Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - Tortellini Sausage Stew

Another recipe in the mix that doesn't involve a slow cooker!

This one we found on Pintrest (I think) on one of our very first cooking days, and we had forgotten about until now.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Tortellini Sausage Stew     |     Portions: 12

Ingredients

- 1 kg Italian sausage

- 2 brown onion, diced

- 6 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 cans diced/whole tomatoes

- 1 litre vegetable stock

- 600g fresh tortellini (we used a roast veggie filling)

- 4 cups baby spinach

- Salt & pepper

Method

Step 1: Saute the onions in a large pan until soft

Step 2: remove the skin from the sausages and crumble the mince into the pan, and cook with garlic until the sausage is browned

Step 3: Stir in the tomatoes, stock and seasoning, and bring to the boil, and then reduce to the lowest heat and simmer for 45 minutes

Step 4: Add the tortellini and spinach, and cook until the pasta is cooked

Step 5: cool before portioning, or serve immediately with parmesan

Usually, I would say always cook the pasta fresh when you are ready to eat, but this dish freezes really well.

Join me next week for my version of lamb rogan josh.

Hx

Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - Chicken Soup

I went to a wedding in January, and the wedding favour was a recipe book with the couple's family favourites and the stories behind them.  Probably the most amazing favour I have ever seen at a wedding - so beautiful.  Anyway.

This soup was in there, and it is so delicious.  Enjoy!

Jess & Josh's Chicken Soup     |     Portions: 20

Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 brown onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 2 whole chickens
- 4 celery sticks, sliced
- 8 carrots, sliced
- 1 cup peas
- 2 litres water
- Chilli flakes, salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce

Method
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large soup pan, and cook onion, garlic and ginger until soft
Step 2: Add celery, carrots & chicken cover entirely with water
Step 3: Bring to the boil, and then turn it down to the lowest heat and simmer for an hour.  Skim the surface occasionally as it simmers
Step 4: Leave to cool overnight
Step 5: Remove and discard the fat from the liquid, and then de-bone the chicken, shredding it into small pieces
Step 6: Bring the stock to the boil, then simmer with the peas and chicken for a couple of minutes
Step 7: Remove from heat, stir through soy sauce and seasoning and leave to cool

We portioned this into 400g portions, and then to reheat, I put it in a pot with half a cup of water and brought it to the boil.. I then simply served with toast.

That's it!

Join me next Wednesday for a tortellini sausage stew.
Hx

Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - Slow Cooker Apple Rice Pudding

Mixing up the meal prepping by adding in a breakfast item!

We weren't really sure how this one was going to go - it didn't look all that great, but it tastes really yummy :)

I don't have any pics of this one... consider this a short and sweet recipe post.

Slow Cooker Apple Rice Pudding    |     Portions: 12

Ingredients
- 5 apples, peeled and sliced
- 1.5 cups brown rice
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 cans coconut cream
- 200ml milk (sub for coconut milk if you want this to be vegan)
- 4 cups water
- 50g brown sugar

Method
Step 1: layer the ingredients into the slow cooker - half the apples, then rice, then spices and sugar, then all of the lquids, then the remaining apple
Step 2: cook on low for 5 hours, and then turn the slow cooker off, and leave to cool over night (it absorbs all the liquids)
Step 3: portion into 200g portions, and enjoy for breakfast

You might need to add some liquids to serve to make it a touch less thick.

I am really not sure how this would freeze - I kept mine in the fridge and enjoyed it straight away.

Next up: a delicious chicken soup!
Hx

My Top 10 Delicious Chicken Marinades

Welcome to another week of Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - it's just not written in the title because it got way too long haha!

We started making chicken marinades a few cooking days ago, when we were looking for something fresh, and not slow cooked and frozen.  Just to mix it up!  They are a huge hit, and so so flexible when it comes to changing up the meals a bit too.

I typically wrap my chicken portions in tin foil and put them in the oven for 30 minutes.  I then have par boiled potatoes roasting in the same tray, just not inside the foil, getting all crispy in that same 30 minutes.  So good.  You can also pan fry them and make chicken burgers, which is also super yummy.  And the cool thing is every time you cook one it tastes different, because there are so many different flavours.

So let's get started.

Whilst we only made 7 different marinades on the latest cooking day, I have 3 other yummy options from other cooking days that I will definitely be making again.

We bag our chicken in 300g portions... which when you realise that we made 28 days (56 portions) worth of chicken marinades, means that we had to purchase 8.5kg of chicken breast!!!

The method is so simple:
- slice up the many kilos of chicken
 - mix all of the ingredients together
- weigh out the chicken into 1.2kg portions and place in the marinade (8 portions per marinade)
- leave for a couple of hours, and then portion into ziplock bags

Oh.  And if I could recommend one thing, it would be to label the ziplock bags beforehand (NOT after!).

