North Star Theory
North Star Theory · Kitchen & nutrition
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A little planning goes a long way

Make tomorrow's meals easier.

Pick a few dishes, check what you need and follow a practical cooking order. A useful batch, not an entire Sunday lost to the kitchen.

Choose up to three dishes.

Start with each recipe's original number of servings, then adjust the portions in your shopping list below.

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A little preparation

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Listed by dish so ingredient amounts and substitutions stay clear. If an ingredient appears in more than one dish, buy enough for each.

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Berry yoghurt and muesli bowl

2 servings

Lemon chickpea and mozzarella salad

2 servings

Lentil and chickpea curry with rice

2 servings

One dish at a time

Your prep outline

This is a preparation outline, not the full method. Read each full recipe before cooking. Timings are estimates per recipe, not a promise of combined batch time. Check each recipe's equipment, allergens and method before starting.

  1. Dish 1. Berry yoghurt and muesli bowl

    Estimated: 10 min preparation · 0 min cooking

    • Portion the dry muesli into a closed container.
    • Keep the yoghurt and fruit chilled separately, then combine when ready to eat.

    Plan this as a same-day packed breakfast, following the storage instructions and ingredient labels.

    Open full cooking instructions

  2. Dish 2. Lemon chickpea and mozzarella salad

    Estimated: 15 min preparation · 0 min cooking

    • Prepare the chickpeas, vegetables and mozzarella for a same-day lunch; refrigerate them.
    • Keep the leaves dry and dressing separate, then toss together before eating.

    This is a same-day lunch, not a multi-day fridge plan. Follow the storage instructions and ingredient labels.

    Open full cooking instructions

  3. Dish 3. Lentil and chickpea curry with rice

    Estimated: 15 min preparation · 35 min cooking

    • Portion the curry and follow its cooling and storage instructions.
    • Cook fresh rice for each meal where possible. Stored rice, including mixed portions, must follow the shorter rice limits.

    Keep rice and curry storage separate: refrigerated rice is limited to 24 hours; curry without rice to 48 hours.

    Open full cooking instructions

Full cooking instructions

Berry yoghurt and muesli bowl

2 servings · Estimated: 10 min preparation · 0 min cooking

Not yet kitchen-tested. Preparation and cooking times are estimates.

Editorial review: Gabriel Silva · 2026-10-14

Read the full method before you start. Wash your hands, use clean equipment and check the labels of every ingredient for allergens.

You will need

  • Kitchen scales
  • Colander
  • Knife and board
  • Serving bowls
  • Spoon

Important ingredient notes

  • Use muesli labelled ready to eat. Cereal that needs cooking is not a direct swap.

Allergens & ingredients

  • Milk in the yoghurt
  • Muesli may contain oats, wheat or barley, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya or sulphites; check the exact pack and may-contain statements

Meal-prep notes

  • Portion the dry muesli into a closed container.
  • Keep the yoghurt and fruit chilled separately, then combine when ready to eat.

Plan this as a same-day packed breakfast, following the storage instructions and ingredient labels.

The full method

  1. Prepare the berries

    Gently rinse the berries unless labelled ready to eat, then drain. Discard any mouldy or spoiled fruit. Remove the strawberry stalks and halve larger berries.

  2. Fill the bowls

    Divide the yoghurt between your bowls, then add the muesli.

  3. Add the fruit

    Spoon the berries over the top and serve. If preparing ahead, keep the components separate and chilled as described below, then combine just before eating.

Swaps & variations

  • Fruit: Try the same prepared weight of fresh blueberries or chopped pear.
  • Yoghurt: Try a suitable plant-based yoghurt. Check its ingredients and the muesli; the flavour, nutrition and allergens will differ.
  • Frozen berries: Follow the pack's preparation instructions, including cooking if required. Chill safely before adding; do not assume they can be used uncooked.

Lemon chickpea and mozzarella salad

2 servings · Estimated: 15 min preparation · 0 min cooking

Not yet kitchen-tested. Preparation and cooking times are estimates.

Editorial review: Gabriel Silva · 2026-10-14

Read the full method before you start. Wash your hands, use clean equipment and check the labels of every ingredient for allergens.

You will need

  • Kitchen scales
  • Colander
  • Knife and board
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small dressing bowl
  • Measuring spoons
  • Spoon

Important ingredient notes

  • Use tinned chickpeas labelled ready to eat. Dried chickpeas need a separate cooking method.

Allergens & ingredients

  • Milk in mozzarella
  • Check every pack and precautionary label; accompaniments and substitutes introduce further allergens

Meal-prep notes

  • Prepare the chickpeas, vegetables and mozzarella for a same-day lunch; refrigerate them.
  • Keep the leaves dry and dressing separate, then toss together before eating.

This is a same-day lunch, not a multi-day fridge plan. Follow the storage instructions and ingredient labels.

The full method

  1. Prepare the chickpeas and vegetables

    Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then weigh the amount listed. Chop the cucumber, halve the tomatoes and roughly chop the parsley. Prepare the salad leaves as their pack directs.

  2. Mix the dressing

    Stir the lemon juice, olive oil and optional black pepper together in a small bowl.

  3. Build the salad

    Drain and cube the mozzarella. Toss with the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes and parsley, then gently fold through the leaves and dressing just before serving.

