.
17:15That would have taken me 15 minutes.
17:17Garlic and oregano add a burst of flavour,
17:20and 750g of mincemeat will be enough for both dishes
17:24as we're bulking it out with some healthy veg.
17:27We don't need to peel?
17:29No, sorry.
17:29You can wash them, as long as they're clean.
17:33This is my kind of cooking, Suzanne.
17:35No peeling, and grating the carrots to hide in the sauce
17:38is ideal for fussy kids.
17:41Our health meat will be going from the orange to the green
17:43before we know it.
17:45100%.
17:46Add a couple of tins of tomatoes,
17:48and in just 10 minutes...
17:50We'll give this a quick stir.
17:52...the meat sauce for both dishes is done.
17:55My next hack when making the lasagna
17:58is a cheat's white sauce.
18:00Traditionally, it would be a bechamel.
18:01You would be making a roux with your butter and your flour,
18:05and then you'd just be adding your milk.
18:07This one is a much easier, simpler version than that.
18:11All you need is creme fraiche,
18:13half a cup of milk,
18:14and a few handfuls of grated mozzarella.
18:18And the more you mix it,
18:20the more it'll start to come together
18:22into a nice, thick, cheesy sauce.
18:25Super quick to make.
18:26Oh, amazing!
18:28Now to layer it up.
18:29It smells lovely.
18:31A good thick lasagna, game changer.
18:34So if you're going to put this straight in the freezer,
18:36once it was completely cool,
18:37you would just pop your lid on.
18:39Perfect.
18:40We don't want this to become a UFO.
18:43Unidentified frozen object.
18:45So what we want to do is label it.
18:47Lasagna serves five.
18:50180 for 40 minutes.
18:53With one family dish in the bag,
18:55we can move on to making the cottage pie
18:58using the rest of the sauce.
19:00One of the things I love to bulk out
19:02is these already cooked green lentils.
19:04It's quite a similar consistency to the actual mince.
19:08Your meat bill will go down.
19:11I promise you.
19:13Whether in a pie, curry, or chili,
19:15lentils are the perfect protein-packed replacement
19:18for beef mince.
19:20They are less than a quarter of the price
19:22and count towards your five a day.
19:24A 20-minute simmer with rosemary and Worcestershire sauce
19:28creates a quick and healthy base for this cottage pie.
19:31My glamorous assistant.
19:33Thank you very much.
19:35But no cottage pie would be complete
19:37without the potato topping.
19:39I use this ready-made mash.
19:41The reason I love it,
19:43if you make mash and then you freeze it
19:45on top of something,
19:46the water comes out
19:47and you end up with the bottom of your pie ball watery
19:50where this has been churned
19:52so it stays this thick, creamy mash.
19:54So it's perfect.
19:55Perfect for pie topping.
19:58It's slightly dearer than making mash from scratch,
20:01but so much quicker with a better result.
20:04And in less than half an hour,
20:07we've made two veg-packed family dishes.
20:10They could go straight in the freezer
20:12or like us,
20:13banged in the oven.
20:16Oh, can we have a crunchy corner?
20:17You can.
20:19Let's go.
20:19Get away from my corner.
20:24You're right.
20:25The fake bechamel sauce is lovely.
20:27Really nice.
20:28The kids won't moan about that.
20:30They won't know it's a lentil
20:32because of the flavour.
20:33And the mashed potato on top is lovely.
20:36My freezer's gonna be a place of batch cooking wonder.
20:40I love it.
20:41I love it.
20:43Batch cooking is all about
20:45using time as efficiently as possible
20:48to create meals in advance
20:49to take the stress out of the busiest times of the day.
20:54In the test kitchen,
20:55I'm going to show Joe a surprising hack
20:57for school lunchboxes.
21:00Okay, Joe, we're both parents
21:02and we know what getting kids out to school in the morning
21:04with a packed lunch can be like.
21:06Yeah, in our house, we call it the morning grind.
21:09I want to take that grind away from you,
21:11especially because you've got so many kids.
21:13There's quite a few.
21:14And I want to show you
21:15how you can get all the packed lunches ready
21:17and it only takes you then a minute every morning
21:19to get the kids out the door.
21:20Sounds amazing.
21:21We are making 20 sandwiches.
21:2320 sandwiches.
21:25And it might sound crazy,
21:26but the best thing about these sandwiches
21:28is that they will last up to three months.