My Top 10 Delicious Chicken Marinades     |     Portions (per recipe): 8

1. Sweet chilli chicken
- 6 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce

2. Honey garlic chicken
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 4 tbsp. honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced

3. Lemon ginger chicken
- 2 lemons, juiced
- rind of the lemons
- 2 tsp. crushed ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- chilli flakes, to taste

4. Peri Peri chicken
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- salt and chilli flakes to taste

5. Tandoori chicken
- 1 jar Tandoori paste
- 2 tbsp. olive oil

6. Apple mustard chicken
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup whole grain mustard
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar

7. Soy chicken
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 cups olive oil

8. Lemon mustard chicken
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

9. Lime coriander chicken
- 2- 4 limes, juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- a small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil

10. Jerk chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 tsp. all spice
- 1.5 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. olive oil

Which one is your favourite?
Hx

Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - Veggie Bowls

I don't know where this recipe came from (chances are Tara found it on Pintrest somewhere), but is a really healthy, really filling and really yummy dinner or lunch option, especially if you are trying to eat a little less meat.

Mack isn't a huge fan of a lot of veggies, so of the 2 options I list below, we actually made a combo version for him with the veggies he does like.

These recipes stand alone as a delicious meal, but you could also use the veggies as part of a salad, or you could add some chicken or something also if you wanted to.

I actually just realised when I started typing this that I have absolutely no idea how much of everything we used on the day!  What is listed below is the recipe we worked from, which I have doubled.  But I think we used way more because we have 16 portions, not 8... but then does this mean 8 of each or 8 in total?  Who knows.  Anyway.

I find if I take recipes from the internet for meal prepping, I usually double them or even triple sometimes to get more portions.  You can do that with this one here, but definitely don't do it with all of my other ones (because if you do, you'll be looking at like 30 or 40 portions... which we did once with lasagne... we don't make lasagne anymore hahaha).

Veggie Bowls    |    Portions: we made 16, but I think this makes 8 :)

VB1: Chickpea & Veggie Bowl
- 1 very large sweet potato, cut into large chunks
- 400g Brussel sprouts, halved
- 2 capsicums, any colour you like, chopped (these are peppers in the UK)
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Olive oil, salt & pepper
- Paprika to taste

VB2: Roasted Veggie Bowl
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 1 large broccoli
- 2 capsicums, any colour you like, chopped
- Half a red cabbage, sliced (the size of red cabbage varies hugely, so make a judgement call here)
- 400g sugar snap peas, ends cut off
- Olive oil, salt & pepper
- Garlic powder & onion power to taste

Method
Step 1: prep all of the veggies for both recipes
Step 2: spread them out onto a baking sheet - make sure they are quite spread out.  We needed abuot 2 - 3 trays for each for ours
Step 3: roast each tray for around 15 minutes; we found the first recipe took around 30 minutes, with the second recipe only takes 10 - 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on them!
Step 4: allow to cool and then portion

To serve, cook some rice or quinoa to go with them - we didn't prep this in advance, only when we were ready to eat them.

Mack's veggie bowl has carrots, cabbage, Brussel spouts, onions and chickpeas in his, with paprika, olive oil and some chilli flakes, which sounds equally delicious to me :)

The original recipe comes with some sauces to go with the veggies.  Neither of them are something Mack and I would really enjoy, so I just served mine with a little soy sauce on its own, but Tara likes them.  We didn't make them on the meal prep day -  you would make them to serve.

To go with Veggie Bowl 1:
- 75g plain Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
0 1 tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped

And to go with Veggie Bowl 2:
- 60ml soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced

And that's it - super healthy and super yummy!

Join me next Wednesday for all of our chicken marinades :)
Hx

Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - Pork Bolognese

That's right - a double blog for this week!

Beef bolognese is my favourite - I just think it's so delicious.  And when you have a fussy eater in the house, it becomes such a staple.

The below version of spag bol is an adaptation of a quick meal recipe that came from Hello Fresh.  I think I am going to talk about meal delivery services separately another time, but I have tried Hello Fresh once, and this was one of the recipes that was in there.

The original recipe was a little... bland?  Under developed maybe?  Perhaps I am just super spoilt from having always enjoyed a slow cooked rich bolognese sauce!  Who knows.

