If there’s a plan-free Sunday stretching out ahead of me, then there are two activities that I like to find time for: bathing and baking. Either/or, but let’s face it – a baking session followed by a steaming bath is be best outcome here. Seeing that you lot already know my bathing essentials already, this weekend I thought I’d let you in on some recipes that I like to rustle up on a Sunday to eat Monday to Friday and lighten up my cooking load for the week ahead. They’re simple to make, don’t require anything too fancy ingredient-wise and can be chilled or frozen for quick heat-up consumption at a later date. The best bit? Well they’re all on the healthy side of things (depending on what you pair them with). Time to heat up the oven…
FOR BREAKFAST – Chia Seed Pudding (Makes 4 servings): 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 Cup Plain Greek Yoghurt, 2 TBSP Agave Nectar, 1 TSP Vanilla Extract, 1/4 Cup Chia Seeds, Strawberries to serve (I tend to use cup measurements here as I find it quickest to do when it’s late and night and I just want to watch Parks & Recreation in bed)
Mix the almond milk, yoghurt, agave nectar and vanilla extract together. Gently stir in the chia seeds and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Mix again before covering with cling film and refrigerating overnight. Serve the following morning with a few strawberries on top. The mix will last a few days so you may have to rustle up another load mid-week.
FOR LUNCH – Broccoli Soup from What’s Up Moms (Makes around 8 servings): A drizzle of Olive Oil, 1 White Onion, 1 Large Potato, 3 Big Stalks of Broccoli, 2 Chicken Stock Cubes, Water, Salt & Pepper to taste
Heat up your oil and then add in the diced onions and cook until soft. Then throw in the rest of the ingredients; adding the diced potato, the broccoli chopped up, the chicken stock cubes (dissolved into 1 litre of water), seasonings and more water if needed to bring it to just below the level of broccoli. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes before pureeing with either an immersion blender or just a normal one. Serve or put into the fridge or freezer to keep for a later date.
FOR DINNER – Beef & Beetroot Stew from Waitrose (Makes 4 servings): 400g Diced Beef Braising Steak, 3 Beef Stock Cubes, 1 TBSP Plain Flour, 1 TBSP Olive Oil, 2 Red Onions, 2 Carrots, 1 Pack of Beetroot (usually four come in a pack), Salt & Pepper to taste, Broccoli and Mash Potato to serve
Crumble one of the stock cubes and add the flour onto a plate, roll the beef in the mixture, heat up a pan with the oil and brown off the meat. Remove to a casserole dish and cook off the onions in the leftover oil. Add the onions to the casserole dish along with the two stock cubes (dissolved into 1 litre of water), carrots and seasoning and then pop into a pre-heated oven at 170°C (for fan-assisted) for 2½-3 hours. 5 minutes before serving stir in the beetroot and pop it back in the oven. Serve with broccoli and mustard mash (my favourite combination) or dish up into portions for the freezer.
Time to hang up my dressing gown and put on my apron…
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