I’m such a fan of kitchen organisation. I really believe that just about anyone can live out a healthy lifestyle full of vibrant, nourishing meals made from quality ingredients. You don’t have to outsource your food preparation, no matter how time poor you are. It’s all about priorities and time management.

One of my favourite ways to ensure I’m set up to thrive with beautiful food in a chaotic week is to batch cook. I cover this in my eBook The Renewable Table which is a loaves and fishes” philosophy and centres around the concept of ‘continuum cooking’, a resourceful and environmentally friendly way to cook that reimagines your original meals into two, three or even four more, delicious dishes.  You can read more about the eBook here.

There are so many different ways to incorporate batch cooking into your life that will free up time and energy in the kitchen so you can focus on other priorities. Rather than cooking dinner every night, you might like to make two dinners that will give you the next night off. Or you may like to go hard and cook up an entire weeks’ worth of meals in one day.

Here are some tips to help you take up this liberating system in your home.

Equipment and storage

Firstly you’ll need a freezer with enough room to store the amount of meals you want to make. If you have a deep freezer you’ll be able to batch cook for more meals; potentially a month or even more! A deep freezer is also a great investment for buying bulk organic foods like meat, dairy, nuts and grains.

A freezer section of your fridge is also fine but you will just have to work with the space you have. I often clean my freezer out regularly to make space for more meals.

You’ll also need all of your regular cooking equipment, but if you have two saucepans instead of one, you’ll be able to have more meals cooking at once.

Lastly you'll need storage containers of your preferred size. If you’re just feeding yourself you'll need smaller potions, or larger containers for family meals. I often use glass jars in the freezer too. Just remember not to fill them too high or you'll break the glass!

Build a menu

Plan the period of meals you'd like to cook for. Is it just dinner? Or lunches too? Do you want to have snacks on hand for yourself or the kids? I often eat leftovers for lunch the next day so focus on making large dinners and I also throw a few snack, dip and smoothie recipes in the mix.

Look at your schedule and get out some recipe books or blog recipes that you love. Meals with some liquid in it; soups, stews, casseroles, lentil dishes and curries are my favourites to freeze. Muffins, cakes and slices can also freeze well.

List the recipes you’ll be cooking including the page numbers or website and remember to double or triple recipe quantities if needed. Write a corresponding shopping list for everything you need.

Have a cooking day

Here’s the fun part. Choose a free day in your week, tie your hair back, get your kitchen ready, and put on some music—it’s time to party! Cook all your meals, as many as you can cook at once.

I like to do all my food prep first- all the organisation of ingredients including the peeling and chopping. Then get cooking. You might have a stew in the slow cooker, one casserole in the oven, a curry plus a soup on the stovetop, and while they’re bubbling away you might be making almond milk, smoothies, pesto or other staples in your blender.

Preparation Tips

If preparation is where you feel most challenged, clear off the counter tops and get ready for some fun and interesting meal preparation ideas.

Chop up or spiralize raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, zucchini and capsicum into strips, batons and sticks and store in the refrigerator.  Then all you need to do is whip up a quick dip for a healthy snack. For recipes that use garlic and onion, you can use ready-made spices to save time and effort and make preparation easy. By preparing your meals beforehand, you can ensure that you have healthy options readily available when life gets busy.

When roasting batches of vegetables on high heat to bring out the sweetness, find perfect partners with the same cooking times. Fast cooking vegetables are asparagus, capsicum, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini and slow roasting vegetables include celeriac, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, rutabaga, daikon, butternut squash and onions.  If you require a mixture of fast and slow, cook slower vegetables on the stovetop first and then add to the baking dish.

Smoothies can be made in advance and placed in muffin trays in the freezer. When morning comes, take three out and simply place them into blender to whizz and refresh.

Cook up skewered kebabs and save some for ready meals for the oncoming days.

When cooking a renewable dish such as chicken, cook two at the same time but with a couple of different variations, one could be lemon and rose- mary and the other could be Moroccan spices with yoghurt.

Eggs can be hard boiled in muffin pans in the oven allowing you to cook a few batches of twelve at a time.  Just preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), place the egg in the muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Make a tray of frittatas in muffin tins, which can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. You wont lose interest if you make them in different flavours.

Preassemble glass jars of soup ingredients, salads or layered gluten free oatmeal, buckwheat, coconut milk and berries. Using glass jars help the ingredients from getting tarnished, carry dressings separately or place at the bottom of the jar, layering sturdier vegetables such as capsicum and carrots then top with leafy greens. Use a section of paper towel at the top, this will absorb moisture and enable you to store your soups and salad jars for 3-5 days.

Snap frozen vegetables such as peas and green beans are easy to use and convenient if you don’t have fresh, they're great added to soups and stews.

Label and store

I’m a self-confessed label nerd. Your day will be so much easier when you can look in the freezer and see exactly what meals are in there.

Buy some stickers, write your meals on them and place them on your containers of food so you are never stuck rummaging through the freezer trying to work out what mystery meals you have before you.

Remember when freezing leftovers, be sure to freeze appropriate portions that you’ll know you’ll eat when it’s time to re-heat. For example, don’t freeze a whole tray of lasagne; rather split it into portions you know you want to eat – or even more importantly, you know are good for you to eat. This provides fantastic support for portion control.

Enjoy the bliss of free time, and knowing that you're looking after yourself through busy seasons.

I've come out of hibernation to share a recipe from one of my  favourite health coaches Madeleine Shaw.  

This recipe is from her new book Ready Steady Glow which is full of show stopping recipes that are bursting with flavour and goodness.   

This gorgeous recipe not only tastes delicious but is perfect for those Autumn days when it's still warm outside but the evenings are starting to feel a little chilly on the extremities. 

Nothing quite compares to a warming stew. It’s no secret that I have an ongoing love affair with slow cooking; I just love the way this style of cooking transforms even less-popular cuts of meat into restaurant-worthy meals that continue to improve with age.

You can switch it up to and if you fancy a change, this recipe works just as well with lamb.

Designed to be shared, it serves 2–3 people

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
2 red onions, finely sliced
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp cayenne
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp turmeric
500ml beef stock or chicken stock
400g stewing beef or lamb, cut into inch cubes
2 carrots, cut lengthways into 5cm chunks
100g green beans
grated zest of 1 lemon
50g toasted pine nuts

Spiced tahini yoghurt

3 tbsp tahini
150g Greek yogurt
juice of ½ lemon (2 tbsp)
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra for serving
salt, to taste

Method

Heat the oil or butter in a pan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, garlic and turmeric and a few tablespoons of the stock – to prevent the spices burning. Stir well for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add in the meat and brown it for 30 seconds. Throw in the carrots and pour in the remaining stock, bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook with the lid on for 1½ hours. After this time, add in the green beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.

To make the tahini yogurt, mix the ingredients together well with a pinch of salt. Finish off the beef by sprinkling it with the lemon zest and pine nuts and serve with a dollop of tahini yogurt and some extra fresh mint leaves.

Happy Hibernating!

Lee x

The next round of my four week Heal Your Gut program starts on Monday 8th August, 2016.

You still have time to register for this transformational experience.

Just go here to join up and look forward to increased energy levels, better immune health and relief from gastro-intestinal symptoms.

See you on Monday 🙂

Lee x

‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is often referred to when it comes to diet and health. But this old saying may not be as relevant to some people due to our modern heavily sugar supplemented diet. 

Throughout history we’ve only ever consumed a small amount of sugar. Seasonal ripe fruit rich in fructose picked straight from the tree was the desired amount.

Our ancestors waved goodbye to the sugary desserts and overly sweet treats and thrived from starchy vegetables bursting in energy releasing glucose. 

It’s funny how the tables have turned in the twenty-first century. It’s like we’ve become addicted to the hit of sugar and fruit juicing.

What is fructose?

Let’s get down to the basics, fructose is a simple sugar found in many plants, tree and vine fruits, flowers, honey, berries and most root vegetables. Fructose is easily confused with glucose, also a naturally occurring simple sugar, found in starchy vegetables.  Glucose is  produced by the body and essential to the body and many of it's important functions. This simple sugar provides the energy needed to perform specialized processes such as digestion and cellular respiration.

The difference between fructose and glucose is in its metabolism within our bodies. Whilst glucose is easily metabolised and used for energy throughout the entire body, fructose is harder to metabolise and can only be done within our liver.

With an abundance of fructose passing through our lips in the form of an over abundance of fruit juices this can put a strain on our hard working livers and result in fructose metabolising into fat. 

Although this fat replenishes our glycogen and triglyceride stores, the primary store is stored as fat in the body. Because sugar is in everything, even natural and healthy foods, it’s hard to understand the ramifications of eating too much. 

We all want to be healthy, and often by doing this we up our intake of fruit. It’s wonderful to enjoy a sweet juicy peach in season but many mass produced fruit juices could potentially be doing damage to our precious livers when taken in excess. Fruits are glorious and packed full of nutrients, minerals, vitamins and fibre so they shouldn't be avoided, but they can be detrimental in large quantities such as over juicing.

What does too much fructose do in our bodies?

When too much fructose enters the liver it kicks off a series of complex chemical transformations, tiny fat droplets begin to accumulate in the liver cells, a process called lipogenesis. This buildup of fat causes fatty liver disease. 

Before the production of High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the 1960’s, a commonly produced sweetener which has been stripped of all nutrients, fatty liver disease derived from fructose was barely known. Now it affects up to 30% of adults in the United States and other developmental countries, and between 70% and 90% of those are obese or have diabetes. 

Are you consuming too much fructose? 

That is the question is on many lips.  

One thing we do know is that fructose intolerance is on the rise. With so much sugar passing through our blood stream it’s easy to for our bodies to suffer, even if you’re slim, fit and healthy.

Another problem is sport drinks.  When swapping over from soda to sports drinks, these little switches could be further adding to a fructose problem.  With the average energy drink containing 50 grams of fructose per 1000ml, you’re quickly increasing your intake. 

What is fructose malabsorption?

Fructose malabsorption is a common digestive disorder in which absorption of fructose (or other sugars like lactose or sorbitol) in the small intestine is impaired.

I can rear it’s ugly head in a few ways, from bloating, abdominal cramps and pains, diarrhoea, constipation, increased intestinal sounds and gas production, acid reflux, nausea or vomiting. 

Unfortunately, if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Symptom (IBS), then you’re even more likely to recognise these symptoms. With a staggering 70% of IBS patients suffering with an intolerance to fructose. 

Did you know that studies suggest that depression can be more common in adults with fructose malabsorption?

What’s the next step?

If this is all sounding far too familiar then it’s time to take a little inspired action.

With such a huge focus on being healthy in the media what actually constitutes the recommended amount of fruit per day? Eat For Health.gov.au recommends two servings a day which is sufficient to retain the vital dose of nutrients.

If you do suffer from fructose intolerance or fructose malabsorption, and want to keep the bloating at bay you might want to reduce this to one piece of fruit a day. Remember, vegetables such as cucumber, spinach and zucchini are significantly lower in fructose than fruit. Including these refreshing green vegetables into your diet is a great way to ensure you’re still getting a good range of nutrients. 

Here’s a tip for you, it’s been shown that if you have a small portion of fruit after a meal your body can tolerate the fructose a lot better than a single dose on an empty stomach.

So if going cold turkey on the mangoes is too much, then enjoy some after lunch for a satisfying hit of sweetness! 

Reducing short chain carbohydrates is also a way forward. Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols (FODMAPS) are sugars found in these short-chain carbohydrates which are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and reach the large intestine where they produce gas and attract water.

This useful list of foods you should try and reduce will soon become your bible! You can also read my blog post about what is FODMAPS? here.

You may want to sign up to my Heal Your Gut four-week online program. You can find out more about it here. The next course starts on Monday 8th August, 2016 and bookings are open now.

Creating the right balance 

The right balance is to eat everything in moderation, but with the combination of a reduction in FODMAPS and fructose you’re well on your way to fructose-intolerance free life a life free of pain and a distended belly!

Calm your vata with this delicious recipe from Eat Right for Your Shape.

If vata is your dominant dosha, this Ayurvedic brown rice nori is a deliciously filling and nutrient dense vegetarian meal. Vata is governed by the element of air, which means you'll likely be the kind of person who's always on the go, with a tendency to skip meals or eat irregularly due to your flighty, quirky and impulsive personality. 

Whipping up these nori rolls and packing them for lunch will bring you grounding and nourishment when you're on the go, or busy flitting from task to task.