  4. Serve or pack

    Divide between your bowls. For a same-day packed lunch, keep the dressing separate and follow the cold-storage instructions below. Add bread if you like, checking its allergens too.

Swaps & variations

  • Vegetarian: Choose mozzarella labelled suitable for vegetarians, including its rennet.
  • Plant-based: Leave out the mozzarella and add more chickpeas, or use a suitable ready-to-eat plant-based alternative. This variation is untested and changes the nutrition and possible allergens.
  • Leaves: Use the same prepared weight of other salad leaves, following the pack's washing and storage instructions.

Lentil and chickpea curry with rice

2 servings · Estimated: 15 min preparation · 35 min cooking

Not yet kitchen-tested. Preparation and cooking times are estimates.

Editorial review: Gabriel Silva · 2026-10-14

Read the full method before you start. Wash your hands, use clean equipment and check the labels of every ingredient for allergens.

You will need

  • Kitchen scales
  • Measuring jug and spoons
  • Saucepan with lid
  • Rice pan with lid
  • Small frying pan
  • Sieve
  • Knife and board
  • Fine grater
  • Clean kitchen paper
  • Wooden spoon

Important ingredient notes

  • Water for the rice is additional; measure the amount its pack directs.
  • Salt and chilli are not included in the ingredients above.
  • Pistachios and sesame are optional toppings shown in the photograph. Leaving them out does not guarantee allergy safety.
  • Use plain chickpeas, coconut milk and seasonings without animal-derived additions for this plant-based version.

Allergens & ingredients

  • Pistachio/tree nuts if optional garnish used
  • Sesame if optional garnish used
  • Check all pack ingredients and precautionary statements; spice cross-contact and additions may introduce other allergens

Meal-prep notes

  • Portion the curry and follow its cooling and storage instructions.
  • Cook fresh rice for each meal where possible. Stored rice, including mixed portions, must follow the shorter rice limits.

Keep rice and curry storage separate: refrigerated rice is limited to 24 hours; curry without rice to 48 hours.

The full method

  1. Get everything ready

    Rinse the lentils as their pack directs. Prepare the onion, garlic and ginger. Drain, rinse and dry the ready-to-eat chickpeas.

  2. Start the curry

    Warm half the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and ground spices, stirring briefly without letting them burn.

  3. Simmer the lentils

    Add the tomatoes, lentils, coconut milk and lentil water listed in the ingredients. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently, partly covered. Follow the lentil pack's cooking advice and stir the bottom regularly. Add water in 50 ml splashes if needed. Cook until the lentils squash completely with no hard centre, allowing longer than the estimated time if necessary.

  4. Cook the rice

    While the curry simmers, cook the rice in a separate pan using the water and method on its pack. Aim to serve it freshly cooked, without leaving it at room temperature. See the rice-specific storage instructions for leftovers.

  5. Brown the chickpeas

    Warm the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Carefully add the dried chickpeas and stir until hot and lightly coloured, keeping clear of any spluttering oil. Use cooked, ready-to-eat chickpeas, not dried uncooked ones.

  6. Fill the bowls

    Check that the lentils are tender. Divide the rice and curry between your bowls and add the hot chickpeas. Finish with the optional coriander, pistachios or sesame only if suitable for everyone eating.

Swaps & variations

  • Toppings: Leave out the pistachios and sesame if unwanted. For allergies, check all labels and prevent cross-contact; leaving them out is not a safety guarantee.
  • Accompaniment: Try bread instead of rice, checking its allergens separately.
  • Pulses: Ready-to-eat tinned beans are a possible separate variation. Dried pulses need a different cooking method and are not a direct swap.

Finish with storage

Cool, label and store by dish.

These are not seven days of fridge storage. Follow each dish's limits and freeze only where the recipe allows.

Berry yoghurt and muesli bowl

  • Assemble just before eating. Keep yoghurt and prepared fruit covered at 0–5°C and follow the shortest use-by or after-opening limit. Keep the muesli dry and separate.
  • For a same-day packed breakfast, use an insulated bag with a cold pack and refrigerate on arrival.
  • Serve cold. Freezing the assembled bowl is not recommended here; its texture has not been tested.

Lemon chickpea and mozzarella salad

  • Prepare and eat on the same day. Keep covered at 0–5°C with the dressing separate, following the shortest ingredient use-by or after-opening limit. This is a planning limit, not a tested shelf life.
  • For a packed lunch, carry in an insulated bag with a cold pack and refrigerate on arrival. Transfer unused tinned ingredients to a covered container rather than storing them in the tin.
  • Serve cold. Freezing the assembled salad is not recommended here; its texture has not been tested.

Lentil and chickpea curry with rice

  • Rice: Cool in small, separate portions as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour. Refrigerate at 0–5°C and use within 24 hours. A mixed rice-and-curry portion follows this same shorter limit.
  • Curry without rice: Cool promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Use within 48 hours or freeze suitable portions sooner. Put unused tinned ingredients in covered containers and follow their after-opening limits.
  • Reheating: Reheat each portion only once until steaming throughout. Stir the curry well and eat reheated rice immediately. Do not repeatedly warm and cool either component.
  • Freezing: Curry can be considered separately, following ingredient instructions; its freezer texture has not been tested. For rice, portion, cool and freeze within 1 hour of cooking. Defrost in the fridge, then reheat until steaming before eating. No recipe-specific freezer-life claim is made.