Easy foundations for nutritious meals

When I started turning my attention to real nutritious whole food my youngest was still in utero. He is now 12 years old. But as each year passes I add a bit more to my repertoire.

Our first moves were from white shop bought bread to whole wheat bread then to making our own whole wheat bread then onto buying the grains and grinding them and making our bread. It was a process of good-better-best. The goal was to always be growing and learning how to be wiser stewards of our bodies.

It can be so overwhelming when starting to switch onto whole foods and real ingredients that when we think we have to do it all at the beginning we give up before even taking one baby step.

My advice is always to just make one change and when that change for the better is part of your routine, add another and then keep going. With that in mind, one of the easiest things you can do is make these 5 easy foundational parts of most recipes and keep them in your fridge or freezer until you need them.

Meat stocks

Chicken, beef and lamb stocks can be made and frozen in Ziploc bags or plastic containers. We use loads of chicken stock so I just keep 3x 1 liter jars in the fridge all the time. We eat roast chicken once a week (I roast 2 and we have leftovers for salads, soups and sandwiches) the next day. I keep all the bones, cartilage and skin to make stock. If I debone a chicken (it’s cheaper than buying mixed portions) I also keep the carcass for stock.

I get beef and lamb bones from the organic farmer who supplies my children’s business with their products and make stock from those.

Meat stock recipes here. (Lamb and beef are done the same)

Vegetable stock 

For vegetable stock, I will save carrot peels, celery bits, onion bits and any other vegetable offcuts every now and again for vegetable stock. They can be frozen in a container until you have enough unless you are doing a big cook up then use them fresh.

Uses for your stocks:

Stews

Soups 

Spaghetti and lasagna mince

Risotto

Pasta

Rice

Tomato and vegetable sauce

This is a much quicker but still tasty way to have tomato sauce on hand for recipes. It is much more nutritious than cans of tomatoes.

Obviously its great if you have a glut of homegrown organic tomatoes, but any tomatoes can do great things in this sauce.

2kg tomatoes quatered

2 bulbs of garlic, peeled

3 large carrots, grated

1 large bunch of celery, chopped

A selection of herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano) 

Wash and prepare the vegetables. Add to a large pot with a drizzle of olive oil. Bring up to a boil while stirring. Reduce the temperature and let it bubble away for an hour until soft.

Add 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Blend up with a stick blender and once cooled store in jars in the fridge or freeze in containers or bags.

Uses for your tomato sauce:

Soups

Stews

Pasta

Bolognaise Sauce

Lasagna

Ratatouille

Bonus idea…

Have you heard about Artisan Bread in 5minutes a day? It was the rage about 3 years ago. It’s a great way to make your own bread a couple of days a week.

7 easy supper recipes

After my last post I have been thinking about woman who find the kitchen intimidating. I don’t know if you are one, but if so this is written to you. I realize that for some, the way Jamie Oliver writes his recipes are simply overwhelming. I get that! He chats his recipes, more than writes them and this is quite confusing.

I am no Jamie Oliver, so these are not those types of recipes. The 7 that follow are simply great easy filling nutritious ones that you can cook from scratch with whole ingredients. They are my favorites for nights when I know we will be in late. I would get the longer cooking items started around 3pm before we leave for afternoon activities and then spend 20 minutes finishing them off.

Just a note – we eat very little potatoes, rice and bread at the moment, as it is best for my husband’s blood sugar levels. Last time we checked he was clear of Type 2 diabetes. So if this is not a concern for your family, then you can add the carbohydrates.

Lamb Stew

500g lamb knuckles, neck or cubes

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

Olive oil

6 tomatoes, chopped

1 can of lentils

Beef or vegetable stock

250ml wine

250ml water

Salt and pepper

Variety of vegetables cleaned and chopped (carrots, potatoes, courgettes, green beans)

Brown the onion and garlic in the oil. Add lamb and brown. Add the other ingredients. Turn heat down to a gentle simmer. Allow to cook for about 2 hrs until tender. Add vegetables and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Serve on basmati or brown rice.

Shepherds Pie

500g beef mince

1 onion chopped

1 teaspoon garlic

250ml beef stock

250ml frozen peas, corn and carrots (or fresh chopped)

6 potatoes peeled and cubed.

Make your mash by boiling the potatoes until cooked. Mash with some milk ad butter. In the meantime fry onion and garlic and brown the mince. Add the stock and season with salt and pepper. Add the veggies. Transfer to an oven proof dish. Add the mash to the top and cover over the mince. Use a fork to make tracks on the top. Bake for 30 minutes on 180 deg Celsius.

(*We make cauliflower mash now using 3 large heads of cauliflower, steamed, and blended with salt pepper, parmesan and butter for the topping.)

Bunny chow in rootis

I make my own rooti (chapitis) but you can buy ready made wraps or rooti from most stores.