21:31We're going to freeze them.
21:33I mean, this freezing bread idea,
21:36it just doesn't make sense in my brain.
21:38But it works.
21:39We're eating frozen bread all the time.
21:41From burger backs to sandwich rolls,
21:43much of the convenience bread we eat
21:45comes from the freezer.
21:47In terms of fillings,
21:48the only thing that you really need to watch
21:50when you're freezing
21:51is that you're not using anything
21:52with a high water content.
21:54We don't want our bread going soggy.
21:55And then when you get them out of the freezer,
21:57have you got to sort of put them in the microwave
21:59to warm them up or in the oven?
22:00They take about an hour to defrost,
22:02so they actually keep the lunchbox cold
22:04at the same time.
22:04Oh, so it's working double bubble for you?
22:06Double bubble.
22:07Nice.
22:08I'll just wait until you catch up, shall I?
22:12Very gracious of you, Joe.
22:14Now, let's get filling.
22:15I love ham and cheese.
22:17Tuna and sweet corn,
22:18chicken and pesto,
22:20roast beef,
22:20and even peanut butter and jam
22:22are all ideal fillings for the freezer.
22:26Right, Joe, we're going to use
22:28these freezer bags.
22:29And then once they're labelled,
22:31put your sandwich in the bag.
22:33The secret is to remove
22:35all of the air from the bag,
22:36which will keep them as fresh
22:38as the day they were made.
22:40With sandwiches done,
22:41it's time for the rest of the packed lunch.
22:45Right, Joe.
22:46Yes.
22:46What I next want to talk to you about
22:48is snack boxes.
22:50Fill the boxes with a variety of options,
22:53including dried fruit,
22:54as it counts towards their five a day.
22:57It just means that the kids in the morning
22:59choose one from one,
23:00one from the other,
23:01no thought required.
23:02You can also then just
23:03nip into the fridge.
23:06No limit on this.
23:07The kids can help themselves to fruit,
23:09whatever they like,
23:10to get that five a day into them.
23:12The key here is just 10 minutes
23:14of prep at the weekend
23:16can save you a whole month's worth
23:17of stress in the mornings.
23:20I'm going to set you a challenge now.
23:21I'm going to give you your lunch box.
23:24Oh, come on.
23:25You're going to be the kid.
23:26I like this.
23:27I'm going to be mum.
23:28You've got 45 seconds, little Joe.
23:30Are you ready?
23:31Go on then.
23:32Go.
23:32Right, here we go.
23:33Straight to the freezer.
23:35I'm going to grab myself
23:36a little ham and cheese,
23:37baby filling.
23:38Straight to the snack.
23:40I'm going to grab myself a little biscuit.
23:42So I'll chuck some raisins in there as well.
23:46Straight over to the fridge.
23:47I'm going to get myself an apple,
23:49a banana.
23:50Ready.
23:52Start the clock.
23:5325 seconds.
23:55Told you.
23:56Easy peas, I could have done two.
23:57I'm out of breath as well.
23:58Keep me fit.
24:02Back at the house.
24:04Our secret cameras have discovered
24:06that on many occasions,
24:08Claire and Richard's indecisions
24:09at dinner times means the girls
24:11often take matters into their own hands.
24:16Our girls love cereals.
24:19Cereal is the snack in the house.
24:22It's the pudding in the house.
24:23Cereal is life to our kids.
24:27Cereals may be quick and easy,
24:29but they can be highly processed
24:30and high in sugar.
24:33We also rarely stick
24:34to the recommended servings,
24:36eating more than we realise.
24:39Is that three or four?
24:42Is it just a small bowl?
24:44We need to find out
24:45what meals the kids actually enjoy
24:47so we can pack the freezer
24:49with healthy alternatives.
24:52Oh my golly, come on.
24:54Hello, you lot.
24:55You all right?
24:56Indy, come and have
24:57a little chat with us.
24:59Before you do,
24:59let me see one of your flips.
25:01Go on.
25:02Yes.
25:03I've heard a rumour on the grapevine
25:05that there's a lot of
25:06cereal eating going on.
25:08Yeah, definitely.
25:09Oh yeah.
25:10Because normally we come home from school
25:12and then we mostly just have cereal.
25:14So if it was an ideal world,
25:15what would you love Mum and Dad to cook?
