Bulk Cooking – Winter Week 2: Ancient Grains | Portioning Roast | Increase Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Chickpea Stew

Fennel Citrus Salad: Winter Meal Planning Kit - Week 2 (photo: www.papillonskyphotography.com)

My Notes from Winter Bulk Cooking – Week 2

Bulk cooking shouldn’t be overwhelming. If it ever is, let me know. Bulk cooking when practiced doesn’t add more work; it should consolidate and find efficiencies in the work you are already doing – eliminating the need for you to think about meal prep everyday.  The most motivating part of bulk cooking for me is that it puts me back in control of the kitchen.  I get to work from a place of being ahead versus always feeling like I’m just trying to catch my breath – just to stay healthy.  Tomorrow at 4:30 I’ll be deciding how to spend my evening – not what to make for dinner.  Yup, that’s motivating.

Fennel Citrus Salad

• This is one of my favorite salads from all of the meal planning kits (oh, that dressing!). I love the combination of red onion, citrus, and lemon-maple dressing.  And every time I make it, I am reminded how much I love fennel. Keep this simple dressing tucked away to use on other salads, including Everyday Greens, or as a fruit dip for kids.
• My husband loves it, too, so I doubled the recipe.  I didn’t buy enough fennel for 4 complete portions, so I used the remaining celery I had left-over from the chickpea stew.  I also decided to add a handful of kale with the spinach.
• If making this for on-the-go, you have 2 options: 1) make the dressing separately, pack in a small container, and not add until you eat it, or 2) you can dress it right away and the salt, lemon, and dairy will act as a ‘marinade’ on the spinach which will wilt it overnight.  I did option 2 and dressed it right away. I’m ok with less volume at lunch and this helps do that (and my husband likes that he can take a smaller container for his salad to work).

Bulk Grains – Farro

• Inspired by Robyn’s question about ancient grains this week on Facebook, I decided to make farro (related to einkorn and spelt) this week instead of oats.  Both work equally well.  Oats are lovely, too, I just needed to satisfy my craving.  I hope you also take liberties once you get comfortable.  Using whichever grain you want to experiment with is encouraged.  In the end, you’ll still maintain the variety that I want for you. Variety ensures you get all the various fibers, phytonutrients, and lignans that whole grains have to offer.
• I cooked my grains in home-made vegetable broth this week for added flavor.

Roast with Rosemary and Root Vegetables

Bison Roast

• As I mentioned in my shopping notes this week, I decided to splurge on the bison roast.  Any cut of beef can be used (ideally grass-fed and as lean as possible). I do also trim any excess visible fat before cooking. (You can also substitute red meat in the plan)
• This week for time-savings, I decided not to sear the roast prior to cooking.  I think searing can be optional – some people swear by it to enhance flavor (not moisture), but for me it does come down to time and so I didn’t bother.
• My roast was over 4 lbs.  so I portioned it according to the bulk cooking guide + had 1, 12 oz package that I froze for next month + 2, 6 oz portions that I’ll use for sandwiches next month. It really helps me to weigh and pre-portion left-overs before I freeze them.  Like we talked about last week, this has 2 significant benefits: 1) keeps total food budget down, and 2) helps manage weight and overall health by not having larger servings than needed here and there.
• Before portioning, I refrigerate the roast and veggies overnight then skim off saturated fat that has hardened. This bison roast was very lean and very little fat surfaced, but still a helpful step.
• In the morning after portioning the roast, I put the roasted  veggies through a colander to save the beef broth that was created; labeled it and froze it for later use (probably in the stew I’ll make next month).

Hearty Chickpea Stew

papillon sky photography

• A tip to peel fresh ginger: use a soup spoon to scrap off the peeling exposing the flesh which can be sliced or minced
• For added anti-inflammatory and digestive properties, add the garlic during the last couple minutes of cooking and the ginger at the time of serving. Beneficial enzymes in ginger are lost when heated.
• You could also reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes to make the veggies fork tender (vs. 20 minutes on the recipe).

Chicken Breakfast Bake

• I really like small pieces of broccoli in this so I actually use my Ninja (or food processor) to dice it – it will still work with a metal mesh steamer and ensures it will cook within 3 minutes (protects the myrosinase – a cancer fighting phytonutrient in broccoli).
• Leaving the oven door open while broiling will help avoid burning – be sure to watch it close.

I hope you find my notes on Winter Bulk Cooking – Week 2 helpful. If you cooked this weekend, let me know how it went. ~Teri