500g mince

1 onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic

Mixed frozen veggies or whatever your garden is yielding.

250 ml Beef stock

Brown the onion in some hot oil. Add the garlic and beef mince. Brown well. Add the veggies, spices, stock and cook for 15 minutes. Allow sauce to reduce. Spoon some into the centre of your rooti and roll up to eat.

Speedy Mexican Meal

This is a handed on recipe from my dear friend Elastic Mom.

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1T oil

½ red pepper chopped

½ t chilli powder

1 ½ t cumin

1 t oregano

½ to 1 t salt

1 can baked beans

300g finely sliced chicken

1 large packet corn chips (Nature's Choice is the most friendly for your body)

Cheese, grated

Lettuce, shredded

Spring onions, chopped

Sour cream / yoghurt

Salsa sauce (optional)

Olives, chopped

Avocado, sliced

Method:

Sauté onion, garlic and chicken until chicken is cooked. Add pepper and seasonings. Cook until pepper softens. Add beans (and tomato paste if necessary). Heat through and serve with remaining ingredients.

Chicken Pita Breads

6 deboned skinless chicken breasts

8 pita breads

Kikkoman sauce

Garlic

Sliced lettuce

Chopped tomato

Cucumber

Plain yoghurt

Grated cheese

Working with slightly thawed chicken breasts, slice them very thinly along the shortest width. Place them in bowl and pour the Kikkoman on to just cover.

Make your tzatziki sauce by grating your cucumber and letting it lie in a colander to drain. Mix the cucumber with 250ml of yoghurt and ¼ teaspoon fresh garlic.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Add some garlic and some of the chicken pieces. Fry until cooked through. Set aside and fry the next portion. When all chicken is fried add it all back to the pan and pour the Kikkoman into the pan. Reduce.

Toast your pita breads. Slice off the top and let everyone fill their pita’s with the fillings.

Thai Chicken Curry

500g chicken breast fillets diced or sliced

2 carrots julienne

4 baby marrow (zucchini) julienne

1 red pepper sliced

1 can coconut milk

1 packet of cashew nuts

Green curry paste – 1 teaspoon or more depending on your tolerance.

Oil for frying

Basmati rice

Coriander (cilantro)

Yoghurt

Fry the chicken breasts with the green curry paste. Add the veggies and cook until cooked but still crunchy. Add the coconut milk. Add cashews. Allow to reheat. Serve on basmati rice.

Coriander yoghurt – finely chop coriander and stir into the yoghurt. Serve as a side portion with chicken curry.

Basil & Parmesan meatballs with spaghetti

500 grams beef mince

1 cup grated parmesan

½ cup chopped fresh basil (use dry if you have to)

Olive Oil

Spaghetti

8 fresh tomatoes finely chopped

Garlic and Oregano

Mix the beef, parmesan and basil together and make into little bit sized meatballs.

Fry gently in some olive oil.

Cook the spaghetti.

Put the tomatoes into the pan with the meatballs, sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomato forms a chunky sauce.

Serve on a bed of spaghetti, sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve with a salad.

(We will make our own vegetable “pasta” with the spiralizer we bought. This is a great way to use up abundant marrows (zucchini) when you have planted too many J )

Reasons for cooking from scratch

I have been watching Jamie’s USA Food Revolution on YouTube. I enjoyed the UK series so much a couple of years ago, that when I stumbled onto the USA one the other day I decided to give it a go.

I know this was filmed 4 years ago in 2010 and I do hope they have seen long lasting change from what Jamie sparked. The problem of the USA school food system is not all at the door industrial food giants; it’s a compound issue, in my opinion.

Right at the start let me say that I have "met" many moms, mainly stay at home homeschooling moms, who are really diligent with their families health and eating. Please do not think that I have a skewed perspective on every American Mom because I have now watched this TV series :) What follows are simply my thoughts.

Starting at the core, with Mommy being out of the home working long hours to survive, food has become a necessity, not a gathering of the family to enjoy one of our basic needs. So fast food, ready to heat meals, convenience foods, empty calorie stomach fillers are the norm in the home.

I am saddened that those little ones did not know a beetroot from a cauliflower, a tomato from a potato. They have just never been taught. It was clear in the show that it was not even in the school curriculum for tots to learn the basic food vocabulary besides what they pick up naturally being French Fries, Hamburgers and Pizza.

At the top of the pile of blame seem to be the USA school food guidelines, for which I suppose the conspiracy theorists would have a great explanation! I think that the industrial food giants are simply supplying what the shoppers are demanding in their ignorance – or perhaps in their need for convenience. The fighters of the real food cause in the USA – Michael Pollan, Joel Salatin, Jordan Rubin etc – have some fabulous books, YouTube documentaries and ideas for anyone who is looking for the truth behind most health problems.

