Blurb: Remove the stress from weekday cooking with these delectable weekend meal preps. 

After a busy day at work, coming home to create delicious meals for the family can be challenging. However, with some proper planning you can prepare these four main components in advance and whip up five fabulous lunch and dinners in a flash! 

Roast beef  

MAKES 1  

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
   
2. Place 1.5kg topside beef in a large roasting pan and rub with olive oil, salt and milled pepper. Roast for 1 hour or until cooked to your liking. 
   
3. Cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate the roast until needed. 

Roast chicken  

MAKES 1

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.  
2. Place 1 whole chicken, giblets removed into a greased deep roasting dish.  
3. Rub the chicken well with canola oil and season with salt and milled pepper.  
4. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.  
5. Remove foil, place chicken back into the oven and roast for a further 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and golden.  
6. Cool at room temperature, cover and refrigerate the roast until ready to serve. 

Roasted beetroots and onions  

MAKES 1 BATCH  

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.  
2. Season 3 beetroots and 2 whole red onions and wrap in foil.  
3. Roast for about 40 minutes or until tender.  
4. Cool slightly and peel, discarding the peels.  
5. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. 

Rice and lentils  

MAKES 3 CUPS RICE 2 CUPS LENTILS  

1. Par-cook 2 cups basmati rice according to packet instructions, drain and cool.  
2. Cook ½ packet (500g) brown lentils in salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until just tender.  
3. Drain and cool.  
4. Store both the lentils and the rice in airtight containers and chill in the fridge until needed. 

Whole roasted cauliflower  

MAKES 3  

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.  
2. Place 3 whole cauliflowers in a deep roasting pan, drizzle with oil and season well.  
3. Roast for 20 minutes.  
4. Combine 1 can coconut milk, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 Tbsp ground turmeric, 1 Tbsp ground coriander and juice of 1 lemon.  
5. Pour over cauliflower and roast for a further 10-12 minutes until cooked through and golden.  
6. Cool completely, store in an airtight container and chill until needed. 

Get ahead

Stock up on a few essentials to help breathe life into any left overs, turning them into substantial meals packed with flavour.  

• Tomato paste  
• Coconut milk  
• Basil pesto  
• Curry pastes  
• Canned chopped tomatoes or tomato purée  
• Chickpeas Vegetable, chicken or beef stock 

Asian beef salad  

SERVES 4 

This salad works with any veg you might have on hand, like spinach, tomatoes, asparagus or tenderstem broccoli.  

Ingredients 

1 packet green beans, trimmed 
2 cups frozen peas 
1 packet bean sprouts (optional) 
Small handful each coriander, mint and basil 
½ cucumber, sliced 
½ prepared roast beef, thinly sliced 
¼ cup coconut flakes, toasted 

FOR THE DRESSING  

¼ cup sweet chilli sauce 
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 
1 tsp sesame or olive oil 
1 red chilli, sliced 

Method 

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. 
2. Blanch green beans and peas in water for 1-2 minutes and plunge into ice water. Drain and set aside. 
3. Toss the green beans, peas, bean sprouts (if using), herbs and cucumber on a serving platter. 
4. Arrange beef on top. 
5. Whisk together dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad. Season well. 
6. Scatter coconut flakes over the salad just before serving.

The post Weekend meal prepping like a pro appeared first on MyKitchen.

Don’t let the rush of the week impact your dinner choices. Make this chicken fried rice in big batches to freeze and use during the week!

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 35 min

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 red onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
4 eggs, lightly whisked
2 cups grain and bean base
1 chilli, chopped
1 fried egg, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat the oil over high heat and fry the chicken pieces until well browned. Remove from the pan.
2. Add the mixed vegetables, onion and ginger. Sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Deglaze the pan with the sesame oil and soy and oyster sauces. Mix in the garlic powder. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a little oil in a separate pan on low and add the whisked eggs. Cook, gently folding continuously, until almost set.
5. Mix in the chicken, vegetables and grain and bean base, and fry until the egg is fully cooked.
6. Allow to cool and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in a pan to prevent the egg from going soggy (do not reheat using the microwave).
7. Serve topped with fresh chilli and some extra fried egg.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

The post Meal-prep-ready chicken fried rice appeared first on MyKitchen.

This is one fad that’s been around for quite a while, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. If you’ve always wanted to give it a try but have been unsure as to where to begin, we’ve got some tips on how to meal prep like the best of them.

By Taryn Wilson

STEP 1 – CHOOSE YOUR PREP DAY

First thing’s first – you need to choose a day of the week where you have some time to kill. This will be your meal prep day. I organise all my food on Sunday mornings or afternoons since I hardly ever have anything on that day.

STEP 2 – CHOOSE YOUR FOOD

Choose which dish you want to eat for lunch or dinner next week. It can be anything, from a slow-cooked and flavour-packed curry and stew, to a quick chicken stir-fry. This is a great way to try something new every week and develop new cooking skills along the way.

STEP 3 – GO SHOPPING

Make a list of everything you need for your recipe, making sure you are accounting for enough ingredients to cook in bigger batches than the recipe calls for. Do a pantry check to make sure you don’t buy anything you already have at home.

If you are a beginner, you will also need to buy a week’s worth of plastic containers as well. If your dish is a one-bowl affair (remember that chicken stir-fry?), regular containers are fine. If you want to enjoy multiple elements, either buy some bento lunch boxes or a variety of small containers.

If you’d rather build your tupperware collection over time, simply spoon your meals into individual plastic baggies and freeze. Defrost them in the fridge and move to a lunch box the day before.

STEP 4 – GET COOKING!

Cook and cool your food (you don’t want it sweating in its container) and divide it up into the number of portions you desire, keeping each portion separate. Put tomorrow’s meal in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

Every night, grab a portion and defrost it in your fridge for the next day. Alternatively, you can defrost it in the microwave if there is one available.

Heat up and enjoy!

The post Meal Prep 101 appeared first on MyKitchen.