The life Changing Art of My Sunday Batch Method:
Before I explain how my batch method works and how it 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 each group 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 of the above mentioned have some deficiencies or gaps that need to be filled.
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 can all 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 I find that everyone falls short.
The other thing about this is that Veggies are often only an after thought 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 have to 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 you. 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. I also load up on good fats, like Avocados at various stages of ripeness, and raw organic seeds and nuts.
PREPARE
Once I am home:
I wash everything and trim of leaves of the root veggies, like carrots, radishes and beets. I also trim the asparagus and put them in a glass jar with a little water like I would a bunch of flowers. I then preheat the oven to 400 degrees:
While the oven is warming up I roast the nuts and seeds: Once the oven is at 400 and the nuts and seeds have been roasted I take them out and then roast the beets, and squash. That takes about 35-40 minutes.
While those veggies are roasting: I lightly steam the following:
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes etc.
While they are lightly steaming and the oven is roasting, I chop the veggies that I like to eat raw and store them: Things like radishes, celery, carrots, peas, peppers etc.: You can also wash and store zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes and other veggies.
To save time I buy the pre packaged boxes of organic greens that include spinach so I can just grab a handful of mixed greens easily. I can then add kale, parsley, cilantro, sprouts, ginger, garlic and anything else I like to include in my salad base.
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 shorten.
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 and nuts and seeds.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Now that your fridge is stocked with veggies and your pantry has your favorite herbs and spices available, here are some easy good for you and tasty meal suggestions.
Grilled Veggies: Add a little olive oil, and Himalayan sea salt to one or more of the following: sweet potatoes, Brussels spouts, zucchini, mushroom, asparagus, peppers, cauliflower etc. and grill along with your favorite protein. For me it is usually WILD Fish. Simple, tasty and nutritious.
Big Bowls: Add a handful of green and red leaves to you big bowl, now add broccoli, roasted beets, nuts, onions, avocado 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.) You could also add a very smallserving 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-fryusing 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.
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. I want 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 these tips and if you have a comment or a quick tip on how to include more Veggies we would love to hear from you
have a healthy week
Dr Pia