25:17Chilli stir-fry chicken korma
25:20because I love the school's chicken korma.
25:21So you want Mum and Dad
25:22to broaden the horizons?
25:24Yeah, broaden the horizons.
25:25Bring more food into your diet.
25:27And maybe chuck in a couple of your favourites.
25:29Yeah.
25:30It seems that there are plenty of dishes
25:32the kids would jump at
25:34if they were available during the week.
25:36And our cameras showed
25:38that when Richard and Claire
25:39aren't stretched for time at the weekends,
25:42dinners do become a family affair.
25:44Would you like to spend more time
25:46as a family around the table
25:48eating together?
25:49Yes, definitely.
25:50Like make it seem more like
25:52you want to talk to your parents
25:53so you can tell them about your day.
25:56It'd be better if we were all together.
25:58It seems like you guys
25:59really cherish those moments.
26:01Well, yeah, we kind of need to cherish them
26:02because knowing our family,
26:05we're probably not going to get them a lot.
26:09It is so hard to find time to cook
26:11when you've got a big family
26:12because you've just got
26:13a million and one things to do.
26:15All we need to do
26:16is just to establish some routines,
26:18some little hacks in the kitchen
26:20and hopefully they're going to
26:21spend more time together
26:23and they're going to be healthier.
26:24All right, guys, I'm on it.
26:26Speak to you in a little while.
26:38In the north east of England,
26:39in the city of Hull...
26:40How long have we got?
26:41She's at down six.
26:44We've been called to help the Powell family
26:46whose mealtime routine
26:48was in a state of chaos.
26:50But by introducing some simple steps,
26:52I can guarantee that we can save them
26:54not just hundreds,
26:55but thousands of pounds every year.
27:00Planning ahead is the key
27:02to easy and healthy mealtimes.
27:05So I'm going to show Claire
27:06how to batch cook
27:08the girls' school favourite,
27:10chicken korma.
27:12I really wanted to show you this recipe
27:13because it's using one pan
27:15and it's a super simple one
27:17for the kids as well.
27:18That's ideal for me.
27:20We're using frozen diced onions,
27:22garlic paste and jarred ginger.
27:24That's 10 minutes of prep time
27:26saved before we've even started.
27:29What I like to do is use
27:30like a medium curry powder
27:32and then we're just going to put
27:32some turmeric in it as well,
27:34which has got great health benefits.
27:36Gives a good colour, the old turmeric,
27:38doesn't it, as well?
27:38Gives a really nice colour, yeah.
27:40And like any good batch cook,
27:42I'm doubling the recipe
27:44so we can get two family dinners
27:46in the time it takes to cook.
27:49We're going to add in our chicken.
27:50I've just used chicken breast
27:52and chopped it,
27:53but you could use skinless, boneless thighs
27:55if you want to save some money.
27:57Along with chopped sweet potato,
27:59we're adding mixed frozen vegetables.
28:02That's two of your five a day
28:04in one pot.
28:05Finally, add some chicken stock.
28:07Give it 20, 25 minutes.
28:09It's all going to cook down.
28:10It's going to be lovely.
28:11Smells delicious.
28:12In fact, here's one I made earlier.
28:15Once it's cooked,
28:16a few spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt
28:18and mango chutney
28:19finishes things off.
28:20It's so much healthier and cheaper
28:22than takeaways or ready meals.
28:24Oh, wow.
28:25Oh, it smells beautiful.
28:26Now it looks like that.
28:27This curry would go perfectly
28:29with a microwave rice
28:30or a naan bread.
28:32And here we've got one for the table
28:33and another one for the freezer.
28:35That's 10 portions
28:36made with ingredients
28:37costing less than 12 quid.
28:41I want to give you a huge top tip,
28:43OK, which is freezing flat in bags.
28:47Right.
28:47You can freeze everything flat
28:50like library books and stack them up.
28:52And also when it's frozen flat in a bag,
28:54it's only about that thin
28:56and it defrosts way quicker.
28:58That's great.
28:59Using a bag stand
29:00makes filling them a doddle.
29:02And you can buy reusable bags
29:04like these from most supermarkets.
29:06You'll be able to fit loads
29:08in the freezer like that.
29:11Wow, that's brilliant.
29:12But do make sure the bags
29:13are done up tightly.
29:15Oh, no.
29:16You didn't do the bags up properly, did you?
29:19I'm so sorry.
