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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! That'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.
00:41In seven days, you have eaten seven pizzas.
00:43Wow, that's awful.
00:45..by analysing every meal they eat...
00:47Oh, I know.
00:48..any cereal without sugar,
00:50every minute they waste,
00:52you'll be saving every year 20 days.
00:55That's insane.
00:56..and every pound they overspend.
00:58When you do it like that, it does look awful.
01:01I'll show you my stress-busting recipes.
01:03No, this is a proper macaroni cheese.
01:06Reveal some clever hacks.
01:08I still can't believe we made six meals.
01:10And 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 batching side, Suzanne.
01:22Another one.
01:30Today, I'm meeting Suzanne in East Yorkshire
01:33to meet a family whose mealtime routine is at breaking point.
01:38Welcome to Hull.
01:39Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?
01:40Look at these boats.
01:41It's beautiful.
01:42The sun's out.
01:43Really, really nice.
01:44So today, we're here to meet the Powell family.
01:47They're a family of five.
01:48Both parents work.
01:49They're struggling to find time to cook,
01:50but also struggling to spend time together around the meal table,
01:54so they'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, shall 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 a dyed armpit.
02:13For telecoms manager Richard and teacher Claire,
02:16home and work life is a constant juggling act.
02:19Pretty 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
02:25around about 9 o'clock at night when everybody's gone to bed.
02:28Richard and Claire live together with their three children,
02:32Amaya, Eloisa and the youngest, Indy.
02:36I love being a mum.
02:38Oh, Belle, don't hurt yourself.
02:40But being a working mum is really difficult.
02:44Monday to Friday, your kids sort of get lost
02:48in that mix of family craziness.
02:52No!
02:53You only love two!
02:56Oh, God.
02:58Like many working families, finding time to all eat together
03:02at mealtimes is almost impossible.
03:04I can't imagine our life not being a million miles per hour.
03:09Taking kids to clubs, calendars that are full of events and parties.
03:16With little time to plan proper meals,
03:19dinner times often start with the same familiar question.
03:23What are we making then?
03:26Top three.
03:2650 hands.
03:27Nothings.
03:27We've got no chips.
03:29Right.
03:29And they're often left making unhealthy choices
03:32that 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.
03:56Yeah.
03:56And we're busy and we're doing things,
03:58so 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, like, 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 of steak,
04:22because 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 the garden shed.
04:38Wow, this is us.
04:40With the whole family out of the house,
04:42we want to get a better understanding
04:44of 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 a house upside down?
04:57Do it right.
04:58Right, shall we have a look in the kitchen?
04:59Yeah.
05:00Let's have a look.
05:02OK.
05:05Gosh, it's, er, 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?
05:18Isn't it?
05:19What I would do if I was cooking, I'd just, like, move all that out
05:22and then, like, make yourself a space.
05:24It's a good area to have.
05:25Yeah.
05:25What I'd just done there is what I used to do before I met Stacey,
05:29and since Stacey's kicked me into line, that would have all gone back in there
05:32and I'd wiped it all down.
05:34Perfect.
05:34Yeah.
05:34That's what we want.
05:35I have 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, cereal 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?
05:51First impressions are ringing alarm bells.
05:54A lot of butter beans.
05:55Butter beans everywhere.
05:57There's not a massive amount of food for a family of five,
06:00but maybe there's food other places.
06:02I'm not seeing evidence so far of any meal planning.
06:06Why is that not too bad?
06:07I was too bad.
06:09I thought that was one pan.
06:11Once Joe's finished messing with their pans,
06:13I'm keen to take a look in their freezer,
06:16the key to any successful batch cooking regime.
06:20Da-da-da!
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.
06:31The more we dig, the surprises just keep coming.
06:35Oh, look at this!
06:37That's breast milk.
06:39There's so much breast milk in here, look!
06:42But she's got so much of it.
06:43Look, you 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!
06:54Hello!
06:55How are you, the pals?
06:57Yes.
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
07:06to be like, what 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,
07:14and then you'll have had steak,
07:16you'll have had noodles,
07:18and I'll deal with it when everyone's gone to bed.
07:20To really understand how bad the pals' meal times have become,
07:24we've installed cameras to monitor the family's every move.