Conventional sushi that's made on sweet white rice can cause blood sugar chaos for many, so this version favours the wholesome goodness of brown rice, combined with fermented soy in the form of tempeh and tamari and a seed component with the addition of tahini. 

A cute combination of different plant based ingredients creates a more complete protein that'll keep you fuller for longer and ensure a slower, steadier uptake of the carbohydrates in brown rice. 

Containing the sweet (madhura) tastes of ghee, carrots and rice, this dish will provide energy while also grounding vata's nervous and stressed energy. 

The salty (lavana) nature of the tamari and seaweed will also stimulate digestion in vata; bringing some much needed warmth to the body and will help the organs and tissues achieve optimum hydration. 

The addition of cucumber is also a beautifully hydrating ingredient that will add some water to vata's airy and dry emphasis.

Vata's aren't the only ones who can enjoy this meal, and with a few little switches it can be made tailored to your dosha. If you're kapha dominant; you are governed by the elements of water and earth, with a tendency towards weight gain, sluggishness and oily skin. 

For this reason you should omit the avocado and carrot which will aggravate you due to an excess of oil and sweetness.

 If you're a pitta- fiery and hot with robust digestion and an athletic strong build; you should switch the brown rice for quinoa to avoid a fast spike in energy and to achieve more mellowing.

Ingredients:

Makes 4 

• 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) wheat-free tamari, plus extra to serve
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ghee, melted
• 65 g (2¼ oz/¼ cup) tahini
• 100 g (3½ oz) tempeh
• 370 g (13 oz/2 cups) cooked brown rice
• 4 nori sheets
• ½ avocado, sliced
• 1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, sliced lengthways into eighths
• ½ carrot, sliced lengthways into thin sticks
• 2 spring onions (scallions), halved lengthways

Method

• Combine the tamari, lime juice, ghee and 1 tablespoon of the tahini in a bowl. Add the tempeh and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. 
• Remove the tempeh from the marinade. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and pan-fry the tempeh until golden
  on both sides. Cut into thin strips and set aside.
• Combine the rice with the remaining tahini. Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on the bench. With wet hands, take a quarter of the rice and press it evenly over the nori sheet, leaving a 3 cm (1¼ inch) border along the top side. Lay a quarter of the tempeh, avocado, cucumber, carrot and spring onion on top. Moisten the top edge of the nori with water and roll up securely. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Cut each roll into four pieces and serve with extra tamari.

Looking at your gut health is by far the best way to nudge off a few excess kilos naturally. Click on the video above to learn more.

If you haven’t already tried it or seen it in stores, my Love Your Gut powder, which is all natural and made from naturopathic grade, organic and fresh water diatomaceous earth is the perfect antidote to weight creep and shaking off those extra kilos.

This all natural food grade ingredient will give your gut that little daily spring clean it craves, particularly after a long-winded eating splurge.

It’s not just our cupboards that need a bit of tender loving care, our hard working colons do too!

Diatomaceous earth is the superfine fossilised remains of fresh water diatoms, a natural type of hard-shelled algae. For hundreds of years our ancient ancestors recognised algae as an incredible food source, holding magnificent health benefits. But for some reason it has taken us a long time to reap those benefits.

The wonders of algae lie in the silicon makeup. Silica provides an abundance of health benefits, from boosting hair growth, to easing skin problems such as redness, acne and eczema. Slowing down the degenerative break down of connective tissue, to increasing calcium deposits to bone.

Getting sufficient amounts of this super mineral is essential. However, it’s not all in the mineral composition, diatomaceous earth holds many other benefits as it’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-any nasties in the form of parasites. It helps with increased nutrient absorption, better immunity and improved waste removal.


Due to the texture of this natural sediment, it very gently exfoliates the intestine wall, sweeping away all impurities that sit in your gut.

These unwanted toxins block our bodies from absorbing vital nutrients, and therefore decreasing our general well being, energy and happiness.

Once the junk has been removed from your trunk, you will nourish and glow from the inside out.  It’s easy to take and tasteless too without any additives. It's also suitable for vegans and is gluten and GMO free.

Simply add a tablespoon to water, juice or a smoothie twice a day before meals and scroll down for my favourite gut soothing smoothie.

Love Your Gut powder, can be purchased here. Or why not ry my anti-inflammatory blend Golden Gut Blend.