Batch Cooking Bootcamp - Amazon S3 · Plan to do some batching of items during that time—and keep in mind that batching these ingredients takes LESS than 5 minutes. Also, consider

Batch CookingBootcamp

Companion eBook

Table of Contents

Batch Cooking 101………………………………………………………...pg.2

Getting Started…………………………………………………………......pg.3

Batching Meals………………………………………………………….....pg.4

Batching BASICS…………………………………………………………..pg.6

Batching Tips…………………………………………………………........pg.8

Members’ Advice…………………………………………………………..pg.10

Batch Cooking Bootcamp eBook 1

Batch Cooking 101What is batch cooking?

Basically, prepping most or all of your meals and snacks for the entire week in 1 day (or dividingand conquering over 2 days).

Think of batch cooking as making a date with your kitchen for 1-2 hours. (And if you think about it, there’s 168 hours in a week, so 1-2 hours cooking is not much! And you could EASILY spend that much time just waiting at the drive-thru every night!)

Cooking on the spot also takes 30-60 minutes (not including cleanup), and if you do that every night, that’s 3-7 hours of your week zapped!

Wouldn’t you rather come home to relax and reheat?

Just think about all the OTHER things you could accomplish in those 5 saved hours! AND with batching, you’re cleaning less too! It’s the best kind of multitasking!

If your life is anything like mine, your weekdays are crazy CRAZY, and you barely have time to sleep, let alone worry about your next meal.

So take care of it ahead of time and erase that worry!

Before the invention of the packaged food field of dreams (a.k.a. the modern supermarket), TV dinners, take-out, and pizza delivery, working moms everywhere HAD to be batch cookers.

They didn’t have the convenience of grabbing ready-made food. They had cook in larger quantities and batch meals on the weekends to reheat during the week--no exceptions!

We could take a lesson or two from those times!

Batch cooking will reduce workweek stress AND prevent unpreparedness that leads to poorer food choices.

For those trying to lose weight, batch cooking is your SECRET WEAPON.


Getting StartedIf you feel overwhelmed (and that’s OK!), start by preparing ONE meal ahead. Ask yourself whatmeal or mealtime you struggle with the most—what time of day are you in a tailspin, often fallingvictim to what is easiest rather than healthiest?

For some people, breakfast is chaos when trying to get kids out the door for school. For others, it’s dinner, when you’re just too exhausted after a hard day at work and a long commute home. Whenever your crunch time is, make a meal ahead for that crazy time.

It all starts with one meal!!

Seeing is BELIEVING.

Enjoying the luxury of that prepared meal will inspire you to prepare another one (or two)! AND the more frequently you batch cook (even if it’s just staples—see pg. 6), the better and more efficient you become at it! You’ll batch cook like a BOSS in no time!

“I have to say that it was SO satisfying today to come home from my first day back at work and have my meal already waiting for me. It took no thought. It was stress free and now I am kicking back and enjoying my time with kids instead of running around at full speed. I even had enough energy to run a load of laundry. Batch cooking for the win!!!! These meal plans are a lifesaver!” —Kat B.

Get ready to be a master meal prep MACHINE! Let’s get started!


Batching MealsI like to do my grocery shopping after work midweek and prep Sunday nights when I’m doing laundry, so most of the weekend is still “mine.” (Plus, my local store tends to have midweek sales, and it’s less busy!)

Some members shop and prep same day, some shop the day or night before, and some even batch cook on Mondays (#MealPrepMonday). Figure out what works for your schedule and when you have the most time and energy to devote a few hours to cooking.

Before You Start…

I prefer to gather ALL my ingredients out before I start (with the exception of frozen items, unless I want them to thaw). Having everything at your fingertips makes cooking much more relaxing—and all those minutes backtracking across your kitchen quickly adds up!

I also like to place my ingredients on a couple of cookie sheets, so I can easily uproot and movethem away from the counter to the kitchen table (or on a chair) if I need more workspace.

If you keep your pots and pans scattered around your kitchen, it can also be helpful to assemblethose on the stove before starting—and get out your measuring spoons, cups, and whisks too!


Have everything pre-measured and pre-diced, chopped, sliced, etc. if you can. If you’re fast at chopping and slicing, you can prep as you go—but most often, it’s a lot easier to prep and pre-measure as much as you can before you start cooking. That way you can continue yourflow without stopping to prepare anything.

Each of the meal plans comes with a prep sheet AND a batch cooking guide that suggests an order of cooking (longest to slowest--multitasking!)

Keep these cheat sheets close for guidance!

As a general rule: you want to start with the recipe that takes the longest to cook. That way, while it’s simmering or baking passively, you can move on to making the next meal.

And don’t forget: You can watch videos of me cooking ALL the meals for the week at once on YouTube!

7 Meals in ONE Hour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pixyld4jrjkBatch Cooking LIKE A BOSS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNEh2LYjQIw


Batching BASICSPut your appliances to work!

If you make large batches of basics (like rice, beans, broth, and marinara sauce), you can freeze off smaller portions that last all month (this will ensure you always have SOMETHING healthy to eat, even when you get home from vacation!)