07:30to see what they buy,
07:32what they cook,
07:33and more importantly,
07:35what they eat.
07:38Right, guys.
07:39Are you ready to see what we found?
07:41Big brother of us in the kitchen.
07:43There you go.
07:47Oh, crikey.
07:50Indy's just making her own way into the fridge.
07:53Oh, whipped cream.
07:54Oh, brilliant.
07:55I wondered where all that had gone.
07:57Given free reign in the kitchen,
08:00the 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...
08:14Oh!
08:15Whoa!
08:18What do you make of that?
08:20The cheeky sort of bridge and cupboard raid.
08:23Squirt of the cream is ridiculous.
08:25If you think the kids are bad,
08:27the grown-ups ain't much better.
08:29You live in a busy house,
08:30and 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,
08:43but you're sat there, I'm on my phone.
08:45One of the biggest issues is Claire eats separately
08:49from the rest of the family.
08:52Who's the meat fiend?
08:54Yeah.
08:54Steak and butter beans.
08:58Looking at overall,
09:00you're probably eating four times the amount of meat
09:03that you should be eating.
09:05Based 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,
09:15you didn't actually once achieve your five a day.
09:19Yeah, they're not good stats.
09:20No.
09:23This family is at crisis point,
09:25and it's not just affecting the quality of nutrition,
09:29but also their pocket.
09:30Let's get down to the nitty-gritty.
09:32For the past month,
09:34we've also been analysing every receipt,
09:37every shopping trip,
09:38and every penny spent on feeding the family.
09:42You spend £256.60p a week.
09:48Oh, God!
09:49That is double the national average.
09:55The amount of money we're spending,
09:57I mean, add that up,
09:57it's over £1,000 a month.
09:59Quite why we're wasting that much money.
10:01It's nuts.
10:04On average,
10:05the 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
10:17a week
10:19doing shopping,
10:20cooking,
10:21preparing,
10:21anything to do with food and dinners.
10:23That's a day a week.
10:24That's a day!
10:25A 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 were 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,
10:47an 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.
11:00So, it's very important that you eat a nutritionally balanced diet.
11:06And at the minute, you're only achieving that 37% of the time.
11:09Oh, God.
11:10Which means there's a big room for improvement.
11:13Less than that. Yeah.
11:15This low level of nutrition
11:16is largely down to a lack of fruit and vegetables in their diet.
11:21Oh, dear. That is bad.
11:23That is bad.
11:23It's crazy.
11:24We need to change. Yeah, it is.
11:26We need 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.
11:47We just need to do better for the kids, I think.
12:01We're in Hull, helping the Powell family.
12:04Mum, what for dinner?
12:07I don't know.
12:08The hectic week of work, school and evening clubs
12:12means there's no proper meal time 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.
12:23Their spending doubled 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.
12:53Good idea. Let's do it.
12:54While Suzanne and Richard give the kitchen a proper tidy...
12:58This pan lid rather embarrassingly has come from a pan that broke about two years ago.
13:02So I don't think we need that one anymore.
13:03OK, that's going for me. Thank you very much.
13:06I'm taking Claire to the supermarket, armed with a shopping list from Suzanne.
13:11Here we are.
13:12I want to show her how completing one organised shop a week
13:15could 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 standard to maximum once a week.
13:27Yeah.
13:27And the big tip for today is, whenever you go shopping, always take a shopping list.
13:31Yeah.
13:31Yeah.
13:32We're going to save ourselves time.
13:33We're going to save ourselves money.
13:35Ooh, exciting.
13:36And we're going to have a fruit full of lovely food.
13:38Yay.
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.
13:48They 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, we need to make some space in Claire's freezer.
14:01Right, Claire, I think it's time.
14:03We've got rid of the breast milk.
14:05Yeah.
14:05And replaced it with some frozen onions.
14:07And it's already cut.
14:08Who likes cutting an onion?
14:09No.
14:10No 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 and 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.
14:25So, because I'm not going to use it anymore.
14:27It's time to let it go.
14:28It's done.
14:28Yeah.
14:29Unless 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.
