Many people look forward to fall with its promises of helping you get back on track after a summer of barbecues, campfires, vacations and holidays.
If healthy eating is a goal this fall my suggestion is to try out some batch cooking to save time, money and of course to make healthy eating a little bit easier. Batch cooking can be done one or two times per month, taking a few hours to make meals to freeze or prep ingredients to freeze in bags so that you can throw them into the crock pot, quickly stir fry or even throw in the oven to roast, helping you cut down on meal time prep. You can also batch cook weekly, taking 1-2 hours each week to make or prep as many meals possible to store.
Taking extra time before meal time can be a real time saver. Most people can prepare meals and/or prep ingredients for a few days’ worth of meals in only one or two hours. As a result you can save 30 to 60 minutes of meal preparation time per day. Not to mention now you have a plan, so you don’t waste that 30 to 60 minutes each day dreaming up what you want to make and shopping for ingredients. As a bonus when you get home tired and hungry you will already have that plan, the work done, and making the healthy choice is easy.
Batch cooking requires only a few things. To start you need a meal plan. Start slow, plan ahead just a few meals per week. For example try picking 1 or 2 breakfast or lunch options (that you repeat) and 2-3 dinners to start with. Pick meals that suit your schedule for the week. Use cookbooks, websites, or friends inspiration. After that you only need your ingredients, a kitchen, and containers for storage.
Here are some ideas to get your batch cooking started this fall.
Grains: Cooked grains (rice, barley, quinoa, millet, oats, homemade bread, crackers, flat breads, granola, muesli, granola bars, loaves, muffins etc…) store beautifully in both the fridge (4-5 days) and freezer (three months). You can prep these on the weekend and have them ready to go in the fridge for the week or make a double batch next time you are cooking them and load them into the freezer for another week.
Try making up a few cups of brown rice. It is great for using to make fried rice or pilaf or even as a side dish to your favourite meal. You can also use some for a salad jar recipe for lunch and then finish off the rest in a soup.
Make a batch of your favourite granola, muffins or loaves to have at breakfast each day.
Vegetables and fruit: Preparing vegetables for the week can take many forms, but no matter what you do you are always saving time for when you are short on it.
Roast veggies or grilling veggies to add to salads, pastas, wraps, omelets, or grain bowls.
Pre chop your veggies to us in a stir-fry or to sauté on a busy night.
Make your favourite pasta sauce – tomato, pesto, creamy cauliflower, roasted red pepper.
Make vegetable soups/stews for any meal, they can be chunky or a puree
Make a large batch of smoothies and freeze in individual portions (like in a jar) for a quick breakfast or snack on the go.
Protein: Try making big batches to use all week or freeze them in meal sized portions so that they are ready to go for another meal down the road.
Roast a chicken, turkey or other meats. They are always great to have on hand for sandwiches, salads, casseroles, soups, pasta dishes, stir-fries and more.
Make your favorite bean hummus for a dip or spread .
Boil eggs, they keep in the shell in the fridge for up to seven days
Toast nuts and seeds to have as a snack, add to a trail mix or top a salad with
Even though batch cooking does take some dedicated time to get started, for a busy house it can be a real life saver.
If you are looking for more ideas on how to meal plan or prep, give your local Registered Dietitian a call, we would be happy to help you out.
For more information about any of the free services offered by the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team, visit www.mmfht.ca or call the Drayton office at 519-638-2110 or Clifford office at 519-327-4777. Like the team on Facebook (Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team) and follow them on Twitter (@MintoMapleton) for healthy living tips and information on upcoming programs and events in the area.
Sarah Pink is a dietician with the Mount Forest Family Health Team.