29:19It's like being in my classroom.
29:22Imagine being married to me.
29:24That's perfect and easy.
29:26And I could do that after school on a night.
29:28It didn't take long at all.
29:29They can have a home favourite curry
29:31rather than a school dinner curry.
29:36Hearing the girls plea for more time
29:38with Richard and Claire
29:39around the dinner table.
29:41All right, guys, grubs up.
29:43I really hope meals like this
29:45one will become a permanent fixture
29:47in the family's weeknight routine.
29:49Wow, this looks awesome.
29:51Smells lovely, doesn't it?
29:53It smells absolutely delicious.
29:55Bon appétit.
29:58Right, is it as good
30:01as your school curry?
30:03Or is it better?
30:04Better.
30:05Better?
30:06Yeah.
30:08Oh, you say all the right things.
30:10Well done.
30:11I think this is an absolute winner.
30:13And there's one in the freezer.
30:15We can have it again.
30:18That's the benefit of batching, Claire.
30:21Healthy meals that the whole family love
30:23and are great for the freezer.
30:25But sometimes we all need
30:26a frozen sweet treat.
30:28Back in my test kitchen,
30:30I've got the perfect hack to show Joe.
30:32My kids love snacking
30:34and very rarely they go
30:35for the healthy snack.
30:36But this feels like a sort of
30:38parent guilt-free version.
30:41First things first,
30:41just grab a few bananas.
30:43I'm going to go for little ones.
30:45I'll go for big ones.
30:46I'm not overcompensating for anything.
30:49OK, once you've cut your bananas,
30:51you're just taking some
30:53little wooden sticks
30:54and you're just going
30:56to almost the top of the banana.
30:58So you've got it like that.
30:59There we go.
31:01So now the fun begins.
31:02You are just dipping into the yogurt
31:04and then basically choose
31:06any topping that you want.
31:08I think the kids would like
31:10a little bit of the hundreds and thousands.
31:12These banana lollies are a great treat
31:14to make with the kids
31:14and much healthier than sugary ice cream.
31:17Oh, strawberries.
31:18Oh, I might go for some of these.
31:21I'm going to go for some coconut.
31:23Kids love a bit of coconut.
31:24Toppings can be naughty or natural.
31:27But regardless,
31:28your kids will get potassium
31:29from the banana
31:30and protein from the Greek yogurt.
31:32Gosh, you look really professional.
31:35Every time we cook together,
31:36you seem to do a better job.
31:38It's not a competition.
31:41If you keep them in a sealed bag,
31:43they can freeze for up to three months.
31:50When our secret cameras were set up
31:52in the Powell family kitchen,
31:54not only did we discover
31:56food spinning had gone through the roof,
31:58but Claire and Richard
31:59could never find time as a couple.
32:03Between jobs and clubs
32:04and the chaos of our life,
32:06we don't get as much time together
32:08as we would hope.
32:09And it's dinner times
32:11when frictions start to surface.
32:13You want me there?
32:14No, I'm fat.
32:15We're not going until we have food, Claire.
32:17We're only in like 40 minutes.
32:21Seems like we're always
32:22with ships crossing.
32:24One of us is cooking their own food.
32:25The other one's cooking food for the kids.
32:28I feel like if we were to sit down
32:31at the mealtime together,
32:32then, I mean, we'd probably get back
32:35to being nice to each other
32:36and being happier together again.
32:38Yeah.
32:42I've got an idea to help get Claire
32:43and Richard's relationship back on track.
32:46A weekly date night.
32:48And I have a dish
32:49I know is close to their hearts.
32:51Spanish stew.
32:52Right, Richard, why do you think
32:53we might be doing a Spanish stew?
32:56It might have something to do
32:56with our past.
32:58I met Claire when I was in a band
33:00called Tarifa,
33:00which is named after a Spanish town.
33:04And we ended up getting married
33:05on the beach there.
33:06Oh, amazing.
33:07So this is going to be perfect.
33:08We can make a little Spanish stew.
33:10Remember, it's about the good old days
33:12before you had the kids.
33:13Yeah, yeah, the quiet days
33:14before we had the kids.
33:16For this Spanish stew,
33:18we're keeping things simple.
33:20So this is another one-pot dish.
33:23And to reduce Claire's consumption
33:24of red meat,
33:25we're swapping beef for chicken thighs,
33:28which will also reduce the cost.
