A GUIDE TO BATCH COOKING

Batch cooking is a wonderful way to stay well-stocked with healthy options to choose from. By making large portions of your favorite recipes, they can be divided into individual servings and refrigerated or frozen for future consumption. Set aside a few hours on the weekend (or whichever day works best for you) and prepare the meals to choose from in the upcoming week ahead. Batch cooking is a great way to keep you on track with your health goals and also to save money.

---

Here are a few tips for batch cooking:

Invest in good tools and storage containers. Here are some examples:

1. Baking sheets 

2. Large mixing bowls

3. Rice cooker or instant pot

4. Food processor (for chopping, grating or mixing)

5. Glass storage containers or bags for freezing

6. Sharp knives and a decent Cutting board 

Stock your pantry. Choose staples you can buy in bulk or large sizes to save money and time. Grains, legumes, spices, nuts, oils, frozen veggies, and fruits are some good examples of items that will last in your pantry or fridge. Glass storage containers or mason jars are great for storing.

Choose your recipes ahead of time. Choosing recipes you know and like before heading to the grocery store will help you get organized and save time and money. Great recipes to batch cook are muffins, hummus, soups, stews, curries, kitchari, or other one-pot meals. 

Batch cooking can be therapeutic as well. Listening to podcasts or music while you cook will make the time fly by. Or better yet, invite a friend to join in and have a batch cooking party - that way, you can split the cost of groceries and the food!

Some ideas for weekly batch cooking:

Breakfast - Overnight oats, make + freeze gluten-free waffles or pancakes, stewed fruit, chia pudding, grain-free granola, hemp milk, almond milk, green smoothies

Lunch/Dinner - Soups, stews, kitchari, dahl, curry, herb & grain salad, salad + a dressing or two, brown rice, quinoa, whole baked sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, steamed beets, cooked lentils, or other legumes of choice

Snacks - Chopped veggies, hummus, pesto, hard-boiled eggs, fruit salad, trail mix, gluten-free muffins, banana bread, bliss balls