For example, if you’re watching TV… batch cook a bag of rice.

If you’re doing laundry on Sunday… batch make veggie broth from your food scraps.

Before you go to bed, dump marinara ingredients into your slow cooker…

Before you leave for work, make soup or chili in your slow cooker.

It’s usually best to take care of basics on NON-cooking days.

After my sister was diagnosed with a black pepper allergy and my father was put on a very low-sodium diet, buying any kind of prepared or slightly more convenient food (i.e., canned beans and bottled sauces) went right out the window.

It was too tiring for me to cook my ingredients on the same day I did my batch cooking for the week—especially staples like beans and rice that take 40 minutes!

Sooo I got in the habit letting some “staples” cook in the background anytime I was home.

I developed a new habit: batching staples on different calendar days. It became as routine as changing my sheets or doing my laundry! In fact, any time I’m home for more than an hour, I look for some item to batch cook!

Take a look at your schedule and see what times you’re home. Plan to do some batching of items during that time—and keep in mind that batching these ingredients takes LESS than 5 minutes.

Also, consider getting up 5-10 minutes earlier in the morning to put your slow cooker to work making beans, potatoes, soups, marinara, or something else while you’re out all day.


Batchable Basics: Grains (rice, barley, quinoa), Beans, Lentils, Marinara, Soups, Chilis, Broth, Hummus, Dressings, and Potatoes (do not freeze potatoes, everything else in 1-cup portions).


Batching TipsBelow are some general tips to keep in mind as you begin batch cooking :) :) :)

Wash all of your dishes beforehand. You’ll be using several pots, pans, cooking utensils, and dealing with containers while batch cooking… which means you’ll need a clear sink for quickly washing things between meals.

Organize your kitchen, pantry, and spice cabinet. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy or fancy, but if it’s organized, you’ll want to cook (I swear!) and cooking is 1000x more pleasurable when you can find what you need effortlessly! (It’ll also help prevent duplicate purchases!)

Invest in storage containers. They help you portion out your meals and stay organized throughout the week.

Leaving for work in the morning? Just grab the container that holds your lunch portion!

Plus, you can label each container, and that saves you double the time checking which recipe iswhere.

Keep your cutting board/work space next to the stove. This makes it easy for you to cut, chop, and peel foods, then easily slip them into the pot to boil or cook.


You can also keep your trash nearby too (or use a bowl as a discard pile) for throwing away cores, stems, and other food components you aren’t using.

Utilize helpful kitchen tools. Use your food processor, a garlic press, hand grater, etc.

Anything that makes it easier for your prep! You can also often buy many items pre-cut for a good price.

Most IMPORTANTLY: Be patient with yourself!

Batch cooking may not go as smoothly as you’d hoped the first couple of times, but that’s expected!! Keep practicing, and you’ll have it down before you know it!

Remember the main goal is to make this more convenient for you and boost your success with healthy, plant-based living. You’re investing this learning in yourself, and I promise it is worth it.


Members’ AdviceDon’t just take my word for it! Here’s practical advice from Members who Batch like a BOSS:

“My rice cooker and pressure cooker are extremely helpful. I start on Wednesday when the meal plan comes out. I see what staples I need and soak my beans first. I cook and freeze my rice/grains. I look for anything I want to make instead of purchasing, like mayo or yogurt. I may do this over the next two days. I shop on my first day off and cook the second. I also clean out my fridge before I go shopping. On my cooking day, all I want to do is cook and clean up. I look for ways to be prepared, but I spread it out over the week. I find breaking it up into smaller parts makes it more manageable. Batch cooking takes a bit of organization and planning, but it is so worth it!!!” —Kecia C.

“Read through the menu, pick what you will make, make your list. Then plan your shopping day and cooking day and give it an official time slot as in the beginning it can be time consuming- I also recommend having great containers and use masking tape (or something) to mark the meals so you feel organized- and then write out each day’s meals you will eat the day before- this is my system:) - make sure you have space in fridge and freezer for everything, utilize the FB group, and read each recipe before you start:))” —Lisa R.

“I spent about 3-ish hours on Sunday and made all the lunches for the week and prepped a few things for dinners and it has been SO much less stressful. At night I just pop my alreadymade lunch into my lunchbox, add in a breakfast (this week it's been either oats or the parfait) and go. Having that one thing done makes things so much easier.” —Carmie

“I have been using a recipe here and there. Loving them but having a hard time making the complete transition to plant-based eating. Then this morning it hit me..... That's why batch cooking is the answer. If it's there I'll eat it. The thinking in a new way and the planning is the hard part. Thanks Lindsay Shay Nixon and team, I get it now.” —Kim I.

“When I read ahead, plan ahead what I need to do, and do some of the prep first, and have everything I need out ... it tends to go quicker. I actually learned a few things that were super helpful watching Lindsay's video where she does the whole meal plan in an hour.. little things like not completely washing out the pot/pan between meals!” —Sailyn


Documents

Batch Cooking Bootcamp - Amazon S3 · Plan to do some batching of items during that time—and keep in mind that batching these ingredients takes LESS than 5 minutes. Also, consider