As food prices rise and time is limited during the week, preparing a nutritious meal for everyone in the family can be a challenge.
In light of this, Laager Rooibos partner dietician Mbali Mapholi has shared some practical tips for planning and cooking meals for the family that will reduce stress.
If we use a few straightforward techniques, preparing food doesn’t have to be a stressful task.
Tip #1: Do a regular food inventory
A food inventory saves time, eliminates waste, and removes uncertainty. Check the refrigerator and freezer, as well as cupboards and pantries on a regular basis, noting expiry dates on food and rotating food closest to expiry dates to the front of the cupboard, so it is used first.
The importance of a food inventory is to avoid repeat purchases and to ensure that necessary items are purchased in order to avoid multiple trips to the store.
Tip#2: Work with what you have
Check what you have available and try to mix it up a bit. Variety is key when preparing meals.
Don’t be afraid of canned, boxed or frozen food; items like frozen vegetables, boxed fish fillets, and canned beans and lentils are simple to cook and high in nutrition.
Tip#3: Plan your meals ahead of time
In order to avoid overextending yourself, you should also take into account your budget, dietary tastes, and the ingredients that are readily available when creating your meal plans.
Half the stress of feeding the family is deciding what to actually cook. Create a meal plan in advance to eliminate this concern. This could involve planning your meals for the entire week, preparing in bulk and freezing the food for later, chopping ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator, and checking your supply ahead of time to see what you have.
Make your own customised meal plan using ideas from generic online meal plans to save money on food, relieve stress, and promote healthy eating among your family.
Tip#4: Delegate and share responsibilities
Doing everything ourselves isn’t advisable. Besides, including the gang inspires confidence and definitely saves time.
Give your family members chopping, peeling, and soaking responsibilities. To avoid rushing to defrost food just before supper, ask someone to take the items out of the freezer to defrost them beforehand.
Tip#5: You don’t need a full, cooked meal every night!
I applaud chefs for their craft since it is not easy to stand in front of the stove all day. Even though we take turns cooking at home, it can still be exhausting. It’s okay to take a break once or twice a week; we call it freestyling because you can create whatever you want, with straightforward dishes like egg on toast, store-bought soups or French toast.
To get you started, Mapholi has provided a simple and nutritious mince and veg recipe, with the added goodness of Laager Rooibos.
“This simple, freezer-friendly recipe is a great one to add to the roster to minimise stress and avoid burnout. It can be cooked in bulk over the weekend and frozen into portions for quick, weekday dinners. This means less time in the kitchen, more time with the family, and a more cost-effective meal option.”
Laager Rooibos mince and frozen veg recipe
Serving size: 250g
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
15ml (1 Tbsp) canola oil
1 onion, medium (peeled and diced)
15ml (1 Tbsp) curry powder
500g lean or extra-lean beef mince
15ml (1 Tbsp) mixed herbs
30ml (2 Tbsp) flour (any type)
30ml (2 Tbsp) tomato purée (or tomato sauce)
2 teabags of Laager Rooibos tea – brewed in 500ml (2 cups) water
250g (1 cup) frozen mixed-vegetables
Handful parsley (finely chopped)
5ml (1 tsp) salt
5ml (1 tsp) black pepper, ground
Method:
Heat the oil in a shallow casserole dish or sauté pan that has a tightly fitting lid. Add the onion and curry powder and cook or fry for a few minutes or so, until starting to turn golden.
Add the mince to the onion to cook. It’s best to do this in stages so that the mince has enough room in the pan to fry, rather than steam. Cook until all the meat is browned and there is no liquid left in the pan.
Add the flour and stir in. Continue to cook, stirring all the time. Make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan and burns.
Add herbs, tomato purée and brewed Laager Rooibos tea, together with seasoning. Stir briefly and bring to a gentle simmer.
Turn the heat right down and cover with the lid. The dish should be on a very gentle simmer. Leave for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, it should be dark and glossy, with a rich, thick gravy. Add the frozen vegetables and cook for a further five to eight minutes.
Enjoy as is or serve with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or on toast as a sloppy joe. Or allow to cool and freeze.
Dietitian tip: This mince and frozen vegetable recipe is suitable to freeze. Place in airtight containers or Ziplock bags and freeze for up to one month. To serve, defrost portions overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
Use your pre-cooked mince portions to create one of these three quick and easy meals:
1. Spoon on top of spaghetti, and sprinkle with grated cheese (optional) for a yummy spaghetti bolognaise.
2. Top with mashed potato or mashed sweet potato for a quick and delicious cottage pie. Sprinkle with grated cheese (optional) and pop it in the oven until the cheese melts and goes crispy to finish it off.
3. Cut a freshly baked potato into quarters. Spoon mince on top of baked potato, and top with grated cheese (optional).