14:40So if we stand any chance of reducing the family shopping bill, we need to get some variation
14:45in Claire's diet.
14:47Can you believe that you have this much meat growth through your body in one month?
14:52Well, 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 that will feed the whole family.
15:08We've doubled down on the amount of fruit and veg, but most importantly, we've got all
15:14the ingredients we need to start some of Suzanne's time-saving batch cooks.
15:19Say goodbye to everyone because you won't see me for another week.
15:21Bye.
15:22See 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.
15:30Dinner.
15:31Wow.
15:33When we left, the kitchen was chaotic and disorganised.
15:36The whole space needed rearranging to create an effective place to cook family meals.
15:45It looks amazing.
15:46It's clear.
15:46It'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, we've created an ordered space that will make cooking and
15:59meal planning so much easier.
16:02And then we've got all your cereals from up top.
16:05No more climbing on the sides.
16:07Look, it's clear.
16:09And of course, we had to give your freezer a good sort of...
16:13Look at that.
16:14Oh, look at that.
16:15Time now is nice 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.
16:26Organising 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 that can be prepared in advance and frozen for whenever you need
16:40them.
16:42We're going to start by making not one, but two meats dishes that I'm sure will help Claire move away
16:48from our daily indulgence and expensive steak.
16:52We are going to do a lasagna and at the same time, you're going to make a cottage pie.
16:57That sounds perfect.
16:58The key to this batch cook is making the lasagna and the cottage pie from the same base sauce.
17:04Here's my first top tip, frozen chopped onions.
17:08There's no waste.
17:09You just 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.
17:16Garlic and oregano add a burst of flavour.
17:20And 750 grams of mincemeat will be enough for both dishes as we're bulking it out with some healthy veg.
17:27We don't need to peel.
17:29No, sorry.
17:30We've washed 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 is ideal for fussy kids.
17:41Our health meat will be going from the orange to the green before we know it.
17:45100%.
17:46Add a couple of tins of tomatoes and 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 is a cheats 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, half a cup of milk
18:14and a few handfuls of grated mozzarella.
18:18And the more you mix it, the more it'll start to come together
18:22into a nice thick cheesy sauce.
18:25Super quick to make.
18:26Oh, amazing!
18:27Now to layer it up.
18:29It smells lovely.
18:30A good thick lasagna.
18:33Game changer.
18:34So if you're going to put this straight in the freezer,
18:36once it was completely cool, you would just pop your lid on.
18:39Perfect.
18:40We don't want this to become a UFO.
18:43An unidentified frozen object.
18:45So what we want to do is label it.
18:47Lasagna, serves five, 180 for 40 minutes.
18:53With one family dish in the bag,
18:55we can move on to making the cottage pie using the rest of the sauce.
18:59One of the things I love to bulk out is these already cooked green lentils.
19:04It's quite a similar consistency to the actual mince.
19:08Your meat bill will go down.
19:10I promise you.
19:12Whether in a pie, curry or chilli, lentils are the perfect protein-packed replacement for beef mince.
19:19They are less than a quarter of the price and count towards your five a day.
19:24A 20-minute simmer with rosemary and Worcestershire sauce creates a quick and healthy base for this cottage pie.
19:31My glamorous assistant, thank you very much.
19:33I'm getting used to this.
19:34But no cottage pie would be complete without the potato topping.
19:39I use this ready-made mash.
19:41The reason I love it, if you make mash and then you freeze it on top of something,
19:46the water comes out and you end up with the bottom of your pie ball watery,
19:50where this has been churned so it stays this thick, creamy mash.
19:55So it's perfect.
19:55I don't know that.
19:56Perfect 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, we've made two veg-packed family dishes.
20:10They could go straight in the freezer or, like us, banged in the oven.
20:14Mmm.
20:16Oh, can we have a crunchy corner?
20:17You can.
20:18Let'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.
20:30Mmm.
20:30They won't know it's a lentil, because of the flavour.
20:33And the mashed potato on top is lovely.
20:35Mmm.
20:36My freezer's going to be a place of batch cooking wonder.
20:40I love it.
20:41I love it.
20:43Batch cooking is all about using time as efficiently as possible
20:47to create meals in advance to take the stress out of the busiest times of the day.
