Batch cooking - two words that can give many (me included) sleepless nights. Who on earth has the time and mental capacity to be that organised? BUT...trust me, it doesn't need to be complicated, time-consuming or even expensive. In fact, in the long-term, it will save you and your family time, money and your health.
If you are new to batch-cooking, then soup is a great starting point. My Lonely Veg + Lentil Soup is the perfect Winter-warmer for the whole family - from weaning babies to adults, this is a simple crowd-pleaser, and (I promise) will only take 20 minutes out of your day.
There is no strict recipe per se - it's ideal to use an onion, stick of celery and a carrot as your base, but then you can very much add whatever veg you like or is looking a bit lonely / past it at the back of the fridge!
The sciency bit - PROTEIN:
With homemade (and even shop-bought) soups, it's easy to forget the protein e.g a can of shop-bought tomato soup has 0.8g of protein per 100g. This is very low and you will find it tricky to hit your daily protein needs if consuming this as a meal. A reminder of our protein needs in this post HERE.
Protein is essential for a number of functions in our bodies, including our structural framework, building and repairing tissues, immune function, producing hormones and enzymes and energy metabolism.
With soups, start with your base (onion, carrot and celery), add your veg and then ALWAYS add a protein.
The following protein-rich foods are great for adding to soups:
Chicken (26-29g of protein per 100g)
Lentils (9g of protein per 100g)
Chickpeas (7g of protein per 100g)
Natural yoghurt (5-7g of protein per 100g)
Peas (5g of protein per 100g)
Creme fraiche (3g of protein per 100g)
The Ingredients:
1 dash refined olive oil (for cooking)
Handful of pre-chopped frozen white onion (HUGE time-saver; a staple for the freezer)
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
Whatever veg you have leftover and lonely in the back of your fridge (I had 3 tomatoes and a yellow bell pepper)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
350ml boiled water
1 chicken or veg stock cube
The Method:
Wash and chop all the veg.
Add a dash of olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Add the chopped frozen onion, sweat for 2 minutes. Add all the other veg and cover in the oil, mixing around for approx 5 minutes.
Add the spices and mix.
Add the water and stock cube, and mix.
Put the lid on and let simmer for 10-15 minutes (longer if you have the time).
Add the tin of lentils (also add the water too as it is also full of protein, iron and lots of other micronutrients). Mix.
Blend to your preferred thickness.
Enjoy with a slice of wholemeal or rye sourdough; or add to a container and put in the freezer for a rainy day....voila!
For more nutritious, time-saving and health-saving recipes for you and your family, follow me on Instagram @nappyvalleynutrition
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