Handy Make and Freeze Meals

Handy Make and Freeze Meals

Whether you have children at home already or are expecting for the first time, arriving home from hospital to prepare healthy and nourishing meals is the last thing you will have time for. Although, nourishing food is just what a Mumma’s body needs at this time. You are likely to be exhausted and possibly breastfeeding, maybe juggling other children at home or getting your head around the beautiful little creature you have brought home. You need to nourish your body with good, wholesome food to give you strength, maintain a healthy mindset, feel energised and to keep your immune system strong. So how do we do that? We prepare…we Make-and-Freeze!

The recipes included here require no culinary acrobatics, they are healthy, simple and easy. They also have no hard-to-find ingredients. Everything can be bought at your local supermarket. You will also find that with most of them you can substitute and add vegetables you have on hand or prefer. We do recommend using as much organic produce and organic meat as possible, this will mean less toxins and more vitamins and minerals. These are also great recipes during pregnancy, so make sure you try before you freeze!

The first meal we will look at is perfect for making ahead, healthy, easy and packed full of goodness.

Quick Chicken & Lentil Stew

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

500g chicken breast, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tin organic brown lentils
1.5 tins organic diced tomatoes
1 onion chopped (or spring onion)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots chopped
1 zucchini chopped
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 cups chopped silverbeet (or kale/spinach/baby spinach)
1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
500ml organic liquid vegetable stock
Salt & pepper to taste.
2 cups basmati rice

METHOD: 

1.  Prepare and cook rice as per packet instructions.
2. While rice is cooking, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat in a decent sized deep pan, once transparent add and brown chicken.
3. Add carrots & zucchini and stir for a few minutes to brown.
4. Add mushrooms and keep stirring.
5. Rinse and add the lentils, followed by the tinned tomatoes.
6. Continue stirring and add the liquid stock. Continue simmering on low heat for 15 minutes.
7. Add the chopped parsley, silverbeet and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and separate rice and stew into portion sizes in glass or plastic containers. You can portion together or separately to freeze. Allow to cool with lid off before freezing. To re-heat, this one is best done in the microwave.

The next recipe is great with a side of salad and tomato sauce and is a definite crowd pleaser!

Super Sausage Rolls

Serves: 56 Mini Sausage Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
1kg organic beef mince
8 puff pastry sheets
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 a large onion (or 1 small), chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 zucchini grated
1 large handful of flat leaf parsley, shopped finely
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 200*C fan forced. Line two or three baking trays with baking paper.
2. Thaw pastry sheets, good to have them out while chopping and mixing.
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl with clean hands.
4. Carefully cut your pastry sheets in half lengthways as you require them.
5. Place meat mix evenly in the middle of each half sheet like a sausage.
6. Roll the pastry with the meat mix in the middle to resemble one long sausage roll.
7. Cut the long roll into quarters to make 4 mini sausage rolls.
8. Place sausage rolls onto the prepared baking trays and cook 25-30 minutes, they should be golden on top.
9. Once cooled you are ready to put them in a glass (or plastic) container and put them in the freezer, right next to your BodyICE ice packs 😉 They can be frozen up to 3 months. Best thawed by popping in the oven at 180*C for 20 mins to crisp them up, otherwise can be thawed and microwaved.

Our third recipe has a big list of ingredients but this is food for the soul, the gut and even your skin! Aside from the obvious perks of all of the wonderful vegetables, the bone broth has so many health benefits. Bone broth supports immune system function (keeping you healthy under all this pressure!), it is amazing for gut repair and protection, it cushions and lubricates the joints, promotes detoxification, assists the metabolism, is a huge help in muscle repair and recovery and is great for the skin. I think the only thing it won’t do for you is clean the house, what a shame

Healing Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Serves LOTS!

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole organic chicken
6-8L water (depending on pot size ~ 6-8L pot recommended)
3-4 garlic cloves
3cm piece of ginger peeled
1 handful of flat leaf parsley
1 onion
2-3 sprigs of fresh sage, leaves only
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves only
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 a leek thinly sliced (remove green leaves and use half of white part)
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 cups of pumpkin, cubed
1 medium sweet potato, cubed
150g button mushrooms, sliced
3 cups of kale chopped (can use spinach or other leafy greens)
4 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt (or to taste)

METHOD:

1. Place whole chicken into a large 6-8L stock pot and cover with water, leaving about 5cm from the top. Bring to the boil and scoop scum off the top with a spoon. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-1.5 hours with lid on.
2. While the chicken is cooking, chop and prepare all other ingredients. Sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, ginger, parsley and onion can be whizzed in the food processor or chopped finely.
3. When the chicken is ready, remove chicken and bones from the pot using a slotted spoon and tongs. Set aside in a large bowl.
4. Add everything except kale, mushrooms and sweet potato. Top up with water and simmer for 10 minutes with lid on.
5. Add remaining ingredients and simmer with lid on until vegetables are soft but not overcooked.
6. Remove from heat. Peel chicken of the bones and place in strife in the soup and stir through.
7. You are ready to freeze! We recommend freezing in glass containers if you have them, otherwise plastic will do. Portion out soup depending on how many mouths you need to feed at a time. Allow to cool fully before placing in the freezer.
8. To thaw, we recommend removing from the freezer a few hours before intending to eat. Heat in a saucepan. Alternatively you can microwave.

This makes lots of soup, so make lots of room in your freezer next to your BodyICE products!
These are all fantastic recipes for health and wellness, either during pregnancy or post-childbirth.