20:53In the test kitchen, I'm going to show Joe a surprising hack for school lunch boxes.
21:00OK, Joe, we're both parents, and we know what getting kids out to school in the morning with a packed
21:05lunch can be like.
21:06Yeah, in our house, we call it the morning grind.
21:09I want to take that grind away from you, especially because you've got so many kids.
21:12There's quite a few.
21:14And I want to show you how you can get all the packed lunches ready, and it only takes you
21:17then a minute every morning to get the kids out the door.
21:20Sounds amazing.
21:21We are making 20 sandwiches.
21:2320 sandwiches!
21:25And it might sound crazy, but the best thing about these sandwiches is that they will last up to three
21:30months.
21:31We're going to freeze them.
21:33I mean, this freezing bread idea, it just doesn't make sense in my brain.
21:38But it works, we're eating frozen bread all the time.
21:41From burger backs to sandwich rolls, much of the convenience bread we eat comes from the freezer.
21:47In terms of fillings, the only thing that you really need to watch when you're freezing is that you're not
21:52using anything with a high water content.
21:54We don't want our bread going soggy.
21:56And then when you get them out of the freezer, have you got to sort of put them in the
21:58microwave to warm them up or in the oven?
22:00No, they take about an hour to defrost, so they actually keep the lunchbox cold at the same time.
22:05Oh, so that's working double bubble for you?
22:06Double bubble.
22:07Nice.
22:08I'll just wait until you catch up, shall I?
22:11Very gracious of you, Joe.
22:14Now, let's get filling.
22:15Mmm, I love ham and cheese.
22:17Tuna and sweet corn, chicken and pesto, roast beef and even peanut butter and jam are all ideal fillings for
22:24the freezer.
22:26Right, Joe, we're going to use these freezer bags.
22:29And then once they're labelled, put your sandwich in the bag.
22:33The secret is to remove all of the air from the bag.
22:36Which will keep them as fresh as the day they were made.
22:39With sandwiches done, it's time for the rest of the packed lunch.
22:45Right, Joe.
22:46Yes.
22:46What I next want to talk to you about is snack boxes.
22:49Fill the boxes with a variety of options, including dried fruit, as it counts towards their five a day.
22:56It just means that the kids in the morning choose one from one, one from the other, no thought required.
23:02You can also then just nip into the fridge.
23:06No limit on this.
23:07The kids can help themselves to fruit, whatever they like, to get that five a day into them.
23:12The key here is just ten minutes of prep at the weekend can save you a whole month's worth of
23:17stress in the mornings.
23:20I'm going to set you a challenge now.
23:22I'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?
23:31Good morning.
23:32Go.
23:32Right, here we go.
23:33Straight to the freezer.
23:34I'm going to grab myself a little ham and cheese.
23:37Favourite 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.
23:45Straight over to the fridge.
23:47I'm going to give myself an apple, a banana.
23:50Ready?
23:52Start the clock.
23:5425 seconds.
23:55Told you.
23:56Easy pease.
23:56I could have done two.
23:57I'm out of breath as well.
23:59Keep me fit.
24:02Back at the house.
24:04Our secret cameras have discovered that on many occasions,
24:08Claire and Richard's indecisions at 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.
24:21It's the pudding in the house.
24:23Cereal is life to our kids.
24:27Cereals may be quick and easy, but they can be highly processed
24:30and high in sugar.
24:33We also rarely stick to the recommended servings, eating more than we realise.
24:39Is that what we ought for?
24:41Is it just a small bowl?
24:44We need to find out what meals the kids actually enjoy so we can pack the freezer with healthy
24:49alternatives.
24:54Hello you lot.
24:55You all right?
24:56Yeah.
24:56Indy, come and have a little chat with us.
24:58How are you?
24:59Before you do, let me see one of your flips.
25:01Go on.
25:02Yes.
25:03I've heard a rumour on the grapevine that there's a lot of cereal eating going on.
25:08Oh yeah.
25:09Oh yeah.
25:10Because normally we come home from school and then we mostly just have cereal.
25:14So if it was an ideal world, what would you love for mum and dad to cook?
