Quick Easy Cooking Secrets

Eating and cooking healthy need not be a drag.  It can be fun and exciting to try new recipes and foods.  But pulling it all together is the key. 

Let’s face it. You don't have time to cook all day. The trick is meal planning. It takes all the stress away. Only attempt to cook a big meal on a night that's not crazy with driving Jack to hockey and Jill to dance. But when you do have the time, cook in large portions and pre-plan what to do with what is left over for the next few days.  

For instance, roast a chicken on Sunday night with carrots, sweet potatoes and green beans.  The chicken that's left over can be used in a stir-fry with rice or noodles and the extra vegetables from last night can be spiced-up with some added fresh herbs and maybe some colourful peppers.  

And the chicken bones? Make chicken stock (recipe on next page) after dinner is done on Sunday and then use that for Soba Noodle Soup (see recipe on next page), chicken noodle soup or any other family fave (and make a bigger than one meal batch and freeze the rest).  If soup’s not doing it for you try a super easy baked risotto (recipe on next page) on Tuesday night, which will give you leftovers for another two nights.  Put it in the kids’ thermos for lunch or make risotto balls and serve it with some fish.  When you cook your fish, again make more than your family will eat and save the leftovers for fish cakes.  

The next night make a speedy dinner of boiled potatoes with mint, sausages from your local butcher (typically much better than the ones you finding supermarkets without the fillers, sugars and ingredients that aren’t good for you) with some broccoli or green beans on the side.  Use the extra potatoes for the base of fish cakes by mashing the potatoes, add in your leftover fish, some fresh or dried dill, watercress or parsley, peas and corn (can be frozen) and make in to burger shapes and coat with sesame seeds or breadcrumbs.  You already have lunch or dinner for tomorrow.  Phew! 

And now that you are starting to get my drift, you did make extra sausages didn’t you?  Freeze for another time crunched night or cut them up and throw them into pasta sauce (with some extra green veggies like kale, or other colourful veggies that are not well loved - but chopped small so they won’t be detected) and they replace meatballs.  Make your family’s favourite pasta noodles, and look at that, you just pulled off another dinner.  You get where I'm going with this?!  Thinking ahead will keep you out of trouble.  

Some other tips:

Have frozen vegetables in the freezer in case you run out and don’t have time to make it to your grocer on the way home.
Start to write down some of the family’s favourite and then write a few on your calendar, take some examples from above and make two weeks worth of meals.

 
I constantly get asked by my clients for meal plans so they don’t have to think –  just prepare and eat.  Well this is your way of making a meal plan and making it work for you.  You know your schedule, what nights are the hardest or when you have to eat on the run.  So schedule that in. Thinking about it ahead of time not only takes the stress away, but allows you to think of how you could make dinner more nutritious (like by hiding some extra veggies in burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, soup, etc.) 

Life is busy, crazy and non-stop sometimes.  That’s the time when you need better nutrition and it rarely happens.  Think ahead, lessen the stress and feel great while doing it!  

Like the sound of above?  Sprout Right offers a Back to Basics of Family Meals including this advice – making simple but delicious and nutritious dinners for your family without the stress.  Check out www.sproutright.com for schedules of upcoming classes or contact us for help with your meal planning (we will do it for you too!).
Chicken Stock

1-2 chicken carcasses
4L water
1 onion
3 carrots (don’t peel or chop, whole is fine and use up old ones that are hanging around)
3 sticks celery

Put all ingredients into a stock pot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 2-4 hours until the veggies are tender.  Pour stock through a colander or sieve to remove bones and vegetables.  Chill stock and remove any fat that settles to the surface (if it’s not much then don’t worry about it).  Use immediately or freeze in 1L portions for future use.  
 

Baked Pecorino and Garlic Risotto - Serves 6 

1 ½ cups Arborio rice
4 cups/1L chicken stock or broth
I butternut squash, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
1 cup finely grated pecorino cheese (or parmesan)
1/3 cup/80g butter

Put the rice, garlic, butternut squash and stock into a large baking dish and stir.  Cover with foil or a lid and bake in a 350°F/180°C oven for 45 minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente.  Add the parmesan, butter and season with salt and pepper.  Stir for 3-4 minutes or until rice is thick and creamy.  Serve with Lemony Green Beans.
 

Soba Noodle Soup - Serves 4
(Adapted from Healthy Appetite by Gordan Ramsay)

Quick Method
300 gm (1 1/3 cups) cooked leftover chicken, chopped

Longer Method
2 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, about 150 gm each
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp sesame oil, plus extra to toss
Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the chicken across the grain into thin slices. Place in a bowl and add the tamari, mirin, sake, sesame oil and a generous grinding of pepper. Give the chicken a good stir, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

1.5 liters chicken stock or broth
1 piece of kombu lightly rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cm knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
150 gm (2/3 cup) shiitake or button mushrooms, stems trimmed sliced
2 carrots cut into matchsticks
200 gm soba or other linguini type noodles
2-3 tbsp miso paste
4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional)
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to sprinkle (optional)

Pour the chicken stock or broth into a medium pan and add the kombu. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and cook gently for 5-10 minutes. Fish out and discard the kombu. 

Bring another pot of water to the boil (for the noodles).  Add the noodles to the pan of boiling water and cook until tender but still retaining a slight bite, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and immediately toss with a little sesame oil. Set aside.

Add the ginger, mushrooms, carrot and garlic and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.  Then add raw chicken and cook until chicken is just opaque throughout- about 1-1/2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down as low as possible. Add miso paste just before serving-do not boil.

Divide noodles between soup bowls and scatter over the spring onions. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles, making sure that you divide the chicken and mushrooms evenly. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve at once.