I’m always hearing from clients that they don’t have time to prepare food in advance, or sometimes they just lack the inspiration.
Being organised with your food is CRUCIAL to you getting the health results you so desire. If you leave your next meal unplanned, well… need i say more, as you know its often a case of having no discipline once you are already hungry and it can be a downward spiral from there. This is normal but its also preventable. So below are some tips to get you organised and inspired so you can GET RESULTS! plus keep reading below for an example week of my food preparation…
Tips for being organised with your food:
- Plan what you are eating/feeding yourself and or your family for the week, before you shop for your food. This takes only a few minutes. Keep it simple, you can always add variety by changing the seasonings and sauces that accompanying things (I understand some of you have to feed fussy eaters, I have one myself, this is not an excuse).
- Buy groceries when you are not hungry – and of course after you have planned, even roughly, what you are cooking for the next 5-7 days.
- Only cook 2-3 times each week – Each time you cook allow at least 1-2 hours and cook 2-3 different meals at the same time (making the portions large enough for several servings ie. dinner, lunches and snacks the next day).
Example Menu ideas for bulk cooking:
This is what I do. For example I usually only cook on a Wednesday and Sunday, each of these days I cook enough to last the following few days. Very rarely do I reheat things. (I don’t have a microwave, if you need to reheat things google ‘microwave dangers’ first – instead try using a little boiling water on the stove, or cook it from frozen rather than defrosting in the microwave.)
- Oven roasted Meats – Use 2-3 different pieces of meat, Eg, Lamb, Chicken, Fish. These can be either traditional full roasts or casseroles (I prefer roasted meat as its easier to eat cold without needing to be reheated). Always throw a tray of veges in the oven at the same time. Try pumpkin, sweet potato or carrots, in fact most veges taste great when roasted. A meat free option would be Frittata (egg based for those non cooks). A fast alternative to meat which can be cooked in the oven.
- Slow cook – meat and veges/Soup/Curry – Either meat and veges without much fluid (water to make sauce/soup) or with lots of fluid and then make a soup out of the fluid at the end after you pull the cooked meat out.
- Rissoles made using various mince – Roll mince into balls using any rissole recipe you like (grain free of course), and simply pan fry in a little coconut oil. Recipe here.
- Chopped or whole raw veges – Good for any accompaniment, but best warmed or steamed on the night of use.
- Optional Extras – Try rice, rice noodles or extra vegetables for those fussy eaters or for more carbs.
Click here for more recipe ideas and a fantastic health resource ‘Nourished Magazine’
Now have your say… Feel free to comment below to ad your own cooking and organising food tips, everyone can benefit from your ideas. Thanks!
Get in touch with Kate: