More for less
I see many clients run into trouble with being consistent with their healthy eating. I know it. I have been there too. One thing that helps keep people on track with their health goals is to batch cook on a weekly basis.
By preparing healthy sides, meals and snacks for the week you don’t get caught out with nothing good to eat. Being organised with food is the key to healthy eating. Just putting aside 1-2 hours a week can make all the difference with how you are placed meal wise for the week ahead and reduce time spent in the kitchen at meal times too.
WHY YOU SHOULD BATCH COOK
Time saved preparing meals means more time to do other things you would prefer to be doing
You can make healthier choices at meal and snack times
Less processed and refined carbohydrate foods eaten
Less money spent on take-away food
HOW TO BATCH COOK
Plan your meals and snacks
Shop for them once a week
Set aside time to spend in the kitchen doing your batch cooking
Get cooking!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Fresh ingredients (fruits and vegetables, herbs, fish, meat, poultry etc..) and pantry staples such as brown rice, quinoa, raw nuts and seeds
Glass containers
Glass jars
Ziploc bags
Utensils, pots, pans etc..
A fridge to put all this stuff in once you have prepared it
WHAT CAN I BATCH COOK?
Paleo Granola or Muesli – make your own nut, seed and coconut based granola that you can snack on or eat as breakfast with your favourite nut or cow’s milk or yoghurt. Or try making a raw, fruit-free muesli full of seeds, nuts and oats.
Oat porridge – For those that tolerate gluten and need the carbs in the morning cook big batches of steel cut oats or whole rolled oats. Soak the oats overnight in water to soften the oats and unlock nutrients, then cook in your preferred milk. Then store in the fridge and cook the required amount for breakfast a few days of the week. The cooking time on the stove top is significantly reduced.
Paleo Pancakes – For those that need a high protein and low carb breakfast you can batch cook grain-free pancakes and store them in a container to be eaten on the run as a breakfast or as a snack. Try mashing a ripe banana and adding a sprinkle of cinnamon, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 3 eggs. ⅛ tsp baking powder and a sprinkle of coconut flour to make up a batch of pancakes that satisfy.
Green smoothie – Try preparing the ingredients for your smoothies ahead of time. Place the ingredients needed for each smoothie into a ziploc bag and into the fridge or freezer. Easy combinations to try include peeled banana, blueberries, silverbeet leaves, flaxseeds and protein powder or cucumber, kiwifruit, pear, celery, spinach, raw almonds and protein powder. Then all you have to do is throw the contents of the bag into the blender and add your water, coconut water or milk of choice and whizz! Breakfast done. You could even make your smoothies ahead of time and freeze them.
Seed crackers – Make a batch of high protein seed crackers with besan flour, seeds and egg to eat with hommus, soft cheeses or on their own.
Gluten-free grains – You can make porridge, add them to salads, or have them as sides to main meals. Soaking grains such as quinoa and brown or red rice for 2-24 hours in water then cooking a batch to use throughout the week. Ensure you cool down grains to room temperature once cooked and then place in the fridge immediately. Aim to eat rice 3-4 days after cooking and storing to avoid bacterial contamination.
Legumes – Soak black beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils or cannellini beans overnight in water then cook during batch cooking time on the stove top. Rinse, cool down and store in a glass container then add to omelettes at breakfast, salads at lunch and add to soups at dinner.
Roast vegetables – You can roast and store root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and beetroot. I like to roast a couple of trays and then use those vegies as a base for salads for lunch during the week or re-heated with meat, fish or poultry based dinners.
Soups – In the cooler months soup is the way to go. Making lamb shank and vegetable soup, one of the many variations of chicken soup around or opting for some vegetarian options that use wonderful legumes as a base that fill you up. Soup is easy. You can heat it and add to a thermos and lunch is done. You can warm it in the microwave or in a pot and minutes later dinner is served.
Casseroles – Batch cooking lamb hot pots, beef casseroles and fish tagines means dinner just involves a re-heat. Investing in a slow cooker is even better. You simply add vegetables, meat or chicken pieces, herbs and stock or tomato puree/canned tomatoes and let it cook while you are batch cooking your other bits and pieces.
Trail mixes – You can batch up nut and seed trail mixes so you never get caught out needing a snack while you are out. I just place them in ziplock bags or small containers and leave them in my day bag. NB: aim to use biodegradable ziplock bags and re-use them to save on throwing them away.
By Susan Hunter – Naturopath
