Batch cooking at it's best!

Sunday funday is also a great day for batch cooking healthy meals for the week.  With a hungry husband and a even more hungry son batch cooking is a must or else I would spend endless hours in the kitchen during the week which is nearly impossible.  It is so important to have veggies and protein at each meal and I know if I did not prepare them in advance the family would grab easy snacks like cereal and crackers, etc. 

My batch cooking today focused on breakfast and lunch for the week.  Dinner seems to be simple these days we bake, grill or broil some meat, chicken or fish and roast or steam veggies on the side.  Lunch is where we have issues, if it is not brought from home it tends to be higher in salt and processed ingredients.  Breakfast has to be quick, high school starts too early and there is not time to actually "cook" breakfast in the morning.  I am fine with a meal replacement shake, but that is not an option for Ben or Ben Jr. in the morning because Lily is still asleep when they leave the house and running the blender would wake her.

Breakfast in bulk:

Egg Muffins...not the processed kind on the white flour buns!

Ingredients:
1-3 dozen free range eggs
1-2 c chopped veggies of your choice
1/2 c organic shredded cheese
1-2 lbs nitrate free bacon or sausage

Directions:
Brown the bacon or sausage in skillet or in oven
Chop veggies of choice (my guys like Jalapenos, but I personally love mushrooms and spinach)
Crack Free range eggs into a large pitcher with a spout (we do 1/2 whole eggs and 1/2 egg whites)
For a dozen muffins (6 whole eggs and 10 whites)
Whisk eggs until there is a froth
Pour into muffin non-stick tin
Drop cooked bacon, sausage and/or veggies into egg mixture
Top with a sprinkle of organic cheese
Bake on 350 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Chili for lunch
In honor of Superbowl Sunday we made chili and per Ben's request I made extra for lunch the next day for both him and Lily, this little 18 month old loves some chili too!

Lily patiently sipping on her rice milk waiting for her chili to be done..."cheese"

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs grass fed beef
2 cans of organic chili beans (undrained)
2 cans of organic rotel
1 small can of organic tomato sauce
1 chopped onion
3-5 tbs. chili powder (to taste)
1-2 tbs of garlic powder
1-2 tbs cumin
1 tsp. Cayenne red pepper

Directions:
Brown grass fed beef
Add onion and cook until onion is clear
After beef is cooked through add beans, rotel and tomato sauce and stir
Add spices and stir through

Simmer for 2-4 hours, the longer the better

I love to serve with homemade guacamole, avocado slices and/or organic corn chips! 


Enjoy, happy Superbowl Sunday!

~Dana