Stress free midweek meals

April is Stress Awareness Month - a timely reminder to slow down, take stock, and look for small ways to make everyday life feel a little easier.

And one of the biggest daily stress points can be something as simple as deciding what to cook.

Midweek meals can quickly become overwhelming with long days, busy schedules, and the pressure to eat well often means we reaching for the easiest option, not always the best one.

But eating well doesn’t have to add to your stress. Delicious taste for a healthier life starts with making food simpler, quicker, and more enjoyable. Because when meals are easy and full of flavour, they become something you look forward to, not another task on the 'to do' list.

Here are five stress-free midweek meals to help bring a little more calm (and a lot more flavour) to your evenings.

BBQ Sausage Traybake

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 red onions peeled and quartered

2 corn cobs cut into 4-6 pieces

1 mango stoned and chopped

2 large sweet potatoes cut into wedges

8-12 pork sausages (works well with veggie sausages too)

Drizzle It! BBQ Sauce & Marinade

Chopped parsley to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 or if using an air fryer heat to 200C. Tip the onion quarters, corn, mango, sweet potatoes and sausages into a roasting tin, then pour over a generous glug of Drizzle It! BBQ Marinade and stir to coat. Season.

Bake for 45-50 mins, giving it a toss halfway through, until the sausages are cooked through and the sweet potato is soft. Serve sprinkled with the parsley and an extra drizzle of BBQ Marinade, if you like.

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Lemon Salmon Traybake

Serves 4

Ingredients

650g/1lb 7oz small Maris Piper potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3cm/1¼in chunks

2–3 tbsp Drizzle It! Lemon Dressing

1 large garlic clove, sliced

6 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 3cm/1¼in lengths

200g/7oz Tenderstem broccoli, cut into 5cm/2in lengths

8 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in lengths

12 cherry tomatoes

4 x 150g/5½oz salmon fillets

For the dressing

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

3 tbsp Drizzle It! Lemon Dressing

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Put the potatoes a large roasting tray. Drizzle with 3-4 tablespoons Lemon Dressing, season well with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes until starting to turn golden and soften. Turn the potatoes over, add the garlic and spring onions and cook for a further 10 minutes, add more drizzle if needed.

Remove the tray from the oven, add the broccoli, asparagus and cherry tomatoes and stir to coat in the hot dressing

Make four spaces among the vegetables, and nestle one salmon fillet in each space. Season well, drizzle with a little more dressing and return to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile combine the chopped herbs and lemon dressing in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the herby dressing over the salmon and vegetables and serve.

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Baked Feta & tomatoes with Sweet Chilli & honey

Serves 2

Ingredients

400g cherry tomatoes

1 small red onion finely sliced

3 tbsp Drizzle It! Sweet Chilli Dressing plus extra to serve

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 tbsp chopped basil or oregano

2 tbsp honey plus a drizzle

green salad and crusty bread, to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the feta in the centre of a baking dish, about 25cm x 20cm, and scatter the cherry tomatoes and red onion around the cheese.

In a jug, whisk the Sweet Chilli Dressing with the garlic, chopped herbs, honey and some seasoning, then drizzle over the tomatoes and feta. Bake for 35-40 mins until the tomatoes have burst, and the feta is soft and lightly golden. Drizzle with a little extra chilli fusion honey and olive oil to serve, alongside some crusty bread and a green salad.

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Moroccan Chicken Traybake

Serves 4

Ingredients

Drizzle It! Moroccan Marinade

1 small red chilli finely chopped (optional)

½ x 500g pot low-fat natural yogurt

4 skinless chicken breasts slashed

1 small butternut squash peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks

2 red onions cut into wedges

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Mix 4-5 tbsp of Moroccan Marinade with the chilli if using Drizzle all over the chicken breasts and set aside to marinate while you start the veg.

Toss the squash and the onions with more Moroccan Marinade and some seasoning in a large roasting tin. Roast for 10 mins.

Remove veg from the oven, add the chicken to the tin, then roast for a further 20-25 mins until the chicken and veg are cooked through. Serve with the yogurt on the side, and a big bowl of couscous or rice.

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Indian Veggie Traybake

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g/1lb 5oz floury potatoes, cut into 15mm/⅝in cubes

1 large cauliflower, cut into large florets

1 red onion, roughly chopped

Drizzle It! Indian Spiced Sauce & Marinade

400g/14oz cherry tomatoes halved

200ml/7fl oz boiling water

1 lime, juice only

handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

rice or naan breads, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Tip the potatoes, cauliflower and onion into a large roasting tin, drizzle over a generous amount of Indian Spiced Marinade and mix well. Transfer the tin/s to the oven to roast for 40 minutes, turning a few times through cooking to prevent the veggies from burning.

After 40 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes and boiling water, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, reducing the heat to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Taste and season as needed, squeeze over the lime juice, and scatter with the fresh coriander before serving with hot rice or naan breads. Delicious drizzled with Mango Chutney and raita to finish.

This Stress Awareness Month, it’s worth remembering that small changes can make a big difference.

Cooking doesn’t need to be complicated to be good for you. By keeping things simple and focusing on flavour, it’s easier to build meals that support both your wellbeing and your schedule.

Because when food is easy, delicious, and something you genuinely enjoy, it becomes part of the solution, not part of the stress.