25:17Chilli, stir-fried chicken korma, because I love the school's chicken korma.
25:21So you want mum and dad to broaden the horizons?
25:24Yeah, broaden the horizons.
25:25Bring more food into your diet.
25:27Yeah.
25:27And maybe chuck in a couple of your favourites.
25:29Yeah.
25:30It seems that there were plenty of dishes the kids would jump at if they were available
25:34during the week.
25:36And our cameras showed that when Richard and Claire aren't stretched for time at the
25:40weekends, dinners do become a family affair.
25:44Would you like to spend more time as a family around the table eating together?
25:49Yes, definitely.
25:50Like, make it seem more like you want to talk to your parents, like, so you can tell them
25:55about your day.
25:56Like, it'd be better if we were all together.
25:58It seems like you guys really cherish those moments.
26:01Well yeah, we kind of need to cherish them because, like, knowing our family, we're probably
26:05not going to get them a lot.
26:08It is so hard to find time to cook when you've got a big family, because you've just got a
26:13million and one things to do.
26:15All we need to do is just to establish some routines, some little hacks in the kitchen,
26:20and hopefully they're going to spend more time together and they're going to be healthier.
26:24All right, guys.
26:25I'm on it.
26:26Speak to you in a little while.
26:37In the north-east of England, in the city of Hull.
26:41How long have we got?
26:41She's at dance at six.
26:44We've been called to help the Pell family, whose meal time routine was in a state of chaos.
26:50But by introducing some simple steps, I can guarantee that we can save them not just hundreds,
26:56but thousands of pounds every year.
27:01Planning ahead is the key to easy and healthy meal times.
27:06So I'm going to show Clare how to batch cook the girls' school favourite, chicken korma.
27:12I really wanted to show you this recipe because it's using one pan and it's a super simple one for
27:18the kids as well.
27:19That's ideal for me.
27:20We're using frozen diced onions, garlic paste and jarred ginger.
27:25That's ten minutes of prep time saved before we've even started.
27:30What I like to do is use like a medium curry powder and then we're just going to put some
27:34turmeric in it as well,
27:35which has got great health benefits.
27:37Gives a good colour, the old turmeric, doesn't it, as well?
27:39Gives a really nice colour, yeah.
27:41And like any good batch cook, I'm doubling the recipe so we can get two family dinners in the time
27:47it takes to make one.
27:49We're going to add in our chicken.
27:51I've just used chicken breast and chopped it, but you could use skinless, boneless thighs if you want to save
27:56some money.
27:57Along with chopped sweet potato, we're adding mixed frozen vegetables.
28:02That's two of your five a day in 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, a few spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt and mango chutney finishes things off.
28:20It's so much healthier and cheaper than takeaways or ready meals.
28:25Oh wow.
28:25Now it looks like that.
28:27This curry would go perfectly with a microwave rice or a naan bread.
28:32And here we've got one for the table and another one for the freezer.
28:35That's ten portions made with ingredients costing less than 12 quid.
28:40I want to give you a huge top tip, okay, which is freezing flat in bags.
28:47Right.
28:47Okay, you can freeze everything flat like library books and stack them up.
28:52And also, when it's frozen flat in a bag, it's only about that thin and it defrosts way quicker.
28:58Oh, that's great.
28:59Using a bag stand makes filling them a doddle.
29:02And you can buy reusable bags like these from most supermarkets.
29:06You'll be able to fit loads in the freezer like that.
29:11That's brilliant.
29:12But do make sure the bags are done up tightly.
29:15Oh no.
29:17You didn't do the bag up front, did you?
29:19I'm so sorry.
29:20It's like being in my classroom.
29:22Imagine being married to me.
29:24That's perfect and easy and 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 rather than a school dinner curry.
29:36Hearing the girls plea for more time with Richard and Claire around the dinner table.
29:41All right guys, grubs up.
29:43I really hope meals like this one will become a permanent fixture in the family's weeknight routine.
29:49Wow.
29:50What do you think, guys?
29:50It looks awesome.
29:51Smells lovely, doesn't it?
29:53Yeah.
29:53It smells absolutely delicious.
29:55Bonamity.
29:58Right, is it as good as your school curry?
