It’s Monday night, you arrive home from work, later than planned, utterly exhausted and starving. You pull open the fridge to find one sad carrot, half a tub of yoghurt and a slightly mouldy block of cheese.

Of course, you reach instinctively for your phone. Delivery it is. As you scroll through the fried and deep-fried options that you don’t even really feel like, you see the wait time, 40-50 minutes. Your stomach rumbles. Ugh. You go back to staring at the empty fridge.

Sound familiar?

Lucky for you, the answer isn’t that you have to eat the sad carrot for dinner but you might not need to wait for delivery either…

Why not try the freezer? (Nope, not this kind of freezer)

I am one of those people who swear by the need to have a fully stocked freezer at all times. In my freezer right now you can find: two types of berries, roasted capsicums, a loaf of bread, peas, corn, frozen banana, salmon, chicken and a portion of daal for one. There may or may not be some ice in there somewhere too. Apart from the daal, a meal in itself; the basis of many quick dinners (and several smoothies) can be found in here.

Got leftover rice? Fry it up with some garlic, soya sauce and a cup each of the peas and corn. Maybe add a fried egg if you’re feeling fancy (or if you have one).

That mouldy cheese you mentioned? Why not melt it on the toast with a roast capsicum. (Do cut the mould off first though!)

Or grab that yoghurt and try my 5-Minute Pea soup!

5-Minute Pea Soup

Serves: 1                Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup natural or Greek yoghurt
• Wholemeal toast
• Optional: seeds and/or nuts and/or herbs

Preparation:

1. Microwave peas in a covered bowl for 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can also blanch peas in boiling water for 1 minute.
2. Combine peas and yoghurt and blend until smooth. You can use a stick blender, food processor or blender here. (Depending on your blender you may need to open the top or let the peas cool slightly before blending.)
3. If you prefer steaming hot soup, transfer to a covered bowl and microwave for another minute or two before serving.
4. To take the soup to the next level, you need to add a little crunch (think: fried shallots on yong tau fu). I like this soup with sesame seeds and some nuts but feel free to experiment and add whatever you’ve got. Herbs, especially mint, add an extra layer of flavour too.
5. Finish with an extra spoonful of yoghurt and serve with a few slices of wholemeal or multigrain toast.

Nutritional Facts:

Per serving: 230 calories;  8.6g fat;  27.9g carbohydrates;  13g protein; 7g fibre

Carbohydrate Servings: 1.8

If you like this 5-Minute Pea Soup, try this French classic or Korean stew!