33:30Now, for this recipe,
33:32I added in some lovely butter beans.
33:34So that way you can say
33:35I've made this romantic meal for you
33:37and it's still got your butter beans in it.
33:38Yeah, exactly. Claire will be pleased.
33:40A tin of butter beans is full of fibre
33:43and light chopped tomatoes
33:44count as one of your five a day.
33:47We're also adding some pre-sliced
33:49frozen peppers
33:50and a good helping of paprika.
33:52And look at that colour already.
33:54This is how simple it is.
33:56I think a lot of people aren't spending
33:58a great deal of time together
34:00when you've got young kids,
34:01you've got busy lives.
34:02I think this is a chance for them
34:03to rekindle that love of date night
34:06over their lovely Spanish stew.
34:08Smells delicious.
34:13That's perfect.
34:14So nice.
34:16It just goes to show that
34:17healthy and delicious meals
34:19don't have to be complicated.
34:21And what's better,
34:22this stew will last up to three months
34:24bagged in the freezer.
34:25Can you see yourself cooking it for Claire?
34:27Definitely. It smells delicious,
34:29tasted delicious,
34:30and I think Claire will love it too.
34:32Date night is sorted.
34:34Excellent.
34:37Before we arrived,
34:39the Powell family meal times
34:40were a proper mess.
34:42The girls were binging on sugary cereals,
34:45Richard was surviving on fast food,
34:48and Claire's love of expensive steak
34:50was hammering their bank balance.
34:53So we want to make sure
34:54that they don't slip back into bad habits
34:56once we've gone.
34:57We have a plan, okay,
34:58and it's going to definitely help you.
35:00I've created a complete balanced meal plan,
35:03covering every meal for 28 days.
35:06It's full of healthy dishes
35:08I know this family will love.
35:10It's going to save you that head space
35:12so you can just think
35:13that's exactly what we're having.
35:14And each week is only one shop visit.
35:19Wow.
35:22I've boosted their breakfasts
35:24with options like porridge and frozen berries,
35:27high in fibre, protein and micronutrients.
35:31Lunches have been replaced
35:32with our quick batch-made frozen sandwiches,
35:35wraps and bagels.
35:38And most dinners,
35:38like macaroni cheese,
35:40pork and pepper stir fries
35:42and Thai beef curry,
35:43can all be prepared and cooked in advance.
35:47I love how every day looks
35:49like something different.
35:50Yeah, that's made me hungry.
35:52That's really hungry now.
35:55What do you fancy?
35:57The key to making it work
35:59is setting aside a small block of time each week
36:02to cook multiple dishes at once
36:04and stock up that freezer.
36:06One of the things
36:07that I was really conscious to add in for you
36:09was after-school snacks for the girls, OK?
36:11It's going to give them something to eat
36:14when they walk in the door,
36:15but it's not enough
36:16that they're going to have had, say,
36:18two bowls of cereal
36:19and then they're not going to want to eat their dinner.
36:21Snacks like peanut butter and banana bagels,
36:24no-bake granola bars
36:26and my frozen banana lollies
36:28should help keep the girls' hunger pangs at bay.
36:30It's going to be brilliant.
36:31It's going to completely change the way
36:34we act together as a family
36:35and definitely the way we eat together as a family.
36:37We're just going to be healthier
36:38and hopefully happier.
36:40I just hope we can do it.
36:42You're going to have more money in your pocket.
36:44You're going to spend so much more time with your family.
36:46Yeah.
36:47And also, you're all going to be a lot healthier.
36:49That looks amazing.
36:51If we can do this.
36:52Yeah, I'm really excited for that.
36:55It's a bit daunting.
36:57I want to do it,
36:59but I think it's a bit like,
37:00OK, it's not just going to be easy.
37:05I think my main worry is that
37:06once the honeymoon period is over,
37:08will they actually sustain that
37:10and create those habits
37:11and keep it going down the line?
37:13Hopefully, we've given Claire and Richard
37:15all the tools they need
37:16to set out the week's food,
37:18make it easier,
37:19save money,
37:20spend more time with the kids.
37:21So really, they've got no excuses.
37:23So when I come back,
37:24I'm expecting big things.
37:27Oh, my God.
37:37When the Powell family called us in to help,
37:40we made some shocking discoveries.
37:42We're spending 22 hours and 42 minutes
37:45shopping, cooking.