30:03Or is it better?
30:04Better.
30:05Better?
30:06Yeah.
30:07Yeah!
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 that we can have it again.
30:16Yeah.
30:17I mean mine.
30:18That's the benefit of batching, Claire.
30:21Healthy meals that the whole family love and are great for the freezer.
30:25But sometimes we all need a frozen sweet treat.
30:28Back in my test kitchen, I've got the perfect hack to show Joe.
30:32My kids love snacking and very rarely they go for the healthy snack.
30:36But this feels like a sort of parent guilt-free version.
30:40First things first, just grab a few bananas.
30:43Okay, okay.
30:43I'm going to go for little ones.
30:45I'll go for big ones.
30:46I'm not overcompensated for anything.
30:49Okay, once you've cut your bananas, you're just taking some little wooden sticks and you're
30:55just going to almost the top of the banana.
30:58So you've got it like that.
30:59There we go.
31:00Lovely.
31:00Lovely.
31:00So, now the fun begins.
31:02Let's go.
31:02You are just dipping into the yogurt and then basically choose any topping that you want.
31:08I think the kids would like a little bit of the hundreds and thousands.
31:12These banana lollies are a great treat to make with the kids and much healthier than
31:16sugary ice cream.
31:17Oh, strawberries.
31:19Oh, 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, but regardless, your kids will get potassium from the banana
31:30and protein from the Greek yogurt.
31:32Gosh, you look really professional.
31:34Every time we cook together, you seem to do a better job.
31:38It's not a competition.
31:41If you keep them in a sealed bag, they can freeze for up to three months.
31:50When our secret cameras were set up in the Powell family kitchen, not only did we discover food
31:56spending had gone through the roof, but Claire and Richard could never find time as a couple.
32:02Between jobs and clubs and the chaos of our life, we don't get as much time together as
32:08we would hope.
32:09And it's dinner times when frictions start to surface.
32:20It seems like we're always with ships crossing.
32:23One of us is cooking our own food.
32:25The other one's cooking food for the kids.
32:28I feel like if we were to sit down at the mealtime together, then, I mean, we'd probably
32:34get back to being nice to each other and being happier together again.
32:38Yeah.
32:41I've got an idea to help get Claire and Richard's relationship back on track.
32:46A weekly date night.
32:48And I have a dish a nose close to their heart, Spanish stew.
32:52Right, Richard, why do you think we might be doing a Spanish stew?
32:55It might have something to do with our past.
32:58I met Claire when I was in a band called Tarifa, which is named after a Spanish town.
33:04Yeah.
33:04And we ended up getting married on the beach there.
33:06Oh, amazing.
33:07So this is going to be perfect.
33:08You can make a little Spanish stew.
33:10Exactly.
33:10Remember when it's about the good old days before you had the kids?
33:13Yeah, yeah.
33:14The quiet days before we had the kids.
33:15Yeah.
33:16For this Spanish stew, we're keeping things simple.
33:19So this is another one-pot dish.
33:22And to reduce Claire's consumption of red meat, we're swapping beef for chicken thighs, which will also reduce the cost.
33:30Now, for this recipe, I added in some lovely butter beans.
33:34So that way you can say, I've made this romantic meal for you and it's still got your butter beans
33:38in it.
33:38Yeah, exactly.
33:39Claire will be pleased.
33:40A tin of butter beans is full of fibre and light chopped tomatoes count as one of your five a
33:46day.
33:47We're also adding some pre-sliced frozen peppers and 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 a great deal of time together when you've got young kids, you've
34:01got busy lives.
34:02I think this is a chance for them to rekindle that love of date night over their lovely Spanish stew.
34:08It smells delicious.
34:12Mmm.
34:13It's perfect.
34:14So nice.
34:15It just goes to show that healthy and delicious meals don't have to be complicated.
34:21And what's better, this stew will last up to three months bagged in the freezer.
34:25Can you see yourself cooking it for Claire?
34:27Definitely.
34:28It 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, the Powell family meal times were 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 was hammering the bank balance.
34:53So we want to make sure that they don't slip back into bad habits once we've gone.
34:57We have a plan, okay, and it's going to definitely help you.
