At 36 weeks pregnant, I’m all about shortcuts and simplifying feeding the family, without sacrificing flavour and gut-health goodness.
If you too are looking to minimise your workload around mealtimes, let me tell you; batch-cooking and freezing is the way to go (and perfect for prepping for the 4th trimester)!
Lately, I’ve been putting a little time aside every week to cook up big pans of our favourite family-and-freezer-friendly dishes. I use some for supper that night, and freeze the rest, ready to pull out when I’m short on time, or for when our next little one arrives and I’m busy juggling mum-of-two life. I know future me will thank me for this in a few weeks time!
Here are my five staple batch-cook-and-freeze dishes:
1. Cawl
A firm family favourite, loved by kids and adults, this traditional Welsh stew is rich in tryptophan and contains loads of healthy veg. Simmering the chicken bones adds lots of gut-healing collagen too! For us, a good cawl must always contain leeks, swede, carrots and potatoes but you can add any veggies that take your fancy. Here’s how I, and every generation of the family before me, make cawl here at HQ.
2. Lentil Bolognese
Who doesn’t love spag bol?! And what’s more, Leah’s created a recipe with added gut-healthy extras, designed to boost plant diversity and nourish your friendly gut bacteria. The beauty of a Bolognese that’s packed full of flavour and nutrients, is that it can be blended into a smoother consistency, to help conceal any veggies your children (or even grown-up members of the family!) aren’t so keen on. You can find Leah’s recipe here.
3. Guilt-free ice cream
A yummy dessert or snack option that’s totally free of refined sugar, designed to keep the whole family (and their gut bugs!) happy. I ate a LOT of this during the weeks after the birth of my first daughter – just the treat a breastfeeding mama deserves – and can imagine it’ll come in handy again, when I’m looking for something sweet but satisfying. Prep, blend and box this guilt-free ice cream up in under 10 minutes.
4. Sweet potato & squash soup
This is simple to whip up and a real crowd-pleaser in our household. Made with nutrient-dense butternut squash and sweet potato, and a dose of Complete Prebiotic for extra fibre, it makes a tasty lunch or supper, served with crusty bread and cheese. You can find my daughter, Isabella’s, recipe here.
5. Smoothie packs
Prepping and freezing smoothie packs means breakfast or snacks can be ready in less than two minutes! It’s also minimised the amount of fresh produce we throw away – any fruit or veggies that can be blended are saved and frozen, ready for smoothies another day. I usually add enough banana, strawberries, blueberries and spinach for three to a zip-lock bag, freeze and blend with around 500ml of Kefir (just under 170ml each) and a splash of water when we fancy it. Smoothies are an incredibly versatile and easy way to incorporate more vitamins, fibre and antioxidants into your family’s diet. Check out some of our Kefir smoothie recipes for inspiration.
For more gut-friendly recipes from our team of Nutritional Therapists, browse the recipe section of The Gut Health Express here.
Please follow food safety guidelines for storing food in the freezer.
Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.