37:47That's a day a week.
37:48Oh, God.
37:50To help the family get back on track,
37:52we left Richard and Claire
37:53with a 28-day batch cooking meal plan.
37:56I promise you,
37:57it's going to give you back
37:58so much of this time and money.
38:01And I revealed just how much
38:02those savings could be.
38:04That's a lot of money we saved.
38:05That's really, really amazing.
38:12Right.
38:12What do we need?
38:13It's been less than a week since we left
38:15and the family is already putting
38:17their new routine into action.
38:19Right, meatballs.
38:22They're using Sunday mornings
38:23as their time to shop once and cook once,
38:26making meals for the whole week.
38:28To do that meatball...
38:29Meatball in the hole,
38:30500 grams of pork mince.
38:32Can we use beef mince?
38:34No, let's try it with the pork mince first.
38:36I don't want to.
38:37I want to try it with the...
38:38Why are we supposed to have it?
38:43Previously, Claire and Richard
38:45would sometimes shop up to 17 times a week.
38:48Who's getting the trolley?
38:49Me.
38:50So their challenge is to stick to the list
38:53and get everything they need in just one shop.
38:57Got a list?
38:57Got the list, ready to go.
38:58I'm going to stick to it.
39:00Yeah, let's see.
39:01No, I'm going to stick to it.
39:04This week's meal plan includes a wide range
39:06of nutritious dishes,
39:08including my tasty after-school snacks.
39:11Should we make some banana lollies?
39:13Yeah.
39:13And healthy toppings for morning porridge.
39:16Is there any raspberries?
39:18There's raspberries here.
39:20Going shopping with a list and sticking to the list
39:22is really different.
39:24So far, so good.
39:26I don't think we need any noodles anymore, do we?
39:28No.
39:28I'm not eating that anymore.
39:30Quite right, Richard.
39:32But does Claire share your willpower
39:34when it comes to the meat aisle?
39:36You need to just be able to walk straight past the steak.
39:39Keep going, past the steak.
39:40We don't need that anymore.
39:41It does actually look quite nice.
39:43Looks like Claire is fully committed
39:45to her new mealtime routine.
39:48Right, come on, let's go and pay now.
39:50And we've got lots of stuff to eat for the rest of the week.
39:53And it's all been done in one shop.
39:56Oh my goodness, you're fighting over helping.
39:59The family's average weekly spend on food
40:02used to be over £250.
40:05Under £100, the weekly shop.
40:08Mostly unheard of.
40:10Excellent work.
40:11By following our plan,
40:13they've more than halved their weekly grocery bill.
40:15Thank you so much.
40:16Excellent.
40:17How fun was that?
40:18Let's go.
40:19Step one complete.
40:21Super quick, super easy.
40:25Now for step two.
40:27With a fridge full of food,
40:28can Claire use the hours she's set aside
40:31to get ahead in the kitchen?
40:32I'm going to try and make three different dishes
40:38at the same time.
40:40First up is some mealtime prep.
40:42Grab and go fajita bags.
40:44Raw chicken and veg are fully seasoned
40:47and portioned up for the freezer.
40:49Ready to be pulled out
40:50and cooked for speedy, stress-free midweek dinners.
40:53Oh, that smelled lovely.
40:56That took less than like 10 minutes
40:58because you're just chucking it all in a bag.
41:01And compared to our first visit,
41:03it looks like Claire is seriously up to her freezer game.
41:06And then I'm going to freeze them flat down on that one.
41:09And then when they're frozen,
41:11I've been putting them up that way rather than flat.
41:15It's like a bookshelf of food.
41:18With a morning of batch prep and cooking complete,
41:21progress is super quick.
41:23I just did like a freezer meal list
41:26so that I know what's in there.
41:28Oh, that's 15 meals.
41:29That's two weeks worth you could eat to empty the freezer.
41:36And over the next few weeks,
41:38the successes keep on coming.
41:41We've had cottage pie, we've had the lasagna.
41:44I've tried making my own dishes.
41:47Nice.
41:50The girls have ditched cereal snacking
41:52for cooking time in the kitchen.
41:54What are you doing, guys?
41:56We're making flatbread.
41:58Making a blooming mess.
41:59Claire's not her love of expensive meat into check.
42:03I've not eaten a steak in maybe a week, which is good.
42:10And weekly shopping trips have now become the norm.