35:00I've created a complete balanced meal plan, covering every meal for 28 days.
35:06It's full of healthy dishes I know this family will love.
35:09It's going to save you that head space so you can just think that's exactly what we're having.
35:14And each week is only one shop visit.
35:19Wow.
35:20Wow.
35:21I've boosted their breakfasts with options like porridge and frozen berries, high in fibre, protein and micronutrients.
35:31Lunches have been replaced with our quick batch made frozen sandwiches, wraps and bagels.
35:37And most dinners like macaroni cheese, pork and pepper stir-fries and Thai beef curry can all be prepared and
35:45cooked in advance.
35:47I love how every day looks like something different.
35:51God, that's made me hungry, that.
35:52I'm really hungry now.
35:54What do you fancy?
35:57The key to making it work is setting aside a small block of time each week
36:02to cook multiple dishes at once and stock up that freezer.
36:06One of the things that I was really conscious to add in for you was after-school snacks for the
36:10girls, OK?
36:11Yeah.
36:12It's going to give them something to eat when they walk in the door,
36:15but it's not enough that they're going to have had, say, two bowls of cereal and then they're not going
36:20to want to eat their dinner.
36:21Snacks like peanut butter and banana bagels, no-bake granola bars and 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 we act together as a family and definitely the way we eat together
36:36as a family.
36:36We're just going to be healthier and 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.
36:52That, yeah.
36:52I'm, yeah, I'm really excited for that.
36:55It's a bit daunting.
36:57Like, I want to do it, but I think it's a bit like, OK, it's not just going to be
37:02easy.
37:04I think my main worry is that once the honeymoon period is over, we'll actually sustain that and create those
37:10habits and keep it going down the line.
37:13Hopefully, we'll give Claire and Richard all the tools they need to kind of set out the week's food, make
37:19it easier, save money, spend more time with the kids.
37:21So, really, they've got no excuses.
37:24So, when I come back, I'm expecting big things.
37:36When the Powell family called us in to help, we made some shocking discoveries.
37:42You're spending 22 hours and 42 minutes shopping, cooking.
37:47That's a day a week.
37:48Oh, God.
37:49To help the family get back on track, we left Richard and Claire with a 28-day batch cooking meal
37:55plan.
37:56I promise you, it's going to give you back so much of this time and money.
38:01And I reveal just how much those savings could be.
38:04That's a lot of...
38:05That's some money.
38:07Really, really amazing.
38:11Right.
38:12What do we need?
38:13It's been less than a week since we left, and the family is already putting their new routine into action.
38:19Right.
38:20Meatballs.
38:21They're using Sunday mornings as their time to shop once and cook once, making meals for the whole week.
38:28To do that meatball...
38:30Meatball in the hole, 500 grams of pork mince.
38:32Can we use beef mince?
38:34No.
38:34Let's try it with the pork mince first.
38:36I don't want...
38:37I want to try it with the one we're supposed to have it.
38:43Previously, Claire and Richard would sometimes shop up to 17 times a week.
38:48Who's getting the trolley?
38:49Me.
38:49So, their challenge is to stick to the list, and get everything they need in just one shop.
38:57Got a list?
38:57Got the list.
38:58Ready 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 of nutritious dishes, including my tasty after-school snacks.
39:11Should we make some banana lollies?
39:13Yeah.
39:14And 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 is really different.
39:24So far, so good.
39:26I don't think we need any noodles anymore, do we?
39:28No.
39:29I'm not eating that anymore.
39:30Quite right, Richard.
39:32But does Claire share your willpower when it comes to the meat aisle?
39:36We need to just be able to walk straight past the steak.
39:39Keep going past the steak.
39:41We don't need that anymore.
39:41It does actually look quite nice.
39:43Looks like Claire is fully committed to her new mealtime routine.
39:48Right, come on, let's go and pay now.
39:49Right.
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.
39:55Oh!
39:56Oh, my goodness, you're fighting over helping.
39:59The family's average weekly spend on food used to be over £250.
40:05Under £100, the weekly shop.
40:08Well, that's mostly unheard of.
40:09Excellent work.
40:11By following our plan, they have more than half their weekly grocery bill.
