Ingredients

• 50g quinoa or brown rice
• Handful of roasted nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds are all good)
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 cucumber
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 fillet of smoked mackerel / salmon / tuna / feta / goat’s cheese
• Lemon juice / cider vinegar / olive oil

Method

At the beginning of each week, make a big batch of quinoa or rice. Make sure to put rice in the fridge immediately after cooking it (otherwise it can turn toxic). Roasting nuts is easy. Scatter some on a baking tray and leave in the oven at 200C for about 20 minutes (maximum).

The night before, scoop a couple of big tablespoons of rice or quinoa into a plastic pot each evening. Throw in the handful of the nuts, add some chopped cucumber, and the grated carrot. Salt (in absolute moderation) and pepper (in abundance) to your taste.

In the office keep a supply of nearly ripe avocados, smoked fish or tuna, a lemon, a bottle of olive oil and some cider vinegar. Add the avocado and fish (or cheese if you’d prefer) just before you want to eat the salad. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice or drizzle of vinegar, depending on your preference, and a good dash of olive oil. Half avocados keep well in the fridge, when stone-side down in a standard mug.

Other ingredients which you might consider adding, in any combination, the evening before include:

• Well-rinsed tinned chickpeas (1/3 of a tin will do)
• Tomatoes
• Peas, green beans, broad beans (cooked from frozen)
• Beetroot (easy to boil whole and then peel and cube / or buy pre-cooked)
• Broccoli
• Chopped parsley (kitchen scissors do a brilliant job)
• Raw celery
• Olives
• Roasted sweet potato
• Raisins