I was recently sent some meals to try for supper by Gousto. They are a recipe delivery company that send meal that you cook at home without the faff of shopping, weighing ingredients and most importantly- no waste! This part is particularly appealing now that I’m mostly just cooking for one.

Annoyingly you can’t get a box for 1 person (think they’re really missing a trick there) so I chose a 2 person box and ended up cooking one meal for a friend, one for Tom when he came home and 1 for myself to take for lunch at work on two days.

I’d also hoped that they might have a box suitable for pescetarians as I’m trying to eat less meat, and increase my fish and veg intake. Sadly they didn’t so I settled on 1 meat, 1 fish and 1 veggie meal. The food was all nicely packaged in mostly recyclable containers, and it was free range/local where possible which I liked. I did find the instructions a little confusing (maybe that’s just me).

On Saturday evening I made my fish dish; fish burgers with a Brioche bun for myself and friend, Amanda. I didn’t make the chips that were supposed to go with them as I felt the bun was enough, and served it with a big side salad instead. The fish was delicious and I loved the bun, but felt like it could have done with a little lemon to add some zing!

Next up was a French Chicken Tarragon casserole for supper on Sunday evening. It was so great coming back from yoga and being able to quickly whip up this delicious dinner. I served this meal as suggested, plus I stirred in a handful of frozen spinach. Really tasty!

My final meal was Aubergine and Frekah with feta that I took with me for lunch on Monday and Tuesday, topped with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and beetroot. (Currently obsessed with beetroot!)

Can you see a trend here?

I added extra veg to every single meal. I don’t know whether I eat more veggies than the average person but I personally love to sneak in as many of them into my lunch and dinner as I can. Half an aubergine or half a leek is just not enough for me! I definitely think there should have been more vegetables included in each of these meals or at least serving suggestions.

I started thinking about how I sneak more fruit and veg into my day to ensure I get more than my 5 a day. I used to always ensure I had 10 servings a day but I’m not so precious anymore.

How to sneak in more fruit and vegetables into your day

• Start your day with a smoothie– you can sneak plenty of fruit and veg in without even knowing it. They’re also a great mid morning snack!
• Make soups and stews with leftover odds and ends of vegetables, I try to stuff in as many as possible.
• Keep crudités like carrots, celery and cucumber in the fridge to snack on when you get back from work/the gym or when you’re hungry. This helps stop me reaching for a crisps!
• Stir spinach or kale, or other leafy green veg into dishes.
• Have a side salad with your main meal.
• Add grated carrot and finely chopped mushrooms to dishes such as bolognaise, lasagne, burgers (basically anything with mince!)
• Swap potatoes for sweet potatoes, swede, aubergine, courgette or another carby veg.
• Similarly, try using cauliflower instead of rice or cous cous.
• Pre pack servings of dried fruit and nuts for morning /afternoon sugar cravings.
• Make homemade energy balls filled with dates, sultanas or raisins.
• Prepare fruit in advance and pack in zip locks or Tupperware to bring with you and avoid on the go sticky hands! Alternatively apples and bananas are fuss free and easy to eat (just don’t forget about that banana at the bottom of your bag!)
• Pile up your salad with a colourful variety of veg (and often fruit too, strawberries in salad are my favourite!)

How many servings of fruit and veg do you have a day?

You can try your first GOUSTO box for £20 off with the code THERUNNERBEANS20 – let me know how you get on!