{"id":9980,"date":"2017-03-19T01:38:39","date_gmt":"2017-03-18T14:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therootcause.com.au\/?p=9980"},"modified":"2017-03-19T01:38:39","modified_gmt":"2017-03-18T14:38:39","slug":"3-simple-actions-to-be-real-food-ready-each-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therootcause.com.au\/3-simple-actions-to-be-real-food-ready-each-week\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Simple Actions To Be Real Food Ready Each Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Do you ever have those moments when you think “I have no idea what I am going to cook tonight?” or “what am I going to pack in the lunchbox today?”.<\/p>\n
Would you like to know how you can\u00a0be organised\u00a0for meals even when you’re not organised? Better still, would you like to know how you can be get meals onto the table in about\u00a020 minutes even\u00a0when you’re not organised or don’t know what you’re going to cook tonight?<\/p>\n
Every.single.week, (usually on a Saturday or Sunday), without fail, I take these 3 Simple Actions To Be Real Food Ready Each Week. This means even when I am feeling frazzled, or when I have no idea of what I am going to cook, or I am running late, I am always organised enough to pull out a real food meal in about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
By far the single most important step I take each week is to ask the kids what fruits and vegetables they want in their lunchbox this week. I then shop for these items plus at least carrots and lots of in season greens. I call these my Staple Fruits and Vegetables. These are\u00a0non-negotiable. We must have these in our bus for the start of the week.<\/p>\n
Whilst shopping for these items, I also buy other vegetables that are\u00a0in season and locally sourced from where-ever we are. These other items aren’t staples, meaning we can live without them but that rarely happens.\u00a0About 60% of our weekly food budget is on fruits and vegetables, 20% on pantry and fridge items such as flours, cheese and yoghurt, and the balance on good quality meat, poultry and fish.<\/p>\n
Fruits and Vegetables are so versatile: use them at breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner or dessert.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ways To Use Staple Fruits and Vegetables<\/h3>\n
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- Always include in the lunchbox<\/li>\n
- Use fruit to top breakfast dishes<\/li>\n
- Make smoothies or juices – try at least one veg with a fruit or 2<\/li>\n
- Serve with dips for snacks<\/li>\n
- Make boil eggs and serve vegetables as extra dippers – carrots are especially good for this<\/li>\n
- Make a platter of cheese, crackers, vegetables, olives\u00a0and dips<\/li>\n
- Bake, steam, mash, saute or\u00a0eat them raw<\/li>\n
- Use a potato peeler or spiraliser to turn them into noodles<\/li>\n
- Make delicious soups or stews<\/li>\n
- Serve some veg up with some bacon and eggs for a hearty breakfast<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Make fruits and vegetables a way of life as early as you can. If you’re kids don’t really appear to like vegetables, find at least one they will eat and feed them that. Then expand their tastes over time. Do not give up.<\/p>\n
ABS data<\/a> shows Australian children are eating less than 2 serves of vegetables a day, yet from 4 years old, they ideally should be eating 4.5-5.5<\/a> (after 8, they should be eating 5).<\/p>\n
The required serves of vegetables a day is easy to achieve if you have some for breakfast, some for lunch, some for snacks, and then some for dinner.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
For our family, our health is our\u00a0priority, so this means fruits and vegetables are always a priority in our house. This happen before anything else and if budget is tight, we forego other things including activities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
2. Roast a Chook or Make A Big Pot Beans<\/h2>\n
This step of roasting a chook or making a big pot of beans really sets you up for being able to make several lunches or evening meals at short notice. The beans are also a great option for breakfast.<\/p>\n
Simple Steps To Roasting A Chook<\/h3>\n
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- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees<\/li>\n
- Wash and pat dry<\/li>\n
- Throw the chook in a roasting pan<\/li>\n
- Stuff the chook (the quickest way is to prick\u00a0a lemon and pop that in the cavity of the chook. If you have more time, make seasoning out of nuts, rice or crumbled bread, butter, apricots, herbs – whatever takes your fancy really)<\/li>\n
- Drizzle some olive oil or coconut oil over the chicken<\/li>\n
- Seat with salt and pepper and then massage the oil and seasoning all over the chicken<\/li>\n
- Pour about 3\/4 cup of water around the base of the chicken<\/li>\n
- Turn dial up to 200 degrees and roast for 20 minutes<\/li>\n
- Reduce back to 180, and roast for about 1.5 hours in total (depending on size – as a guage, for every 500 grams, roast for 30 mins).<\/li>\n
- Remove and cover to allow to cool for about 15 minutes to 20 mins before carving. I cut the drum sticks, then the wings, then the breast, then pull the rest apart with tongs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Ways To Use The Roast Chook<\/h3>\n
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- Drumstick and wing in the lunchbox<\/li>\n
- Shred \/ slice the breast for sandwiches, wraps or rolls<\/li>\n
- Keep the pan juices from the chicken to make a gravy\/sauce, and make chicken pies<\/li>\n
- Thick succulent chicken and salad\u00a0rice paper rolls for lunch or dinner<\/li>\n
- Make Sushi<\/li>\n
- Throw some veg in a wok\/pan and stir fry, then add the chicken to warm through<\/li>\n
- Make a big salad bowl, and add the chicken to the top. Use your favourite dressing<\/li>\n
- Stir through brown rice\u00a0and add some fresh veg to make a chicken fried rice<\/li>\n
- Create a white sauce, add chicken, peas, corn, (whatever veg really) and throw over pasta<\/li>\n
- Dice up the chicken, tomatoes, grated carrot, other salad veg and serve in cos lettuce cups<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n