40:16Thank you so much.
40:16Excellent.
40:17How fun is 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, can Claire use the hours she's set aside to get ahead in the kitchen?
40:32I'm going to try and make three different dishes at the same time.
40:40First up is some mealtime prep.
40:43Grab and go fajita bags.
40:44Raw chicken and veg are fully seasoned and portioned up for the freezer.
40:49Ready to be pulled out and cooked for speedy, stress-free midweek dinners.
40:53Yeah.
40:54Oh, that smelled lovely.
40:56That took less than like ten minutes because you're just chucking it all in a bag.
41:01And compared to our first visit, it looks like Claire is seriously upped her freezer game.
41:06And then I'm going to freeze them flat down on that one.
41:09And then when they're frozen, I've been putting them up that way rather than flat.
41:14It's like a bookshelf of food.
41:17With a morning of batch prep and cooking complete, progress is super quick.
41:23I just did like a freezer meal list so that I know what's in there.
41:28Well, it has 15 meals.
41:29That's two weeks worth you could eat to empty the freezer.
41:35And over the next few weeks, the 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 for cooking time in the kitchen.
41:54What are you doing, guys?
41:56We're making flatbread.
41:58Making a blooming mess.
41:59Claire's knocked her love of expensive meat into check.
42:02I'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.
42:22Not only that, but by sorting out their shopping and cooking habits...
42:29Claire, dinner!
42:31We've bought Claire and Richard more time to spend together.
42:36Voila, mademoiselle.
42:38Ooh!
42:39It smells nice.
42:50Spanish stew.
42:52It's got butter beans in.
42:54It's got butter beans in.
42:54Obviously 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 since they last had dinner together without the kids.
43:04Do I have to actually talk this much, do you?
43:08Neither of us are looking at our phones.
43:11Once a couple who spent little time together during the week and whose fruit mill times put their relationship under
43:17strain.
43:17It's such quite nice to be really peaceful and quiet.
43:23I've been able to reconnect with those all-important date nights.
43:27Just getting those opportunities to sit down, it's something that we should have done before.
43:34I laugh with the way that we're used to, you know, when you first meet.
43:43The Pals have really embraced the batch cooking way of life.
43:48But if they keep it up, they'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 all looking healthy.
44:02Yeah.
44:02Something must be working.
44:04So, do you remember last time we'd done this?
44:06Oh, the 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, you can expect to save $8,000.
44:20Yeah.
44:20That's three or four holidays.
44:22That's not one holiday.
44:23That's like, yeah.
44:24That's incredible.
44:24That's a lot of money you'll be saving.
44:26That'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, you could save yourself 517 hours a year.
44:38My maths ain't good, but I think it works out at about three weeks a year.
44:42Oh, my God.
44:42My God.
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.
44:53The transformation in this family has been phenomenal.
44:57And their approach to preparing and cooking food now has literally changed their lives.
45:02Suzanne, you're taught them well.
45:04Joe, we did it together.
45:06And I'm so proud of how Claire and Richard are 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.
45:21It's just sort of working out really well, I think.
45:23We've not been taught anything that was like rocket science.
45:26I think working with, like, Suzanne and Joe was just a bit of a reset to think about batching.
45:34Why was I not doing that before?
45:37Yeah.
45:37Got cottage pies in there.
45:39We've got the nuggets in there.
45:40Basically, we need two freezers now.
45:43I'd recommend this to everybody to actually get prepared with something like this.
45:47And then it just makes everything so much easier.
45:50The simplicity behind batch cooking has been the catalyst for the mealtime revolution.
45:56I mean, the chaos is still there, but 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?
46:11Chicken egg and something.
46:12We meet a family at rock bottom.
46:15In seven days, you had eaten seven pizzas.
46:18I get stuck in.
46:20Oh, no.
46:21I 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 to those that love a good scratch.
46:42The dog house is brand new Thursdays at eight on more for two funny blokes on two wheels across the
46:50south of France.
46:51Two men on a bike starts next.
46:53But here on Channel 4, 3,000 miles away from home comforts, then go back to where you came from
46:58next.
46:59We'll be back next.
47:01We'll be back next.
47:02We'll be back next.
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