Cook Once: Eat Healthy all Week!!
One of the biggest challenges I hear from clients is that they wish there was more time to cook and prepare healthier food for themselves and their family.
I understand. It took me a while to figure out how to do that too. One of my gifts is maximizing or at least that is what the assessment tests say.
I am always thinking about how do more with less, re-imagining an existing project or item and how to create systems to make my life easier.
That is how I created my Sunday Batch Method aka Cook once and eat healthy all week. I have done it so many times now that I have it down to a science and it has become an atomic habit.
Good systems that are easy to do create healthy longterm habits.
It might take a few tries to get it down, but it is so worth it. Perhaps you can get the whole family involved ?Healthy Whole Food Meals cooked at home consistently is one of the best ways to a healthy lifestyle.
This is one of many resources and I thought you might like to use it to help you with your long-term goals.
COOK ONCE EAT ALL WEEK
The Life Changing Art of My Sunday Batch Method:
Before I explain how my batch method will literally free up time and change your health, let’s have a quick look at the diet landscape.
It seems that there is an idea that there is one specific diet that is great for everyone. Each group, whether it is Keto, Vegan, Paleo or something else, seems to have found the holy grail of protocols. This can be confusing, leaving many of you not quite knowing what to eat for good health. All the above mentioned have some deficiencies or gaps that need to be filled based on your unique health profile.
The research continually points to personalization and diet variation as keys for overall health, yet in the online world, it often seems like many are trying to tout that their own method is the best.
- In general, we all can largely agree that we should eat whole organic free/wild foods that are free of pesticides and hormones, yet we spend 90% of our time debating the 10% we disagree about.
- Those saying they have “figured out what has worked” have figured out what works for them. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone because we are all a little different. I do think however, that there is value and something to learn in every approach. Heck I have experimented a lot over the years to find what works best for me.
Plants: Mostly Veggies
We can all agree that one of the biggest challenges most of us face is getting enough veggies into our diet. It doesn’t matter which type of diet you follow, it always is the area where we fall short.
The other thing about this is that veggies are often only an afterthought in most restaurants, quick food pick up places and order in food services. The small amounts of veggies that they do include are not all that tasty. (In my opinion of course.) So that means in order to get more veggies into your daily diet that are organic and tasty you must prepare them at home. It can feel like a lot of work and planning, right? Well, I have a short cut that I think might help. No more excuses!
My Sunday Batch Method: Fast, Quick and Nutritious
PURCHASE
I go to the store or farmers market, and I load up on a variety of organic veggies, green leaves including parsley and cilantro. I also grow my own herbs so I can grab them fresh. Then I load up on good fats, like avocados at various stages of ripeness, and raw organic seeds and nuts.
PREPARE
Once at home:
Wash everything and trim off the leaves of the root veggies, like carrots, radishes, and beets. I also trim the asparagus and put them in a glass jar like I would a bunch of flowers. Then preheat the oven to 400 degrees: While the oven is warming up, I dry roast the nuts and seeds:
Once the oven is at 400 and the nuts and seeds have been roasted, take them out and then roast the two kinds of beets, and butternut squash. That takes about 35-40 minutes.
While those veggies are roasting, lightly steam the following:
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower : Once lightly cooked I like to add healthy spices like curry powder, cinnamon, sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil and roast for about 10 minutes with the rest of the other roasted veggies.
- Sweet Potatoes etc.
While they are lightly steaming and the oven is roasting, I chop the veggies that I like to eat raw. Things like radishes, celery, carrots, peas, peppers etc. and store them. You can also wash and store zucchini, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, and other veggies.
To save time I buy the pre-packaged boxes of organic greens that include a variety of species so I can just grab a handful of mixed greens easily. Then I can just add kale, parsley, cilantro, sprouts, ginger, garlic, and anything else I like to include in my salad base.
I also buy fermented foods like olives, pickles and artichoke and have them on hand to add to dishes.
If you eat eggs and like to have some of them ready to throw into a lunch container then add another pan to the stove and boil to you taste.
All the above takes me about just over one hour. It might take a little longer on your first try but once you get the hang of it your prep time will get shorter.
Once everything is cooled and in glass storage containers, I now have my fridge stocked with a variety of raw, slightly steamed and roasted veggies, good fats, green leaves, herbs, fermented foods, and nuts and seeds.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
This is where you can get really creative if you are a chef or love to cook.
Grilled Veggies: Add a little olive oil, and Himalayan Sea salt to one or more of the following: sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, cauliflower etc. and grill along with your favorite protein. For me it is usually WILD Fish. This is a simple, tasty, and nutritious meal.
Big Bowls: Add a handful of green and red leaves to your big bowl, now add broccoli, roasted beets, nuts, onions, avocado, fermented foods and finally add some cilantro and parsley. Toss in a simple dressing and you are good to go. Optional and small quantities (lentils, shellfish, chickpeas, and quinoa)
Bone Broths: Warming and great for cooler evenings: Sauté onions, garlic, and grated ginger, add your organic bone broth of choice, add protein if uncooked and raw veggies of choice (I like carrots and celery) bring to the boil and simmer till protein is cooked. Add in already steamed broccoli and rough chopped kale. Cook for another minute. Ladle the broth into a bowl and add avocado slices and chopped cilantro and serve. (You can experiment with adding Asian spices, or coconut crème, lemon grass and mint leaves.) Or you could also add a very small serving of your noodles of choice.
Make a Veggie Frittata using already prepared veggies. This is a very simple and nutritious meal. Serve with a simple green salad for added nutrients.
Add a ton of veggies to a Stir-fry using your favorite spices. Top with some chopped roasted nuts or seeds for added crunch.
Use your Insta-pot or slow cooker for easy meals. You have all your veggies already ready to go for no fuss preparation.
HEALTH FOOD BEGINS AT HOME
I am a bit of a lazy cook however, I want to eat home cooked, organic, simple meals that are good for my family and me. It is also important to me to feel good, have high energy and know that I am getting the minerals and nutrients I need each day.
Those are just a few simple ways to have a tasty and nutritious lunch or dinner using my Simple Batch Method. This way you are not starting from scratch every night. Meals are ready in less than 20 minutes, and you have more time to spend with family and loved ones.
I hope you enjoyed this resource. Click here for more on How to build good habits.
Have a healthy week and FYI using this method will help you navigate the holiday season.
Dr Pia
P.S. We are collecting Teddy Bears for Dell Children’s Hospital … Drop off or send to us via Amazon. TY