So add the three things together – industrial food, moms out of the home and a lack of education - and you end up with the compound root of the problem. Many mom’s are not equipped with knowledge either on how to cook from scratch with real ingredients, they do not have the time to do it and because they do not have the knowledge, they cannot pass it on to their own children. Whether they are stay at home, or work out of home, there are many reasons to cook from scratch.

This is not a heavy on moms. I am one too. I know how hard it is to always do the right thing, and there are obviously times when we all want a break. I have always believed in an 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I make sure that we eat the right food, exercise and stay away from junky treats. 20% of the time which includes when my children are not with me over meal times, when they are out with friends or when we have a real craving for decadent chocolate brownies or wheat flour based pancakes J then we indulge and enjoy, guilt free.

I thought I would share a list of things that I believe are some of the best things about cooking from scratch and I have some resources listed below for you to consider.

1. Cooking from scratch becomes a family affair. I always have one, two or three of my children to help with peeling, chopping or stirring. This started when they were very young and has continued through to their teen years. Even my eldest’s betrothed is roped in when he visits. And now Superman comes to help in the evenings too and we chat while we chop and dice.

2. You use real ingredients that do not have alphabet codes followed by a string of numbers. Even bread which is made from flour, water, fat, yeast, salt and sugar made at home is glaringly different from the ingredients listed on the back of packets of shop bought bread. I decided years ago to not put something into my body if I didn’t know what it is.

3.  When cooking from scratch with young ones, you have the wonderful chance to pass on your knowledge, as much or as little as it is, to the next generation. I am not a "prepper", nor a doomsday prophet, but I know that real food is going to be harder and harder to come buy as we come the end of the age. If we can equip our children, who will equip theirs in turn, to source, prepare and cook real ingredients, we are setting them up to survive in a world vastly different to what we currently live in.

4. Because cooking from scratch demands real raw ingredients you are voting with your Rands and Dollars for the farmers. You are buying carrots, potatoes and tomatoes from Farmer Joe. Farmer Joe can feed his family and keep on growing real food for you and your kids. If you want to step this up, buy from local food markets. You are then keeping your money in the place where you live and make a huge difference to the local community. While we choose organic raw ingredients as far as possible, this would not necessarily be feasible for everyone, but just buy buying what farmers grow, not what industry produces, you are helping keep food real.

5.  Sitting down to a meal that you and your family have made from scratch together, gives a huge sense of satisfaction to everyone. There may be more dishes to wash (sometimes), more time may have been spent on making the meal, but you know that what you are putting into your bodies is good for it and will not compromise your health or the health of your family. That’s peace of mind.

6.  Following on from this is that as you make the meals and sit at the dinner table to enjoy your work, you begin to create a food culture. Something that will stay with your family for years to come. 

7. Cooking from scratch is more frugal. Even when you add organic bacon, organic bananas and homemade mozzarella to a homemade pizza base it is STILL cheaper than buying a ready-made pizza from the local delivery joint or even Woolies Foods. 

8. As your skills improve with cooking from scratch you will probably begin to think about growing something of your own. For beginner gardeners I think the best thing to do is to grow your own culinary herbs. While they are not going to fill a plate, they can turn a plain meal into something spectacular. Rosemary crushed with salt, pepper and garlic rubbed onto a chicken for roasting, or handfuls of chopped basil and oregano into a bolognaise sauce, immediately transforms the meal.

9. Learning to cook from raw ingredients has another added benefit in that you eliminate food and packaging waste, or at least reduce it. You will have less tin, plastic and cardboard in your recycling bin and less wet food into your domestic bin.

10. Lastly, when you cook from scratch you begin to develop a home mentality. If you work outside of your home you probably come home exhausted from a challenging day. Laundry still needs to be done, meals prepared, the house tidied up. These things can become a real bind when you are already dead tired. The thing is that we can all go without our favourite jeans if the laundry is not done, but we cannot go without food. When we start to rank meals higher on the agenda and we see the blessing that proceeds from this simple act of making wholesome nutritious food, we begin to see our homes as not just a pit stop in a full busy day, but the centre to our families activities and lives.

Resources for those wanting to develop cooking skills:

Jamie’s 30 minute meals (ignore the 30 minutes – just make the recipes)

Jamie’s 15 minute meals (as above)

Save Money with Jamie (my latest favourite cookbook!)

Down to Earth Blog (Rhonda has a wonderful simple encouraging blog)

Budget Bytes (Delicious tasty thrifty quick easy meals)

My humble meal planner e-book

Equip yourself further by reading:

Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Michael Pollan’s Food Rules

Down to Earth by Rhonda Hetzel

The Makers Diet by Jordan Rubin

Any of Joel Salatins books

Do you have any other reasons for cooking from scratch? Please feel free to share in the comment box! I would love to hear from you!