Joe Wicks’s 20-minute week night dinners: Quick, healthy recipes that won’t break the bank

As a dad of four, Joe Wicks knows firsthand the challenges of finding time to plan and cook healthy meals for the whole family that please the kids and don’t break the bank.

“I want to help everyone, no matter their budget, put better food on their tables,” says Wicks. “This recipe series focuses on quick and healthy family food. I want to help people understand the connection between good food and good mood.”

Smoky chicken fajita pittas

Classic fajitas get a pitta pocket makeover with an easy homemade fajita spice mix.

Serves: 4-6

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

400g pack chicken drumstick fillets, cut into 3cm pieces

1 red onion, thinly sliced

½ x 500g carton passata

2 mixed peppers, sliced

White pitta breads (6 pack), toasted

130g bag shredded iceberg lettuce

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Stir in the spices, onion, tomato passata and peppers, cover and cook for another 5 minutes until the peppers are soft and the chicken is saucy and cooked through.

2. Split the pittas and stuff with some shredded iceberg lettuce followed by the chicken and pepper mixture and serve.

Cook’s tip: Use your favourite protein here – lean pork or steak would work well too, and you could add a small can of sweetcorn for a kid-friendly veg boost. You can toast the pittas too, if you like.

Leftover tip: Any leftovers will taste delicious topping a jacket potato, or served with fluffy rice or salad.

Fish and potato pie

Classic but so simple, every family should have an easy fish pie in their repertoire.

Serves: 4-6

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp plain flour

1 low-salt vegetable stock cube

750g white potatoes, peeled and chopped into roughly 4cm chunks

568ml (1 pint) semi-skimmed milk

520g frozen white fish fillets

300g frozen mixed vegetables, plus 400g to serve

Method

1. Put the milk into a medium-sized saucepan and add the fish. Place over medium heat with the lid on and cook for 7 minutes until steaming. Cover and turn off the heat and leave for 5 mins. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and place in an ovenproof dish approx 22x22 cm.

2. Put the potatoes into a pan of salted cold water with lid on and bring to the boil. Cook for another 10-12 minutes until really tender. Drain well and allow to steam dry for a few minutes before adding 150ml of the fish milk and mashing well.

3. Add 250ml cold water to the saucepan of remaining milk, then off the heat, tip in the flour. Over a medium heat, whisking vigorously and constantly, bring everything gradually to a simmer. Continue whisking and cooking until the sauce has thickened, 2-4 minutes. Crumble in the stock cube, add the veggies, and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Preheat the grill to high. Pour the sauce over the fish and then top with the mash. Grill for 8-10 minutes until golden. Serve with the extra veggies on the side, cooked following pack instructions.

Cook’s tip: Once you’ve mastered this version, you can vary it to suit your children’s likes and dislikes. Substitute small, frozen prawns for some of the white fish fillets or top with a grated cheddar-spiked cheesy mash. Serve with lemon wedges, if you like.

Leftover tip: Bags of chopped, frozen veg last for months and make it super easy to up the count in stews, pasta sauces and fried rice or noodles.