This is my version of a Pork Bolognese :)

Pork Bolognese     |     Portions: 16

Ingredients
- 1kg pork mince
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 3 zucchinis, sliced
- 2 x 600ml jars passata (usually can be found with the tinned tomatoes, and is basically a puree)
- 400g baby spinach
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Chilli flakes (to taste)
- Olive oil, salt & pepper

Method
Step 1: heat oil in the pan and brown the mince
Step 2: add garlic, onion and zucchini and cook for a few minutes (the original recipe also added fennel seeds, but I don't think they really did all that much - maybe if you crushed and pan roasted them first?)
Step 3: add the passata, balsamic vinegar and sugar, and then season with chilli, salt & pepper
Step 4: cook on the lowest heat possible, until most of the liquid has dissolved (we probably left this one on for around 4 - 5 hours)
Step 5: once you remove heat, stir through the baby spinach, and then leave to cool

We had this one simmering away next to the spaghetti bolognese, stirring occasionally, during our meal prep day.

To serve, I cooked up some spaghetti, and topped with parmesan cheese :)

Of course, all of my recipes can also be eaten straight away!  This one is perfect for that if you have a dinner party for 16 people haha.  You can also scale it down, but this is what I do when I am prepping for the next 3 months.

Join me next time for a delicious veggie bowl recipe Tara introduced me to.
Hx

Meal Prep: Extreme Edition - Spaghetti Bolognese

As a classic family favourite, there a thousands of recipes out there for spag bol!  This recipe is just  another one to add to that list - I haven't ever used a recipe for this, I just wing it every time, so I have some variations.

There is nothing I can say about this recipe that hasn't said before.  Spag bol is a favourite, and always will be.  For my version, I will say this - cook it for ages.  Like 8 - 10 hours ages.  Just try it, patiently waiting and stirring - you'll thank me later!

A friend in the UK recently asked me for meal prepping tips, and I sent her my blog so far and all of my recipes.  To this, she said 'but I don't have a slow cooker - what do I do then?'.  I think this is something I will cover in a separate post - the what to do when you don't have a slow cooker, and how to still make my yummy slow cooker recipes without one.

This is the first recipe in the series that doesn't involve a slow cooker :).

Hannah's Spaghetti Bolognese     |     Portions: 24

Ingredients
(the must haves)
- 2kg beef mince
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 4 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 litre beef stock
- 4 tins diced/whole tomatoes (it is possible I might have used 5 or 6 - it's up to you!)
- olive oil, salt, pepper

(the optionals)
Red wine (just a splash)
Carrots
Celery
Mushrooms

Method:
Step 1: Heat oil in a large stock pot (mine is 9 litres), and brown the mince
Step 2: Add the garlic and onion, and cook, whilst stirring, for a couple of minutes
(optional) Step 3: Deglaze the pan withe red wine, and cook until the wine has completely reduced
Step 4: Add the tomato paste, stock and tinned tomatoes and stir
(optional) Step 5: Add in all desired vegetables
Step 6: Cook on the lowest heat possible for as long as possible, stirring occasionally

On the last cooking day, we cooked this for about 8 hours, stirring every hour or so - it is done when the liquid has pretty much all reduced and you are left with a super thick, rich sauce.

I prefer to make mine with all of the optionals - red wine makes it even richer, and the veggies are a nice addition to a good meal.  Last time, we made it with only the must haves, as Tara wanted to have this recipe a bit more flexible than just as a spag bol.

I enjoy this recipe (either just with the must haves, or with the optionals as well) with pasta, and then topped with parmesan.  Tara also enjoys the must haves as a topping to a baked potato.

My boy enjoys it any which way, as long as he can add some sriracha sauce for spice! :)

I hope you enjoy my version of a classic dish.

Join me next week for another delicious meal!
Hx

Monthly Update #4: April

This year is going ridiculously fast!

April has been one of those months where I have been pretty busy, but I haven't really done all that much.  If that makes sense?  

I started getting back into the gym, which is nice.  It hasn't really been a primary focus for me this year (no more 8 times a week for me haha) - but I do enjoy it, so 3 times a week is a realistic goal.  This month wasn't quite that many times, but we are getting there!

Mack and I had quite a few social days, going to friend's homes for dinner and such.  I'm not one to take a lot of photos when we do something so chill, but it has been really nice catching up with people and just hanging out.

We also attended an awards dinner with my colleagues, which is always a super fun night out :)

April has also been a planning month.

We locked in our trip to Tassie by booking the ferry across, finally!  The actual trip itself is going to be an entire series, as a continuation of the Roadtrip series, but we are getting into the planning stage now.  I am actually super excited.  Tasmania might be super small, and is often overlooked, but there is so much to do and see!  We are also aiming to spend $0 on accommodation on the whole trip - let's see how that goes.

I am doing the planning stage for this trip the old fashioned way, with a paper map.  I just find it so much easier with a visual when I'm planning such a trip.  We also have a strong focus on 4WD tracks for this trip, which is the book in this photo - I went for this book, if you're interested :).

I also got started on the whole wedding planning thing... not much to say here at this stage on that, but I'm thinking I might share my wedding planning journey on here as I go along or after the wedding.  Watch this space :)

And that's it!

Until next month.

Hx