42:14Big chop done and £65.88,
42:17so very much down from the £250 we were spending.
42:23Not only that,
42:25but by sorting out their shopping and cooking habits...
42:29Claire!
42:30Dinner!
42:31...we've bought Claire and Richard more time to spend together.
42:36Voila, mademoiselle.
42:38Ooh, it smells nice.
42:40While the girls enjoy some healthy,
42:42homemade chicken goujons in the living room...
42:46This is lovely.
42:47...Richard has been able to prepare their favourite dish, Spanish stew.
42:52It's got butter beans in.
42:53Obviously it's got butter beans in.
42:55I like it.
42:56And it does taste authentically Spanish.
42:59But clearly it's been a while
43:00since they last had dinner together without the kids.
43:04Do I have to actually talk this much to you?
43:08Neither of you are looking at our phones.
43:11Once a couple who spent little time together during the week
43:14and whose fraught no-times put their relationship under strain...
43:18It's such quite nice to eat really peaceful and quiet.
43:23...have been able to reconnect with those all-important date nights.
43:28Just getting those opportunities to sit down,
43:30it's something that we should have done before.
43:34I'd laugh with the way that we used to, you know, when you first meet.
43:40The Pals have really embraced the batch cooking way of life.
43:48But if they keep it up,
43:49they'll have amazing savings in both time and money.
43:53I'm popping in to give them some news.
43:56Hello guys.
43:57Hiya.
43:58Nice to see you again.
43:59Welcome back.
44:00You're looking healthy.
44:02Yeah.
44:02Something must be working.
44:04So do you remember last time we done this?
44:06The Board of Shame.
44:07The Board of Shame.
44:08Hopefully we've turned that round
44:09and this is the Board of Hope.
44:11Okay, guys.
44:12So if you continue this journey for a year,
44:15you can expect to save £8,104.
44:20Oh dear, that's three or four holidays, isn't it?
44:22Yeah, that's like, yeah.
44:23That's a lot of money you'll be saving.
44:24That's really, really amazing times that we can have together.
44:29This is the one that got me, right?
44:31That if you continue this journey,
44:33you could save yourselves 517 hours a year.
44:38My maths ain't good,
44:39but I think it works out about three weeks a year.
44:42Oh my golly gosh.
44:43So, so far you've paid for your holiday.
44:45Yeah.
44:46You've made time for your holiday.
44:47Yeah.
44:48And more importantly, you're going to look amazing on that beach.
44:51Does that give you enough incentive to keep up the journey?
44:53Yeah, definitely.
44:54The transformation in this family has been phenomenal
44:57and their approach to preparing and cooking food now
45:00has literally changed their lives.
45:02Suzanne, you taught them well.
45:04Joe, we did it together
45:06and I'm so proud of how Claire and Richard
45:09are planning and organising their mealtimes now
45:12and their freezer is looking fabulous.
45:15Don't mess my system up.
45:19Everything's a lot more settled now.
45:20It's just sort of working out really well, I think.
45:23We've not been taught anything that was like rocket science.
45:27I think working with like Suzanne and Joe
45:29was just a bit of a reset to think about batching.
45:34Why was I not doing that before?
45:37Got cottage pies in there, we've got the nuggets in there.
45:40Basically, we need two freezers now.
45:43I'd recommend this to everybody to actually get prepared
45:46with something like this
45:47and then it just makes everything so much easier.
45:50The simplicity behind batch cooking
45:52has been the catalyst for their mealtime revolution.
45:57I mean, the chaos is still there
45:58but the chaos isn't there about food anymore.
46:01So there's a calmness but not all the time.
46:08Next time...
46:09What do you want for tea Arthur?
46:10Chicken nuggets and cheese.
46:12We meet a family at rock bottom.
46:14In seven days, you had eaten seven pizzas.
46:18I get stuck in.
46:20Oh no, I broke it.
46:22Oh Joe, I can't take you anywhere.
46:24And we get them back on track.
46:26Yummy, yummy.
46:28I just need to make sure I'm healthy for my kids.
46:38And from those starting from scratch
46:40to those that love a good scratch,
46:42the dog house is brand new Thursdays at eight.
46:46On more for two funny blokes on two wheels
46:49across the south of France.
46:51Two men on a bike starts next.
46:53But here on Channel 4,
46:543,000 miles away from home comforts,
46:57and go back to where you came from next.